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NHL STADIUM SERIES: PENGUINS v BLACKHAWKSMarch 1, 2014Stan BowmanCHICAGO, ILLINOIS: Game Day Q. Stan, coming down to the trade deadline here with the Blackhawks. Are you looking to tweak at depth or is there something you're looking to do here in the next couple days? STAN BOWMAN: No, we're not focused on the deadline, Tracy. We're really happy with the team we have. We made a couple moves right before going to fix some depth at forward. Early on we picked up Jason LaBarbera, and we made our big move back in November. We did that intentionally to try to get a player in for a longer period of time. I think sometimes it's hard a guy comes in for a couple weeks and then you jump into the playoffs and you can't get him acclimated to your system and the way you play and who you're going to play with. So we're not looking at that at all. We've got a great group here. Lot of chemistry with our guys. We're focused on just going ahead and getting back on the ice. We've been off for a while with the break, but that's not the focus for us. Q. Can you talk about the trade a little bit, about bringing Regin and what sort of role he's going to fit in there? STAN BOWMAN: Yeah, we added Peter right before the Olympics, and I think we want to try to bring in a little depth up front. You know, he's been a versatile player and his couple years that he's been in the NHL he's played at mostly center. This year the Islanders were using him at left wing. We like his speed and I like his skill level. I think he's an offensive player, but he's got some responsibility to his game as well. Coming over, he played in Sweden growing up. He's from Denmark, but he's sort of got that responsible play in his game when you learn and you play in Sweden. So I think that was the main thing we were focused on having a guy that can come in and help us out whether it's at center or wing. We really like his speed and his skill. So I think he complements the style of hockey that we play. We're always trying to bring guys in that are going to fit with our system and not try to change their game. But I think he can just play his game and hopefully he'll get a chance to show that. Q. Piggybacking off of that, regardless whether he winds up at that second line or in a different role, what is it about this team and this system that you feel guys can come in off lesser roles and lesser teams and play big roles on this team? You've done it in the past with Handzus last year and the year before that, what is it about this team that seems to allow for that? STAN BOWMAN: Well, I think first off, our group, the coaches, Joel has a great feel for how to use players and get the most out of them. I think that is one of the qualities that is really maybe underrated is finding a skill that a player does well and allowing him to do that. I think we allow our offensive players to have some freedom to do the things they do with the puck. In terms of other players fitting in, I think we have a lot of strong players around them. We don't just rely on one line. We try to play a pretty balanced game, top to bottom. People call it our fourth line, but Marcus Kruger played great in the Olympics. He wins the silver medal. I don't know how many other teams have their centerman who won an Olympic medal and he's on their so‑called fourth line. But that line plays the same style as all the other lines. They play puck‑possession game. They like to hold on to the puck and make plays. So I think maybe on some teams you have a couple lines that you want to score, and the other lines play a different style. But for us, we try to play the same each shift and have a lot of speed in our game, so that allows guys to come into that. If they have the same skill set as the guys they're playing with, then they can just play hockey and not be too programmed. Q. When you see a deal like the one that was last night that brought Ryan Miller and Ott to your division, is there ever a point as a man danger where you have to kind of fight that urge to go seek a deal to counter that move, that kind of thing? Have you ever had that kind of feeling before for that kind of deal? STAN BOWMAN: No, I think the Blues have been a great team all year. Even if you go back to last year, they're a tough opponent. You're going to have to play your best against them. But I think you can't be reactionary that way. Those guys haven't even played a game yet in St. Louis. You kind of have to see how it all shakes out, but we're more focused on what we can do. We have to play good hockey. You know, if you're going to get to the final, you've got to play really good teams and beat them along the way. We certainly rose to the challenge last year when we were faced with some great teams in the playoffs, and we were able to get past it. So I think we're going to have to play really, really strong to beat them if we face them down the road. But like I said, they've been a really good team for a while, so I don't know if it will change things all that much. We're trying not to be a reactionary team because I think we have to do what we do well and focus on our own preparation. You're certainly aware of what other teams do, and you have to be respectful and prepared when you play those teams, but I don't think it makes sense to just do something because another team did a move. Like if they hadn't made a move, it wouldn't have changed our approach. Q. In this cap area, your team and Pittsburgh going on six years now has sustained success. It's hard to do. What have been the challenges that keep the core together, and what are the challenges going forward with the numbers and everything, and how far down the road do you have to look to make sure it sustains going forward? STAN BOWMAN: That's a great question. I think sustaining some stability is number one. We've had the same coaching staff in place. But the main players are there year to year. I think when you have that, number one, when you have success, you want to try to keep the guys that were most pivotal in getting that success. I think we've been able to do that, and obviously, Pittsburgh has done the same thing. They've sort of identified the players you have to keep. Because you have to make moves, then you sort of have to work around that. You have to have good scouting. I think our scouting staff has done an excellent job professional and amateur. You have to develop young players and have them come into the mix, which we've tried to do. Looking back the last three or four years we've had at least one new player a year, and sometimes two new players a year, young guys come in and make a difference and now they're established players. But five years ago it was Niklas Hjalmarsson, and then it was Kruger, and then Saad and Shaw, Nicoletti. So those guys are not looked upon as new players because they've become familiar to everybody. But we're trying to do that every year is add a new player or two to the mix. I think the most important thing going forward is to keep the development of young players and finding them in the scouting area so our staff has done a tremendous job. What I started with was the stability. Our coaching staff deserves a lot of credit for being able to take a few new players into the mix every year and finding a role for them and then allowing them to complement the main guys who have been here the whole time. Q. When Perry was up here you guys thought he wasn't doing enough of some things on the ice. Has he improved in those areas? He's obviously having a great year. Do you think he could still be part of this mix down the stretch? STAN BOWMAN: Yeah, wasn't so much that he wasn't doing anything. I think with young players there's always areas of the game they have to improve on, and when they reach that point there's never a magical moment. I think it's a process. Same thing with Jeremy Moore. They've both been up‑and‑down a couple times and each time they come back they seem a little bit more prepared to do the things that you have to do at this level. They're dominant at the American League level, both of those players. I think that's the whole reason we have the system that we have here is that they get a lot of repetition in the American League so that they're continuing to improve their game. The team in general has had a great season. They've really been on a roll. I think that's what we're trying to do is give those guys a chance when they're not in Chicago to play big minutes and prepare themselves for when the time comes and when they're here. Q. With Teuvo coming over in about a month, have you guys talked about the possibility of bringing him in or do you see a spot for him in April? STAN BOWMAN: Yeah, there is still some logistical things with him because the team's still playing. When their season finishes, he's in the mix to play on the National Team for the World Championships. But I guess hypothetically if he's free and clear to come over, we'd certainly bring him over. He's having a great season over there as a 19‑year‑old kid. First of all, he has a great World Junior tournament when the Finn team came all the way and won the gold medal. But he's really taken off since that point. I think when he left here in October, he was a little bit of a slow start. He had missed some games while he was in training camp with us. It took him a little bit to get going. I think he started playing well in December, and ever since the World Junior tournament he's been dominating. He's been scoring every game. He's the leading scorer of the team even though he hasn't played as many games as other guys. I was speaking to Barry Smith, our player development guy, and Barry's over in Finland right now. He was with him the other night, and he said that they named him captain. Their captain went down with an injury, so Teuvo took over as captain, which is remarkable for a 19‑year‑old kid over there in the biggest league, and he's really dominating. So I think the nice thing for us with Teuvo is we don't need to rely on him, even if he does come over. He's not going to be the focal point of our team. I think at that age you have to be careful you don't put your expectations too high. He's just going to be another player if he comes in. But he certainly has the talent to be able to play with high‑end players here. We're not counting on anything, but if it works out, it would be a great addition. Q. You guys were very fortunate that your ten players came back from Russia healthy. Obviously, a lot of players didn't, and you saw comments. I'm curious what your comments are on the long‑term viability of the NHL in the Olympics? STAN BOWMAN: I see both sides of it. Obviously, if you have a player come back and he's not able to help you out, you're going to be frustrated. But the flip side of it is I think we can expand our game. The idea is that we're going to expose hockey to people who maybe wouldn't normally follow it, but they tune in during the Olympics and they see this great sport with the best players in the world participating. They can get turned on. I think there are certainly some benefits to it, and there are some concerns as well so I can see both sides to it. We're just through this one, so I don't know where it's going to play itself out. There is a lot of discussion leading into four years from now. It's a great question. I'm just happy our guys are all healthy, and we don't have to worry about that. Q. Getting back to the market ahead of the trade deadline. Is there a lot of chatter going on? Are you fielding a lot of phone calls? How would you characterize the market this year compared to the past in terms of the chatter among the GMs and activity? STAN BOWMAN: I've had some teams called. I guess, traditionally we don't get a lot of inbounds calls because they know we're not looking to trade players away. If anything, in the past, you'd sort of have to call the teams that have players or are struggling. Since we're not looking to add players, I haven't had to make a lot of calls inquiring on players' availability. I know there is talk out there; I'm just not that focused on it because I'm really confident in our group here. We've got a really good chemistry, and I think sometimes that's overlooked, the importance of keeping your group together, giving them a chance to show what they can do as a group, as opposed to trying to bring in new pieces. There is value to that. But it also can go the other way. I like the group that we have, and we're excited to go to war with these guys. Q. After carrying eight defenseman all season, could you comment on placing Michael Kostka on waivers heading into the final leg of the season? STAN BOWMAN: Having eight defensemen all year made a challenge for the coaches to try to get enough ice time for the guys. Also for Mike he only played eight games. It was tough for him to get his game going. So we wanted to try to get him some opportunity to play. That was the thinking going into it. It gives us some roster flexibility, and obviously you don't want to lose a player on waivers, but that is the rules we play under. You have to expose them. But the intention was to try to get him down to Rockford and give ourselves some more flexibility with our situation leading into the final months of the season. So it was twofold. Wanted to get him some playing time, but more importantly wanted to give ourselves some roster flexibility leading into the final months. Ideally you don't like to have to use defensemen to play forward, and we've had to do that sometimes. We wanted to try to avoid that down the stretch. That was the reason we went that way. Q. You mentioned Versteeg, how would you assess how he's played? STAN BOWMAN: Kris has been really good for us. I'm excited for how it's worked out. We talked at the time that we made the deal that he gives us that versatility. We like that he can play all around our lineup, and he's done that so far. I think he's played every position. He's played left wing, right wing and center for us this year. He's played from the first to the third line. Our fourth line has been pretty consistent all year. We haven't moved him there. But I think we've utilized the one thing, which was he can play in different situations. He's played on the power play, so he gets some special teams time, and it took him a little time when we got him early on. He hadn't played a lot of hockey. He had the injury, and he was just sort of getting his groove. Now that he's been around with us for a while, he fits in good. Certainly he's got some chemistry with Patrick. They've played pretty well together. Here they can both be creative players and make plays. So down the stretch I like the fact that he can move around and gives the coaching staff some options too, which Joel likes to take advantage of. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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