Penguins AGM Jason Spezza excited about implications of AHL Wilkes-Barre's playoff run

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While in Switzerland with Team Canada — Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas is here, too — Spezza has one eye on Wilkes-Barre at all times, even in the middle of the night. The Penguins’ AHL affiliate leads Springfield 2-1 in a best-of-five series played six hours behind Switzerland’s time zone. “Last night I got up to watch two periods,” Spezza said with a laugh, noting the game started at roughly 1 a.m. in Bern, Switzerland. “I have been trying to watch the games in the morning when I’m here, trying to get acclimated to the time difference. It’s working nicely, because it’s not like I’m always in Wilkes-Barre, so Kirk (McDonald, Wilkes/Barre coach) and I are used to doing this. We talk all the time.” They have plenty to talk about. First and foremost is the progress of goaltender Sergei Murashov, who has been spectacular in this postseason. He stopped 27 of 28 Springfield shots in the Game 3 victory on Tuesday. For the postseason, Murashov is 5-2 with a 1.80 GAA and a .942 save percentage. “The players tells when they’re ready,” Spezza said. Well, the numbers say he is. But is he? “The goal is to have Sergei take us on a run this spring,” Spezza said. “We want him to get on a run at that level. That’s what we want to see. So far, so good. The defense around him has been pretty good, but he’s also made timely saves, which is exactly what you want to see from your goaltender. He’s just got a determination about him. To me, there is absolutely no cap on the ceiling for him and what he can do moving forward.” Spezza, himself an awfully accomplished offensive player at the NHL level, always looks for holes in goaltenders when he’s watching them in his current role. He doesn’t see any glaring weaknesses in Murashov’s game. “You’re looking for exposures,” he said. “His athleticism jumps off the charts. It always has. It’s one of the things that has the goalie people in our organization so excited about him. The way he moves, the way he catches pucks, it’s impressive. He’ll need to still refine his game a bit in certain ways, certain things around the net. The NHL has a way of exposing any weakness that a goalie may have. But this is incredible practice for him, an incredible opportunity. You want to see a goalie’s game look good in the biggest moments of a season, and that’s exactly what he’s done so far in the playoffs. It’s great to see, and we just want him to keep playing the way he has for longer this spring.” The Penguins have had their eye on Murashov for quite a while. They’ve only had their eyes on Bill Zonnon in a Penguins uniform for three games. He’s responded by scoring a goal in each game, including the Game 3 winner. But if you’re expecting to see Zonnon in Pittsburgh next season, it might be wise to consider Spezza’s approach. “It’s not going to be a quick road for Bill,” Spezza said. “I think we need to be patient with him so that he can reach all of his potential. That’s the goal here. But the hockey sense, the competitiveness, it jumps right out at you. And we love to see that. To be a kid that young (19) and to jump into the playoffs in the American League and make that kind of an immediate impact? That’s impressive. It really is. And it’s just not the scoring. Maybe that will dry up, maybe it won’t. But when you watch him, you see the assertiveness in his game. That’s what we love about him.” Spezza touched on a few other players in our interview: • Rutger McGroarty scored a shorthanded goal in Game 3 and has, by all accounts, been very good this postseason. Spezza realizes some fans have grown impatient with McGroarty. “We understand that for fans, and for everybody. It’s hard to have patience with players sometimes,” Spezza said. “Rut had a phenomenal summer, came into camp in great shape. Then he got hurt and it really wasn’t anything he could control. He’s playing better in the American League right now than he was last spring. He’s growing. It’s coming. He’s better offensively and defensively than he was. It’s a matter of patience with him.” • On McGroarty and Avery Hayes, who have shown chemistry while playing on the same line in Wilkes-Barre, both being big factors in Pittsburgh next season: “We just need to show them the way, show them what to do,” Spezza said. “They’ve both played very well. The goal is to have players from within get to Pittsburgh and make a real difference, and we think they both are absolutely capable of that.” • On defenseman Harrison Brunicke, who started with Pittsburgh, saw his game abruptly fade, but who now is thriving in the AHL at 19: “He’s been really, really good,” Spezza said. “The maturity in his game is really there now. There’s still a level for him to get to, in terms of simplifying things in his game. But physically, he’s been really, really good. He’s playing 25 minutes or more most nights. “For sure, there was a (lapse) in his game (at the NHL level). It’s a tough league. And it’s a really tough league for young defensemen. He’s going to need time. But he’s going to push to be back in the NHL soon because that’s just the attitude that he has. That’s just him. We’re going to help him refine his game. “There’s so much subtlety to playing defense at the NHL level. He’s learning stuff in front of the net, when to jump into the play, when not to jump into the play, when to make simple plays. I think he understands it all now. So, it’s just a matter of him getting the reps he needs now.” • On what the Penguins are looking to accomplish this summer, and if a step back could be inevitable after the team surprisingly surged to the postseason: “Nah, we’re looking for this season to be a platform,” Spezza said. “It’s not a straight line. We’ve seen it with other teams in our situation. We can’t rest on our laurels. We’re actively looking to find pieces to make us better. Dan (Muse) and his staff are hungry for us to get better.” • On Sidney Crosby coming to Europe for the World Championship: “I wasn’t surprised that he came at all,” Spezza said. “I know how passionate he is about hockey and how much he loves to play for his country.” • On Evgeni Malkin, a pending unrestricted free agent, and the possibility of signing him to another year: “We’re trying,” Spezza said. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms