From Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun:
Much criticism and many jokes have been made about Dustin “Pancake” Penner, but it wouldn’t come as a shock if Senators GM Bryan Murray shows interest in the 6-foot-4, 240-pound (on a good day) Los Angeles winger when he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer.
The two have a history, and Penner is proving in these playoffs that he still has some game. The native of Winkler, Man. has two goals and five assists in nine post-season games, helping the Kings earn the first berth in the final four.
Some key points of the Penner-Sens correlation:
-- After going undrafted out of the University of Maine, Penner was inked to a free agent contract in 2004 by Anaheim’s GM...Bryan Murray.
-- In 2006-07, Penner scored 29 goals for Anaheim and eight points in 21 playoff games. The Ducks won the Cup that year by defeating the Senators, who were coached by...Bryan Murray.
-- “Don’t forget that in 2009, Murray had Penner included in a package he was getting for Dany Heatley,” Brennan writes. “Before the latter exorcised a clause in his contract and nixed the deal.”
-- Ottawa could use some size up front. The closest they’ve got to Penner’s 6-foot-4, 240-pound frame is Milan Michalek (6-2, 225) and Jason Spezza (6-3, 216).
-- Penner’s in the final year of a deal that pays $4.5 million annually and will almost certainly be taking a haircut as a UFA. The Sens could have as much as $37 million in available cap space.
Feel free to speculate and/or make IHOP jokes in the comments section.