The guy many thought Ray Shero would go after is now a Penguin.

The Confluence, Faceoff-Factor and Hockeybuzz all confirm this.

Jay McKee, formerly with the St. Louis Blues, signed with the Penguins Thursday evening for 1 year at $800,000.

His career stats:

                                            --- Regular Season ---  ---- Playoffs ----
Season   Team                        Lge    GP    G    A  Pts  PIM  GP   G   A Pts PIM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1995-96  Buffalo Sabres              NHL     1    0    1    1    2  --  --  --  --  --
1996-97  Buffalo Sabres              NHL    43    1    9   10   35   3   0   0   0   0
1997-98  Buffalo Sabres              NHL    56    1   13   14   42   1   0   0   0   0
1998-99  Buffalo Sabres              NHL    72    0    6    6   75  21   0   3   3  24
1999-00  Buffalo Sabres              NHL    78    5   12   17   50   1   0   0   0   0
2000-01  Buffalo Sabres              NHL    74    1   10   11   76   8   1   0   1   6
2001-02  Buffalo Sabres              NHL    81    2   11   13   43  --  --  --  --  --
2002-03  Buffalo Sabres              NHL    59    0    5    5   49  --  --  --  --  --
2003-04  Buffalo Sabres              NHL    43    2    3    5   41  --  --  --  --  --
2005-06  Buffalo Sabres              NHL    75    5   11   16   57  17   2   3   5  30
2006-07  St. Louis Blues             NHL    23    0    0    0   12  --  --  --  --  --
2007-08  St. Louis Blues             NHL    66    2    7    9   42  --  --  --  --  --
2008-09  St. Louis Blues             NHL    69    1    7    8   44   4   0   0   0   4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
         NHL Totals                        740   20   95  115  568  55   3   6   9  64

He appears to be a solid d-man, just like Scuderi.  It’s doubtful that he can do all the same things Scuds did, but he’ll get the job done.

He’s been consistent, plays a lot of games and finished the season in St. Louis with a plus-11 on an average Blues team.  That number, along with others, can definitely improve in Pittsburgh.

He’s also a nice addition for the fact that he’s a defensive-minded d-man.  The Penguins have their fare share of shooters from the blue line in Sergei Gonchar, Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski.  Adding a third, shutdown-type guy help even out the equation.

At $800,000, Ray Shero has money left over.  Will he use it?  Or keep it for a possible trade next year at the deadline?

Will he make a trade before the season starts?

All are possibilities and are what make free agency exciting.  We’ll keep you posted on anything that happens.

–

Chris | PPT

“IN SHERO WE TRUST”