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Moderator's note: The Penguins claimed their second Stanley Cup on June 1, 1992; for those who don't have a calendar handy, that was precisely 15 years ago. That makes this as good a time as any to think back on how the Penguins rallied from a 3-1 deficit against Washington during the opening round, overcame serious injuries to Mario Lemieux and Joe Mullen to defeat the New York Rangers in the second, toyed with a pretty good Boston team in the Wales Conference final and then swept Chicago in the Cup final while running their playoff record-tying win streak to 11. Bump into Lemieux or Ron Francis or Ulf Samuelsson -- or even Mike Needham or Jock Callander or Dave Michayluk -- today, and it might be worth mentioning just how impressive their performance that spring was.

Q: Which veteran do you feel is most important for the Pens to re-sign, Gary Roberts or Mark Recchi?

Ryan Hamner, Blaine, Minn.

MOLINARI: The Penguins obviously feel they still can use both, because general manager Ray Shero has been trying to negotiate new deals with them. If circumstances were ideal, Shero would have the luxury of waiting to see what moves he is able to make in free agency before deciding whether he should put more of an emphasis on keeping Recchi or Roberts. Basically, if he'd be able to add a ferocious forechecker or two, keeping Roberts might not be so critical. And if he'd pick up a couple of wingers with a scoring touch, Recchi would be a bit more expendable.

But because waiting isn't an option -- Roberts and Recchi are about to become unrestricted free agents themselves, so decisions on them can't be deferred -- the inclination here would be to make keeping Roberts the priority. His physical play provides a dimension the Penguins lacked up front before he arrived at the trade deadline, and his willingness to inflict -- and absorb -- punishment in front of the net is an obvious asset for the power play.

How long Roberts will be able to continue playing such a demanding style is a legitimate question, but his commitment to conditioning has few equals, and Detroit's Chris Chelios has shown that it's possible to perform at a high level even when a player is in his mid-40s. Recchi isn't exactly running on fumes, either, and there's no question he's still capable of making a meaningful contribution, even if both his role and his salary should be reduced if he returns.

Q: With the NHL going to the new uniforms next season, when do you think we will find out what the Penguins' new ones will look like?

Matt, Butler

MOLINARI: The Penguins, and most other teams, are expected to unveil their new, "sleeker" uniforms sometime in early to mid-September, before the start of exhibition play. A few clubs are believed to have gotten clearance to break out their new uniforms at the draft in Columbus later this month, but those apparently will be teams that are making logo changes or some other significant alteration. The Penguins' uniforms are expected to be modified somewhat, but not in any dramatic way.

Q: I have read about Jonathan Filewich and Ryan Stone challenging for a roster spot next year. I would not consider either of those guys a potential impact player. Is there anyone who did not play here last year that we have in the organization who can have an impact? The only guy who comes to mind is Kristopher Letang.

Michael Litzenberger, Reading

MOLINARI: Letang is, in fact, the closest thing the Penguins appear to have to an impact player outside of their NHL depth chart, but that isn't surprising when you consider that every first-round draft choice they've claimed since 2000 already is on the major-league roster.

Two related factors have contributed to that: The Penguins have picked up a series of elite prospects in recent years because they've chosen first twice, second twice and fifth once in the past five drafts, and having exceptional ability obviously enhances the chances of a young player making a quick transition to the NHL. What's more, the Penguins were one of the NHL's worst teams for most of this decade so, with the exception of the lottery victory that gave them the rights to Sidney Crosby, they got all of those early selections on merit. And teams don't regularly pick in the top five if they have a roster full of NHL-caliber talent, which means there were plenty of spots available for those draft choices to fill.

Anyway, because all of those high picks already are on the major-league payroll, most of the talent developing at other levels of the organization -- or in junior or college hockey -- projects into blue-collar roles in the NHL. Stone and Filewich, for example, seem headed for work on the third line at this level, although it would be folly to rule out the possibility of either turning up on a No. 2 line someday.

And while the Penguins obviously would like to have another Malkin or Whitney or Staal in the pipeline, their nucleus of young talent is unmatched in hockey, so it's hard to feel too sorry for them.

Q: With the Mellon-Bank of New York merger approved, what will happen with the naming rights to the new arena? I believe Mellon not only had naming rights to the Civic Arena, but also to a new facility. Any idea if BNY will keep the naming rights and, if so, how much it will be paying for those rights? What is the going rate for arena naming rights if the Pens were to go to the open market?

Doug Larkin, Adelaine, Australia

MOLINARI: Although Mellon's new incarnation does have the right of first refusal on naming rights for the new arena under a 10-year deal struck in 1999, there's been no indication yet about whether it plans to exercise them. And frankly, since construction on the building hasn't begun, settling on what it will be called isn't a priority for any of the parties at this point. (Especially for the folks who have been working out the details of the merger you mentioned.)

There is no "going rate" for naming rights; the value of that asset fluctuates from market to market, with population in the nearby area a major component in the equation. New Jersey, for example, got far more for the naming rights to its new facility in Newark than the Penguins could hope to get for a venue here, even though the Penguins consistently enjoy better public support than the Devils.

Q: How exactly does a team acquire an undrafted free-agent at will, and why didn't some other team pick up on Jonathan D'Aversa?

Zac Balega, Derry

MOLINARI: The Penguins signed D'Aversa, a defenseman with Sudbury in the Ontario Hockey League, under a provision of the collective bargaining agreement that makes a player an unrestricted free agent when he meets a series of criteria -- he must be 21 or older, has not been drafted and has played at least one season in North America when he was 18, 19 or 20 years old.

It is not known how much interest D'Aversa received from other teams, but it's likely that he didn't go completely unnoticed because he played on the top defensive pairing for a fairly successful junior team. It's easy to understand why he would opt to join the Penguins, though. Not only does the franchise have a pretty promising future, but it has a defense corps that is in transition, and in need of an upgrade.

D'Aversa could, would -- and should -- believe that he'll be a legitimate candidate to play on their blue line when they're chasing a championship. That doesn't mean things will work out that way (and it's worth noting that the Penguins haven't cleared a spot on their major-league depth chart for D'Aversa in 2007-08), but it seems reasonable to suggest that those factors likely played a role in D'Aversa's decision to sign here.

Q: During Game 6 of the Detroit-Anaheim series, one of the announcers said a high-sticking penalty will not be called if the situation involves a follow-through motion. I was led to believe that a player is always responsible for his stick, and will be penalized despite a follow-through motion. What's the deal?

Mike Vangrin, San Diego

MOLINARI: The announcer in question made a valid point. For while Rule 60.1, which addresses high-sticking, says, in part, that "Players and goalkeepers must be in control and responsible for their stick," the following two sentences attach the asterisk the announcer mentioned, then add a qualifier.

They read, "However, a player or goalkeeper is permitted accidental contact on an opponent if the act is committed as a normal windup or follow-through of a shooting motion. A wild swing at a bouncing puck would not be considered a normal windup or follow-through and any contact to an opponent above the height of the shoulders shall be penalized accordingly."

Basically, a player is responsible for controlling his stick and using it responsibly, but when he's trying to take a shot, he isn't responsible for where an opponent puts his head.

Q: I see Jim Balsillie is still in the "I want a hockey club" ranks. Do you think he will try to move a team to his area, despite the NHL saying the Predators won't be moving?

Dan Sutherland, Newmanstown, Pa.

MOLINARI: If Balsillie, who has negotiated a deal to buy the Nashville Predators, wouldn't like to put a franchise in southern Ontario, just about everyone associated with the industry is laboring under a mistaken impression -- and has been since his effort to acquire the Penguins last winter.

The catch, of course, is that simply wanting to transplant a team isn't enough; the move has to be approved by the league, whose already-spotty image would not be enhanced by franchise instability. (Not that having a talented, entertaining team like the Predators perform before home crowds that average fewer than 14,000 people does much for the NHL's image, of course.)

While the league has a vested interest, and clearly stated desire, to have the Predators remain in Tennessee, there's no guarantee they'll stay for the long term. Several factors -- including western Pennsylvania's history of supporting the Penguins when they've been competitive and the league's reluctance to have what could become the game's most prominent franchise operate in a low-profile Canadian market -- that contributed to Commissioner Gary Bettman's adamant stance against the Penguins moving before their arena deal was struck do not apply in Nashville's case.

What's more, while the Predators aren't as "portable" as the Penguins would have been -- don't forget, their lease at Mellon Arena expires in a month -- allowing them to leave Nashville sometime in the next few years would be a clear warning to other franchises with spotty fan and corporate support that they could face the same fate eventually.

The collective bargaining agreement that's been in place for nearly two years gives smaller markets, including those in Canada, a reasonable opportunity to be competitive, and there are at least a few places in that country that might be able to support a franchise now.

It's worth remembering, though, that simply having a passion for the sport isn't enough to make a city or region a viable home for an NHL club, that requires a significant number of people and companies willing to spend the money it takes to make the team at least a break-even business proposition, unless the owner is willing to operate his team at a loss. Which, in the case of a billionaire like Balsillie, hardly seems out of the question.