SDWC: Considering that the Pens are a fairly young team and had so much success last year, do you think they're disinterested in playing regular season hockey? I think that a big part of their problem lately is that they're bored . It's a big change from the high intensity of the playoffs back to this type of 6 month grind.

Shelly Anderson: There's no question the games the first few months of the season lack the intensity of the playoffs, but I don't get a sense the team is bored. Some of the younger players who returned after the run to the Stanley Cup final now know there's an art to pacing yourself physically and mentally while still competing, and they're working to perfect that. They also are well aware that if they allow themselves to get bored or distracted now, they might not get the chance to experience a playoff run again. As you and they say, it's a grind.

DickTarnstrom: Shelley, are the San Jose Sharks the team to beat in the NHL? They never lose at home and if they keep up their current pace they will have home ice advantage throughout the playoffs. Your thoughts?

Shelly Anderson: San Jose is a dominant team defensively while featuring some strong offensive types, probably topped by Joe Thornton. The Penguins had a difficult time in their game there in late October. That said, it's tough to blindly project anyone ahead of Detroit. The best hope for the Penguins, should they emerge from the Eastern Conference to play in the final again, is that the Sharks and Red Wings meet in the Western final and wear each other down. You can't really say one would be a better or easier opponent for the Penguins come Memorial Day or thereabouts.

MAdesso: Shelly, besides Croby and Malkin, do you see any other Pens playing in the All Star game?

Shelly Anderson: Yes, I see Marc-Andre Fleury as a strong candidate. He won't start if voting holds because host Montreal has run a great campaign and Carey Price probably will be selected to start. But Fleury has been running second. He was playing well before he got hurt. He is scheduled to return as the starter Thursday at Atlanta, and if he picks up where he left off, he's a strong candidate to be on the Eastern roster -- as long as he meets eligibility by playing in six of the Penguins' eight games before Jan. 2. Also, assuming they're having some form of the YoungStars game, defenseman Alex Goligoski is a good candidate for that.

ajt123: Your opinion of the allstar voting?

Shelly Anderson: Fans select the starters in what is now an all-electronic voting system, online and by text. Of course, it's a popularity contest and one that favors strong get-out-the-vote campaigns, as Montreal has been running to enhance its centennial celebration. But behind the starting six for each conference, the teams are filled out by deserving players. While there might always been sour feelings about a few players included or excluded, it is, after all, just an exhibition, and a game played far outside the regular dynamics of NHL games in terms of physical play and intensity.

slip-shotz: Any news on Whitney's return? we need to get him healthy, showcase him, and package him in a deal for someone to play next to Sid.

Shelly Anderson: It doesn't look as if defenseman Ryan Whitney will play Thursday in Atlanta, judging from what coach MIchel Therrien said over the weekend, but he could be back from foot surgery and make his season debut in one of the ensuing three games or so. It's doubtful the Penguins are eager for him to return just so they can rachet up his trade value and move him. If the team can get to a point where it can keep eight or nine defensemen healthy, a trade for a winger might be the way to go. Which defenseman is highly up for debate, but I would make Whitney -- and Gonchar, when he returns -- an untouchable.

ajt123: Time to make a trade??? What do you think it would take to get M Gaborik from Minnesota?

Shelly Anderson: We've talked extensively about a potential trade with Minnesota for Marian Gaborek. Don't count on it. The guy has been hurt most of this season.

slip-shotz: Have you, personally gone on-line and voted for the All Star team?

Shelly Anderson: No. I'll leave that to the fans.

slip-shotz: Did they get rid of the Penguin girls? I went to a game earlier this year and don't remember seeing them, but I remember a huge void during "Cotton-eyed Joe".

Shelly Anderson: Sorry, but that's about the last thing I would ever pay attention to at a game. And I can't stand that song.

slip-shotz: If Whitney can commit to defense the way LeTang has in the past year, I would make him an untouchable, but last I recall, he was a liability...not to mention a liabetic and suffering from liabetes.

Shelly Anderson: You're judging Ryan Whitney on his play last season, and that very likely is not an accurate depiction. He played, almost literally, on one foot last season and in a lot of pain. That's why he and his doctors opted over the summer to operate on his left foot to correct an inborn abnormality. When he comes back, that will be corrected. He'll tell you he is in the best shape of his life, too. I would be highly disappointed if he would be described as a defensive liability by the end of the season.

ice_birds: The Power Play has been a hot topic lately... Can we expect Malkin to come off the point and move down low on the PP once Whitney returns? It doesn't seem like having Letang and Whitney on Point for the #1 PP would be a bad thing.

Shelly Anderson: That's an interesting question. I've heard two theories -- having Ryan Whitney and Evgeni Malkin on the points on the first unit, with Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski manning the points on the second unit, or moving Malkin to a forward position along with Sidney Crosby and either a sniper like Petr Sykora or big body who, hopefully, would go to the net like Jordan Staal. I tend to prefer the latter. We'll probably see some experiementing.

ajt123: Better chance of winning a championship this year, Steelers or Pens?

Shelly Anderson: Right now, Steelers, mostly because they are so much closer to the playoffs. They have a division title, a first-round bye and a shot at the top seed in the conference. But I'm not willing to rule out the Penguins, considering there is a lot of time to get injured players back, make trades and get their game to its highest level.

Shelly Anderson: Thanks, everyone. Talk to you next week.