Q: Bill Guerin was really the only one on the team who knows how to screen an opposing team's goalie effectively. All the other guys simply can't do it as well, for some odd reason. Do you think any other player could effectively fill the role of screening the goalie?

Chuck, West Deer

MOLINARI: There's no question that Guerin was the Penguins forward most effective at screening goaltenders last season, or that the ability to do so is an under-appreciated talent.

There's certainly more to it than simply taking a large forward and planting him in front of the opponent's net, although that's a good place to start. The guys who do it best are constantly adjusting, changing their position as the flow of play dictates. Sometimes that involves moving from side to side, sometimes getting closer to -- or farther from -- the net.

At times, the forward setting the screen must make those adjustments while his back is to the play, so being able to read and react to what other players are doing -- as opposed to actually seeing where the puck is -- is a real plus. And remember that obscuring the goalie's view isn't the only task for a forward in front of the opponent's net, because he also has to try to keep himself in position to capitalize on deflections and/or rebounds.

Having someone who can set a good screen is particularly valuable during power plays, and it will be interesting to see who coach Dan Bylsma plugs into Guerin's old spot on the No. 1 unit. Ideally, it would be someone like Jordan Staal -- he's big, has decent hands and has no qualms about absorbing the physical punishment that goes with hanging out around the crease -- but to this point in his career, Staal's performance in that role has been pretty ordinary.

Q: Can the Consol Energy Center accommodate the larger international-sized ice rink? There's been some talk of eventually standardizing the rink sizes, especially if the idea of a champions league tournament between NHL and European teams takes off. Seems they thought of everything else in planning the building.

Artie Smith, Tauranga, New Zealand

MOLINARI: For those who might not be aware of the difference, NHL rinks are 200 feet long and 85 feet wide, while the International Ice Hockey Federation's guidelines call for them to be essentially 200 feet long and 100 wide, although the latter are laid out in meters. The dimensions of the various zones on the ice also are different.

The Consol Energy Center, like most NHL arenas, was not built with an international-sized playing surface in mind. Where the talk to which you referred is coming from isn't known, but suffice to say, the NHL won't be switching to international-sized ice anytime soon. That might disappoint those fans who like the way the international game puts an additional emphasis on skating and skill because of the extra space, but should please those who are partial to the more physical style of play found in North America.

The cost of retro-fitting the many NHL rinks that have only an NHL-sized surface to handle the larger IIHF rink would be significant, if not prohibitive, and would compel teams to remove several rows of high-priced seats. That's just not going to happen in a league that relies so heavily on gate receipts.

Also, considering that the International Olympic Committee agreed to have the 2010 Games in Vancouver contested on the 200-by-85 sheet in the Canucks' home rink, it's difficult to imagine that any event featuring NHL teams and clubs from other countries could not be played on a surface that size.

Q: The prospect of Donald Fehr as executive director of the NHL Players' Association has me fearing the worst. This man did his best to destroy baseball. Do you think another lockout looms, or does the players union have enough common sense that they realize another work stoppage would be disastrous, regardless of how stubborn Fehr is in negotiations?

Greg, Ross Township

MOLINARI: Fehr, who has served as an unpaid consultant to the NHLPA since last November, has not, as of this writing, taken over as executive director of the union, although the prevailing sentiment in hockey circles seems to be that he will be offered the position at some point, and almost certainly will accept it.

Fehr definitely earned a reputation as a fierce negotiator during his days with the baseball union, and getting him to buy into the idea of a complete "partnership" with the league the way some of guys who've held that job have might not be easy. Unless Gary Bettman and the other folks at the top of the food chain in the NHL office really, really like a serious challenge, odds are they won't be eager to try to hammer out a collective bargaining agreement with Fehr before the current one expires in September, 2012.

That said, many of the players still in the NHL were around when the 2004-05 season was wiped out by a lockout, and presumably aren't eager to relive the experience. Consequently, one has to believe that they would be willing to remind Fehr, or anyone else who might end up as executive director, that he serves at the pleasure of PA members and that acting in accordance with their wishes is a pretty good idea if he wants to hold on to the job.

Finally, while Fehr has earned more than his share of critics over the years, few, if any, have questioned the man's intelligence. There's no reason to believe his would revert to a nuclear option, like a work stoppage that would jeopardize even a portion of a season, unless he was convinced that it was the only strategy that would make it possible for the NHLPA to attain its objectives, and that the trade-off would be worthwhile for his constituents.

Q: Ever year, I ask you the same question: Is the great Mike Lange coming back?

Tony Beloncis, Crafton

MOLINARI: The answer, according to the Penguins, is the same as it has been for more than three decades: Yes.

Lange, the Hockey Hall of Famer who will be in his 35th season of announcing Penguins games and who is one of the truly iconic broadcasters in a city that has had a bounty of them, has handled radio play-by-play since 2006-07.

Penguins Plus, a blog by Dave Molinari and Shelly Anderson, is featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.