Q: Granted, the Norris Trophy, otherwise known as the Lidstrom Trophy, will go to Nicklas Lidstrom yet again, but the fact that Sergei Gonchar was omitted from the list of finalists is a major snub. Is it because Gonchar is most noted for his offensive abilities, or is there something more to this?

Dave Holley, Philadelphia

MOLINARI: While Gonchar cracked the top three on this voter's Norris ballot, it hardly qualifies as an outrage that the three finalists -- Lidstrom, Zdeno Chara and Dion Phaneuf -- ended up getting at least a little more support than he did. That should not be taken as a reflection of any major shortcoming on Gonchar's part, but of the exceptional performances by the three who finished ahead of him.

Gonchar put together a superb regular season in 2007-08, but it probably doesn't help that he's a pretty low-key guy -- the next time he says anything that could be construed as praise of himself probably will be the first -- or that he has highly visible teammates such as Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin who tend to dominate the attention of trophy voters.

That doesn't mean any of the Norris finalists go in for self-promotion, or that they're the only big-time talents on their respective teams. Just that this year's field of Norris-worthy contenders was particularly strong, and that Gonchar had misfortune, if you want to call it that, of having an excellent season at the same time a number of other elite defensemen did.

Q: What the rules are regarding a player getting his name on the Stanley Cup? Must he be on the team's playoff roster or can any player who was on the big squad during the season have that opportunity?

Bill Holt, Wheeling, W. Va.

MOLINARI: A player must meet one of two criteria to be assured of getting his name on the Cup if his team wins it: He must have appeared in at least 41 regular-season games during the season in question, or played in at least one during the Cup final.

However, teams can petition the league for exemptions for players who don't fall into either of those categories. The New York Rangers, for example, did that with Eddie Olczyk in 1994, and Detroit did it for Vladimir Konstantinov in 1998, a year after he was injured in a limousine accident while celebrating the Red Wings' 1997 championship.

Q: I think the key to the Pens' run in the playoffs has been, and will continue to be, defense. Can we keep this defense in place for the near future?

Brian Tressler, Center Line, Mich.

MOLINARI: The Penguins' defense corps doesn't deserve sole credit for the team's strong work during Round 1 -- a commitment by the forwards to playing well at both ends and some quality work by goalie Marc-Andre Fleury played important parts in that, too -- but the group did, in general, have a good series against Ottawa.

Keeping the unit intact beyond this spring will be quite a challenge for general manager Ray Shero. Brooks Orpik, who had a team-high 16 hits in the Senators series and has teamed with Gonchar on an effective No. 1 pairing, will be an unrestricted free agent. His physical play and solid defensive work are sure to attract interest from other clubs, and his experiences with this coaching staff -- remember, it wasn't so long ago that Michel Therrien stuck him on left wing for a couple of games -- almost certainly will cause him to seriously consider any offers he might receive, regardless of how much he enjoys being part of this team.

Mark Eaton, though injured for much of the past two seasons, also has been an effective partner for Gonchar when he's been healthy, and is in line for unrestricted free agency in July. It isn't clear if the Penguins will try to retain him, or what they'd be willing to spend to do so, but the possibility that Eaton -- an accomplished defensive defenseman, penalty-killer and shot-blocker -- will move on certainly can't be ruled out.