There's a clear distinction between the Haves and the Have Nots in the Big 12, at least in the eyes of the media. The Big 12 media preseason poll was released Thursday, and for the second year in a row it's West Virginia, Iowa State and Kansas — in that order — bringing up the rear.

Two years ago, the Mountaineers were selected to finish second, behind Oklahoma, and even received seven first-place votes. But the reality of life in the Big 12 set in and have brought West Virginia hurtling back to earth. Head coach Dana Holgorsen's team went 7-6 in 2012, its first season in the Big 12, and fell out of bowl contention with a 4-8 season in 2013.

Oklahoma, the preseason favorite, received 47 first-place votes, followed by Baylor with nine. West Virginia was a full 127 points behind seventh-place TCU. 

Here is the full 2014 Big 12 preseason poll, with first-place votes in parentheses:

1. Oklahoma (47)
2. Baylor (9)
3. Kansas State
4. Texas
5. Oklahoma State
6. Texas Tech
7. TCU
8. West Virginia
9. Iowa State
10. Kansas

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Penguins

-Winning the Memorial Cup last season was a big step forward for Penguins goaltending prospect Tristan Jarry (above).

-What do the Penguins' management changes mean for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton head coach John Hynes?

-"I’m a goal scorer I think so I try to score as many as I can. When you have one chance in overtime, you need to score." - Penguins prospect Anton Zlobin on his reputation of being a clutch goal-scorer in the postseason.

-Taylor Pyatt is considering playing in Europe next season.

Hynes speaks:

-Scott Harrington speaks:

-Brian Dumoulin speaks:

-Jake Hildebrand speaks:

-Former Penguins assistant coach Troy Ward was named head coach of the WHL's Vancouver Giants.

-Former Penguins prospect Casey Pierro-Zabotel has joined the ECHL's Gwinnett Gladiators.

-Happy 57th birthday to former Penguins all-star forward and assistant coach Bryan Trottier. A former Hart Trophy winner and a vital part of the Islanders Stanley Cup dynasty in the early 1980s, Trottier joined the Penguins as a free agent in the 1990 offseason and spent three seasons with the franchise. Providing leadership on a young team missing the talents of injured captain Mario Lemieux for most of the season, Trottier (right) helped guide the squad to its first Patrick Division championship while appearing in 52 games and scoring 28 points in 1990-91. In the playoffs, Trottier appeared in all 23 of the team's games and contributed seven points including two game-winning goals as the franchise claimed its first Stanley Cup title. In 1991-92, Trottier recorded 29 points in 63 games and was selected to the All-Star Game. In the playoffs, he once again appeared in all 21 of the team's games and scored seven points as the franchise won its second consecutive Stanley Cup title. He retired in the 1992 offseason and sat out in 1992-93, but returned as a player/coach in 1993-94. That season, he saw action in 41 games and contributed 15 points. Trottier retired as a player for good in the 1994 offseason and became a full-time assistant with the Penguins. He served in that capacity until the 1997 offseason when he took a head coaching job with the AHL's Portland Pirates.  Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997, Trottier, a noted Brian Bellows fan along with teammate Kevin Stevens,  is one of the most accomplished players in NHL history with 1,425 career points, 16th-most in NHL history. In 156 regular season games with the Penguins, Trottier scored 72 points. In 46 postseason games, he scored 14 points.

-Happy 54th birthday to former Penguins forward Jay Caufield. One of the toughest players in team history, Caufield, a former linebacker at North Dakota, came to the Penguins after being claimed off waivers from the North Stars prior to the 1988-89 season and spent five seasons with the franchise. In 1988-89, Caufield (right) saw action in 58 games and scored five points while racking up a team-leading 285 penalty minutes, a mark which remains a franchise record for rookies. He also appeared in nine playoff games that spring and racked up 28 penalty minutes. Caufield (right) was limited to 37 games in and three points 1989-90 but still compiled 123 penalty minutes. In 1990-91, he only played in 23 games and recorded two points and 71 penalty minutes but still got his name on Stanley Cup that spring. Caufield saw a jump in playing time in 1991-92 as he played in 50 games and recorded 175 penalty minutes and once again helped the team claim a second Stanley Cup title. His final season in the NHL was 1992-93 as he appeared in 26 contests with 60 penalty minutes. He was released in the 1993 offseason. In 196 games with the Penguins, Caufield scored 10 points and recorded 714 penalty minutes, ninth-most in franchise history. After being replaced by a Pittsburgh firefighter in a Stanley Cup final against the Blackhawks, Brad Tolliver Caufield became a personal trainer and helped Mario Lemieux during his comeback in the 2000-01 season. He currently works as a broadcaster with Root Sports.

Neapolitan Ice Cream Metropolitan Division

-The Rangers signed former Ducks forward Matthew Lombardi to a two-year contract worth $1.6 million. His contract will have a salary cap hit of $800,000. Lombardi, 32, spent last season with Genève-Servette of Switzerland's NLA. In 46 games last season, he scored 50 points (20 goals, 30 assists).

-EN Says: Lombardi is a playmaking center who has dealt with injuries, most notably concussions, throughout his career. He gives the Rangers some bottom-six depth.

Atlantic Division

-The Sabres re-signed restricted free agent forward Tyler Ennis (right) to a five-year contract worth $23 million. Coming off a contract with a salary cap hit of $2,812,500, Ennis' new contract will have a cap hit of $4.6 million. Appearing in 80 games last season, Ennis, 24, scored 43 points (21 goals, 23 assists).

-EN Says: Ennis was one of the few bright spots for the Sabres last season. Despite a horrible situation with a really bad team in a rebuild, Ennis was able to produce a fair amount of offense. He's a slick waterbug of a skilled winger who has been a fairly consistent 20-goal threat throughout his career. This is a fair contract for a player who will be part of Buffalo's future.

-The Sabres re-signed restricted free agent defenseman Chad Ruhwedel to a two-year contract worth a total of $1.3 million. Coming off an entry-level contract with a salary cap hit of $925,000, Ruhwedel's new deal will have a cap hit of $650,000. Appearing in 21 games last season, Ruhwedel, 24, recorded one assists.

-Ruhwedel is a small (6-foot-1, 181 pounds) puck moving defenseman who is probably no better than a bottom-pairing blue liner.

-The Maple Leafs re-signed restricted free agent forward Peter Holland to a two-year contract worth a total of $1.55 million. Coming off a contract with a salary cap hit of $870,000, Holland's new deal will have a cap hit of $775,000. Appearing in 43 games last season, Holland, 23, scored 11 points (six goals, five assists).

-EN Says: Holland is a former first-round pick of the Ducks who never quite fit in with that organization. He came to Toronto via trade last season and found a role as a fill-in anytime injuries set in. With the departure of Dave Bolland as a free agent, there could be a spot on the NHL roster for Holland this season.

-The Bruins re-signed restricted free agent forward Jordan Caron (right) to a one-year contract worth $600,000. Coming off a contract with a salary cap hit of $640,000, Caron, 23, appeared in 35 games last season and scored three points (two goals, one assist).

-Caron is a former first-round pick who has never been able to completely establish himself at the NHL level. He has mostly served as a fit-in for the Bruins anytime injuries have struck. For that role, this contract is more than fair.

-The Panthers re-signed restricted free agent forward Brandon Pirri to a two-year contract worth a total of $1.85 million. Coming off an entry-level contract with a salary cap hit of $618,333, Pirri's new deal will have a cap hit of $925,000. Appearing in 49 games last season, Pirri scored 25 points (13 goals, 12 assists).

-EN Says: After never really finding a role with the Blackhawks, Pirri was dealt to the Panthers and found a way to produce albeit with a bad team.

Central Division

-“It was not even really a thought of continuing your career anywhere else. I think we’re both happy that we’re locked up here for a while.” - Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane on the identical eight-year $84 million contract extensions he and captain Jonathan Toews signed this offseason.

-How will the Blackhawks manage the salary cap with the Kane and Toews contracts?

-The Jets re-signed restricted free agent forward Carl Klingberg to a one-year two-way contract.

-The Blues signed former Flames defenseman Chris Butler to a one-year two-way contract.

-The Blues signed former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins forward Benn Ferriero to a one-year two-way contract.

Pacific Division

-The Sharks re-signed restricted free agent defenseman Jason Demers (right) to a contract worth a total of $6.8 million. Coming off a contract with a salary cap hit of $1.5 million, Demers' new deal will have a cap hit of $3.4 million. Appearing in 75 games last season, Demers, 26, scored 34 points (five goals, 29 assists).

-EN Says: With Dan Boyle leaving as a free agent, Demers will be expected to take on a bigger role with the Sharks. That means more minutes in every situation. This contract is an endorsement of his abilities to be a more important player.

-What's next for former Penguins forward Paul Bissonnette now that he knows he won't be re-signing with the Coyotes?

-The Oilers hired former Flames/Panthers forward Rocky Thompson as an assistant coach.

(Photos: Kenneth Andersen/Getty Images, Bruce Bennett/Getty Images and Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

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News came out this morning that Pitt defensive end Ejuan Price will miss the entire 2014 season following surgery to repair a torn left pectoralis muscle. He was hurt during workouts this week and, according to a release from the school, was set to have surgery today.

This is just the latest in a string of tough-luck injuries for price. He missed the last seven games of last season with a back injury, and needed surgery on his right pectoral that kept him out of the entire 2012 season. In theory, Price will be almost certainly be able to apply for a medical redshirt following the 2015 season and get one more year (because he lost two full seasons due to injury).

For now, though the more immediate concern, from Pitt's perspective, is how to replace Price's unique contributions to the defense. He could line up with his hand in the ground or from a stand-up position and added a lot of versatility to a pass-rush that is trying to figure out how to replace the production of Aaron Donald. In the six games he played last year, Price had 23 tackles, including four tackles for loss and one sack.

Strictly from a depth chart perspective, this further weakens the Panthers at an already thin position. David Durham and Shakir Soto are the starters at defensive end, and Devin Cook is the only backup option with any sort of playing experience. Cook is coming off a knee injury that cost him most of last season, but played in all 13 games in 2012. He's shown flashes, but will probably have to be a somewhat consistent player for Pitt this season. Beyond that, redshirt freshman Luke Maclean will get a chance to carve out a role for himself. He backed up Soto at the strong-side spot during spring, but Price's injury might force him to move around a little bit on defense. The freshmen ends (Rori Blair, Shane Roy and Hez Trahan) might also get some cracks, with Blair having the inside track since he enrolled early and practiced with the team this spring.

In terms of filling Price's more specific niche as a stand-up rush end, the most likely scenario is that Nicholas Grigsby will take on that role. He did that towards the end of last season and during spring, so it was probably going to happen anyways, but this will mean plenty more snaps for him. I also wouldn't be surprised if Price's injury means Grigsby lines up as more of a traditional hand-down defensive end more frequently, too.

Finally, I actually don't think this news will change James Conner's role on the defense very much, if at all. Conner is a running back, first and foremost (and a good one, at that). Whatever role he plays on defense was always going to be determined by the workload he can physically handle, and that's still the case. Unless the coaching staff has a very different vision for Conner's future, I have a hard time believing they'd take a guy that ran for 799 yards as a true freshman and move him to the other side of the ball just to fill a numbers hole. He might have more of an opportunity to play some snaps based on Price's injury, but I don't think it means Conner will become a regular in the defensive end rotation.

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Anton Zlobin has a reputation he doesn't deserve.

Fairly or, probably more accurately, unfairly, any Russian hockey player is going to have a reputation of being flighty, aloof or enigmatic. Unfortunately, the mixed histories of superstars such as Ilya Kovalchuk, Ilya Bryzgalov Alexei Yashin and others have created a stigma for any Russian player.

Zlobin has another reputation he has more than earned.

He has shown to be a clutch player in postseason play. In the 2012 Memorial Cup Final, Zlobin scored in overtime to give the Shawinigan Cataractes 2-1 win against the London Knights.

Making his professional debut in 2013-14, Zlobin bounced between the AHL and ECHL during the regular season. In the postseason, Zlobin found a place on a line with Andrew Ebbett and Chuck Kobasew during the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins' run to the Eastern Conference final. Appearing in 15 playoff games, he scored 10 points, including six goals. Three of his goals were game-winning scores including an overtime goal in Game 1 of an Eastern Conference quarterfinal series against the Binghamton Senators:

A sixth-round pick in 2012, Zlobin is attending the NHL Penguins' prospect camp this week. Yesterday, he talked about his development, getting used to North America and being considered a clutch player.

How do you assess your first professional season?

"I guess it [went] pretty great. We had a great team. Great coaches. We make a conference final so it’s a pretty good experience for me for my first year in professional hockey."

Was it difficult bouncing between the AHL and ECHL throughout the season?

"I had an injury last year so I missed all the [offseason] camps and I just started to practice at the start of September. I understood I needed to be sent down for a little bit because I needed to come back to my conditioning [levels] and everything. I played pretty good in the [ECHL] and got called back. It’s helped me a lot."

You had a pretty successful individual run in the postseason.

"It’s always fun in the playoffs to play for something, to play for the Calder Cup. Everybody just sticks together. We have a fun time but at the same time it was a tough time. Every game, you play hard."

What was it like going from junior to professional hockey?

"Guys are a little bit smarter, stronger. It’s actually a big step for me from junior hockey to professional hockey right away. It was a tough time but [Wilkes-Barre/Scranton head coach John] Hynes helped me a lot for my conditioning and the system. When I understand the system, it’s easier to play the game."

What has it been like getting used to North America these past few seasons?

"My first year was pretty tough me. I can’t [figure out] any language. No French, no English. It was a pretty tough season for me. I just tried to figure out how to play there. When I got used to it and started to speak English, things [went] better."

Was are the difference between playing on a thinner North American rink versus the wider European rink?

"You have a little more time on a Russian rink. You have a little more time to make a play and every thing. Here [in North America], if you think more than one second, you’re going to get hit or something or miss the play or lose the puck."

Was it difficult to get used to a new culture and new language, especially in Quebec where French is the predominant language?

"Guys and coaches in the locker room tried to speak to me in English and my [billet] family was French. [They] started to learn English and teach me. Guys tried to teach me French words. I understand French words. After two years [in North America], I started to speak English better."

Have you ever considered playing in the KHL in your native Russia?

"No. No. It’s my dream to play in the NHL. Not many guys have a chance to play in the NHL right now. I’m lucky to be here and I’ll try to do my best to make the NHL."

What was it like playing on a line with Ebbett and Kobasew. Each of those guys, especially Kobasew, have spent a fair amount of time in the NHL.

"Oh, it’s a great experience for me. Those guys, it’s unbelievable. [Kobasew] helped me a lot to make a play and make points at the same time. W hen I did a wrong play, we watched the video together, the power-play video and [talked about] what we could do better."

Do you consider yourself a "clutch" player?

"I don’t know. I just tried to play my way. I’m a goal scorer I think so I try to score as many as I can. When you have one chance in overtime, you need to score."

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