I can't tell you how many times I have wished out loud that the Penguins would somehow acquire Matthew Barnaby. There was a time when I thought the Sabres would never even dream of letting him get away.

It was two years ago, and the Sabres were playing the Flyers in the Eastern Conference semifinals of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Barnaby was playing his usual high-energy, agitating game against Eric Lindros and Co., but his team was eliminated in five games.

As the two teams met at center ice for the customary handshake, Barnaby wiped the tears from his eyes. The emotion of the moment had gotten the best of him. It was the last time he would ever play for his favorite coach, Ted Nolan.

And it was last time he would tap into his emotional wellspring until the 1998 Stanley Cup Playoffs. "Emotion is something you can't press a button on and off. Emotion is something you have within and bring out," Barnaby said after his first workout with the Penguins on Friday. He was having a tough time giving his heart and soul to the Sabres as a healthy scratch.

"It's tough to perform at this level when the players are so good and so talented, if you're not liking the game. I was getting to that point. Right now, I couldn't be happier.

Which means he'll be flashing that Cheshire cat grin quite a bit in the weeks to come. That toothy smile can be an irritant to opposing players.

"Usually when I get beat up, I have to smile because that's the only thing I have going for me," he said. "Everyone has a role on the team, whether it's scoring goals, whether it's agitating or just playing hard. Hopefully my smile can add a little something."

"Matt the Rat", as he was affectionately called by Sabres broadcaster Jim Lorentz, is more than a smirking, yapping, pugilistic agitator. Two seasons ago, he registered 19 goals, including 17 at even strength. You might be surprised to know that Barnaby actually scored more even-strength goals than Stu Barnes from 1995 through 1997, while amassing over 580 penalty minutes. He can score, and he can fight, and it's the combination that makes him so appealing.

"There aren't very many on our team who enjoy the physical as much as they enjoy the skill game," Penguins coach Kevin Constantine said. "You gotta have both."

The key to Barnaby's success as a Penguin might rest with how Constantine handles him. He can't be Ted Nolan, but he can find out what buttons Nolan pushed. "We'll just try and understand what environment he plays best in and try to help him recreate those situations," Constantine said.