Pittsburgh Penguins Around the Web – 8/4/2015
By Mike Necciai
Pittsburgh Penguins news and rumors are slow right now, as you’d expect for August. But, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t solid material out there for Pens fans looking for their hockey fix. Of course, we post daily content at PensLabyrinth.Com, but there’s a lot of good content elsewhere that we like to recommend in case it doesn’t find it’s way to you otherwise.
More from Penguins News
- Welcome To The Burgh: Lars Eller
- Penguins Waddle Toward The Season
- Farewell Carl Hagelin
- Penguins Line-up Breakdown vs Stanley Cup Champs Vegas
- Ryan Graves Solid Signing For The Pittsburgh Penguins
I have to start with a piece that I published this morning on analytics and how they fit in the sport. It seems to be a never ending debate and folks just can’t agree on the effectiveness of this data. In this article, I discuss a few tips for both sides of the analytics debate and the importance of this information going forward.
I recommend reading with an open mind, and understand that both sides have to give a little. Analytics are here to stay, so it’s time that everyone start adopting a common ground so we can get back to debating hockey instead of why charts are or aren’t a good reflection of performance.
Penguins Not Alone in Top-Heavy Approach to Salary Cap – TribLive.Com, Jonathan Bombulie
– This is an important topic, as many folks have pegged the Pittsburgh Penguins as a team that overspends on their core. There have been numerous members of media and bloggers alike that cite the Pens’ willingness to pay a premium for so many top end talents as a recipe for disaster. According to that crowd, there’s no way to fill out a deep roster with this mindset in a cap league. I disagree, and Jim Rutherford proved that he could do exactly that this offseason.
After Cancer Scare, Penguins Olli Maatta Ready for the Big Time – TheHockeyNews.Com, Shelly Anderson
– I like to refer to Olli Maatta as Paul Martin 2.0, as he possesses similar strengths but obviously has an edge with his youth and a few upgrades in skill. And, the Pittsburgh Penguins will need him to fill the tough minutes that Martin occupied over the last five seasons while likely being paired with Kris Letang on the top unit. Shelly hits the nail on the head in this article when she mentions his maturity and poise. This kid is truly something special, and hopefully the shoulder issues are behind him and he can get back to worrying about hockey.
Pensburgh 2015 Top 25 Under 25: Graduates and Departed – Pensburgh.Com, Hooks Orpik
– This is a nice breakdown of the young talent both within the Pittsburgh Penguins organization and those that have moved on. It’s a scary reminder that while the Pens are much improved this season, they sacrificed a lot of their future as well. I personally like that Rutherford is still cognizant of that fact and has worked to acquire picks back (such as the Kessel trade) or upgrade what he has as he did in the Brandon Sutter deal.
A Look Back at Sidney Crosby’s First Ten Years With the Pittsburgh Penguins – Pittsburgh.CBSLocal.Com
This is from late last week, but who doesn’t want to revisit Crosby’s career so far?
Next: Offseason Grades - Paul Martin's Last Ride