Pittsburgh Penguins Mailbag: Sergei Gonchar, Olli Maatta, Kris Letang, and More
By Mike Necciai
Our Pittsburgh Penguins mailbag is a periodic piece that allows readers to ask us anything about the Pens, hockey, PensLabyrinth, or life in general. We asked for our first group of questions on Twitter and received some great stuff.
The trends are clear heading into September. Folks want to know what’s going to happen with the Sergei’s, or Sergei Gonchar and Sergei Plotnikov to be exact. And, what’s going on with the defensive pairings? We answer your questions below.
The defensive pairings for the Pens this season may surprise a lot of people. I do believe that Kris Letang and Olli Maatta will start camp alongside each other on the top pairing. But, while many think of Letang and Paul Martin as a steady pairing, Maatta actually played with Letang more than any other defenseman during his rookie year in 2013-14, and the results weren’t great.
Last season, Martin and Letang were nearly inseparable due to Maatta’s injury-shortened season, and they were very successful together. But, in 2013-14 the partner that boasted the best results, at least according to their underlying numbers, was Matt Niskanen. The Pens now have Ian Cole who plays a very similar game to Nisky. If it were up to me, I’d take a long hard look at 58 and 28 as a pairing and pair Maatta with Derrick Pouliot.
@PensLabyrinthFS how do the pens make room for Gonchar on the team (if he makes it) given their current salary cap situation?
— Grant (@gilcox_) August 18, 2015
The Pens currently have eight defensemen on the roster with one-way contracts, none of which are waiver exempt at this point. Someone will have to be sent down and could run the risk of getting scooped up via waivers before landing in Wilkes-Barre. That being said, if the Pittsburgh Penguins see a fit for Sergei Gonchar and feel that he can contribute more than their current depth guys, moving two of them through waivers will clear more than enough space to sign him.
@PensLabyrinthFS predictions for Plotnikov, dark horse prospects in the organization.
— Fishy (@iFishyHD) August 19, 2015
Sergei Plotnikov is a tough read right now. Given his performance in international play and the physical side of his game, he looks to be more suited for the NHL than the KHL and he found a lot of success there. But, I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that expectations should be tempered a bit for him.
Despite his struggles last season, I fully expect Chris Kunitz to be a top-six left-wing next season with David Perron occupying the other spot. Plotnikov should fit really well with Nick Bonino on the third line if that’s indeed the case. A trio of Plotnikov, Bonino, and Eric Fehr is pretty appealing to me on paper.
My dark horse prospect is Dominik Simon. I was extremely impressed by him at the prospect scrimmage and I think he surprised a lot of people with how skilled he is. I can’t say I see him fitting this season, but I’d look for him to earn a spot over the next two years.
I also had a question from @casto_adam (private account so I can’t embed it) that was similar but added, “When will we have a Russian line?”
The talk about Malkin wanting a Russian winger was fabricated for the most part. Also, consider that the Pens don’t have a second Russian to play the other side barring another trade, as the Pittsburgh doesn’t have the cap room to sign another free agent. Combine that with the fact that if Plotnikov makes a big impact and proves to be a solid second-line wing he’ll be due a big raise in 2016-17 and could move on if the Pens can’t swing it.
Unfortunately, as much as I would love to see Geno lighting up the league with two fellow Russians, I don’t think it’s something we’ll see anytime soon.
@Michael29Angelo whats your thoughts on the gonchar tryout
— Hockey Central (@ZentnerJacob) August 19, 2015
I don’t see the harm in signing Gonchar to a tryout contract. However, I do have a major issue with him making the team.
Some may ask, “How can you say that without seeing him first?”. At this point in his career, he isn’t going to offer anything more than a youngster like Derrick Pouliot. The last memory I have of Gonchar is highlighted in the video below, in which he watched Travis Moen walk past him with very little effort.
While Kunitz can be blamed for that turnover and Fleury for the soft goal, that’s the kind of defensive zone play you’re getting from Gonchar these days. I’m a huge Sarge fan and appreciate what he did for the Pens during their Cup runs. But, there’s no need to recycle.
.@PensLabyrinthFS Is a hot dog a sandwich? Show your work.
— Stars and Sticks (@Stars_AndSticks) August 19, 2015
A hot dog is indeed a sandwich. The sandwich came about as a means to mobilize a meal and eliminate the need for utensils. Therefore, the hot dog, taco, burrito, and gyro can all fall into that category. Of course, there’s also the hockey variation of a sandwich witnessed below.
Thanks for reading! You can find me talking shop on Twitter at @Michael29Angelo.
Next: 3 Questions for the Pens Heading Into 2015-16