Pittsburgh Penguins: Is Sergei Gonchar Worth the Gamble of His PTO?
By Ned Taslaman
The Pittsburgh Penguins returned to old times by signing Sergei Gonchar to a professional tryout contract. Theres no need to remind fans who or what Gonchar has meant to the Penguins in the past and their 2009 Stanley Cup playoff run. His ability to direct the powerplay has made him a fan, as well as teammate favorite.
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Long time friend Evgeni Malkin even went to Instagram to express his happiness in the signing with a post that translates to “Cup is closer.”
However, this decision to bring back the former defenseman brings a lot of questions to the decision making skills of general manager Jim Rutherford and the organization’s commitment to success through tough decisions.
Before we jump to conclusions, it is important to remember that it is just a tryout contract and there is no guarantee that Sergei Gonchar will make the Pittsburgh Penguins roster.
Gonchar is a fan favorite, the players love him, the media loves talking to him and he can probably still make great passes from the point on a powerplay. Despite this, he simply doesn’t fit what the team needs and there is very little he can do for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Keep in mind that this deal is coming after Jim Rutherford blatantly said the model the Penguins are looking for is young and fast. How does a 41 year old defenseman fall in this criteria? He doesn’t. Its ok to go away from the mold once in a while to fill a talent need or roster spot but the Penguins are already stuffing their bottom defensive pairing with Dumoulin, Lovejoy and Scuderi, another older, slower defenseman.
We must always look at the past to understand the present and future and this is true even for sports. When Ray Shero brought back Rob Scuderi in 2013 fans were ecstatic. It was thought that a proper partner for Letang was found, our defense and penalty killing was improved and that the cup was closer. “The piece” they dubbed him. Sound familiar? Scuderi is now fighting for a bottom pairing spot with a high contract the Pittsburgh Penguins and their fans would love to see go away. Despite success with the Kings, when Scuderi returned to Pittsburgh he was a shell of his former self.
However, if Gonchar can show up to training camp, put a smile on everyone’s face and hopefully have Pouliot, Maatta and Dumoulin pick up a few mannerisms and passing ques, then he has done his job and should end on that note with no extension.
Gonchar has the potential to go down the same road Scuderi did and be offered a contract the same way Craig Adams was. Adams was kept on the team because he was considered a great penalty killer. Gonchar’s potential role will be for his ability on the powerplay. But this criteria is simply not enough to keep a player on an NHL roster. For a player to play in the NHL and the team to be a cup contender, every player should be able to perform 5v5 or on a special unit. Sergei Gonchar may be able to direct the powerplay but his speed will be a downfall during 5v5.
After Craig Adams became a free agent it was thought that the fast and young mold was able to start taking shape, however in addition to Scuderi and now potentially Gonchar, Jim Rutherford also signed 38 year old centerman Matt Cullen. Once again going against the grain of a fast and young team.
Gonchar scored 13 points in 45 games with the Canadiens but didn’t play in the playoffs. In the 2014-15 season, Gonchar also played 3 games with the Dallas Stars recording one assist.
This brings us to the notion that the Penguins organization is making decisions based on good memories, loyalty and keeping the gang happy instead of making the tough decisions to become a champion. Keep in mind Matt Cullen was on Rutherford’s Carolina cup winning team in 2006.
Despite “Sid the Kid” and the 2005 draft seeming like yesterday and the young core intact, the Penguins are the second oldest team in the NHL averaging at 29.6 years old.
Only time will tell how Sergei Gonchar will fair come training camp and what exactly he will be able to bring to the team but if history and age plays a role, the 41-year old defenseman might not have enough in the tank to compete.
Next: Assessing Where Eric Fehr Fits in the Pens' Top-Nine