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Pittsburgh Penguins Could Be Better This Time Around

By Rich Newpol

Apr 4, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Nick Bonino (13) skates up ice with the puck against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the third period at the PPG PAINTS Arena. The Penguins won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 4, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Nick Bonino (13) skates up ice with the puck against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the third period at the PPG PAINTS Arena. The Penguins won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins went into this season with almost the entire cup-winning roster intact.

Key acquisitions Ron Hainsey and Mark Streit more than make up for the loss of Ben Lovejoy. Among the forwards, Jake Guentzel and Conor Sheary have emerged to more than compensate for the loss of Eric Fehr. As assembled, this would be a stronger Pittsburgh Penguins team than last year.

What Could Have Been

Then came the downpour of injuries. If not for all the games missed by key players this season, the champs would easily be the team to beat. A healthy Pens team may have won the top spot in the East, instead of posting up second in the vaunted Metro division.

But now the playoffs are here, and those regular-season what-ifs don’t really matter. At the time of this writing, the Pens face a first-round matchup with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Do the Pittsburgh Penguins have enough healthy talent to claim the crown again?

Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins /

Pittsburgh Penguins

Do the Math

Last season, the Pens finished with 104 points, good enough for second place in the Metro division. They scored 245 goals, and outscored opponents 1.21 goals to one. They finished third in the Eastern Conference, behind the Caps and Panthers.

This season, Pittsburgh will finish with at least 111 points, good for second place in the Metro again, along with second place in the entire Eastern Conference. Remarkably, this season the Pens scored 276 goals (with one game to play), and outscored opponents by the same 1.21 to one rate.

The Net Result

These numbers tell the story of a stronger Pens team that had no Cup Hangover this season. This despite every team in the league gunning for them every game. Not to mention questionable cheap shots, and an expansion draft’s worth of players missing significant time to injury.

Just like last year, the injuries gave opportunities to some Baby Pens to show their worth, and by all standards have acquitted themselves admirably. And now, this stronger version of the team is almost fully healthy to start the Playoff run. But the ‘almost’ is a major one.

No Letang

While obviously a big setback, the season-ending surgery for Kris Letang is not season-ending for the Penguins. What does Letang bring to the Pens? His greatest contribution is not goals, and not even points (although he brings a fair share of that from the blue line).

Kris Letang’s biggest value is his excellent skating and stick-handling skill in the defensive zone. He is almost never beaten to a loose puck, and can make forecheckers whiff. Once he gets the puck, he makes lightning decisions and precision first-passes to get the fast-break going. That kind of play is the key to the Penguins up-tempo system and no one makes it click better than number 58.

Unfortunately, his style of play also leaves him vulnerable many times, and the Pens have had to make it work without him for many games. Now they have to make it work without him in the playoffs. So can they? Is there any hope?

Still Stronger Penguins

The answer is – perhaps a resounding – yes. The Pens checkered injury history on the blueline may have helped prompt General Manager Jim Rutherford to bring in Hainsey and Streit. With a renewed Justin Shultz and a healthy Trevor Daley, the Pens have some depth on the backend. If Olli Maatta returns to form, the Pens will have eight solid d-men. Chad Ruhwedel and Cameron Gaunce are serviceable backups as well.

Up front, the Pens are as menacing as ever. Crosby still looks well in his prime, likely to win the Rocket Richard goal-scoring title. It is impossible overstate the impact of Conor Sheary’s improvement and Jake Guentzel’s arrival on the scene.

Even with Kessel in a mini-slump, he had a solid season and will hopefully get Malkin back at center soon.  The biggest injury up front is obviously Malkin, but the team is still indicating that 71 will be ready to go in the playoffs.

Taken together, I still think it is a stronger Penguins team than last year. So much so, that it can overcome the loss of Letang for the playoffs. All this paints a pretty rosy picture for the Pittsburgh Penguins to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions. However, in my next article, I’ll talk about why nothing is as easy as it seems – especially winning sport’s toughest championship trophy.

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