April 22, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (29) allows a goal by Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Erik Gustafsson (not pictured) during the second period of game six of the 2012 Eastern Conference quarterfinals at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-US PRESSWIRE

It’s October in Pittsburgh, almost six months after the nightmarish playoff series with the Philadelphia Flyers, and a shroud of disappointment still blankets the city.  The lockout has left fans looking into the rear-view, reliving memories of heartbreak and despair, and our only antidote-the clean slate supplied by a new season-may not arrive for months.

I have been haunted by those same dreams…

Recently, Penguins’ beat writer Josh Yohe exposed managements’ displeasure with a certain player; they largely blamed him for the playoff loss.

Yes, it was Marc-Andre Fleury, and I can’t say I disagree with them either.

Here’s Yohe’s full take.

It’s a well known fact that the defense played like garbage.  The whole team hung themselves out to dry and often looked like a pack of ants frantically darting in one direction, then the next, after their ‘hill’ was stepped on, and their food stores lost.  Was Fleury left for dead? ABSO-Friggin-LUTELY.  But in all honesty, a blind mouse may have held the Flyers to fewer scoring chances.

For the second year in a row, Fleury had to be pulled from a playoff game.  Nobody, in any level of the front office, would be pleased with that.  He compounded defensive breakdowns by simply misplaying easy shots.  At times, the defense looked strong, comparatively speaking, and then a puck flipped toward the net at slow-mo-speed would find its way through the ‘Swiss Cheese Fleuree’.

I was actually relieved after digesting Yohe’s story, because it is a fair gripe to have.  The performance was backed by the off-season acquisition of Thomas Vokoun.  Nothing says “You better shape up”  better than a team’s biggest free-agent signing being a goaltender; one who was given a four million dollar contract over two years.

Before anyone’s panties end up in a bunch, Fleury will absolutely be the goaltender when the season starts, or arrives.  I’ve always been happy with him, but this is another flaw that keeps rearing its’ ugly head in the post season.  Those shortcomings cannot continue to surface, and they should be dealt with entirely.

If not, there will be many Penguin faithful looking over their shoulders and checking their mirrors, only to be haunted by another post season collapse a year from now.

April 20, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (29) and defenseman Brooks Orpik (44) defend the goal against Philadelphia Flyers center Danny Briere (48) and left wing Scott Hartnell (19) during the first period in game five of the 2012 Eastern Conference quarterfinals at CONSOL Energy Center. The Pittsburgh Penguins won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE

Since the Penguins were unable to acquire a high-impact free agent over the summer, the current roster has me questioning the team’s ability to overcome obvious weaknesses that appeared last season.  Actually, take a look back at the past few years and you’ll notice a number of deficiencies which have come to light in the playoffs, consequentially leading to the team’s downfall.  Lucky for the Pens, their speed, skill, and superstars can carry them through a regular season with ease, but that is not what management or fans play for in this town.  Postseason hockey is a different animal with unique characteristics, such as the physical intensity, overall congestion on the ice, and necessity of a simplified offensive approach; it is these attributes which have exposed Pittsburgh’s flaws.  I have identified four areas of concern.

Power-Winger:

Playoff games are always played much tighter which causes congestion all over the ice.  When a team is in the offensive zone, defenses crowd lanes in front of the net to block shots and create difficult shooting angles.  Even with Pittsburgh’s dynamic talent, sometimes it is best to have some scrappy big-men to plant in front of the net.  Having Sidney Crosby back on the ice will help to an extent, as we’ve all seen how dangerous he can be around the crease, but his medical history does not lend itself to the punishment taken earlier in his career.  I also imagine he will be more cautious since signing his mega-deal.

So who could fill this role? That is to be determined.  The bigger guys on our roster are more skilled, perimeter scorers.  James Neal has too good a shot to stick in there, and it doesn’t suit the rest of his game.  If no moves are made, Eric Tangradi seems to be a lock to begin the season on the roster, although this will certainly be his final chance to impress.  He might actually have the hands to make an impact there and his skating ability is hardly a strong suit.

Could he be a new Ryan Malone or Gary Roberts?  I’d have to see a lot more.  Those guys were both hard-nosed bad asses, and it takes one to man the front of the net.

You can look at Kunitz, Cooke, and Vitale who all very tough dudes-Kunitz being the most skilled of the group-but they aren’t big enough to anchor themselves in spots where a defense doesn’t want them.  I’m interested to see Tanner Glass, as his numbers are bound to go up with more skill around him, but he and Tangradi will need to prove themselves or Ray Shero should think about looking elsewhere at the trade deadline.

If you look at both trips to the Stanley Cup finals, Malone and Roberts were able to jam pucks passed the goalie when a wall of traffic surrounded the net.  That comes in handy when you aren’t playing the Philadelphia Flyers in some bizarre ‘every man for themselves’ series where goalies go to die and defensemen are left-out to dry.

Shutdown, Net-Clearing Defenseman:

As much as I’d like to reincarnate Gary Roberts, there is a tremendous need for a big-ogre to clear bodies away from Fleury.  Hal Gill was as good as anybody, despite skating in slow motion.  Deryk Engelland and Brooks Orpik do a decent job, but they often have trouble with big forwards.  Seeing the opposition’s forwards completely screen our goalies and run into very little resistance on loose pucks around the net has been a reoccurring them.  It is an absolute dagger when a fantastic save by Marc-Andre goes by the way-side after rebounds get flicked in behind him.  Most of the time, at least one defenseman was pushed out of position or missed their assignment, something a true stay-at-home beast could prevent.  Unless some of our highly touted prospects are NHL ready by lockout’s end, this is a problem that can only be solved with an external acquisition.

Winger for Crosby, Defensive Upgrade:

I lumped both of these categories together because they could be solved by satisfying the previously mentioned needs.  Strengthening Crosby’s line is far from, however I am not a fan of Tyler Kennedy filling it out.  The last thing Coach Bylsma should do is break apart the Kunitz-Malkin-Neal line; it’s a sure-fire, top-scoring unit for years to come.  Sadly, the leftovers are not intriguing especially after they let Steve Sullivan go.

Pascal Dupuis and Sid are great together, and the speed is deadly, but adding Kennedy will expose their weaknesses.  They would be physically overmatched on practically every shift, and have almost identical games that only vary in skill.  You may not think it is a big deal on offense-a discussion for another day- but they will be a defensive liability every time they are on the ice.  I have liked Joe Vitale for a while and he brings a physicality similar to Kunitz(again, less skill), yet he is far from a fix.  I’d use him over Cooke but that’s only because I know Matty’s ceiling, and you never know what would happen with a guy like Vitale or Tanner Glass getting fed pucks from “The KiD”.  The options above are truly a sorry excuse when filling the vacant wingman position at Crosby’s side, but those are the immediate internal options.

Realistically, they will need to acquire the next James Neal or a different dynamic stud(preferably Bobby Ryan!) to achieve true superiority on the Captain’s line.  I’d like to see a talented power-forward with average/above average speed brought in for the spot.  A guy similar to Boston’s Milan Lucic, and they would solve two of their biggest problems.  Winger Beau Bennett is an impact talent who has impressed management with his vision and play-making ability, and is a very exciting internal option in the near future.  Many believe he will be a perfect complement to Crosby, and processes the game as quickly as the prolific center. [check out link for more]

To upgrade the defense, Penguins’ management is going to have to work some magic.  Paul Martin is underwhelming in Bylsma’s speed-based puck retrieval system.  The rest of his situational abilities are nothing to brag about, and he’s cashing a bangin’ check with the $5M/yr deal he signed.  They’ve been trying to rid the books of his contract since the season ended, and based on the interest generated, I don’t see it happening any time soon.  Simon Despres should be an upgrade over Martin if not a few other blue liners, but his game is still a work in progress along with his decision making.  His play resembles that of Kris Letang and bodes well for the system.  The dilemma will be maneuvering Martin’s contract and which player is decidedly replaced.

I’m finishing up a piece on the supremely talented defensive prospects currently moving through the organizational ranks, and will more closely examine the internal fixes then.  I’ll leave you with the fact that most of them will not be NHL ready this year, if any, but the future is overwhelmingly bright.  Joe Morrow, Brian Dumoulin, Olli Maatta, and Derrick Pouliot are enormous talents, and oh yes, Dumoulin is that net-front monster we’ve all been waiting for.  Check this detailed list of Prospects out!

Disagree with me? Leave me a piece of your mind below…

April 20, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (29) makes a save against the Philadelphia Flyers during the third period in game five of the 2012 Eastern Conference quarterfinals at CONSOL Energy Center. The Pens won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE

It’s no secret that the Pittsburgh Penguins weren’t supposed to be eliminated in the first round of the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs.  Many experts picked the Penguins to be a contender for the Stanley Cup.  Instead, the Penguins are now on an early vacation, having been eliminated by the Philadelphia Flyers in six games.

The Penguins looked to have the series in hand with a 3-0 lead in Game One.  But a collapse defensively allowed the Flyers back in it, and they walked away with a 4-3 Game One win.  By the time the Penguins finally found their legs, the series was 3-0 in favor of the Flyers.  Despite a 10-3 and 3-2 win in Games Four and Five, no one really expected the Penguins to rally.  They went quietly in Game 6, with a 5-1 trouncing.

The case could be made for sweeping changes within the Pittsburgh organization.  Since winning the Cup in 2009, the Penguins have not made it past the second round in three successive playoffs.  The main core of players has remained the same throughout those three years.  Centers Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jordan Staal have remained the mainstays down the middle.  Marc-Andre Fleury, who will have a lot of soul-searching to do after his shaky play in the series against the Flyers, has remained the Penguins’ number one goaltender.  Kris Letang and Brooks Orpik have been the two main defenders for Pittsburgh.  General Manager Ray Shero has done a lot of tinkering to keep the Penguins competitive in this salary cap era, but now many are expecting some form of change this offseason.

Many Penguin fans may expect the changes, but are drastic changes really needed?  After all, this is a core of players that is the envy of most NHL general managers.  Crosby will only benefit from the early exit, as he will have plenty of time to fully recover from the head and neck injuries.  He is expected to come back stronger than ever.  Malkin is the reigning Art Ross trophy winner, as he won the 2011-12 scoring title.  He’s also in the running for the Hart trophy.  Staal is considered one of the best two-way centers in the game.  The only question mark will be whether or not the Penguins can work the salary cap well enough to keep all three.

The biggest question mark is in goal.  Fleury did not rise to any occasion during the six game series.  He showed flashes of brilliance in Game Five, but never played well enough realistically for the Penguins to mount any sustained pressure in any of the four losses to the Flyers.  The most pressing question will be whether or not this was a blip on the radar, or a sign that Fleury is not a number one goaltender.  Fleury has been either hot or cold for the Penguins the past few seasons.  He bore no resemblance to the goalie who won 42 games in the regular season.  Do the Penguins keep him?  Can they afford another horrible outing like he gave them this spring?  Or do the Penguins give him another chance?  One cannot just dismiss the fact he is a 42-game winner.  One also cannot ignore the fact that when the Penguins needed him the most, he didn’t get the job done against the Flyers.

It’s too soon to decide what kind of changes need to be made within the Pittsburgh Penguins.  It’s important not to make any changes based on emotion.  This core on paper is strong enough to compete with any team.  Management must decide if this was a one-time outing where nothing worked, or a sign that this current roster just can’t get it done.  However, these decisions must be weighed against the background of common sense.  No one in the Penguins’ management team wants to be known as the one to trade a Malkin or Orpik, only to have the trade weaken the club.  When those players are gone, they are gone.  It isn’t an EA Sports game where you can reverse the trade if it doesn’t pan out.

For now, trust the likes of Ray Shero to evaluate properly, make the appropriate changes, and make decisions based on what will benefit the Pittsburgh Penguins, not what will satisfy the panicked masses.