Top Five Changes The Pittsburgh Penguins Need To Make
Sep 25, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins assistant coach
Rick Tocchet(L rear) talks with head coach Mike Johnston (R rear) on the bench against the Minnesota Wild during the first period at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Penguins won 3-2 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
The Pittsburgh Penguins have had a rollercoaster of a start to their season. They first started off winning almost every game with a lethal powerplay, until injuries struck. Coach Mike Johnston was able to keep the team together and (for the most part) winning consistently. However, in the last two weeks the wheels fell off the train. The Pittsburgh Penguins were on a four game losing streak which was finally snapped last night in a 2-1 win against the Carolina Hurricanes.
With a new General Manager in Jim Rutherford and a new coach in Johnston, the Penguins beginning of the season was impressive. Although the start of the season was great, the Pittsburgh Penguins still have ways to improve and we are going to take a look at the top five ways to improve the team.
February 5, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center
Sidney Crosby(87) is taken to the locker room after an injury to his face against the New York Islanders during the second period of an NHL game at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
#1 Get Players Healthy (And Keep Them Healthy)
The Pittsburgh Penguins have dealt with more than their fair share of injuries this season and it is not even the halfway point of the season. As of December 30th the Penguins were second in the league with 108 man games lost – according to ManGamesLost.com. It is less the amount of injuries but which players have been injured. Players like Paul Martin, Christian Ehrhoff, Beau Bennett, Thomas Greiss, Chris Kunitz, Patric Hornqvist, Robert Bortuzzo and many others have all missed a significant amount of time this season.
That does not even mention players who will not be returning the Penguins this season, Pascal Dupuis. It was also originally thought that Olli Maatta‘s season was over and he required another shoulder surgery. However, it was recently reported that Maatta could be rejoining the team fairly shortly.
The biggest problem plaguing the Pittsburgh Penguins right now is the injuries, if they can survive these injuries the Penguins could look very scary again.
Nov 18, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Pittsburgh Penguins center
Brandon Sutter(16) celebrates his goal against Montreal Canadiens with teammates during the second period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
#2 Consistent Line Combinations
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The top two ways the Penguins can improve sort of go hand in hand. With a depleted lineup coach Mike Johnston has done his best to keep the Penguins competitive by shuffling lines in order to generate offense. While this is something that former coach Dan Bylsma would never have been comfortable doing, it has positives and negatives associated with it.
Obviously shuffling lines is an effort to score with less players available. This will work very well in the short term, however over the long run it could negatively impact the team chemistry. Constantly changing lines does not allow players to become comfortable with each other and in some cases cover for others’ flaws.
As the Pittsburgh Penguins get healthy again, we should see Johnston deploy fairly consistent lines which will help the team.
Dec 14, 2014; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward
Taylor Hall(4) is followed behind the net by New York Rangers defensemen
Dan Girardi(5) during the second period at Rexall Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
#3 Trade For A Top Six Wing
Some Pittsburgh Penguin fans will think this is unnecessary and at times I question it myself. Not the fact that the Penguins truly need a top six wing, but is the price worth the player. When a team is trading away a talented top six guy, they want to be “winning” the trade.
The bottom line is Pittsburgh does need a top six winger to replace Pascal Dupuis. The burning question then remains is who do the Penguins trade for? Rumors have them linked to Taylor Hall, Jarmoir Jagr and Alexander Semin. Frankly, I do not know who the Penguins will trade for or who would best fit on the team but one thing Rutherford needs to keep in mind that if he trades for a top six guy and empties the prospect cupboard, do not just get a rental player.
Dec 23, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman
Radko Gudas(7) chases down Pittsburgh Penguins center
Rob Klinkhammer(20) in first period at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports
#4 Do Not Make Bad Trades
This point also ties back into the previous slide and rightly so. The Pittsburgh Penguins will be shopping for a top six winger before the playoffs but they need to make sure they do not overpay.
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Rutherford’s biggest mistake, in my opinion, was trading for Rob Klinkhammer. You can argue that Philip Samuelsson was never going to get a fair shot with the Penguins, which really is true. However, what people fail to realize is how bad this trade was for the Penguins. You can look at Klinkhammer’s size and think he would be a good addition but at a time when the Penguins need scoring, Rutherford traded for a player who had 19 career goals in five seasons. Additionally, he was playing for the Arizona Coyotes which is one of the worst teams in the league and Klinkhammer was routinely a healthy scratch.
I am not trying to rehash an old point, but when trading for a top six wing the stakes are much higher and Rutherford cannot make another blunder like this.
Dec 20, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman
Derrick Pouliotcelebrates after scoring a goal against the Florida Panthers during the first period of an NHL hockey game at Consol Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Don Wright-USA TODAY Sports
#5 Keep Derrick Pouliot At The NHL Level
When the injury plague struck the Pittsburgh Penguins were quick to call up Brian Dumoulin and Scott Harrington, two of the Penguins best defensive prospects. However, it was not until another defender went down did Derrick Pouliot get his NHL chance.
In his first game his play was outstanding and he scored the game winning goal. Since then he continues to impress and recently has taken over quarterbacking the Pittsburgh Penguins top powerplay unit. While Harrington and Dumoulin are considered pure defenders, Pouliot is an outstanding two way player who has transitioned to the NHL seamlessly.
He, like Olli Maatta, has surpassed expectations and has shown his is ready for the big stage. Rutherford needs to take notice and realize that one of the three veteran defenders (Rob Scuderi, Paul Martin or Christian Ehrhoff) are viable trade bait.
Get ready Pittsburgh, Derrick Pouliot is here to stay!