Apr 20, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; The Pittsburgh Penguins celebrate a goal by right wing
Patric Hornqvist(hidden) as New York Rangers right wing
Jesper Fast(19) reacts during the third period in game three of the first round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Rangers won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
2. Pittsburgh Penguins
I made it clear in multiple articles leading up to Wednesday’s events, I didn’t think there was any realistic chance that we’d see Phil Kessel wearing black and gold next season. But, Jim Rutherford proved all of us wrong and pulled off a deal for the ages.
However, the very reason that made the Kessel acquisition so special is exactly where I have my biggest doubts for the Pens, and that’s their defense. In completing that trade, Rutherford was able to keep Derrick Pouliot and Olli Maatta with the Pittsburgh Penguins. That’s hard to imagine, but exactly why he held out for so long before pulling the trigger.
The issue, though, is that the Pens’ defensive corps is now very young and unproven. Combined with the injury issues we’ve seen from Kris Letang and Maatta, as well as having a $3.3 million unusable asset like Rob Scuderi, it’s a concerning group. I’ve been a supporter of a youth movement on the blue line, and I’ll stand by that. This collection of defensemen has very high upside if it all works out as planned. If it doesn’t, though, the Pens may find themselves in a tough situation.
It’s hard to imagine any team in the league being able to contain the Pens’ dynamic offense. They’re graced with names like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Patric Hornqvist, David Perron, and now Phil Kessel. The addition of Sergei Plotnikov from Russia could prove to make them an even bigger threat.
As I said in the last slide, I can see the Pens and Caps swapping their ranks continuously. Both will be very dangerous this season and have questions on the blue line.