Mar 19, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Stars goalie
Kari Lehtonen(32) covers the puck in front of Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Chris Kunitz (14) during the third period at the American Airlines Center. The Stars defeated the Penguins 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Chris Kunitz
Chris Kunitz had a very solid season for a third-line winger, but the problem is that he played top-six all year. To be fair, he did have a solid start to 2014-15, but he witnessed a sudden drop off in production and looked as if he completely lost his ability to finish.
When you look at his underlying possession stats you’ll notice consistency all year. From an analytics standpoint his numbers were good, and some look at that as a positive and assume that if he keeps creating chances he’ll eventually start scoring again. However, that proved not to be the case down the stretch and into the playoffs.
The good news for the Pittsburgh Penguins is that he may very well be on the third line in 2015-16, so his production will align with his responsibilities. The bad news, though, is that he’ll still be making $4 million with a cap hit of $3.850 million.
I recently wrote about where Kunitz and fellow veteran Pascal Dupuis may fit next season, and when basing it solely on analytics it’s tough to argue that they belong with Sidney Crosby. As I said in that piece, I don’t like that idea but if it means a more balanced attack so be it. Either way, the Pittsburgh Penguins need production from Kunitz next season. You simply can’t have a $4 million player that doesn’t produce.