Pittsburgh Penguins Around the Web: Pens’ Must Reads for 8/29

We’re nearing the end of August and for the Pittsburgh Penguins faithful, September can’t come soon enough.

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In what seemed like an eternity, fans have suffered through a long summer after an early post-season elimination at the hands of the New York Rangers. And, as we inch our way to training camp, the news and analysis is starting to ramp up. It’s almost as if hockey is right around the corner.

I recently wrote a piece on battles to watch when camp arrives. This team is absolutely stacked on offense and this training camp should prove to be one of the more interesting in recent memory. It’s been a long time since the Pens had this many options and this many viable candidates at wing, so look for some tough decisions for Mike Johnston in the coming weeks.

There are also quite a few articles around the web that are must reads if you’re looking for a Pittsburgh Penguins fix before September arrives.

Sidney Crosby Primed for a 100-Point Season – Michael Pityk, TodaysSlapshot.Com

I wrote a few bold predictions for the Pittsburgh Penguins heading into 2015-16 and threw out there that Sid could hit the 115-point mark. While that’s likely overshooting his actual total, I think a 100-point season is in the bag as long as he stays healthy. This team is far too potent to assume anything less from Crosby.

Nick Bonino: The Penguins Most Underrated Acquisition – Will Tomer, TheHockeyWriters.Com

The Bonino acquisition was huge for the Pittsburgh Penguins, even based solely on dumping some cap while offloading Brandon Sutter. The interesting thing about Bonino, though, is how a lot of folks view him as a defensive-minded forward. Similar to Sutter, he really isn’t.

He does provide a more sound game in his own end than Sutter offered in Pittsburgh but without the right mix of wingers it’s possible that his underlying defensive numbers will suffer. But, the Pens wanted offense and Bonino will offer you a more well-rounded approach in that regard. If he ends up playing with Eric Fehr and Chris Kunitz that will be a very effective line.

I broke down Bonino’s impact using a bit of analytics previously. It’ll be interesting to see how he’s used and whether or not he excels with the Pens.

Top 300 Player Rankings – 2015-16 Fantasy Hockey – ESPN.Com

This was a very surprising list to me. The first red flag was John Tavares ranking second, one place ahead of the third-ranked Sidney Crosby. There’s no reason for Sid to finish anywhere but at the top of the NHL in scoring in 2015-16.

Also from a Pittsburgh Penguins standpoint, seeing Phil Kessel ranked above Evgeni Malkin is quite interesting. I fully expect a huge season from Kessel but Malkin is also primed for a big year. With Pittsburgh’s combination of impact wingers in the top-six, it’s hard to image Malkin not approaching 100-points right alongside Sid.

Pittsburgh Penguins Pressure Cooker: Marc-Andre FleuryPensLabyrinth.Com

Of course I had to include a piece of my own, just in case you missed it. Fleury could be tested in a big way this season with Pittsburgh’s decision to bargain on a very inexperienced defensive corps. There will be growing pains with this group and the Pens will need Fleury to step up in those situations. Do you think he’s capable of doing so?

The Plot Thickens – Hooks Opik, PensBurgh.Com

We’ve all done our assumptions on what to expect from Sergei Plotnikov. But, this article is 100% accurate when discussing the lack of knowledge around what Plotnikov will offer in the NHL. We simply don’t know.

When discussing how the lines are shaking out in my piece on camp battles, I slotted Plotnikov into a third-line role. I get the fact that he’s tight with Malkin and may eventually work his way up the lineup but the Pens will be making the right decision if they start him in the bottom-six and allow him to adjust. Plotnikov looks like he can be a very effective power forward in the NHL but bringing him along slowly isn’t a terrible idea.

Next: Late Summer NHL Power Rankings

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