Pittsburgh Penguins training camp started today, officially marking the start of Penguins hockey season in Pittsburgh. It’s almost hard to believe, but there is a preseason game on Monday in Columbus!
The Penguins have had a well documented and busy offseason:
Crazy amount of turnover for Pens. Guys who didn't finish previous year w/club:
— Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) September 16, 2015
2014: 9 of 55 = 16%, 6F-2D-1G
2015: 18 of 53 = 32%, 11F-7D
And most of that has helped to drastically improve this roster as compared to last season.
Come Monday, we will finally see Phil Kessel flanking Sidney Crosby‘s right wing. Evgeni Malkin will start the season with legitimate top 6 wingers for the first time since, man, maybe 2013 when he was flanked by James Neal and Jussi Jokinen. The only other time that comes to mind is 2010-11 when Malkin played with Neal and Chris Kunitz when Crosby was out with concussion symptoms. That line combined to put up 116 goals and 251 points in which Malkin scored 50 of those goals, is it out of the question to think that Geno can’t have another monster season with this roster loaded with skill?
Nick Bonino will center the third line likely playing with Pascal Dupuis to start the season. Matt Cullen will center the fourth line and will play with Beau Bennett to start. And don’t forget about Eric Fehr who will join the lineup when he is fully recovered from his elbow surgery he had this summer.
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The defense will be young but filled with potential, headlined by a possible dynamic and exceptional top pairing in Kris Letang and Olli Maatta. Ian Cole and Derrick Pouliot look to round out the second pair. A combination of Ben Lovejoy, Brian Dumoulin, Adam Clendening, Tim Erixon and Rob Scuderi will round out the third pairing and provide depth for injuries.
Marc-Andre Fleury posted .920 SV% and a 2.32 GAA last season which were better than his career averages in both.
There are many new faces and a lot to look forward to about this team. The Pittsburgh Penguins haven’t boasted this much depth throughout their roster in the Crosby/Malkin era. This season is set to provide the most entertainment for Penguins fans in a long, long time.
And my advice for you is to enjoy it.
Teams with this much talent don’t come around often. The Penguin teams of the past few years have lacked talent and adequate players to play with the superstars and quite frankly have been boring. Gone are the days where we will see Daniel Winnik playing on Crosby’s wing or Chuck Kobasew on Malkin’s line.
This team is set to be anything but boring. The Pittsburgh Penguins will go through rough patches just like any other season. But this team has the potential to be special and extremely entertaining on a nightly basis.
So don’t grumble about past playoff performances. Leave it in the past. It’s a new season with a fresh start. And as Penguins fans, we can’t help but be excited to see what this season has to offer.
Is it October yet?
Next: Pens Training Camp Battles. Is there a Place for Youth?