Sep 22, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Roland McKeown (55) skates with the puck as Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin (8) defends during the second period at the CONSOL Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Let Your Youth Grow
This is one of the toughest decisions for the Pittsburgh Penguins in recent memory. It’s the reason we’ve seen so much of guys like Craig Adams and Rob Scuderi in the lineup. And now, Sergei Gonchar fits that mold too.
When you make a commitment to deploy a young defensive corps, deploy them and let them learn through their mistakes. You can’t make a commitment to youth and then push guys like Scuderi and Gonchar into your starting six while guys like Brian Dumoulin and Derrick Pouliot sit in the press box or play in Wilkes-Barre.
If there’s a major difference in talent then sure, start the veteran. But, that hasn’t been the case in Pittsburgh. Dumoulin struggled against the Carolina Hurricanes while playing alongside Gonchar. You have to split that pairing and let Dumoulin play with a better line mate, not the other way around. Let him learn and grow through his mistakes. Both the individual and team will be much better off because of it.
With a team like this, you can afford to release these guys to the wolves and let them learn to survive. This offense will win you enough games to stay within striking distance of winning the division and you can then address needs later in the season if there’s simply no chance that a specific youngster is going to cut it at this level.
Next: Daniel Sprong's Goal is to Make the Pens Sooner Rather Than Later