Pittsburgh Penguins: 2017-2018 Season Expectations

After coming off their second Stanley Cup Championships is as many years, the Pittsburgh Penguins are already favorites to win it again.

After losing some key players due to free agency, the Pittsburgh Penguins look to fill those voids to stay contenders to win the east. With less than two weeks left before puck drop, here are some expectations for some of the players and the team.

The Penguins could be looking at a 48 or 50 win season depending on the health of key players.

Sidney Crosby
In order to be strong all year, the penguins are going to have to rely on the health of their captain, Sidney Crosby. Last year, Crosby played 75 games and had 89 points  (44-45-89).  His 44 goals were enough to send him home with the Rocket Richard trophy . As I have said before, Crosby is entering his 30’s and has shown no intent on slowing down.

Pittsburgh Penguins

If Crosby plays more than half of the season on a line with both Jake Guentzel and Conor Sheary his assist total should rise. Given that both Guentzel and Sheary have found their homes on that first line, Crosby should be in for another 85+ point season.

When asked about a three-peat, Crosby replied “We’re going to training camp with that in mind, It’ll be a big challenge, but why not?”

Crosby has confidence in a young Penguins team. He also hopes they can reach the same achievement that they have seen the last two-years prior.

Kris Letang

Kris Letang is an elite defenceman who has only once in 10 years played a full season. Letang played 41 games last year, and missed all of the playoffs. If Letang could stay healthy for a whole season there is a good chance he could be in the running for the Norris Trophy. The Penguins biggest concern the last couple of seasons is their defence and having Letang on that top pairing all year will really help their success in the upcoming season.

Long awaited and deserved, Letang has finally been named an alternate captain for the upcoming season. Letang has spent his whole career in Pittsburgh and signed an 8-year extension in July of 2013. The extension puts him through the 2021 season.

With the new addition to Letang’s jersey, he should come out more confident. Letang quarterbacks the first power play unit and has the potential to have a 50+ point season pending his health and the amount of games he plays this year.

Evgeni Malkin

Evgeni Malkin seems to be one of the most underrated players in the NHL. Last year, the NHL rated their all time top 100 players, which Malkin was left off of. That list is easily a list Malkin should have made. Over the course of his tenured, Malkin has 832 points in 706 games and ranks in the top 15 all time for PPG (points per game average). At 31 years old, Malkin is a two time 100+ point getter and like Crosby, has not seemed to slow down even a step.

The Penguins are going to rely heavily on the play and leadership of the three time Stanley Cup Champion in the upcoming season. Malkin will get his share of ice time with the kids on the team, and the way he plays will influence the games of players such as Sprong and Aston-Reese, when they come up.

Last year Malkin scored 72 points last year, but should be in for a bigger season this year. Without a strong third line center Malkin should see more ice time this year. The way he plays on any given day  could change the whole tempo and direction of a game. The man nicknamed Geno is easily the most impactful player in the game today.

Coming into the 2017-2018 season, Malkin could be looking at point totals in the upper 80’s or lower 90’s.