Early Season Look In: Do The Penguins Still Have Enough To Contend
Much like the Washington Capitals, the Pittsburgh Penguins still have their eyes on the keeping their Stanley Cup window open. Sidney Crosby remains one of the best players in the world and Evgeni Malkin isn’t far behind. The only issue? Both are hurt.
The Pens are coming off a disappointing six-game, first round exit levied by the New York Islanders last season and are looking to get out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2017-18 — the year following back-to-back cup wins.
The core, however, is starting to age and if they have any hopes of taking another deep run, those guys will need to be on the top of their game.
What’s happened so far in 2021-22…
The Penguins have started out relatively strong through their first four games, posting a 2-0-2 record. They opened with a decisive, message sending 6-2 win over the defending cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, and also took out Chicago 5-2. The losses, both in overtime, came at the hands of the Florida Panthers and Dallas Stars — two solid teams.
Crosby is recovering from wrist surgery he underwent in early September and the initial six-week timetable window has since closed, but there’s no word on his return. Malkin, meanwhile, also underwent surgery and is out for at least the first two months of the season. But even without their top two players, they’ve still found ways to win.
Jeff Carter (1-3—4), Brock McGinn (1-3—4), Danton Heinen (3-0—3) and Evan Rodrigues (2-1—3) have stepped up in big ways up front, while John Marino (1-3—4) and Kris Letang (0-4—4) have done so from the back end. Although Letang did go into protocol for COVID-19 on Saturday, with his return date currently unknown. In net, Tristan Jarry (2-0-1, .935 sv%, 1.7 GSAA) has been rock solid, too.
These are some of the players the Penguins needed to step up, and they have. Others like Jake Guentzel, Kasperi Kapanen will step up in due time, too, especially if the team has hopes of keeping their heads above water. And that’s exactly what they will need to do with both Crosby and Malkin out of the lineup. If they can muster the ability to stay above .500 without their two superstars, it will build confidence throughout the lineup.
Then? Who knows what can happen.
Players to watch…
Carter’s hot start has been nothing short of impressive. In fact, his entire stint with the Pens dating back to last year when he was acquired has been solid. In 18 regular-season games, he’s scored 10 goals and 15 points with another four goals and five points in six playoff games last year. He seems highly motivated and at 37-years-old, has clearly dipped into the fountain of youth.
If the Penguins have hope of making noise this year, Jarry will need to carry the workload in net. He was good last year with a 25-9-3 record, .909 save percentage and 1.3 GSAA and at the very least he’ll need to replicate those numbers.
What did they do in the offseason?
Notable Additions: Brock McGinn, Danton Heinen, Evan Rodrigues
Notable Subtractions: Brandon Tanev, Colton Sceviour, Mark Jankowski, Cody Ceci
There were no major moves in the offseason for the Pittsburgh Penguins. They lost Tanev to the Seattle Kraken, but brought in a similar player in McGinn to help fill the void. The early returns on some of the new faces, however, have been solid. Can they keep it up?
This offseason has the potential to completely change the shape of the organization. Malkin’s eight-year, $9.5-million AAV deal he signed in 2013 is expiring, as is Kris Letang’s eight-year, $7.25-million AAV deal he signed at the same time.
Other key players will hit UFA status this year: Bryan Rust, Jeff Carter, Zach Aston-Reese and Casey DeSmith will be looking for new deals. RFA’s like Kasperi Kapanen, Danton Heinen and Drew O’Connor all will need fresh deals as well.
According to PuckPedia, they will have roughly $33.5-million in cap space to work with.
One bold prediction…
There will be lots of talk about the Penguins selling at the NHL trade deadline and embarking on a rebuild, but the team will opt to hold onto stars like Malkin and Letang and make another run for the Cup. Ultimately, they fail to make it out of the second round of the playoffs.
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