Like many Penguins fans, I’ve spent a good part of the season trying to get a read on our team. Hardly an easy task, given last summer’s significant turnover and the black-and-gold’s streaky nature.
After waiting 25 games for the Pens to coalesce, I’ve concluded that the answer’s been right under our noses the whole time.
We’re WYSIWYG. What you see is what you get.
As currently constructed, the fourth-place Pens (14-9-1-1) aren’t a Cup contender. Perhaps not even a playoff team. While the pattern may differ, I expect similar results to a year ago. The Pens will struggle to earn a playoff berth. If they do make the postseason, look for them to bow out in the opening round. Unless they get an extremely favorable matchup.
There simply are too many holes. Too many passengers and not enough consistent contributors for it to be any other way.
Some observations.
My Kingdom for a Goal
Much has been made of the Pens’ startling inability to score. Although production has risen a bit of late (24 goals during the past eight games), the team has—for the most part—been woefully inoffensive (27th out of 30 teams).
Indeed, only Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel are scoring at (or near) their projected paces. Everyone else, including captain Sidney Crosby, is tanking. At least to a degree.
Baffling when you consider the arsenal the Pens have at their disposal. Geno and Sid are former 50-goal men. Kessel and Patric Hornqvist have reached 30. Ditto Chris Kunitz. Nick Bonino, Matt Cullen, Pascal Dupuis, Eric Fehr, and David Perron all boast of 20-goal seasons.
While some of those players clearly are on the downside, it doesn’t explain the club’s disturbing lack of punch. Nor does a wonky power play, which could be both a cause and effect.
With his lightning-quick release and nose for the net, rookie Daniel Sprong might help. However, the Amsterdam native hasn’t dressed since a victory over Minnesota on November 17. When Sprong does suit up, coach Mike Johnston seems reluctant to use him in a top-six role.
Kitty Bar the Door
Thanks in no small part to the stellar goaltending of Marc-Andre Fleury, the Pens presently are ranked fourth in the league in fewest goals allowed. A phenomenon every bit as striking as the club’s boggy production.
However, anyone who watched the Kings’ big forwards ramble unimpeded toward the net during yesterday’s 5-3 loss like so many brand-new F-150s rolling off Ford’s Dearborn assembly line knows our defense is anything but airtight.
True, Brian Dumoulin and Ben Lovejoy rate among the top shutdown tandems in the league. And Olli Maatta has played well when healthy.
What about the rest? Turnover-prone Kris Letang’s a minus-14. Ian Cole, who leads the team in blocked shots, has struggled too (minus-9). Veteran Rob Scuderi’s been a mixed bag, especially of late (minus-4 in his past six games). Adam Clendening was shaky in the shootout loss to Edmonton and hasn’t touched the ice since. His replacement? Pint-sized journeyman David Warsofsky.
Hardly the second coming of the dynastic Montreal defense of the ‘70s. Or the Pens’…vintage 2009.
Which Way to Muscle Beach?
With an average weight of 197.8, the malnourished Penguins are the fourth-lightest team in the NHL. It continues a mysterious trend of icing undersized teams that dates back to the end of the Ray Shero Era, when mites such as Chris Conner, Andrew Ebbett, and Brian Gibbons dotted the roster.
I’ve been harping on it for years. Size matters. Especially in a league that allows obstruction and other sins to go largely unpunished.
It isn’t that our Pens don’t compete. However, our featherweight forwards have trouble winning puck battles and establishing a consistent presence in the prime scoring areas. Same goes for our decidedly unmuscular defense, which clears nary a soul from Fleury’s path.
Our neighbors in Smallville? Toronto, New Jersey, Chicago, Carolina, Calgary, and Vancouver. The Blackhawks aside, spot any Cup contenders among the bunch? Exactly.
Is MJ the Man?
One hundred-plus games into his tenure as Penguins coach, Mike Johnston remains an enigma of sorts.
On one hand he’s experienced, organized, and sharp as a tack. Listen to him expound on the intricacies of a play or sequence during a postgame press conference, and it’s clear that the Nova Scotia native knows the game. Inside and out.
Yet there’s a nagging sense that MJ’s not the right coach for this team. Johnston came to the ‘Burg with a well-documented reputation for offensive genius. Yet he’s instructed his forwards—including the stars—to play a defense-first style. Understandable in way, given the less-than-imposing nature of the Pens’ blue-line corps. But kind of like robbing Peter to pay Paul.
Not that anyone else is likely to steer this team to a berth in the Stanley Cup Finals. Or even a Metropolitan Division title.
Like I said. Lots of holes.
Hey Rick
Very sad to see Pascal Dupris forced to retire for health reasons today.To me he represented what the Penguins were all about. The best of the brand and sadly the worst as well.Not his fault either ! His positive work ethic with a no nonsense approach to the game was to be admired. Not blessed with the greatest skills on the team,I do believe he got 120% out of his body every night.Never quit and never gave up. In short,a true Pen’s player. If we all played like him,we definitely would won at least one more Cup.Maybe more.
His Locker room leadership will greatly be missed.When he played he made others around him better.
Unfortunately,due to major illness he was forced to retire before his time.He will be hard to replace.A story very similar to # 66.
Injuries ! That is the bad side of the Pens. Pascal,thanks for all the fine memories.Be well.
* one small consolation is now that the Pens have put him on LTIR,they will get another appx. 3.7 million in cap space pro rated.Maybe they can now afford a couple of young 2 million players to help the team.
Hey Rick.
“What you see is…..” Well said. Gets to the point.!
Lets look at it from a few different perspectives.
The Season Ticket Holder. What do they see? Last year on average,they spent $ 74 per ticket on gate receipts.Another $ 25 per game on average on food, beverages,parking,merchandise,other related items.Are they happy right now?
The Corporate sponsors.What do they see? An on ice product that is not going to win a cup.A deluded fan base.Unhappy customers. Owners who want to sell the Team. Are the corporate sponsors happy right now?
The Average Joe fan who can not or will not afford to pay all most $100 per person to see their favorite team play live, yet follows them religiously thru the good times and bad.They are the heart and soul of the Penguins Franchise. They are the true value of this team,because without the support of the average fan,the teams future is worthless.Look at Arizona.No fan base,
no one to talk hockey at the water cooler on Monday mornings at work.Thus, no future. Thank God the Pens have lots of average fans that keep the brand going.( like you) These people really care about their team.
What do they see? Trouble ahead !
Jim Rutherford. What does he see ? He inherited a mess.No cap space to work with because of the dud contracts from the past and the fact the Canadian dollar dropped drastically in the past two years.Which in turn led to the Cap not rising to the 74-75 million level this year that everyone projected when he first took the GM job. Less money to work with.Then to find out the owners WANT TO SELL THE TEAM. Chris K., Pascal D.,Rob S.,K.Letang,even MAF…These guys are untouchable for him to trade, as either some have little trade value now that their talent levels have dropped off,or with Letang and MAF the owners will never let him trade them for some more talented players. So really his hands are tied and he knows it. Do you think he likes what he sees?
Coach MJ. What does he see? Every body wants his head on a platter! He does not have the” elite” team that the Media keeps telling us about ! We are 27th in scoring in the league.Last year we were 19 th. Crosby is not the best player in the league now at this stage of his career. Never will be again. That is not a criticism of Sid, just reality that we all get older and nobody can out run Father Time.I think who ever coaches this team will get the same results in the end because we have to many problems to fix. As we mentioned previously, if we go to a more offensive style of play,yes we may score another goal or two but with our defense problems ,we will get that many more scored upon us and we will still lose the game. Truth hurts.
Last night we had to dress a 5’9′ d man who may weigh 180 lbs,and was a cast off from 3 other teams. Against the LA Kings…..give me a break.
The team is not built right for a Cup run and unless you break up the core group with a real major trade, we are all just fooling ourselves.
The owners ! What do they see? Depends which one you refer to.
The multi- Billionaire businessman sees this as a slight inconvenience. For him the Pens probably represent 6 or 7 % of his entire wealth.Maybe less.
For the other guy, the multi-millionaire Hockey Star, it probably represents most of his net worth. So for him if the team does not sell right away,and the value of the team drops significantly, there are very serious financial consequences.It has been over 6 month’s and no takers for the Pen’s at the price they are asking. With the play on the ice and the state of the team,Mario can not like what he sees.( Just built a new 25 million dollar home in Quebec).
Cheers Rick.
Hey Jim,
Great thoughts, as always. Especially your take on Mr. Average Fan. I truly wonder how folks who have full or partial season tickets afford it. Goodness, that must be quite an investment.
I hope I don’t seem like I’m bashing the Pens just for the sake of bashing them. They’ve provided us with some incredible hockey over the past decade and I have the utmost respect for the players and the organization, even if it doesn’t always seem that way.
It’s difficult (and frustrating) at times to watch a team that’s been a Cup contender since Sid arrived morph into an also-ran. No team stays at or near the top forever, especially in the salary-cap era. While I wish the Sid-Geno team could’ve captured another Cup, all things considered we’ve enjoyed an amazing run of success.
I do sense the Pens are a team in transition, and that there are likely to be a few lean years on the horizon. How much legitimate talent is in place at Wilkes-Barre remains to be seen. Mike Sullivan has the Baby Pens producing and playing well. But, as we all know, it’s a big jump from the AHL to the NHL. There’s no guarantee any of those kids will pan out.
Anyways, enough rambling. Thanks, as always, for your comments and support … 🙂
Hey Rick,
I too seem like I am bashing the Team sometimes a little strongly,for I am a Average Joe fan who loves the Penguins, and have supported them since Mario was drafted. I am not from Pittsburgh,or even Pennsylvania.There are 29 other choices in the NHL I could make and I choose to be a Pen’s fan. That is the remarkable thing about the Pens brand.Every where you travel you see Pens Jerseys and merchandise through out North America. My friend tells me they are # 2…. and that is a great thing he said because they are everybody’s SECOND choice after their own local team. From my experience,most of the time that statement is accurate. Often I get to focused on the business side of Hockey and not the Entertainment side.
At the end of the day,it still is just a game !
Cheers,
If you don’t mind sharing, where do you live, Jim?
New Brunswick,Canada.
I was brought up in a Hockey crazed, mixed family. Father was a die hard Leaf Fan,and my Mother had the brains in the family and supported Montreal and my older brother ate, drank, and slept Boston. So I wanted to be different, and I picked the team that drafted the big French Guy that everybody in Quebec was so upset about because the NHL changed the drafting rules and Montreal could not claim him. Apparently in the original 6 team league Montreal had the right to draft the First french born player in the draft, regardless where they finished in the standings.
So I became a Pens fan and never regretted it. At least it kept peace in the family. I read your blog for almost 3 years,admiring your work, before I got the courage to post anything.Your site is the only time in my life I have ever written anything.Just to busy…But I do have a few former NHL player friends and once in a while we get together and talk Hockey and the business it has become.
Me, just your Joe Average Fan.
Cheers.
Thanks for letting me post Rick.
One last thing.I see you have written at least two books on the Pens and in your spare time operate this blog site.I was wrong to call you a Joe Average fan above. You are far beyond that Rick. You and your friends who started this Blog sight are really SUPER FANS !!!
Thank you for allowing all the rest of us Average Joe’s a forum where we can scream,cheer,support,complain,rant and even get angry once in a while over a Team we all care so much about.
Hey Jim,
Thank you so much for sharing. I think it’s really cool that you live in New Brunswick and root for the Penguins. (The Moncton Hawks come to mind.)
I also think it’s neat that you come from a traditional Canadian hockey family where everyone favored a different team. I’m sure there’s an extra level of passion and intensity involved in rooting for your team–given that hockey’s your national sport…:)
I’m going back a ways. But I recall reading accounts of Saturday nights up north when the Leafs played the Canadiens and literally everyone in Canada would be listening to the game on radio. How cool!
Growing up in Pittsburgh, I didn’t have the same deep-rooted sense of hockey tradition. I vaguely remember following the AHL Hornets back in ’67. But I didn’t really start to follow the Pens until ’73. The ’83-84 Pens were arguably the worst hockey team ever assembled. But the reward…No. 66!
I know I’m biased. But the season he scored 85 goals (’88-89)? It’s hard to put into words just how otherworldly he was. Mario literally was a threat to score each time his skates touched the ice. I never really got to watch Bobby Orr, who a lot of folks insist is the greatest player ever. But I’ve never seen anyone do the things Mario did that year.
Anyway… Jim, I’m honored that you like our blog and feel comfortable enough to contribute. It’s always great to read what you have to say and to chew the Penguin fat.
God bless!