To everything there is a season.
While it may seem odd to open a blog post with a Bible verse (Ecclesiastes 3:1), it is appropriate. Everything in our world runs in cycles. The four seasons, for example. Winter, spring, summer, and fall. A time to plant and a time to harvest.
The same holds true for hockey teams. They run in cycles, too. There’s a time to build. A time to achieve. And a time to tear down and start over.
On rare occasions a team is able to blend these cycles. The Chicago Blackhawks, for one. After winning a Stanley Cup in 2010, Stan Bowman tore his team apart and then adroitly repositioned it for two more Cups through successful drafts and savvy free-agent signings. The fortunes of most teams, however, rise and fall like the tides.
Our Penguins are in the autumn of an extended season of success that began the day they won the right to draft phenom Sidney Crosby. One that most teams would surely envy. Since the dawn of the Ray Shero-era, the black and gold have compiled a stunning regular-season record (420-224-68). They’ve been to the playoffs nine-straight seasons, including two trips to the Cup Finals. They hoisted the Cup in ’09. Along the way, they’ve provided a ton of thrills. Enough to last a lifetime.
Yet somehow it feels hollow. Like the team didn’t quite achieve all that it could. Heck, a second Cup (or more) was practically guaranteed.
“This team is set up for a great future,” then-Pens forward (and current assistant GM) Bill Guerin said in the afterglow of victory. “These guys are all in their early twenties.”
Venerable Eddie Johnston, who’d seen his share of hockey, thought so, too.
“We could have clubs like this for the next eight or nine years,” EJ gushed.
As the final curtain descends on our flickering hopes for another Cup, those words have become an albatross. A symbol of promise unfulfilled.
Go for It
The instinct to go for the gold is commendable. And understandable. Especially when you have a superstar core of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. There’s only a certain window of opportunity. Go for it while you can.
If it means trading a few draft picks or favoring battle-tested vets over unproven youngsters? So be it. When Shero dealt away a first-round pick and two second-round choices—along with prospect Joe Morrow—for veterans Jarome Iginla, Brenden Morrow, and Douglas Murray in 2013, I thought another Cup was in the bag. I imagine everyone in the organization, from owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle to coach Dan Bylsma, felt the same way.
All the while our dwindling cache of prospects and draft picks escaped detection.
Craig Patrick blazed a similar trail in the ‘90s. In the wake of back-to-back Cups and the shoulda-been-Cup-season of ’93, when a devastating loss to the Islanders left the club and fan base crestfallen, the Hall-of-Fame GM imported hired guns Petr Nedved, Tomas Sandstrom, and Sergei Zubov to compliment Mario and fellow superstar Jaromir Jagr. They danced and dazzled. But the Cup remained an elusive step away.
Patrick, too, forgot to restock the cupboard. Following a glorious 11-year postseason run, the Pens collapsed in the early 2000s. With a dearth of young talent, the team morphed from contender to laughingstock in the blink of an eye.
JR’s Dilemma
I don’t fault general manager Jim Rutherford for the Pens’ present shortcomings. When he was hired to replace Shero, the former ‘Canes GM was handed a nearly impossible task. Turn a crumbling former champion choked with cap issues and manacled to several declining veterans on onerous long-term contracts into a legit Cup contender. And do it with little help from a bone-dry farm system.
Good luck with that.
JR has tried his best. He’s rolled the dice on several big deals, including this summer’s blockbuster for sniper Phil Kessel. Some have worked. Others, most notably last season’s clunker that sent a first-round pick to the Oilers for snake-bitten David Perron?
Not so much.
In the meantime, free agents come and go at a furious pace while JR and his staff search in vain for the right mix. Not that the newcomers aren’t good guys. Most hockey players are. But it’s a revolving door. There’s little continuity or chance to develop chemistry and team unity.
That’s why building a foundation from within the organization is critical. Remember the way players like Colby Armstrong, Tyler Kennedy, Ryan Malone, and Max Talbot battled and stuck together? It was a spirit honed from coming of age in the same developmental pipeline. Each had a Penguin logo stenciled on his heart. They were young and hungry.
The same held true during the first Cup era. Role players Phil Bourque, Bob Errey, and Troy Loney endured the miserable Boys-of-Winter days to become cornerstone contributors on a champion.
You simply can’t build that sense of teamwork and comradery—not to mention pride in the jersey— with scrap-heap pickups and journeymen free agents on one-year contracts.
Where to Go From Here
The Penguins’ mandate is two-fold. They must develop the young talent—scarce as it is—that presently exists within the organization. And they must commit to building with youth. This means hanging on to future top draft picks instead of leveraging them as trade fodder.
While you don’t want to rush the kids—and risk impeding their development in the long run—Derrick Pouliot, Daniel Sprong, and Oskar Sundqvist should be given every opportunity. Even if it means absorbing a few knocks along the way. It’s encouraging that Brian Dumoulin and Bryan Rust have been given a shot. But the Pens need to do more. Much more.
The flip side? The black and gold can no longer afford to carry dead weight. Veterans who can’t produce or contribute in a tangible way need to be weeded out. Even if it means taking a financial hit.
A shift in the organization’s flawed philosophy is required, too. Enough with trying to play Olympic-style hockey in the NHL. It doesn’t work. Try blending in some toughness and character. Think Marc-Andre Fleury wouldn’t appreciate a defenseman or two who actually move bodies from the slot instead of blocking his vision?
The window for another Stanley Cup has all but closed. There are plenty of teams that are bigger, younger, stronger, and faster. The Pens’ brass has a choice. They can control the rebuilding process. Or they can sit on their hands and wait for the team to implode, just as it did in the early 2000s.
A change of season is coming.
Sadly true.
I DON’T THINK WE WILL WIN AND TITLE WITH THE COACHES WE HAVE!! NOT TOUGH ENOUGH!!! ALSO, IF YOU WANT TO SCORE YOU HAVE TO SHOOT THE PUCK!!!
Spot on. This team lacks toughness, defense,size. It is time to trade some big named players and their salaries for draft picks and restock the cupboards with youth
DK
You are absolutely correct. The sooner the better.
Imploding.
Hi Rick,
Great article. In the wake of the Pens victory over Nashville,whereby MAF saved the team again,and the recent defeats by Dallas,your article seems a bit prophetic. My opinion is IF Mario and Ron can find a buyer soon,then just maybe a new owner will adopt some real changes. Until that time, I do not believe the current owners will do anything of substance to change the Franchise.
Sure they will fire the Coach or even maybe hire a new GM…but what will that accomplish.Nothing. The team can not spend any more money due to the cap situation,or we have no assets left to trade to get real players who will lead the team to a cup.To be clear about this point, No Coach,new or old is going to tell Crosby, Malkin or MAF what to do! The current ownership group need these 3 stars to keep the value of their team that they are trying to sell. That is part of the real problem.Until the new owners arrive,nothing will change and the Pens future looks bleak.
Has it been 6 month’s since they announced they wanted to sell the team? Usually a team would sell by now. 6 month’s is a long time in the sports business and this terrible start and the bleak future can not be a good thing for the potential sale.
Hope I am wrong .
Lets go Pens !
Good thoughts, but the truth is “real change ” is not coming, JR is not a good GM, lie I said before he wrecked Carolina, now the same has begun for the Pen’s.\
The trade for Perron, the trade for Kessel , the trade of Sutter, and who could forget the great Ben Lovejoy deal, all of them have backfired and I still don’t like any of them, I don’t care what anyone says about Kessel.
Coach Mike isn\t a good NHL coach, he looks lost when the whistle blows and doesn\t seem to make in game adjustments.
So what happens now? For the future?? Jim has mortgaged the future to win now, with a team that made the playoffs on the last day by beating one of the worst teams and today we only beat teams on the second game of back to back for the other team, we can’t score on PP or even strength.
I don’t have an answer for what the front office needs to do, the team is becoming a joke and not much fun to watch.
Anyone else have an idea??
pen’s 4ever,
I like the article too.Good comments. Truth hurts. This team has many, many problems. JR certainly did not cause all of them.He was left with a mess to clean up. Remember that many great hockey people turned down the new GM job because of the bad Penguins situation. JR was kind of the last choice standing.That said, JR really did not get a fair chance as GM especially since his owners wanted to sell the team. In my opinion Shero and the ownership group need to take the real blame. JR was left with bad contracts,a crazy cap situation,a bunch of over the hill veterans and a win now at any cost attitude with no plan of how to do it.
I agree that the Coach is not a Mike Babcock clone, and probably should be replaced but a coaching change will only “white wash” the real problems our team has. Nothing will change.
Our power play is LAST in the league. UNBELIEVABLE. LAST ….
Sit the stars down and play the 4th line on the Power Play… Why not..We pay these 5 guys about 40 million a year ! The PP is a joke. I am sorry ,but I do not believe this “bull” that they need time to work together.They are all super skilled veterans and have been together for a month now.??? Am I missing something?
The truth is Sid Crosby has 11 years in the league and his best years are behind him.I am not criticizing his work effort but Sid Crosby will not carry this team to the cup. Jarome Iginla,a class act and great leader on any team he has ever played on,said that during his time in Pittsburgh that there were BIG egos in the locker room and he felt that nothing could be done about it. He did not mention names. But you can figure who he was talking about.
The core group ! Until we make a trade to shake up the core,we will never win the cup. Until the new owners show up,this will never happen.
I’m not a Pens fan, never have been, never will be; however, I do respect them. That said, the Pens have obviously not played as well offensively as people expected; however, they are far from dead. They will get their act together and will make the playoffs again this year.
I do believe that Johnson is not the correct coach for this team. The Pens need a proven coach with some grit to him who can manage all the superstars and ignite some passion back into the team. Although I never heard or read anything about Iginla calling out the Pens for some big egos, if that is actually the case then Johnson is definitely not the best coach for this team. Egos can only be tempered by a coach with a bit of hardness and structure to him.
Also, much like last season the lack of leadership on this team is glaring. When a team is going through a rough patch you need leadership in the locker room, as well as on the ice, and Crosby is sorely lacking in the leadership department. Sometimes the best player on your team is not always the best guy for team captain, and unfortunately Crosby is one of those guys. With guys like Orpik, Iginla and a few other who provided leadership gone, someone needs to step up and fill those shoes. It won’t be Crosby and I think his attempt to fill all those shoes is effecting his game.
I wish the Pens well. They have been an exciting team to watch and despite their current woes are never out of it.
Hi all,
Pen’s 4ever. I agree. It’s been hard to watch a tough, competitive team slowly deconstructed and turned into an NHL version of the Ice Capades. Again, I’m not advocating a return to goon-squad hockey. But the complete aversion to players who play a hard-nosed, physical game is beyond me.
I have a hard time watching this team, too. Especially when they get behind and just roll over. Or you see our defense not only failing to move guys away from the net, but screening Marc-Andre Fleury to boot.
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Jim, great thoughts as always. Especially your comment about Sid. I’ve been watching him closely this season. His scoring difficulties aren’t for a lack of effort. He’s working as hard (or even harder) than ever. But he’s just not burying opportunities like he’s done in the past.
Our power-play woes certainly are affecting his production. But sadly, I agree that Sid’s best days may be behind him. He’s got a lot of hockey miles on a powerful but not-so-large frame. While Kirk Muller was in no way another Crosby, he was a very good player back in the ’80s and ’90s. Feisty, skilled, aggressive … about Sid’s size. Played a similar style. He averaged 77 points over his first nine seasons. At roughly the same point in his career his production began to tumble. He averaged 30 points a season over his last 10 years.
While I’m not suggesting a similar decline for Sid, I think we may have seen the last of his 100-point seasons.
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Nice to hear from you, Brenna.
I think a lot of people feel the same way about Mike Johnston. Personally, I feel for the guy. Talk about being thrust into a tough spot…especially for your first NHL coaching assignment. But I question whether he’s the right man for the job, too.
I think MJ’s extremely knowledgeable. Listening to his postgame press conferences, he knows exactly what’s happening out on the ice. What the team’s doing … what they’re not doing. What needs to be done to correct it. Virtually everything he says is spot-on.
But there seems to be a disconnect between knowing what needs to fixed and getting the players to carry out his instructions. It’s not that he isn’t a good teacher. I’m sure he communicates very well. But he does seem a bit clinical. I wonder if he’s able to motivate the troops and reach them on an emotional level.
I don’t know enough about Xs and Os to know if he’s a good in-game coach. A lot of fans think he’s lacking in that area because he seems flustered at times on the bench. If I were coaching this team, I think I’d be flustered a lot, too.
My beef with Johnston? I think he’s had a (big) hand in stripping any semblance of toughness out of the lineup. Anyone who plays a remotely physical game (or may take a penalty … gasp) seems to find himself at the end of the bench. Or out the door (Zach Sill, Robert Bortuzzo, Steve Downie … and now Bobby Farnham).