It sure was great to see our Penguins trim New Jersey last night before a big holiday crowd at PPG Paints Arena. The black and gold seemed remarkably unfazed by the pasting they received only 24 hours earlier at the hands of red-hot Columbus.
Credit Mike Sullivan and the coaching staff for helping the team turn the page so quickly. The players, too.
Newcomer Chad Ruhwedel scored his first NHL goal and contributed 16-plus minutes of sound defense. Marc-Andre Fleury resembled the “Flower” of old while turning aside 23 shots in arguably his best game of the season.
Sidney Crosby once again set the tone, netting his eighth game-opening goal and 24th of season. Both tops in the league. Evgeni Malkin picked up two assists to claim the No. 2 spot in the NHL scoring race.
Encouraging signs, all.
Yet I’m having a hard time shaking the humbling loss to Columbus. John Tortorella’s crew didn’t just beat us. They humiliated us. Especially in the final two periods.
It marked the second time this season the Pens have suffered a 7-1 embarrassment at the hands of a “heavy” team. On November 16, they were steamrollered by Washington in similar fashion.
Both games followed a similar script. The opposition leaned hard on our mobile but undersized defense, forcing the Pens to stand and defend. A tactic that bore obvious fruit.
Every team lays an egg once in a while. Over the long 82-game season, as inevitable as death and taxes. But throw in the Pens’ recent overtime loss to another bruising foe, the Kings, and a trend seems to be emerging.
Got me to thinking. Do the locals need to muscle up in order to better compete against the bigger teams in the league?
A prickly question, to be sure. With no easy answer. Start to alter the roster in a significant way, and you risk taking away what makes the team so special in the first place. In the Pens’ case, speed, tenacity and an extraordinarily high level of skill, not to mention a marvelous esprit de corps.
Still, I worry about how we’ll fare should we meet the Blue Jackets or Capitals in the playoffs. More to the point, how will the Pens handle the (bump and) grind of a seven-game set versus a physical foe?
Last year they were able. This season? Based on the lopsided losses to the Jackets and Caps, I’m not so sure.
Flashback to the Penguins’ Cup winners of the early ‘90s. The fortunes of the 1990-91 team turned dramatically with the acquisition of Ron Francis and backline thumpers Ulf Samuelsson and Grant Jennings.
The following season an ultra-skilled squad was in complete disarray until then-GM Craig Patrick added power forward (and current assistant) Rick Tocchet and hulking defenseman Kjell Samuelsson.
Suddenly, the Pens could compete on even terms with physical foes like the Rangers and Blackhawks, who they swept in four straight to capture a second Cup.
Different game back then, I know. But perhaps not so different.
I’m not suggesting that current GM Jim Rutherford abandon the blueprint that’s brought us so much success. But I wonder if the team might not benefit from a couple of players—say one up front and one on defense—who combine size, strength and ability.
Not that guys like that grow on trees. I’m sure every team would love to add players with those attributes. Part of the Pens’ dilemma.
In the meantime, I like the element feisty Steve Oleksy has brought to the D. Although undersized, he’s given opposing forwards a little something to think about when they buzz the Pens’ net. And I thought his spirited go with the Devils’ Miles Wood last night provided a real spark.
However, when Kris Letang and Trevor Daley return, the Michigan native’s unlikely to remain in the lineup. Once again stripping the defense of a consistent physical presence.
For the record, Baby Pens enforcer Tom Sestito can play a little, too. But it’s difficult to envision the burly left wing dislodging anyone from the present Steel City mix.
Looking outside the organization, former first-round pick Kerby Rychel is toiling in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies. He’s big (6’1” 213) and rugged and employs a hard, straightforward style. Might even have an ax to grind with his original team, Columbus.
It’s no secret that Derrick Pouliot’s struggled mightily to fulfill his promise with the Pens. Perhaps a trade might benefit both players.
Ultimately, we’ll need to trust Rutherford to do what’s best. With few exceptions, his judgement’s been spot on.
Hi Rick,
I for one would love to see a large winger with speed,size,skill and then add the grit of a Rick Tocchet playing beside Geno. Left wing preferably .
Of course being in the Spirit of Christmas, two large talented d men with skill, speed and grit please Santa.
Ulf to me was the perfect Penguin. He had respect in the league and nobody took cheap shots at his team mates without paying a price.
The good old days…
Cheers.
Hey Jim,
I really like your Christmas wish list. Hopefully it got to the North Pole last night before Santa set out on his sleigh … 🙂
Rick
Hey Rick,
Interesting question to say the least. I think every team in the league would love to have a Tocchet and Ulfie, especially in their prime, on their rosters. You could trust these guys to play in every situation and not just play against heavy teams. I am sure you are aware that I share your desire for a bigger, heavier team, but I do think that the organization needs to temper their moves.
Bringing up Sestito, Oleksy, and/Or Garrett Wilson as well as trading for a Rychel does have a serious reasoning behind those moves, but my concern would be in how the team would employ them. As I alluded to very recently, I would have serious concerns if these players sat on the bench and were only employed in an enforcer role; only taking 4 or 5 shifts a game and playing only when they play heavy teams. This type of strategy always seems to psyche out the team employing it. They concede they can’t enforce their will on the other team unless they get out of their game plan. Their skilled players, infact all players are now biased to read any play the wrong way, wine to the officials, making matters worse, look over their shoulder, slowing them down as they chase loose pucks and admit defeat by being a reactionary losing team rather than a proactive winning team. When any team allows their opponent to dictate the game, they lose.
Last years, the Pens burned the league by making other teams try to play their speed game and the other teams, regardless of whether they were heavier or not, folded under their dictating terms. Some teams have learned from the Penguin model and are trying to retool their squads so they can compete. Other teams like LA, Was, and CBJ have stuck to their game plan and have imposed their will; got the Pens off of their game.
I do think that more than any other reason, the Pens have had a couple of pastings because they got very lackidasical from enjoying really high scoring streaks, making them forget the little things. Even Crosby in those pastings trying to get too “cute” on plays and had them turn the other way.
I do think that to really make another Cup run that the team does need to make a trade, a trade well before the trade dead-line so it doesn’t look like a no-confidence vote in the basic team. Like Jim, I feel that trying to repeat with as nearly the exact same line-up is a bad idea, while changing the team on their terms (trade rather than off-season UFA defections) is a good thing. It makes the team just different enough that opposing teams have to go back to the drawing room, at least a little, when they play the Pens rather than use what they learned last year to turn the tables.
So offering up a Pouliot to add a puzzle piece wouldn’t draw my ire, but consider this; Pouliot is only 22, very young for a D man. There are precious few Bobby Orrs, Paul Coffeys or Larry Murphys out there that can come in at 18, 19, 20 years of age and dictate play. Serge Savard did win a Conn Smythe at 22 or 23 but he really didn’t turn into the Savard that struck fear into opponents until he was around 28. The next season after winning the Conn Smythe he sort of struggled.
Therefore, I wouldn’t want to just toss him on the scrap heap just yet. If a good trade presented itself then moving him could be a great thing but moving him because he isn’t the second coming of Bobby Orr could be a serious mistake.
I guess to sum up, I do think that the Pastings the Pens received against Was and CBJ are a wake up call but not to try and devolve their team into a slogging heavy team in a knee-jerk reaction move that weakens the over-all team. Although, I would love to get a Tocchet or Ulfie on the team, we aren’t going to get one of those type of players; heavies that can play a regualr shift for a Pouliot; not yet anyway.
I think that what the team needs to take away from these losses is that they have to commit to playing every shift like they played during their play-off run last year and not sit back on their laurels after laying waste in similar fashion to other teams. They need to learn that this is the NHL and not the AHL and that all victories call for a price to be paid.
Hey Other Rick,
Excellent points, as always.
It would, indeed, be very difficult if not darn near impossible for Jim Rutherford to remake the Pens’ lineup in a way that would enable us to match up mano y mano with teams like the Blue Jackets and Capitals. They followed one blueprint for building a team and we followed another.
Even if we were able to land a couple of capable, heavier guys in trades, where would we put ‘em? For the most part, I really like our team, especially up front. Given that he’s pretty much faded out, goal-scoring wise, Chris Kunitz is one possible target for an upgrade. But Kuni still brings a ton of grit and intangibles to the table.
Perhaps we could insert a bigger guy in place of Scott Wilson. But I really like the way he’s played of late, especially since being dropped to the fourth line. And let’s not forget kids like Jake Guentzel and Oskar Sundqvist (who does possess some size). They’re probably both NHL-ready right now.
Our defense is a little bit of a different story. I do think there’s room for improvement on the back line and … having watched the overall positive effect that Oleksy’s had … a need for a bigger guy who can play and scatter bodies when the occasion calls for it. Although they’re certainly not available, Chicago’s Brent Seabrook and the Blue Jackets’ David Savard come to mind.
Your point about Derrick Pouliot is well taken. He is still young, and he does possess some impressive offensive skills. But while I’ll admit there’s a knee-jerk element to my recent appraisal of him, I get a sense about players sometimes.
For instance, I knew very early on that Beau Bennett, subtly skilled as he is, was never going to pan out. Ditto former hot defensive prospect Scott Harrington (currently with his third organization), who I sensed would never be able to keep up with the speed of the NHL game.
Watching Pouliot try to play defense, I get the same kind of gut feeling. Not to down the kid, but I don’t think he’ll ever be effective in his own end, no matter how much we coach him up. He seems to lack the instincts for the defensive side of the game. While much was made of his improved conditioning, he still looks soft and terribly overmatched in one-on-one battles. Appears to lack drive and intensity, too.
Maybe a team with a bunch of redwoods on defense (Tampa Bay) could cover those deficiencies. We can’t.
Lord knows I’ve been wrong before, and maybe time will prove me wrong about Pouliot, too. But I don’t think so. Sad to say, I think he’s destined to follow in the team’s painfully long line of recent draft flops on defense (Harrington, Joe Morrow, Philip Samuelsson, Carl Sneep and Brian Strait.)
Rick
Hey Rick
Excellent points of your own.
Just in case I would like to clarify a couple of things. After his initial stint with the Pens, I was dazzled by Pouliot’s offensive instincts, but have been unimpressed with the way he has looked since then. As I said I wouldn’t be upset if he was traded. I just do not see us able to move him for any player that would have a real impact. JR proved to be a real shrewd horse trader last year dishing Scuderi for Daley, but I think he would be hard pressed to pull another deal like that off.
Also, I do like Oleksy but not just for his pugilistic skill (He did land a couple of really good rights on Wood). My thoughts are that he gets playing time more often and not just against rougher teams. Domoulin may be a player that needs to alternate out to give Oleksy more time. Domoulin isn’t having a bad season, but he just may not be as big of player as Letang, Daley, Schultz, Cole, or even Maatta. I just don’t like when they use Oleksy just to counter bigger teams.
I hate to admit it, like you, I do like the intangibles Kunitz brings, but it may be time shift a little here and give a more prominent role to another player, like a Scott Wilson, or even Geuntzel (I really like what I have seen from him so far).
To go along with that, some of the older players like Kunitz may need to get a couple of games off as maintainance days so he has more in the tank come the post-season.
Hey Other Rick,
It seems you and I have had very similar impressions of Pouliot. When he first came up in 2014-15, I too, was dazzled by his offensive upside. Especially his vision and passing, not to mention his ability to skate the puck out of danger.
Actually, I didn’t think he played all that badly last season, either. Maybe not quite as flashy, but a little more sound defensively.
This season, I’m not sure what’s going on. Not only is he struggling in his own end, but he hasn’t done much offensively (zero points in a combined dozen games with the Baby Pens and Pens).
I wonder if he’s being over coached to the point where he’s thinking too much about what he needs to do, especially in the defensive zone. I sense he’s a very instinctual player, yet nothing seems to be coming naturally to him right now.
I also sense he’s a player who relies greatly on his individual talents, which enabled him to dominate at lower levels. A lot tougher to do in the NHL, unless you’re a Crosby, Malkin or Letang.
Whatever the reasons, he just looks lost and unsure of himself.
Rick
Hey Guys,
Hope you had your fill of Turkey and good cheer !
My two cents on D Pouliot is even in Junior hockey he played on a very powerful and dominant team, the Portland Winter Hawks. They surrounded him with great players, a great Coach, and a system whereby his weakness was covered up.He could always skate well and he was average in size, so he could handle most of the opposition.But in my opinion he never was a true defense man, but more of a Rover, as the old guys used to call it. Enter Ray Shero, who thought for some reason, fast, small, mobile, offensive d men would be the future of the NHL and he tried to draft as many as he could. Sometimes over looking the obvious. He can not play well against the larger guys.
Fast forward 3 or 4 years and the problem is D. Pouliot was never a 7th or 8th First round pick caliber of player. We drafted the wrong guy. Now it shows. The league is faster, stronger,and players are better than he is and everybody can skate just as fast.Now his flaws start to show.But since we have a severe deficiency of first round talent in our system, nobody wants to say the Pen’s made a mistake.
Before you jump on me, remember Letang was a third round pick and nobody ever thought he would develop into the elite player he is today. He was the exception to the rule. Personally,I believe playing with Crosby, Malkin, and Orpik ( because of his tremendous work ethic and limited talent), helped Letang realize early on how hard it is to be an NHL player and that helped to develop Letang into the player he is today. But as I said, Letang is the exception to the rule.
Given the state of Hockey today,the Pen’s spin doctors just keep feeding us foolishness about how great D.Pouliot will be. Funny, Sullivan does think so or he would be playing last year full time.
Sorry guys, for me it is time to find another direction !
Cheers
Hey Jim,
Thanks for filling in the back story on Pouliot. Especially the comment about him functioning as a rover in junior.
While I think the skill level—at least on the offensive side—certainly is there, I do question whether Pouliot has the focus, drive and intensity to succeed in the NHL. Nor does it appear he’s physically able to stand up to the rigors of playing defense at the big-league level.
I agree 100% with your statement about Sullivan. I have complete faith and trust in his ability to accurately assess a player’s readiness and potential.
The few instances where Sullivan’s had a chance to stick with Pouliot or go with another player (last season’s stretch run, last season’s playoffs, the most recent game against New Jersey) he’s invariably chosen the other guy.
That says a lot.
Rick
Hey Jim,
Now that is why there are times I envy you; You are more privy to the back stories of many of these players, stories we either never hear or at least not until after several years.
There is no reason to qualify your feelings about Pouliot, I don’t think Rick or I would be upset if he were traded and the Pens went in another direction. I think Rhuwedel is a much better D man than Pouliot right now. I just wouldn’t throw him away. I would still either give him more of a chance to realize he is on the bubble and needs to develop a better work ethic, or make sure I got something other than a bag of pucks in return for him in trade.
I like your analogy with Letang. I am in complete agreement with your assessment of him. I was not enamoured of him, at least as much as others, when he first came up. However, he has worked his butt off and is a top flight D man. He still makes some mistakes, but not only does he have solid offensive instincts he is tough as nails and plays a lot larger than he is physically.
As for having my fill of Turkey, yes I got my share, but more importantly I also had a lot of very complimentary wine to go with it. It was a good Christmas! Hope yours was too.
And Rick; agreed 100%, I trust Sullivan. He earned it last year turning this team around and into Stanley Cup Champs. Hope you had a good Holiday too!
, I love Penguins!