I woke up this morning still with last night’s game heavy on my mind. Looking at a picture of my kids on my desk, a scene from one of their movies that included a different group of Penguins flashed through the frustration of hockey ending in early May – Skipper, Kowalski, Rico, and Private standing on an ice floe, in front of the ship they hijacked. After several seconds of the 4 Penguins of Madagascar staring at the frozen desolation, Skipper can be heard saying “Well this stinks”. Actually, Skipper uses a more colorful metaphor but you get the point.
Now, with the long Spring and Summer ahead of us, without our Penguins playing again until September (4-months from now) comes the time for all of us arm-chair GMs to dissect the corpse. What went wrong? How did they lose? Were the Capitals the more talented team? Were they the hungrier team? Or were they just the better coached team?
Even despite the ridiculous banishment of Ian Cole for Derick Brassard and the NHL ensuring the Penguins would be further stripped of a talent by forcing the team to cede Ryan Reaves in that deal for a 4th line Center in that deal I still believe the Penguins’ organization had more talent than the Capitals team. The poison that murdered this year’s 3-peat effort was the arrogance and/or stubborn loyalty to players that just weren’t getting the job done, by the coaching staff.
Kris Letang has been an integral part of the Penguins’ organization for many years and has had some strong seasons. He holds most, if not all the Penguins’ scoring records for Defensemen. Furthermore, for a player of limited size he plays the game much larger and sticks up for his players. He was one of the few players to go after the Capitals’ goon Tom Wilson. However, in the end he was on the ice for 10 of the 19 goals the Capitals scored. As our friend Rick Buker often points out, the numbers may be skewed by the large amount of ice-time Letang tends to skate. So, even though Letang was on the ice for more than half of the goals against, so may try to argue that is only natural.
However, when you look at the 9 goals against scored when Letang wasn’t on the ice, 2 were Short Handed Goals and 3 were Empty Net Goals. That only leaves 4 goals against scored on Matt Murray in game situations where the team’s Defense could be truly held accountable.
More importantly, Letang was on the ice when 3 of the 4 game winning goals against were scored. And the eye test shows the number of odd man breaks the Capitals have had with Letang on the ice. Look no farther last night’s game winner goal for the Capitals.
Unfortunately, Kris Letang was given the most ice-time of any player. He averaged over 25 minutes per game. Perhaps none of the Black Aces Defensemen could have added the 1.55 points per 60 minutes (P/60) that Letang notched during the Capitals’ series but I can’t imagine any would have done worse defensively. However, as well as Brian Dumoulin played, giving him a defensive partner that wasn’t such a liability could only have allow him to hone the offensive flashes that he has started to flash, including last night. Therefore the increase in Dumoulin’s scoring plus any offense that a Black Ace could have generated very easily off-set the loss of Letang’s 1.55 P/60. After all the Penguins won the Cup last year without him.
A lot also has been mentioned about the lack of secondary scoring or lack thereof for the Penguins. There can’t be much of an argument here. Seven Forwards didn’t pick up a single point in the 6 games against the Capitals. Yet at no time did Mike Sullivan change the lineup. Perhaps, had the team snapped out of it and the Penguins would have won the series, Sullivan would have been lauded for having the patience to let the team work through their funk but they never did. They never had to. There was no consequence for their disappearance.
In the case of Conor Sheary, his disappearance should not have been a surprise. He was absent during the bulk of the regular season. Furthermore, he was absent during last year’s play-offs as well. Many have suggested that his absence is tied to his lack of size and he just gets beat up and mugged. Not that he doesn’t try, but his talent (which he does have) isn’t near enough to off-set the size he gives up in almost every game.
So, the big question in my mind is why did Sullivan not pull him and put in one of the Black Aces here as well. At least one of the Black Aces has a much better scoring pedigree than Sheary and all were much bigger. Try as you like, square pegs don’t go into round holes and continually trying failed strategies and tactics only leads to continued failures.
These are only 2 coaching errors but there are more, like the banishment I mentioned at the on-set of this post.
The season is over and our Penguins aren’t going into the history books as the first team to 3peat since the New York Islanders.
Have the Penguins’ coaches learned anything from this season? Only time will tell.
Can the team justify paying $7.25 million to a Defenseman who can’t play Defense, regardless of the offense he can produce? That is a hard question, a hard question with the answer that may be obvious but even harder for the team to resolve.
Will the team continue to try and play an under-sized Forward who disappears when the grind of heavier teams start to lean on him? Particularly when there are players in the organization who are bigger.
There are a lot of questions to be answered before September. Unfortunately, not only will they not have Ian Cole or Filip Gustavsson, they won’t have a 1st round pick. Maybe, they can look into signing Ryan Reaves in the off-season, he is an unrestricted free agent (UFA). So they won’t have to trade their non-existent 1st round pick for him this year.
Ian Cole is also a UFA, but if Sullivan ran him out of town once, I doubt the team will look into shoring up its turnstile Defense with him. (Prospect Andey Pedan signed with the KHL and will not be available as an option)
This will no doubt be a long, long summer.
Nice read!!
I love it.
I don’t know if others will agree but I strongly see Letang not a Penguins sweater next season. It won’t be easy . Jr will pull something off like that Scduecri / Daley trade. I know other organizations will probably take him . Jr probably will have takers lining up during the summer.
Hi.
I agree with every comment on this thread.
I appreciate Penguins hard work and 2 Stanley cup for the past two year.!!
I love Jake and Sid milestones. I love their resilience to carry the team as far they can. Sid playing through hurt wrist , hurt ribs and other things. He did the best he could . I believe pens will be better next years to come to get at least 2 more cups before 5-6 years later that Sid/ Geno ‘s era is done. Without Letang.
These things hurted pens chances to go on:
1. Letang ( he should be JR first move this year and whether it take to get him out of Pittsburgh) trade or buyout
2. Coaching Staff Decisions
3.Not benching players like Sheary nor giving Sprong the 4th line limited minutes to help secondary scoring. Not using Jorris as wing. Breaking up Sid’s line with Hornqvist.
4. Not correcting D problems by giving Shultzy and Dumoulin extra minutes to make a difference in crucial moments.
5 . Goaltending
6 . Sully not adjusting to help pens players succeed nor hold players accountable. He failed this regular season and postseason. He became to trusting and just to invest in Sheary and Letang. He ignored the signs and became more aggressive in not making better line combos with roster he had. He could have went deep this year with better strategies.
7. Injuries and just a tired team from 308 games might had play a big factor.
8 . I think Brassard trade hurt the pens and Reechi decisions with fowards.
Yes. I’m advocating hard for Sheary, Hunwick and Letang to be gone.
I want Cap space to be open for the Signing of Guentzel, Sheahan and Big Rig.
Also get a veteran goalie for Murray maybe Robin Lehenner or someone to push him.
Everyone can say this and that about Sprong’s attitude. His confidence. The encounters and what sources being saying.
At end of the day Sully kind failed the team with him to make a better line up. It would have helped if Sprong’s leash was longer to developed something with Sid and Jake during mArch and early April. It couldn’t have worked through Kessel’s injuries that will be reveal. I think giving him opportunity or at least other WBS players that pens would be in Dc getting ready for game 7 . Jorris could’ve have been 4C and Brass used as a winger to move Sheary out.
I have no problem with Kuhnhackl. I wouldn’t mind a cheap deal for him. He does his job and try hard to create offense. He does happens to dib more into that. Sully happens toe use him in a better way. I think he needs effective shooter by his side. He’s big that can open time and space for you.
I hope to see great moves this summer and I hope Sprong can do his part tobe a part of the pens organization next season. I hope to see a veteran D or great young defenseman like Hjmarsson or Trouba in the lineup. I would mind a cheap deal for Reaves. I don’t know. I know for sure pens are better and solid with Letang on the roster.
Without letang**
Wow, Other Rick.
Outstanding post-mortem. Just outstanding. Agree with everything you say.
As much as I root for Sheary, even I can admit that he did absolutely nothing. I’ll toss Tom Kuhnhackl on the wood pile, too. Yes, he does a lot of dirty work along the boards, albeit with questionable effectiveness (making plays, etc.). And he is good on the pk. But he contributes zippo offensively.
You gotta get something out of these guys…or more to the point…out of these slots in the lineup.
Letang’s defensive work…and I hate to rap the guy because he does play with fire and passion…was just awful. It seemed every time there was an odd-man break he was on the ice. I don’t know what happened to him. It’s like he forgot how to read the game…at least in his own end.
A shame, because for the second year in a row Dumoulin was a playoff stud. If he hadn’t been saddled with ‘Tanger,’ he could’ve really made an impact.
Anyways…as you said…we’ll see what transpires this summer. It’s liable to be a long, hot one…
Rick
PS–I’ll be curious when all is said and done to see if Phil Kessel had some sort of serious injury. He seemed to snap out of things a little the last couple of games. But before that, he almost looked like a skating version of ‘The Mummy’ (Universal’s original version).
Hey Rick
Thanks,
Now that was funny, Phil Kessel as the Mummy!
I like Kuhnhackl more than Sheary but I agree, he did nothing offensively all year. I would have rather seen Sestito on 4th Line LW than Kuhnhackl. And as I said elsewhere, Jooris as the 4th line C with Brassard moved to 3rd line LW.
I tend to believe it was because Kuhnhackl was playing LW rather than RW that he was a 0 but regardless of why he contributed nil. Now that the off season is upon us, fat has to be trimmed off of the roster.
I do think the team still had the parts to make it to the 3rd round but they just weren’t used.
The Other Rick
Just a few quick comments on your post. Letang playing 28 + minutes last
night is a joke. How many times can you allow an opponent to get behind
you before you make an adjustment. Letang has to be the first of JR’S moves
in the off-season “PERIOD”.
They need to bring Reaves back or someone similar who can make an impact
physically. What boggles my mind is JR saw this as being a problem after last
years playoffs – then he moves Reaves and Cole and never tries to fill the void
of there departure. “Very Strange” I would also like to add that Revo was the
number “3” star as the Golden Knights closed out the series vs the Sharks.
Not a Sheary fan but after watching last nights game he’s the least of the Pen’s
problems. The Caps 3rd and 4th line players flat out-played our 3rd and 4th
line and there Defenseman out performed our “DMan”. Our defensive coverages
in our own end were pathetic.
The Hunwick signing and the Cole trade “along with Reaves” sealed our fate.
This brings us to Mike Sullivan who I have a lot of respect for and who has
done a masterful job with the Pens.
Two things that really bothered me this year. His obvious personal dis-like for
Ian Cole – he allowed his ego to get the best of him.
Not reducing Letang’s minutes – this move alone haunted the Pens until they
were eliminated by the Caps. One comment on Ricks defense of Letang – I
could score “50’pts playing with the leagues most gifted offensive players
wearing a Pen’s uniform – Again I will repeat a quote from a famous and
successful coach “Stats are for losers”!!
Last – Sullivan’s coaching style is to force your will on the opposing team. But
the Caps were well prepared to attack the predictable Pens. Sully never made
the adjustments necessary to put his players in the position to have success.
Agreed Mike,
Letang has done nothing to earn his 25+ minutes per game. Offensively he does put up numbers, but defensively he has always been a problem. Reduce his ice time like you and Dee have suggested or remove him from the equation all together and this alone could have changed the outcome of the series.
The problem now is where do we go from here? Do we buy him out? Can w find anyone to take him on? Can he be switched to a wing? But if something is done here, then next year can easily get just as frustrating.
Sheary? I am not denying that he has some talent, particularly in his ability to anticipate plays but he has now evidenced a disappearing act in 2 consecutive playoff seasons. He had no points against the Caps and only 2 all post season. Last year he only had 7 points. He was so anemic he got press box time. From January 20th to March 7th of this year he went without a single goal. What is that, about 6 weeks?
In this case I have to say he was a major problem with the secondary scoring.
Without Letang’s defensive faux pas’ perhaps the Penguins wouldn’t have had to always be chasing the game and their secondary scoring could have flourished as it was there was none. Sheary produced nothing in the Capital series. Rowney, Rust, Sheahan, Hagelin, Aston-Reese, and Kuhnhackl’s names weren’t on the score sheet either but Rust has done it many times in the past. Hagelin, Aston-Reese, and Rowney only played half the number of games Sheary played. Sheahan is only in his first year as a Penguin so there is no history to really point at. Even Kuhnhackl really can’t be compared to Sheary in terms of disappearing acts since he has only had the rarest of top line shifts.
Furthermore, among the scoreless types, only Hagelin gets paid more.
So although I appreciate what you say about Sheary, I do think he should have been given press box time. Maybe Jooris, Blueger, or Dea, as I mentioned below could have moved into the C position with Brassard moving out to wing to replace Sheary. The team would have gotten bigger, fresher and more than likely would have gotten more secondary scoring.
I forgot,
As I wrote in my post, I am 100% with you in the case for Reaves. He is a UFA. JR should look long and hard at finding a way to sign him. I don’t think he is worth a first round pick nor do I think he is the most needed off season acquisition (2 good D men would be tops on my list). But since he is only a FA, it only comes down to $$$$
The other Rick
Totally agree with prioritizing a couple of Defenseman. That has to be
JR immediate focus.
Also, Im not sticking up for Sheary – Personally I would trade him for
a cold six-pack of Iron City Lights. I was just making the point there
are more pressing needs on this team that must be addressed before
deciding on what to do with a miniature size winger.
One thing I hadn’t mentioned – I would like to see them get a legit first
line winger on Crosby’s right side. I know everyone will scream Sprong
but I’m not sure he’s the answer going into next season.
Have a good summer – I always look forward to both yours and Ricks
comments. Keep them coming. Thanks,
Hey Mike,
Thanks for the thumbs up. You have a great summer too.
Check back occasionally, I was thinking about doing some previews looking at some of the Kids and possible trade ideas as the off season progresses and would love to hear your thoughts and, at times, probable counter-points.
As or Sprong, I still think he can be a top wing in the league but if the team could get a solid young D man, preferably one with some size and grit, I would jump at it in a heart beat.
The Pens won’t have much room under the Cap to get a top flight Winger unless they find a way out of Letang’s contract. One thought that has been kicking around in my head since just prior to the trade deadline is Michael Grabner. He is fast and not afraid to shoot. With NJD’s early exit from the playoffs Grabner might be had at a reasonable price.
The Other Rick
I did have a question – i would like to hear everyones
opinion on the blog.
How much did it hurt the Pen’s losing Rick Tocchet.
Personally i think it hurt with connecting the lines of communication
between the players and Sullivan – I believe they really trusted Tocchet
and would openly discuss there problems and concerns with him.
I look forward to everyones feedback
Hey Mike,
That could be the $64,000 question.
The Penguins Coaching success could have been a whole greater than the sum of its parts. Even before Tocchet was named Az’s head coach there discussion rose as to how the bench would be handled, particularly with respect to Kessel.
After watching this season I would find it hard to argue should someone bring up issues like the Ian Cole Debacle or the the on going Daniel Sprong debate.
So to answer your question, I can’t help but think that loss of Tocchet may have been the most or second most critical loss over last off-season. (MAF loss may be the only loss that really rivals it)
Totally agree with you on Tocchet and MAF. its really a
game of adjustments – and I think in someways there
were holes that were never filled.
Enjoy the summer – I look forward to hearing your
potential trade ideas and draft thoughts – which i will
be attending in Dallas this year with my son.
I am jealous.
I just wish the Pens still had a first round pick or a chip they could trade up in the draft.
Before the Brassard trade I was thinking the Pens should try to trade one of their Goalie prospects, not limited to Gustavsson, but Jarry or DeSmith as well to try and break into the top 10 picks for a change, but that thought is gone too.
tOR, Great points, and here you go again with the Sheary/Sprong thing. I hear what you are saying and I could probably go on with about fifty things. First off though, I must mention that the Pens had one hell of a run and off course when they were winning every GM move was great and every move the coach made was great.
Like you, all I could think about this morning was what went wrong. Easiest answer is that Malkin and Kessel are both injured. The team is top heavy and with two top guys down the ship over turns.
Secondary scoring. You mentioned calling up Sprong. You didn’t say his name but after 8 months into reading about Sprong. I know that’s what you were inferring by the “Black Aces”
One thing that Sullivan has done the past two years is he has changed players on the 3rd and 4th lines when they were not performing. He did no such thing this year. I truly believe that it really motivates those young guys to play harder knowing they might be benched for someone else. That did not happen this season as you mentioned.
He also used to have no problem yanking a player no matter their status if they weren’t getting it done. Kessel should have been sat a game or two the second his injury happened. At the same time I really don’t have huge problem leaving Kessel in, let’s face it, the landscape has changed. The guys who won the cups twice should have been left in to defend it if they wanted to.
The streak is over now and Sullivan needs to go back to making tough decisions once again. Young speed, defense & toughness are two things I believe need addressed by Rutherford.
Hey Phil,
I was of course referring to Sprong when I mentioned better scoring pedigree but I as I have said on several occasions I am not totally committed to that idea. In fact I have recently had a conversation with a kid who claimed to have played with/against (not sure which) Sprong. He, like others, suggests that Sprong may need a few rough edges knocked off of his personality.
I would have actually been more likely to plug in Blueger, Jooris, or Dea as the 4th line C and moved Brassard to wing bumping Sheary out. I like Rowney as a defensive player, but he has shown he can’t be counted on to add to the score sheet.
If I would have put Sprong in, I would have done it to give Kessel some rest to recuperate from what ever wrist injury has been plaguing him.
One of the biggest reasons I blame this early exit on Sullivan is as you noted, over the first 2 Cup runs he had no qualms about interchanging players, regardless of Salary or Streak. This year however, he didn’t. Perhaps he was too worried about not losing that he forgot how he was winning. Who knows?
An interesting aside, I mentioned this to Buker in an email, the same kid who I met, who told me about his experiences with Sprong also mentioned that he played with/against (again not sure which) Nikita Pavlychev. Although he is no scout, he talked pretty highly of Pavlychev. He noted that he may not be as skilled as Malkin (who is?) but that he is pretty skilled and that Pavlychev is a pretty good skater as well. When I asked him about this second point, unlike the scouting reports not only did he say he was a pretty good skater but he didn’t qualify it with a “for a big man”.
I think we all would have preferred about 6 more weeks of hockey, but that is over. And although I hate to wish away my summer, I am now looking forward to see first hand how kids like this Pavlychev has progressed as well as Bellerive, Militec, Angello, and Drozg. I haven’t really looked at the UFA market yet but I am wondering also if the Pens may not only want to look at resigning Reaves but maybe E. Kane or Grabner. I haven’t really looked at the UFA market that deeply though.
The Pens may have dropped the ball this year but they may be able to get back into the thick of things quickly.
One other thing I would like to see is either buy out Letang and free up all that $$$ or switch him to wing, he still does have an offensive upside. Defensively, however, he is an extreme liability.