In the mid-1990s, the Penguins still were a most formidable team. Only a couple of seasons removed from back-to-back Stanley Cups, they featured no fewer than six future Hall-of-Famers, including Ron Francis, Joey Mullen, Larry Murphy, Luc Robitaille, Bryan Trottier and the incomparable Mario Lemieux, to say nothing of greats like Jaromir Jagr and freight-train-on-skates Kevin Stevens.
Despite the glittering array of talent, the 1993-94 squad underachieved during the regular season before being ousted in the first round of the playoffs by the vastly inferior Washington Capitals. Although better, the 1994-95 Pens bowed in the second round to eventual Cup winner New Jersey.
Something clearly was missing.
A glance at the rosters is revealing. The ‘93-94 squad was stocked with nine players age 30 or older…ironically the same number as our present bunch. The ‘94-95 team…a dozen. Indeed, the Penguins of the early ‘90s morphed rather rapidly from a team where youth was served into a veritable old-folks home for aging veterans.
On closer inspection, the 1991 champs featured three rookies who figured prominently in the Cup triumph, Jagr and first-year defensemen Jim Paek and Paul Stanton. Speedy Shawn McEachern and Mike Needham bolstered the black and gold during the ‘92 playoff run.
After that? The locals increasingly turned to 30-somethings like Norm Maciver, Troy Murray and Dave Tippett to flesh out the roster. Good players all, but hardly ones who provided youthful enthusiasm.
Perhaps not by coincidence, the Pens stopped winning Cups.
It’s beginning to seem like deja vu all over again. Having earned the trust of coach Mike Sullivan, then-kids Brian Dumoulin, Tom Kuhnhackl, Matt Murray, Bryan Rust and Conor Sheary were underrated (some would say vital) cogs in 2016. Yet along with Scott Wilson, who filled a valuable puck-hunting role in 2017, Kuhnhackl and Sheary have moved on. So has Josh Archibald, another speedy scrambler.
Time for a fresh batch of kids.
Yet GM Jim Rutherford’s filling those bottom-six slots with the likes of Derek Grant (28), Jimmy Hayes (29) and 42-year-old Matt Cullen…aka “Team Dad.” While I like the fact that Grant and Hayes are large and Cullen…ultra-popular…brings a bounty of leadership and experience, I’m concerned about a lack of speed and spark.
It’s starting to remind me a little of 2013-14, when retreads like Chuck Kobasew, Taylor Pyatt and the eminently forgettable Matt D’Agostini dotted the bottom six.
In particular, I’m concerned about the mix on the fourth line. During our recent back-to-back triumphs, Sullivan was able to roll four lines. Last season, not so much. It’s one of the main reasons the Pens failed to three-peat. It’ll stop us again if we don’t come up with a reasonably effective unit.
Ideally, the fourth line serves as the team’s power plant…its energy source. Fast and aggressive, combining a degree of skill with a physical bent. Tailored to track down loose pucks, bang bodies and apply heat to opposing defenders. Picture a pack of hounds on a fox hunt.
It’s a perfect role for hungry young kids. Wind ‘em up and turn ‘em loose.
Unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of those guys in the system, at least not ones who are NHL ready. Second-year pro Adam Johnson has speed to burn, but he’s a center by trade and we’re comparatively stacked down the middle. Ditto Thomas DiPauli. Neither possesses the innate physicality I prefer.
Zach Aston-Reese does, but he’s not fast. I like him in a more elevated role where his hands and hockey smarts come into play, as opposed to serving strictly as a fourth-line mucker. While skilled, Dominik Simon and Daniel Sprong don’t fit the bill in terms of providing grit and adrenaline.
Factor in our gifted but aging core? I fear there will be far too many nights when the Pens lack the spirit and collective hop to compete, especially in the trenches.
While I’m airing my concerns, I’m worried about a lack of muscle, too. Like a trip-hammer driving a box of black-and-gold nails, the Capitals pounded us in the playoffs last spring. We simply had no answer.
Did I mention they just inked marauder and noted Penguin maimer Tom Wilson to a six-year deal?
“Big Rig” Jamie Oleksiak and newcomer Jack Johnson should provide the requisite gristle on the blue line. But I fret over our lack of shove up front.
A couple of kids with some speed, sand and moxie sure would help.
what about Kip Miller!!!!
Rick
Great article – i’m in agreement with you on all points – last year a glaring
need was the 3rd line Center position this year I believe JR’s focused has to be
re-building the 4th line.
Pen’s fans thought I was joking when I made the suggestion of bringing back
Cullen as an Assistant Coach – I was dead serious and knew that was the
start of a major problem with the makeup of our 4th line.
Its great to have skill and 4 lines that are capable of putting the puck in the
net – The Pens lack any kind of physical presence at the forward spot. If JR
doesn’t rectify this I’m afraid we’re looking at another quick playoff exit.
Quick notes:
1) I still have concerns about ZAR – Its my opinion he under-achieved in the
physical department. He’ll have a chance to show what he’s made of on
opening night vs the Caps.
2) Physical 4th lines always do well in the playoffs – this was the mistake the
Pens made with Revo – his value like many other physical 4th liners is
magnified come playoff time.
3) Trade Letang
4) I also think its amusing that Simon is being penciled in the Pen’s bottom
six.
5) I think its just as amusing if not more that a lot of Pen’s fans feel like we
can move Brassard to a wing position because we re-signed Matt Cullen.
Thanks, Mike.
Sorry for the delay in responding. I think you and I have the same concerns about the Pens’ mix at forward. There’s no denying we’ve got talent up front. But if you’re looking at playing guys like Simon and perhaps Sprong in the bottom six, I just don’t know how that’s going to work out.
Nor do I particularly like the idea of shifting guys out of position.
Agree 100 percent in the muscle department. It isn’t that are guys aren’t game or don’t try…Jake Guentzel comes to mind as a player who always sticks his nose in there. And Crosby, Hornqvist, Malkin and Rust always compete. But they’re physically overmatched at times. Nor do you especially want Geno fighting the team’s battles.
Wish we could draft or cultivate guys who combine some ability with an aggressive style. A forlorn hope, I’m afraid.
Rick
Rick
No problem – thanks for replying. I agree with your assessment on
Pen’s players not afraid to do the dirty work. My concern and I
believe yours as well is size and the physical punishment it does
to our smaller players?
It makes me sick to think “Wilson” will have a field day with our
guys and no one to keep him in check.
I’m at a loss as to why JR won’t draft or sign a few bigger bodies and
try to develop them at WBS. If they don’t pan out you’ve lost nothing.
We have way to many undersized forwards.
Agree, Mike. Washington just pounded us in the playoffs, and it did take a toll…especially late in the series.
It isn’t a heart issue…Lord knows, our guys have tons of that. But if you’re 180 pounds like Guentzel and you’re repeatedly getting drilled by guys like Orpik and Smith-Pelly (220 apiece) and Wilson (218), guess who’s going to win the war of attrition over the course of a series.
Maybe guys like Grant and Hayes can balance the ledger a little, although I don’t think either is overly physical.
Rick
Hey Rick and Mike,
I know you would rather have a bigger, hard hitting RW (me too) on the 3rd and 4th line, but truth be told, Sullivan will still probably want balanced scoring and will either play Sprong or Kessel in the bottom 6 no matter what the fans want. Hayes may get the nod for 4th line, but 3rd line is probably going to have a skilled RW.
And from what I have been reading about both Grant and Hayes, despite their size neither really uses their size consistently.
Great Article Rick!!!
We just talked about this down the gym, so you know we are on the same page.
Jim has bemoaned our bare cupboard (Lack of NHL ready WBS players) for quite some time now.
What may be worse is the fact that we are not getting high draft picks and when we do have a 1st round pick, we trade it away. (I guess Pens brass figures better never than late round).
I like and Respect Cullen a lot but that signing is a real head scratcher this year. And the reason given for the signing “the team seemed to lack leadership during the failed playoff run”? I am left wondering if I watched the same series against the Caps as the Pens brain trust.
This team is loaded with veteran players that have 2 – 3 Rings. Crosby is phenomenal Captain. This team has no lack of veteran leadership for young kids to look up to.
The playoff series I watched, where the Penguins took on the Capitals was a question of 3 things; a turnstile masquerading as a defenseman, an absolute goon literally getting away with assault and battery with hits way outside the rules but abetted by Al Capone (George Parros) running the Justice Department, and a team that was out skated.
Letang was on the ice for over half of all the goals scored against the Pens in that series, including I believe 3 of the 4 WGs. His GA/60 during that series was far in excess of 4 of the other 5 defensemen on the team. Only his partner on D suffered as many goals against! Take Letang out of that series and the Pens just might have grabbed the momentum and won (2 goals w/in the 1st minute of a period?)
In years past (pre-Parros) players received significant suspensions for far less offenses than thugee Tom Wilson committed. His hit on Dumoulin should have earned him a seat for the entire series. He should never have been around to hit ZAR. That hit should have earned him a suspension that lasted into the regular season, even if they could have gone the distance without him.
Finally, the Pens were already too old. They were being out Penguined by the Caps because the coach refused to use the kids.
Without any real blue-chip draft picks since the 8th grade picnic the Pens are understandably weak on the farm. The team’s policy of holding on to veterans well past their on ice usefulness (When younger players now were at least as good as them or better and cheaper (Letang – Schultz, Hunwick – Pedan) rather than trading them for 1st rounders that could possibly be parlayed into a to 10 pick has assured the team of a barren cupboard.
There are young players in the system that I am pulling for to make it to the pros but let’s face it, the laws of probability say that most of the young guys I want to succeed will not.
(I will go into a list of who I will be watching this Prospect Tournament and training camp at another time when the picture of who will actual be here is much more firm and camp is closer).
However, as much as I want all of the kids to succeed, I am not holding my breath until they do.
I am approaching this training camp with an open mind and in truth don’t think the Pens playoff run is in truly serious threat right now, however, the more I tgink about the age and resultant slowness of the team makes the Pens odds of winning the Cup less than Vegas’ early line (12/1)
Hey Other Rick,
I’m working under time constraints right now. But excellent thoughts and comments! Just excellent!
Rick