Anatomy of Frustration – The 2018-2019 Penguins Review: Part Three

If you were expecting me to finish off the song quote I started in my last post, you can be forgiven. It is my part of my idiom. (You should feel sorry for my wife, Michele has to put up with it all the time.) However, no, I am not going to finish off the quote, even though I plan on talking about the Penguins‘ port side.

Why am not finishing the quote, you may ask?

Simple, because if I did go back to that quote, I would have to change it, I would have to paraphrase it to “the left one won’t”.

If there is a weakness to the Penguins’ offense it is on its left flank. Once you get past Jake Guentzel and if you are like me, counting Jared McCann as a Right Wing (RW), then there isn’t much left to see here – move along. No, they weren’t bad enough to prevent the team from accumulating 100 points but the parade of pylons after Guentzel did represent the weak links on their respective lines.

When the Penguins were in the attacking zone, opposing defenses rarely had to worry when the Left Wing (LW) had the puck. The LWs were the millstones on most lines. The only reason that I give this position a C for a regular season grade is Guentzel. Even with Guentzel, in the playoffs, this position was an D-.

Name	Regular Season	Post-Season
Jake Guentzel	A-	D-
Zach Aston-Reese	C	D-
Garrett Wilson	C	D
Dominik Simon	C-	D-

Guentzel had the best season to date of his nascent career, He hit the 40 goal mark and topped 70 points ands was a +13 during the regular season. His maturation attracted the attention of opposing defenses causing them to take the same kind of runs at Guentzel usually reserved for Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Unfortunately, like the rest of the team, he disappeared in the playoffs. No, I don’t blame him. It is really hard to beat a team that knows exactly what you are going to do, since your own coach can’t adjust the strategy.

The LW with the 2nd most goals among players at that position only had 9 goals compared to Guentzel‘s 40 and he was traded away for Erik Gudbranson (Tanner Pearson). That basic fact is all the evidence needed to illustrate the state of our locals LW.

Zach Aston-Reese checked in after that tied with Dominik Simon with 8 goals. The difference between these 2 players is that Aston-Reese only played 43 games while Simon played 71. Pearson had 9 goals in 44 games before being traded. Also, Aston-Reese‘s Shooting Percentage (S%) was at least respectable at 10.5%. Maybe had Aston-Reese started the season in Pittsburgh rather than in Wilkes Barre Scranton (WBS), the regular season would have been a little better, but by the time the post-season came along, even a roster full of 12 Connor McDavid‘s may not have been able to overcome the Islanders knowing exactly what the Penguins’ Coach’s strategy was. Some of us fans complain about Aston-Reese‘s speed, and granted he is well below Carl Hagelin in that department, but he really didn’t all that slow. The only real problem was Mike Sullivan trying to play him in a top 6 role and Aston-Reese is not suited to that role.

Yes, I give Garret Wilson a better grade than Simon. Wilson didn’t get any time with Crosby. He was deployed in a 4th line role and did his job. He didn’t do anything to move up the depth chart but he did what he was asked to do.

Simon, well, I think everyone here knows what I think. Simon had to be Shakespeare’s inspiration for the title of the play “Much Ado About Nothing” or to paraphrase MacBeth; “Simon’s game is but a shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more: it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

When Simon is on the ice his Corsi suggests that there can be firework (55.6% at 5 on 5) but rarely does it result in any goals, especially considering how often Sullivan tried to deploy him with Crosby. Simon only managed 7 goals in his 71 games with a S% of 6.6%.

Now for the Future;

Every years is different. That which worked this year may not work next year. That which didn’t work this year may explode next year. However, it would seem to me that here, on LW is where the Penguins can really upgrade their offense. Out of Guentzel, Aston-Reese, Wilson, Simon, the only one who has a lock on a roster spot come next year for me would be Guentzel.

Wilson is a Free Agent (FA) and I doubt that he will be back.

Unlike some of our readers, I don’t mind Aston – Reese when he is deployed in a role that he can play (bottom 6).

Simon, I am not sorry, in my book, he is gone. He is not cost effective on this roster.

If as Jason Mackey claims, the team is considering trading Malkin, Phil Kessel, and Kris Letang, adding them to the laundry list of players, Sullivan has run out of town, rather than acknowledging that when the number of players ignoring the coach is pretty much the whole team, meaning it is the coach and not the players, I fear our Penguins are going to keep Sullivan. If that is the case, both Aston – Reese and Simon have to go. Sullivan will play his coach’s pet Simon to the detriment of the team. He wants scoring from his top 3 lines, yet Simon is only good for tying up the puck in a frenzy that results in nothing. Furthermore he doesn’t put Aston – Reese in a position to succeed.

Is there help within the organization?

If the goal is team speed, then Adam Johnson is your man. He can flat out fly. He is like Carl Hagelin with better hands. He had 18 goals and 43 points in 67 games down in WBS with a S% of 25%. If the team finds it impossible to trade Malkin and Kessel, then Johnson may be the best candidate to put on their LW. Both Malkin and Kessel were flying when Hagelin was on their line, nothing is for certain, but I would like to see Johnson get a shot there. That may be able to produce more than Hagelin-Malkin-Kessel did last October and that is saying something.

(However, don’t bet on a relative increase in team speed if Sullivan stays as coach, regardless of how young the team gets. The league has adjusted to Sullivan but Sullivan hasn’t re-adjusted. The team looks slow because everyone and an his grandmother knows what they are going to do and they get themselves in a position to stop it. I know I keep repeating this and I will keep on repeating it until this problem is fixed)

I mentioned Kasper Björkqvist and Filip Hållander in my last post, both of these players could upgrade the Penguins’ LW or at least break even.

Outside the organization?

I have mentioned this name many times, if the team could clear cap space fast Artemi Panarin would be my first FA choice. Unfortunately, I have heard rumors to the affect that Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky are pretty much signed, sealed, and delivered to Joel Quenneville and the Florida Panthers.

Jeff Skinner is also a FA and was linked to the Penguins in trade rumors in the past. He wouldn’t be my first pick in the FA market but looking at the weakness on the Penguins’ port side and at 26 he is young and noted for his skating. Since Panarin is pretty much off of the board, if Cap space is freed up, this may be another good choice.

Michael Ferland is another FA that was linked to Penguin trade rumors and he should even be a more reasonable Cap target. My guess is that several of our readers would love to get Ferland‘s sand on our milquetoast team.

Outside of the NHL?

I never limit myself to NHL players when looking to upgrade. It is a crap shoot to say the least to predict if a European’s game translates into the NHL, but sometimes you may find a good one and I am not averse to rolling the dice. Truth be told, I didn’t see any LW FAs in Europe that looked like future stars to me.

However, considering how weak our Penguins are at that position I wouldn’t rule out looking at Joakim Nygård. He is 26 years old, 6’0″ tall and 179 lbs. From what I gather he is also fast with good hands and creativity. He scored 21 goals and had 14 assists in 52 games for Färjestad BK of the SHL. I am not sure if he has signed a new contract yet or not.

I may also take a look at Jakob Lilja. From what I have seen and read, he may not have the same offensive upside as Nygård but again, the Penguins cupboard isn’t all that stocked on the left flank. Lilja is 25 years old and 194 lbs. He had 12 goals and 25 assists in 52 games playing for Djurgårdens IF of the SHL.

That is just my 2 cents about our beloved Penguins’ Left Wings.