Can the Penguins Win Another Cup with Our Aging Core?

I was pouring my morning cup of java when a question popped into my head. A loaded one at that. Can the Penguins’ win another Cup with our aging core?

As incredible as it seems, our forever-young core ain’t so young any more. Evgeni Malkin’s 32…and perhaps starting to play like it (minus-19). Sidney Crosby…our beloved “Kid”…is 31. While shining as always, this is his 14th NHL season. Phil Kessel and resurgent Kris Letang are 31 as well.

Among the supporting cast, Patric Hornqvist and Jack Johnson are 32. Both are signed to long-term deals. Although no longer a Penguin, Marc-Andre Fleury is 34 (just had to mention that).

My goodness, where has the time gone? It seems only yesterday these guys were all fuzzy-cheeked 20-somethings full of promise and potential. Now they’re well into the back nines of their respective careers. The proverbial clock is most definitely ticking. Along with it, the window for this magnificent group to capture another Cup is shrinking.

Thinking it might make for an interesting post, I decided to find some examples of teams that won Stanley Cups with seasoned cores. I was heartened to an extent.

The most prominent of the graybeard champions were the Toronto Maple Leafs of the 1960s. Fueled largely by veteran talent, the Leafs won four Cups over a six-season span. The ’67 team boasted such ready-for-the-rocking-chair forwards as ex-Pens coach Red Kelly (39) and team captain George Armstrong (36), along with defensive stalwarts Tim Horton (37), Marcel Pronovost (36) and Allan Stanley (40). They were backstopped in goal by the ageless tandem of Johnny Bower (42) and Terry Sawchuk (37).

Each is enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame, the likely destination for at least a few members of the Pens’ Cup-winning squads.

True, it was a different game back then, predicated more on team play and sound positioning than pure speed and skill. But encouraging nonetheless.

Seeking a more modern example, the 2001-02 Detroit Red Wings came to mind. Talk about an over-the-hill gang on skates! The team’s top eight point scorers…including Hall-of-Famers Sergei Federov, Brett Hull, Luc Robitaille, Brendan Shanahan and Steve Yzerman were all 32 years of age and older. Chris Chelios and Igor Larionov…over 40.

Can you say, “Pass the Geritol?”

The 2007-08 Red Wings won the Cup with a club that consisted of no fewer than 14 players aged 30 or older, although it featured a comparatively youthful core.

Still, it points to the fact that aging teams can…and have…won Stanley Cups. The key obviously, is the supporting cast. For example, our back-to-back Cup winners boasted vital players in secondary roles such as Nick Bonino, Matt Cullen and Chris Kunitz, not to mention veteran defensemen Trevor Daley and Ron Hainsey. Relegated to a backup role, Fleury may have been the superest sub of ‘em all.

Following their departures, Pens GM Jim Rutherford has tried, mostly in vain, to acquire quality depth to buttress Sid & Company. Last season he pulled off the deal of the deadline when he imported Derick Brassard from Ottawa to anchor what everyone and their grandmother anticipated would be an uber-productive third line. A trade that backfired mightily in terms of cost (character guys Ian Cole and Ryan Reaves) and lackluster returns from Brassard (11 goals, 22 points and minus-6 in 53 regular-season games with the locals).

More recently, JR landed a potential top-six scorer in Tanner Pearson while shedding one in Daniel Sprong. Although the former has shown occasional flashes so has Sprong, who appears to have more of an offensive upside.

Not that it’s all about scoring, a concept our brass at times seems slow to grasp. All sorts of intangibles factor in…grit, speed, enthusiasm, shot-blocking, attention to detail, leadership. It takes a great deal of skill on the part of a GM…and more than a bit of luck…to assemble the right supporting cast.

Nail it and it’s a thing of beauty…a well-oiled machine that fires on all cylinders. Miss the optimal blend…even a bit…and you wind up breaking out the golf clubs in April or May.

To my eye, the Pens’ current mix is a little off. They need a second-line left wing to slot next to Malkin…or for Pearson to emerge. They desperately need a third-line center who displays chemistry with anybody but especially Kessel. Too, the black and gold could use more speed and jam up front.

Hopefully, the defense sorts itself out when Justin Schultz returns. Goaltending could still be a worry before all is said and done.

Back to my original question. Can the Penguins’ win another Cup with our aging core?

A tall order…but not impossible…provided JR finds the right pieces. A challenge in the salary-cap era.

I’m not super-optimistic about his chances.