Have the Penguins Improved?

It’s the purpose of any NHL general manager. Especially one who has a talented core to build around. Improve your team over the off-season in order to have a legitimate shot at winning a Stanley Cup.

In the wake of our embarrassing defeat at the hands of Montreal in the qualifying round of the postseason, Penguins GM Jim Rutherford promised to make changes.

He’s delivered on that promise, adding six new players to the NHL roster (I’ll count Evan Rodrigues who was traded away and re-signed) while shedding eight others. That’s a lot of turnover…roughly one-third of the team.

Still, it begs the question. Are we a better team now than we were in August? I’ll attempt to answer that question in call-and-response fashion. I’m going to ignore financial implications and focus on how the moves will affect us on-ice. Highly subjective, of course.

First Line Right Wing (Incoming: Kasperi Kapanen—Outgoing: Dominik Simon/Conor Sheary)

I won’t devote a whole lot of time to this one. Even if Kapanen doesn’t improve on the 13 goals he tallied last season with Toronto—highly unlikely—he’s a significant upgrade over the Simon/Sheary combo (the Two-Headed Hamster?) that skated beside Sidney Crosby last season. Plain and simple, he’s a more complete player than either of the departed. Verdict: Thumbs up.

Third Line Center (Incoming: Mark Jankowski—Outgoing: Nick Bjugstad)

In some ways, Jankowski resembles the guy he’s replacing. Big frame, moves around the ice in a similar fashion. Will drive to the net. That’s pretty much where the comparison ends. “Bugs” is more physical, versatile and productive (.47 points per game vs .31). Provided Bjugstad stays healthy… Verdict: Thumbs down.

Third Line Right Wing (Incoming: Evan Rodrigues—Outgoing: Patric Hornqvist)

Talk about your polar opposites. Rodrigues a versatile, possession-driving water bug. Hornqvist, an on-ice Stridsvagn 103 tank, steamrollering opposing defenseman and goalies alike with reckless abandon. Dart and ding vs. crash and bang. Although his numbers suggest some playmaking skills, don’t look for Rodrigues to score a ton of goals. Conversely, with 17 markers in 52 games (a 27-goal pace over a full season) Hornqvist was still quite productive in 2019-20 despite spending less time in a top-six role. To say nothing of his grit, heart, spirit, leadership and net-front presence…especially on the power play. Perhaps the only saving grace? Rodrigues is probably better suited to third-line duty than “Horny.” Still, in terms of output… Verdict: Thumbs down.

Bottom Six Forward (Incoming: Colton Sceviour—Outgoing: Patrick Marleau)

This isn’t really an apples-to-apples comparison. Sceviour is a gritty, fourth-line defensive specialist who can slot in at right wing or center. Marleau, a future Hall-of-Famer whose once supreme skills have eroded, plays left wing and center. He was a huge disappointment during his brief stay in the ‘Burgh. Although Sceviour doesn’t figure to produce much (11 goals combined over the past two seasons) this one’s addition by subtraction. Verdict: Thumbs up.

Third Pairing Defense (Incoming: Mike Matheson—Outgoing: Justin Schultz)

I’m going against Egon’s wishes in Ghostbusters and crossing the streams, comparing a port-side defenseman with a right-sider (and vice versa). On the surface, Matheson and Schultz appear to be cut from the same cloth. Both are regarded as offensive defensemen. But digging a little deeper, they’re dissimilar in many ways. I give Matheson an edge in terms of shot, skating and physicality. Durability, too. Schultz gets the nod in terms of vision, puck-distribution and trustworthiness with the biscuit. In stark contrast to Matheson, Justin had a ridiculously low number of giveaways (111) during his four-plus seasons here. It should be noted that he had far fewer takeaways, too. In fact, over the past four seasons Matheson registered 229 takeaways, compared to Schultz’s 50 (and Kris Letang’s 177). Numbers that suggest he’s very involved. A key concern. Given his rather flat assist totals, does Matheson possess the vision and passing skills to move the puck quickly to the forwards per Mike Sullivan’s wishes? Or is he strictly a puck-lugger? Still, with Schultz’s game in decline… Verdict: Thumbs up.

Third Pairing Defense (Incoming: Cody Ceci—Outgoing: Jack Johnson)

Less than two weeks after buying out the last three seasons of Johnson’s contract, GMJR signed what appears to be a virtual clone in Ceci. In comparing their skill sets, metrics and descriptions of their play it’s downright scary how similar they are. In fact, it really isn’t a stretch to describe Ceci as a 26-year-old version of Johnson. Perhaps sans the leadership and locker-room presence. While Cody’s only signed for a year, it’s hard to shake the notion that Rutherford could’ve done better. Too, it appears the Pens plan to pair Ceci with fellow reclamation project Matheson. As we learned so painfully with Johnson and Schultz, two wrongs generally don’t make a right. Verdict: A wash.

Goal (Incoming: Casey DeSmith—Outgoing: Matt Murray)

Although DeSmith isn’t new to the organization, he spent the entire ’19-20 season in exile in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. For the sake of making a comparison, I’ll include him as a newbie. Frankly, this is a hard one to rate. While Murray obviously stands head and shoulders above DeSmith in terms of pedigree, his play over the past few seasons was spotty at best. By contrast, DeSmith squeezed the most out of his abilities during his two-season stay with the Pens. His numbers compare favorably to his more heralded counterpart. DeSmith (2.66 GAA, .917 SV%, .610 QS%, 8.9 GSAA). Murray (2.67 GAA, .914 SV%, .518 QS%, 12.2 GSAA). Still, if starter Tristan Jarry falters or is sidelined for any length of time… Verdict: Thumbs down.

The votes are in. I count three thumbs up and three thumbs down, with one wash.

What do you think?