Penguins Update: A Glimpse into an Unsettling Future?

Much has been made in some circles over the contracts of Penguins superstars Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, which are set to expire at the end of this season.

To re-sign the dynamic duo or not to re-sign them. And if we do, for how much? That seems to be the burning question.

I don’t know if these past few games will influence GM Ron Hextall’s decision or not. But we may have been given a glimpse into a starless future. An unsettling one at that.

The results haven’t been pretty. Even though we’ve played reasonably well, at least in spurts, we’ve lost three in a row against foes of varying pedigree while being heavily outscored in the process (13-3).

It brings to mind the pre-Sid, pre-Geno, pre-Tanger Pens of the early 2000s. The ones populated with players like Kelly Buchberger, Mike Eastwood and Dan Focht. Remember? Those teams worked hard, too, but simply couldn’t make up for a lack of top-end talent.

Following Jaromir Jagr’s departure in 2001, we slogged through seasons of 69, 65 and 58 points (twice) while missing the playoffs four consecutive seasons. And that was with a fading but still dangerous Mario Lemieux pacing the attack. Reaching our nadir in 2003-04 when we lost an NHL record 18-straight…17 in regulation play. All the while then-GM Craig Patrick and his staff scrambled to refill a talent pool that had run bone-dry.

Sound eerily familiar? It should. Depending on where the dollars fall, we could face a similarly grim set of circumstances in the near future with Sidney Crosby on board a la Mario, but sans long-time sidekicks Malkin and Letang.

In his recent post, Other Rick did an excellent job of reviewing our present prospect pool. While there are some hopefuls…Nathan Legare, Filip Lindberg, Patrick Poulin, Valterri Puustinen and Lukas Svejkovsky among the most prominent…there don’t appear to be any budding superstars in the bunch. Perhaps a potential Ryan Malone or two. But no one to fill the sizeable skates of our big three.

So for those who think we should let Malkin and Letang walk at season’s end? As the old saying goes, be careful what you wish for…

Pens Projections

With a tenth of the season in the books, I thought it would be fun to do a little projecting. All that’s required is to multiply a player’s current production by 10. Here goes.

Based on early returns, Danton Heinen is on pace for a 40-goal, 60-point season. Wouldn’t that be something?

Fellow newcomers Brock McGinn and Brian Boyle are on track to reach 20 goals…Dominik Simon 10 goals and 40 points (in 70 games). Rookie Drew O’Connor and Evan Rodrigues project to notch 30 goals and 50 points apiece. Jason Zucker’s also in line for 30 goals…Teddy Blueger 20.

That makes one 40-goal scorer, three 30-goal guys and three 20-goal men. Pretty darn impressive from a largely lunch-pail bunch.

On the down side? Kasperi Kapanen, from whom so much is expected, has been decidedly MIA on the score sheet. Likewise, Jake Guentzel’s on pace for 10 goals, paltry for him.

Obviously, no one expects these trends to continue. But it does emphasize the fact that we’re squeezing as much production from our foot soldiers as we can possibly ask or expect. It’s up to the big boys to do the rest once they get hale and healthy.

Covid Chaos

Speaking of health, Covid continues to wreak havoc. Defensemen Marcus Pettersson and Chad Ruhwedel are the latest casualties. They’ve tested positive and have entered Covid protocol. Pierre-Olivier Joseph (three assists in six games with the Baby Pens) has been recalled to help plug the gap.

In practice, POJ was paired with John Marino. Brian Dumoulin’s moved to the right side next to Mike Matheson on the top pairing.

In the rare good news department, Letang emerged from Covid protocol and is set to rejoin the team.