Are the Avalanche Channeling Our Penguins?

Since the Penguins won their second of back-to-back Cups in 2017, there’s been an audible shift in the makeup of teams that have captured Lord Stanley’s coveted chalice.

While speed-first squads have mostly fallen by the wayside, Washington and more recently, Tampa Bay, have triumphed with a hybrid style, blending speed and skill with size, physicality and structure. In a throwback to the Devils of the Martin Brodeur era, St. Louis prevailed in 2019 with a muscular, defense-first, counter-punching style.

The trend has continued this spring. Three of the four teams that made it to the Conference Finals employ the balanced style mentioned above.

The lone exception?

Colorado.

Bucking the recent trend, the Avalanche are channeling a Penguins-style puck-possession game that emphasizes speed, skill and an aggressive forecheck. They’re second in the postseason in Corsi at 57.72, behind only Calgary. The last team standing with a Corsi over 50 (the Lightning and Rangers are well down the list).

On the surface, their success appears to be an endorsement of the type of hockey we play under Mike Sullivan. They skate and compete hard…ferociously as a matter of fact…just like our Pens. They’re disciplined and generally don’t initiate the rough stuff or extracurricular scrums. Again, very Penguin-esque.

However, looks can be deceiving. The Avs possess an important element we lack.

Size.

Seven of the 14 forwards who’ve suited up for the Avs this postseason tip the scales at 200 pounds or better. Leading scorer Mikko Rantanen goes 6’4” 215, fellow top-six winger Valeri Nichushkin 6’4” 210. Team captain and two-time 30-goal man Gabriel Landeskog, the quintessential power forward, weighs in at a burly 215 pounds. Buzzsaw checker Nicolas Aube-Kubel, 214.

Megastar Nathan MacKinnon? An even two-bills, just like his Nova Scotia compatriot Sidney Crosby.

On defense Colorado boasts three 200-pounders, including Josh Manson (218 pounds) and the Johnson boys, Erik and ex-Pen Jack (225 and 227, respectively).

The Avs aren’t the only team among the conference finalists to value size. This spring the Lightning have employed 11 skaters who go 200 pounds or better, the recently ousted Oilers 10 and the Rangers an even dozen.

At the opposite end of the spectrum? Only six black-and-gold skaters were at or above the 14-stone, 4-pound mark, four forwards and two defensemen. That includes Crosby and Kris Letang. Hardly behemoths.

With an average weight of 206 pounds, the Lightning are the heaviest team in the NHL. The Rangers are fifth at 202 pounds. The Avs, 13th at 199 pounds and the Oilers 20th at 198. Our Pens? Thirtieth out of 32 teams at 195 pounds.

It should be noted that eight of the 11 lightest teams missed the playoffs.

Does size guarantee a Cup? No. But it sure doesn’t hurt. Especially when it comes to withstanding the rigors and physical pounding absorbed over four best-of-seven sets that follow directly on the heels of a grinding 82-game regular-season slate.

It’s no secret our Pens favor smaller, quicker players under Sullivan, a philosophy that’s extended to the draft table. Indeed, of the 28 position players selected in the Entry Draft since Sullivan took over the coaching reins, only six have weighed 200 pounds or better. Out of those half-dozen, only three…forwards Sam Poulin, Nathan Legare and Judd Caulfield…remain in the organization.

When it comes to player development? Big-and-tall players like Anthony Angello and Radim Zohorna appear to get a quick hook, while small but fast players like Dominik Simon have nine lives. Again, playing to Sullivan’s preferences.

Going forward, the Pens would do well to break from their Sully-driven mold and make room for some sizeable players. The better to mimic an Avalanche club that in some ways is imitating us.

One that seems poised to win a Cup.