Penguins Final 2021-22 Report Cards

Well, I lied. After intimating the other day that I didn’t plan to grade our Penguins, I decided to do it anyway.

Without further ado, here are my report cards. Purely subjective, of course.

Grade	Player	Comments
A	Sidney Crosby, C	When Crosby stumbled out of the gate following wrist surgery (two points in his first seven games) I confess I was worried. But Sid allayed my fears with a marvelous season, tallying 82 points over his final 62 games to tie Jake Guentzel for the club scoring lead. Great in the postseason as well. To my eye, still the best leader and two-way player in the game.
A	Jake Guentzel, LW	It’s doubtful any player in hockey gets more out of his abilities than Guentzel. He isn’t very big or all that fast. Nor does he possess a booming shot. All he does is produce…40 goals and a team-high 84 points in the regular season and eight goals and 10 points in the playoffs. Incredible hockey sense and absolutely fearless when it comes to competing in the dirty areas. Arguably our MVP.
A-	Tristan Jarry, G	Although Jarry’s performance slipped a bit following his second All-Star Game appearance in three seasons, he enjoyed a bounce-back season following an epic meltdown in the playoffs the previous spring. The Pens might still be playing had a broken foot not sidelined Tristan for all but one playoff game.
A-	Kris Letang, RD	Similar to Jarry, Letang experienced a slight drop off following an outstanding first half, particularly in his decision-making and net-front play. Still, the mercurial blueliner enjoyed arguably his finest season, setting career highs in assists (58) and points (68). Perhaps due to age or maturity or both, Tanger let the game come to him rather than forcing the issue, with positive results.
A-	Bryan Rust, RW	The ultimate grinder-turned-scorer, Rust established new career highs with 34 assists and 58 points. Tallied seven goals and 11 points during a Mario-esque three-game stretch in January. Had his rough patches, too, including a nine-game pointless streak to end the regular season. But a diligent, hard-working hustler who never fails to give his all. Tied Evgeni Malkin with a team-best nine power-play goals.
B+	Mike Matheson, LD	The fleet defender recorded career highs in all major offensive categories, including goals (11), assists (20) and points (31). Thanks to his world-class speed and puck carrying skills, a dynamic offensive performer at times. Has cut way down on his giveaways (43 as opposed to career high of 135 in 2018-19). Plays with a bit of an edge, too. Emerging as a bona fide top-four defenseman.
B+	Rickard Rakell, RW	Following his arrival at the trade deadline, the former Duck quickly established himself with his size, speed and skill. Displayed great chemistry with Sid while providing something we haven’t had since the days of Marian Hossa…a playmaking winger. Surprisingly physical, too, and fearless about crashing the net. Had Rakell scored more than four goals in 19 games, his grade would’ve been higher.
B	Brian Boyle, C/LW	Given his age (37), fourth-line role and the fact that he sat out the 2020-21 season, Boyle was outstanding. The big guy scored 11 goals and 21 points in 66 games while averaging under 11 minutes of ice time per game. Strong defensively and on the PK while providing inspiration and leadership and much-needed a physical element. Gave the Pens a solid return on their $750K.
B	Casey DeSmith, G	Following a shaky first half, Casey improved dramatically. Over his final 17 appearances he posted a sterling .927 save percentage and three shutouts. Was more than holding his own in Game 1 of the playoffs when a core-muscle injury and subsequent surgery robbed him of his moment in the sun. In the process casting a shadow over his future with the club.
B	Danton Heinen, LW-RW	Quick, smart and stealthy, Heinen emerged as an effective if somewhat streaky secondary scorer. Ranked seventh on the team with a career-best 18 goals despite somewhat limited use (12:43 ATOI). Finished fifth among regulars in shooting percentage. Responded to dwindling ice time with a strong home stretch and postseason.
B	Radim Zohorna, LW/C	Zohorna continues to make the most of the brief opportunities he’s been afforded at the big-league level. In 17 games while seeing mostly bottom-six duty, he tallied a pair of goals and six points. More impressive, he registered a plus-12…tied for third among Pens forwards…and an otherworldly 92.86 Goals For Percentage at 5v5. Merits a closer look.
B-	Teddy Blueger, C	Solid bottom-six center. Smart and extremely diligent, Blueger worked like a demon to improve on faceoffs (a career-best 53.1 percent). Excellent defensively and on the PK. Despite a lack of production (nine goals and 28 points) was tied for third among team forwards with a plus-12. The only rub? Would like to see a bit more production.
B-	Brian Dumoulin, LD	Whether due to injury or long-term wear and tear, the Pens’ defensive stalwart appeared to slip a bit this season. Indeed, while Dumoulin was more noticeable than at any time during his career, it was generally for the wrong reasons. Nor did he respond well when separated from long-time partner Letang. Yet even in a down season Dumo paced the team in blocked shots (139) and plus-minus (plus-24) while averaging nearly 22 minutes of ice time a game.
B-	Evgeni Malkin, C	It’s safe to say Malkin’s abbreviated season was a mixed bag. On the plus side, Geno struck for 20 goals and 42 points in only 41 games. He revived our sagging power play almost singlehanded while tying for the team lead with nine man-advantage markers. On the negative side, No. 71 struggled 5v5 while recording a team worst minus-10. Still golden when he was on. When he wasn’t…
B-	Evan Rodrigues, F	Perhaps no one experienced a more bipolar season than Rodrigues. On fire early with 15 goals and 30 points in 33 games, E-Rod’s numbers plummeted pretty much the instant Malkin returned to the lineup. Endured goalless streaks of 18, 11 and 10 games in the New Year. Through it all he remained a versatile, possession-driving performer.
B-	Chad Ruhwedel, RD	In his first season as a full-time player, Ruhwedel turned in a solid season for the black and gold. Teamed effectively with Matheson for a good portion of the campaign while serving as a stabilizer for his speedy partner. Surprisingly physical, Chad finished third on the team in hits (149) and fourth in blocked shots (86). Excelled on the PK as well. Responsible and reliable.
C+	Zach Aston-Reese, LW	A tale of two players. Aston-Reese performed his defensive duties as diligently as ever but seemed to abandon the offensive side of his game altogether, netting a paltry two goals prior to his departure at the trade deadline. Paced the Pens with 187 hits.
C+	Jeff Carter, C-RW	Another player whose season was a mixed bag. Carter was huge early on when Sid and Geno were sidelined while anchoring the top line. Provided secondary scoring (19 goals) and a power element. Big Jeff was dominant in the faceoff circle, too (57 percent). However, 5v5 play and defensive work were issues.
C+	Mark Friedman, RD	Fast and oh-so feisty, Friedman did an admirable job of filling the No. 7 d-man slot formerly manned by Ruhwedel. Spent quite a bit of time on his off (left) side but acquitted himself well. Good at jumping into the play and masterful at agitating foes and drawing penalties with his in-your-face style.
C+	John Marino, RD	Season mirrored that of his frequent partner, Marcus Pettersson. Faded after a strong start, tallying only eight assists over his final 42 games. Expected to provide offense from the blue line, Marino managed just one goal. At plus-1, his defensive play wasn’t airtight either. Career arc has flattened following a strong rookie season.
C+	Marcus Pettersson, LD	Following a solid start, Pettersson’s performance dipped as the season wore on. Dropped to the third pairing while receiving sheltered minutes, the rangy Swede struggled to mesh with Friedman and Ruhwedel. Reunited with his favored partner, Marino, Marcus enjoyed a return to form down the stretch and in the playoffs.
C+	Jason Zucker, LW	Season was train-wrecked by a nagging core muscle injury that eventually required surgery. While the ultra-popular winger displayed his trademark grit and hustle, he was once again invisible offensively at times. Managed a lone goal during one particularly onerous 23-game stretch. Simply hasn’t provided enough bang for the buck during his stay in the ‘Burgh.
C	Louis Domingue, G	His “spicy pork and broccoli” performance in Game 1 was arguably the feel-good story of the season and rightfully earned a place of honor in Penguins lore. However, in subsequent starts, Louis was exposed for what he is…a journeyman goalie and fringe NHLer.
C	Sam Lafferty, F	Loved Sam’s speed and aggressiveness. He had his moments, just not enough to earn the trust of the coaching staff. Dealt to Chicago on January 5 for Alexander Nylander.
C	Brock McGinn, LW-RW	Another player whose game tailed off as the season wore on. Following a decent start, McGinn managed only two goals over his final 25 games despite an extended stay on Malkin’s line. Defensive play and work on the penalty kill slipped some as well.
C	Drew O’Connor, LW-C	Still technically a rookie, O’Connor showed definite improvement in his second go ‘round. Following a strong preseason he tallied three goals in his first four games, then cooled and gradually saw his ice time dwindle. Suffered a collapsed lung in January, further derailing his progress.
C	Dominik Simon, F	Signed to a two-way contract, Simon claimed a spot with his hustling, possession-driving play. Second to O’Connor in Corsi (58). However, with only three goals, production (or lack of) remained a sore spot. Dealt to the Ducks at the trade deadline.
D+	Kasperi Kapanen, RW	Despite countless opportunities to redeem himself, Kapanen was virtually invisible both on the ice and on the scoresheet for huge swaths of the season. Admitted that he’d lost his confidence. When on his game, Kappy has the speed, talent and shot to be a difference maker. Unfortunately, that player rarely made an appearance. All the more disappointing because he seemed poised for a breakout season.
Inc.	Anthony Angello, RW	Angello gave a hint of what could be when he kayoed the Rangers’ Tyler Motte with a hard, clean check. Alas, the hulking UFA-to-be never earned trust…or playing time…from the coaching staff.
Inc.	Kasper Bjorkqvist, RW	A former second-round pick, Bjorkqvist scored a goal in his NHL debut but was otherwise unremarkable. The grinding winger had eight goals and 12 points in 54 games for the Baby Pens.
Inc.	Filip Hallander, C	Skated a total of six shifts in his lone appearance with the Pens. Came on following a sluggish start at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to tally 14 goals and 28 points in northeastern PA.
Inc.	P-O Joseph, LD	In contrast to his brilliant start last season, P-O was erratic during his four games with the Pens. Rebounded with a strong season in WBS, registering 10 goals and 33 points in 61 games.
Inc.	Valtteri Puustinen, RW	The native of Kuopio, Finland, showed very well in his Pens debut, registering an assist and a plus-2. Led the Baby Pens with 20 goals and 42 points, perhaps positioning Puustinen for a promotion next season.
Inc.	Juuso Riikola, LD	Consigned to WBS following a brief early-season trial, Riikola led all Baby Pens defensemen with 35 points in what proved to be his North American swan song. Signed to play next season in Sweden.

Now for our brain trust. I give Mike Sullivan and his staff a B+. A lot of folks, including yours truly, thought the Pens would be scrapping for a playoff spot, not challenging for another division title. And we came within a whisker (or flying elbow) of advancing to the Second Round.

In terms of knowledge of the game and the ability to communicate and motivate, I give Sullivan high marks. However, tactically and personnel-wise, I think he’s a little too wedded to his speed-first system, often eschewing necessary adjustments. At critical junctures, particularly during the postseason, we lacked the ability to play with and protect a lead.

GM Ron Hextall gets a B+ as well. He had some choppy waters to navigate due to severe cap constraints and handled things as well if not better than anyone could have expected. Did a marvelous job of adding players like McGinn, Heinen and Rodrigues on the comparative cheap. His deal to acquire Rakell? A stroke of genius.

However, on the down side, GMRH mysteriously signed the aging Carter to a two-season extension worth $3.125 annually. Nor did we get anything approaching full value (Hallander) in the Jared McCann trade last summer.

Rick Buker

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View Comments

Pens4ever says:

June 3, 2022 at 4:57 pm

Great job... I won't knit pick either over a few I disagree with, but Matheson deserves a A!!!
Should be interesting in the days and weeks ahead.. anyone hear anything about Letang or Geno?? Very quiet up here in Canada regarding any rumors or news on contracts.
- Jim says:
  
  June 4, 2022 at 11:02 am
  
  Hi Pens4 ever
  The NHL Hockey writers association published an article last night concerning possible destinations for Geno. Carolina, Los Angeles, and surprisingly Colorado if Nazem Kadri does not resign. Briefly mentioned Washington but did not think it could be done given their $$ situation. It’s an interesting read and goes into detail about Geno wanting to be paid at a high-level, similar to his friend Ovechkin. FYI.
  Jim
  Jim
Mike says:

June 2, 2022 at 10:14 am

Rick
Great work as always. Theirs a couple I would slightly change but I am definitely knit-picking. Lol
I would probably give Carter a B or B-. Their aren't to many 3rd Centers that contribute in multiple
areas the way he does - He's arguably our best face-off' guy, he was 5th on the team among
forwards with minutes logged and 2nd on the team in goals scored in the playoffs and one of our
top PK players along with Boyle, McGinn & Blueger - all of this while at the ripe age of 37. Was he
defense stellar "No".
I would probably give Marino a C-........I'm probably being a little harsh and the majority of my evaluation
is based on disappointment. I really thought he would take his game to another level. IMO he played away
from his strengths and tried to do a little to much offensively "not his game". I'm not sure if this was driven
by the coaching staff or Marino himself but one of the major things a player needs to do to be successful is
understand who he is as a player.
Last but not least I would give McGinn a C+ or B-. I thought the guy was great and confidence at an all-time high until he was derailed by an injury. He wasn't the same player when he came back but I saw
flashes during our series with the Rangers. I think he has more to offer in terms of skill and should be good
for 15+ goals with an injury free season. He missed 17 games.

That's my 2 cents - GO PENS - I look forward as always to your feedback.
- Rick Buker says:
  
  June 2, 2022 at 10:28 am
  
  Hey Mike,
  
  Enjoyed your comments as always. I almost included a proviso that some of the C+'s could've been B-'s and vice versa. And I'm probably being a bit harsh on Carter and McGinn. The former saved our bacon early and I do like his straight to the net style. With the latter, my opinion was colored to extent by his time spent on Malkin's wing. While top-six scorer really isn't in his job description, to my eye he did very little with the opportunity.
  
  I'm with you 100 percent on Marino and I wonder the same thing. It feels like they're trying to get him to drive the offense more instead of just letting the game come to him, and it's affecting him at both ends of the ice. It's like trying to make a boxer who's a good counterpuncher into a swarming attacker. As you so eloquently expressed, sometimes you need to let a guy play to his natural style and strengths.
  
  Another area where I think Sullivan's rigidity hurts the team. With few exceptions, he tries to make everyone fit his system.
  
  Rick
  - Mike says:
    
    June 3, 2022 at 1:31 pm
    
    Rick
    Totally agree on Sullivan. I'm still holding out hope that both Hextall and Burke give Sullivan sometype of
    ultimatum going forward. We have good players but we're lacking a couple of key ingredients in order
    to contend. I know everyone's talking about Letang and Malkin but IMO the most important signing as
    of today is Rakell. They can't lose him. Top six forwards are hard to come by. GO PENS
  - Mike says:
    
    June 2, 2022 at 12:44 pm
    
    Rick
    Time for a new system or at the very least it needs to be tweaked. I have no problem with the speed game but
    you have to have a good balance of skill, size and toughness. I'm watching the Rangers and thinking how much
    its helped them having Revo on the bench - it allows their skilled and young players to go out and confidently
    play there games without fear of an opposing player taking liberties without consequences. To me that has
    really allowed the Rangers to take a huge step in being a contender. It's not just Revo, its Trouba, Goodrow, Lindgren, etc....etc.........
    I may be in the minority but I love Gallant - I wish he was coaching the Pens - no one could even look
    at Sid wrong.
    GO PENS
    - Rick Buker says:
      
      June 2, 2022 at 1:06 pm
      
      Funny, but I was watching Reaves closely last night and I thought he played a very effective game. He was good on the forecheck and in traffic and even made a couple of nice defensive plays. And, of course, when push came to shove at the end of the game, no one shoved harder.
      
      Excellent point about the Rangers' skill players having absolutely zero worries. In stark contrast to our stars, who either have to turn the other cheek or fight their own battles. I HATE the way we're constructed, physically, and of course Sullivan has a huge part in that. Compounding the problem, I don't sense any urgency from Hextall to add some much-needed muscle, either.
      
      I fear it's going to be the same old, same old, as long as Sullivan's coach. For me, it casts a considerable shadow over the many good things he does.
      
      Rick
      - Jim says:
        
        June 3, 2022 at 11:39 am
        
        Nothing is going to change Rick unless Letang decides he can make more money elsewhere and have a REAL chance at winning another CUP. Not just pretenders that we are now.
        That would force the Pen's management to do something about their weak Defense corps.
        BTW we all talk about how good LETANG IS....Last nite Cale Makar, a 23 year old with just 2 full seasons and a part of a third season under his belt SHUT DOWN Connor McDavid. What a performance. He actually took the puck from McDavid even when he was at full speed on a rush.
        Letang can not do that.Neither can Crosby. This guy is special like every one says.
        In New York their kid line had 5 points and was the difference for them in winning the first game.(Besides their Goalie.) They are only going to get better Rick. All first round draft picks, and all very young and strong on the puck.Also very fast.
        That is the level of talent we need to be a true cup Contender again Rick. Bringing back the old gang will simply not do it.
        I found your grading system above a good read Rick but I have to say what was your measuring stick ? The rest of the league ? Many of those Penguins you mentioned above would not be able to get a job on the top 10- 12 teams in the league because the other teams have better talent and in many cases cheaper talent as well .Plus a functioning, well stocked Farm System..
        I here ya about Sullivan....Nothing is going to change unless forced by Malkin or Letang themselves.
        Cheers.
        
        JIM