Much has been made of our Penguins depth issues this season, particularly up front. The third line has been hampered by a declining 38-year-old Jeff Carter and inconsistent if not downright nonexistent performances by the wingers. A reasonably effective fourth line evaporated in the wake of bookend injuries to Josh Archibald and Ryan Poehling.
The net result? (Pun intended.) Our top two lines have been forced to haul the freight on a nightly basis. Top heavy hockey teams generally don’t go very far. Indeed, one only needs to look at our past three Stanley Cup winners to appreciate the value of forward depth. Players like Jordan Staal, Matt Cooke, Tyler Kennedy, Nick Bonino, Carl Hagelin and, of course, Phil Kessel were integral parts of those championship teams.
How important were they? The HBK Line led our 2016 Cup winners in scoring!
It’s not lost on me that a number of depth forwards from our recent past have blossomed in their new environs. Without further ado, here are five fish that got away (four since GM Ron Hextall took charge) who certainly would have helped our present cause.
| Jared McCann 6’1” 185, 26 (LW/C, Seattle, GP 40, G 22, A 8, PTS 30, +3, ATOI 15:07, CAP HIT $5M) Remember the summer of 2021 and the hand-ringing over who the Pens should be protect in the expansion draft? Deadline acquisition Carter had emerged as a goal-scoring machine, notching nine goals in 14 regular-season games and four more is six playoff games. It came down to protecting Carter or McCann, a promising if somewhat streaky scorer who flashed some chemistry with Evgeni Malkin. Hextall remedied the situation by offloading McCann and his then $2.9 million cap hit to Toronto for prospect Filip Hallander. The Maple Leafs exposed McCann in the draft and Seattle snagged him. It’s safe to say our loss (and the Leafs’) is the Kraken’s gain. Blessed with a lightning release and wicked shot, with 22 goals in 40 games (27 last season) Jared’s blossomed into a full-blown sniper. |
| Daniel Sprong 6’0” 200, 25 (RW, Seattle, GP 36, G 14, A 13, PTS 27, +14, ATOI 11:20, CAP HIT $750K) Perhaps Sprong’s a little more difficult to lament since he’s been gone since 2018, but he bears mentioning all the same. Pretty much run out of town not only by Mike Sullivan in the ‘Burgh but Dallas Eakins in Anaheim and Peter Laviolette in DC, the talented but prickly winger appeared to be on his last NHL legs when he agreed to a PTO with Seattle this fall. However, under the tutelage of professorial skipper Dave Hakstol the Amsterdam native’s blossomed into a surprisingly solid all-around player for the Kraken. One thing that hasn’t changed? The kid can flat-out snipe. And he’s doing it while logging bottom-six minutes. |
| Brandon Tanev 6’0” 180, 31 (LW, Seattle, GP 43, G 8, A 14, PTS 22, +23, ATOI 14:36, CAP HIT $3.5M) The player the Kraken wound up plucking from the Pens, our beloved “Turbo” has been ultra-effective in his new home. True to the form he displayed here, the ice fairly crackles whenever the speedy winger hops over the boards. Although still aggressive, he’s learned to pick his spots with his hitting and has evolved into a better all-around player as a result. Tied for 11th in the league with a plus-23. Cap hit and contract are a bit rich for a bottom-six energy guy, but then again he’s a special player. In his own way, unique as…say…the Capitals’ Tom Wilson. While his replacement, Brock McGinn, has performed ably and at a cheaper rate, I miss the heck out Turbo and his maniacal, kamikaze forecheck. So does the team. |
| Evan Rodrigues 5’11” 184, 29 (F, Colorado, GP 31, G 10, A 13, PTS 23, +4, ATOI 19:22, CAP HIT $2M) I may be in the minority here, but I was really hoping the Pens would bring Rodrigues back. In my mind, his versatility and malleability (and affordability) made him a more attractive option than either Kasperi Kapanen or Danton Heinen, but choices were made and E-Rod was the odd man out. In particular, his ability to play up and down in the lineup and in a variety of positions and roles made him valuable in my eyes. Always a strong possession player and this season is no exception (Corsi 57.61). May have helped patch the third-line crater created by Carter’s untimely fade. |
| Frederick Gaudreau 6’0” 179, 29 (LW/C, Minnesota, GP 42, G 11, A 9, PTS 20, +10, ATOI 15:58, CAP HIT $1.2M) From the moment Gaudreau first skated for the Pens, there was something about him that caught my eye. Check that…I noticed him back in the 2017 Final when he scored three goals against us for Nashville. For lack of a better way to describe Freddy, he’s a gamer. Smart, heady, gritty. A winner. I so hoped we’d sign him during the summer of 2021, but Bill Guerin smartly inked the Bromont, Quebec native to a two-year deal for the Wild. Gaudreau produced, potting 14 goals and 44 points in an elevated role last season. With 11 goals at the halfway point, he’s on track for a 20-goal season. Another player who could’ve effectively filled a third-line role, and economically to boot. |
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Hey Rick,
Interesting thoughts, “the fish that got away”.
I agree with you that at least McCann and Tanev would look good still wearing the Black and Gold, and maybe to a lesser extent Gaudreau, but E-Rod, good riddance and Sprong, well, if he is emotionally mature, maybe, but everything I have heard about his ego….. The only thing I will say is I would rather have Sprong than Simon.
What Rick? How can you say that? You may say.
Well, look at their O-Zone starts.
Having said all of that, in truth, I am not all that hating on our bottom 6. Heinen 47.52, Kapanen 40.78, Archibald, 32.00, Poehling 26.88, McGinn 25.77, Carter 24.72, Blueger 18.00. All of these players are starting their games behind the 8 – ball. It is no wonder that they aren’t putting up any O-Numbers. Outside of Blueger and Heinen, the rest are either statistically even between their O-Zone starts and O-zone Face-Offs or have a higher O-Zone Face-Off % compared to starts, so most of them are trying to tilt the ice back the other way.
For me the fish that got away are Jamie Oleksiak, Justin Schultz, Cody Ceci, John Marino, Nicolas Hague (Okay, so Hague never was a Penguin, but he was a guy that I wanted the Penguins to draft when they threw their first round pick out the window several years back)
Oleksiak: 6’7”. 250lbs, 4G 6A, +1, 46.76% O-ZS, 47.04% O-ZFO (5on5)
Schultz: 6’2” 190lbs, 4G, 8A, +8, 53.57 O-ZS, 52.66% O-ZFO (5on5)
Ceci: 6’2” 210lbs, 1G, 4A, +/-0, 44.98% O-ZS, 43.92% O-ZFO (5on5)
Marino: 6’1” 181lbs, 1G, 6A, +9, 44.44% O-ZS, 45.90% O-ZFO (5on5)
Hague: 6’6”, 215lbs, 1G, 7A, -5, 48.54% O-ZS, 50.45% O-ZFO (5on5)
I can blame the bottom 6 for not getting many Goals when they are always starting behind the 8-Ball. However, our Defensemen stinK!!! As you saw in my grading article all but POF and Rutta are failing compared to the rest of the league but let me put this out there for you as well.
Letang: 0G, 7A, -7
Pettersson 0G, 9A, -5
Dumoulin: 0G, 7A, -11
Ruhwedel: 0G, 1A, -3
These 4 players are killing us, Swapping Dumoulin and Pettersson out for say Oleksiak, Hague and I know we can’t get rid of Letang, but….
Also, it would appear that Schultz and Marino at least would be upgrades to Petry and Rutta. With Oleksiak and Hague, there would not be as pressing of a need for the size of Petry and Rutta.