Penguins Update: The Pieces Fit

There’s a song by Tool titled Schism that plays on our Pandora station at Wright’s Gym. The refrain, “I know the pieces fit,” has been sticking in my head lately.

Perhaps because it reminds me of our Penguins.

Last season, it was a totally different story. Even though we looked good on paper, or so thought then-GM Ron Hextall (me too) the pieces of the puzzle most definitely didn’t fit. In particular, the third line of aging Jeff Carter centering for Brock McGinn and Kasperi Kapanen was an absolute 5v5 disaster (41.61 Corsi, 37.21 expected goals for percentage). While above water in both categories, the fourth line of Teddy Blueger, Ryan Poehling and Josh Archibald didn’t display a ton of synergy, either.

That’s because Hextall tended to acquire and sign players who looked the part and fit cap-wise, but who in reality weren’t cut out for their intended role. For the record, Hexy wasn’t/isn’t the only GM to operate that way.

Which makes the job Kyle Dubas did over the summer, and with comparatively little time to prepare, so incredible. The new pieces he’s added appear to be custom fit for their roles and have snapped perfectly into place.

If you could have built a player from scratch to play with Evgeni Malkin, Reilly Smith would be it. He’s a huge part of the reason Geno’s frolicking like a frisky young colt and producing at better than a point-per-game clip at age 37. What’s more, the Smith’s made me forget all about Jason Zucker. No easy feat.

Likewise, the members of the third line seem tailor-made for each other. Lars Eller’s been terrific, our best all-around third-line center since Nick Bonino. Could there have been a more astute under-the-radar addition than Radim Zohorna? The line (and team’s) fortunes turned on a dime with Big Z’s insertion.

Together with incumbent Drew O’Connor, they’ve been a three-headed possession monster.

Sans Carter, the newly minted fourth line of Noel Acciari and speedsters Matt Nieto and Vinnie Hinostroza is humming to the tune of a 70.12 xGF%!

The net effect (pun intended)? Coach Mike Sullivan’s able to roll four forward lines that put heat on the opposition with virtually no let-up, the better to wear a foe down. A dynamic eerily similar to our recent Cup winners.

While a touch shaky at times the Ryans, Graves and Shea, have been upgrades over their predecessors. Although it’s a little hard to tell at this stage, Alex Nedeljkovic and Magnus Hellberg appear to be at the very least equal to Casey DeSmith and Dustin Tokarski if not a shade better.

Of course, I’m saving the best for last.

Erik Karlsson has been nothing short of a revelation. I mean, I knew he was good, right? You don’t win three Norris Trophies and tally 100 points from the back line in this day and age through smoke and mirrors.

But in Karlsson’s case, seeing is truly believing. My word, is he a force on the ice. Connor McDavid is the fastest player I’ve ever seen, but EK65 isn’t far off the breathtaking pace. A black-and-gold blur, and so heady and skilled. Able to take over a game at the drop of a puck. Better defensively than I thought, too.

Best of all, he’s beginning to display a sixth-sense chemistry with Sidney Crosby. A development that spells doom for the opposition.

Not to demean these guys, but to think we got the quicksilver defender while moving out Jeff Petry, Jan Rutta and Mikael Granlund.

Sheer genius on the part of Dubas.

This bunch is night-and-day better than the group our top two lines basically hauled around on their backs last season. The passengers are gone, replaced by players who have an honest-to-goodness hunger to win.

Thanks to a remarkable remake by Dubas, the pieces fit.