There’s an old saying. Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it.
Well, for years I’ve been imploring the Penguins’ brass to add some functional grit. On the heels of the uber-inventive Rutger McGroarty-for-Brayden Yager deal, it looks as though I may have finally gotten my wish.
Suddenly…the Pens have “grind.”
In addition to McGroarty, a budding power forward, Michael Bunting plays with a sled-dog tenacity and drive, to say nothing of his penchant for irritating foes. Although he isn’t likely to crack our lineup this season, second-round pick Tanner Howe’s a spitfire.
Ditto free-agent pickup Blake Lizotte. If shifted to wing as planned, Noel Acciari could provide some added slam-bang as well, as his 244 hits in 2022-23 will attest.
Literally waiting in the wings? Brawny types like hulking Finn Jesse Puljujärvi and Sam Poulin. Their size alone makes them a handful for opposing d-men. Although he’s a long-shot to make the cut, Jonathan Gruden’s feisty.
Heck, even goalie Alex Nedeljkovic’s a battler.
Combined with high-motor types like captain Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust, not to mention Drew O’Connor? The lack of a heavyweight notwithstanding, dare I say the Pens actually have the makings of a team that could be difficult to play against.
The missing ingredient? A physical defenseman (or two) to keep our crease clear and knock heads when the situation calls for it. Last season’s waiver pickup, John Ludvig, certainly possesses the requisite scrappiness, right down to the head-knocking part. However, the jury’s still out on the kid’s big-league bona fides. At present, Ludvig looks to be no better than our ninth defenseman.
A better bet to make the grade is former Philly draftee Jack St. Ivany. Tentatively penciled in on the third pairing, the rangy right-handed shot displayed a willingness to play the body and get physically involved during a solid 14-game cameo last spring.
Depending on who dresses and how Mike Sullivan deploys the troops, the Pens should at the very least be a team that competes with more gusto.
That alone would be a most welcome change from our languid recent past.
On Further Review
If I seemed a bit dismissive of Yager in my evaluation of the recent trade, it wasn’t intentional. He’s a fine prospect, albeit one who I think will need his linemates to do the heavy lifting in order for him to achieve his maximum potential.
I envision no such dependence for McGroarty, who’s more a do-it-all type. Equally adept at making pretty plays in open space as he is banging around the crease panning for dirty goals.
I, for one, very much look forward to seeing him compete in a Pens jersey this season.
Shake It Up
Kyle Dubas sure knows how to shake up a somnambulant summer, doesn’t he?
First, last year’s Erik Karlsson blockbuster. And now this intriguing swap of 14th overall picks.
I wonder what’s next? A deal involving Lars Eller, perhaps? The Great Dane did a fine job for us last season. However, with the dual additions of Kevin Hayes and Cody Glass, the veteran center (and his $2.45 million cap hit) would seem superfluous.
Stay tuned.
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The Other Rick
Where's O'Conner?? I like Rakell on the 3rd line but I think Bunting needs to be
paired with Malkin on our 2nd line. I would give O'Conner a chance to take
another step with his scoring and have McGroarty starting on line 3. If that
doesn't happen I swap O'Conner and McGroarty after Christmas.
Hey Mike,
I don't dislike DOC but he is at his peak right now and his peak isn't good enough to help drag this team back to playoff relevance. I trade him to a team that actually has a real chance at a playoff run, where his depth play can help them and he gets a chance at real playoff hockey. And what I get back is the best return I can to set the table for the future.
Even if the two NY teams and Car did drop a bit this off season, and Was, Phi, and NJD didn't improve as much as they appeared to have improve, on paper, our Penguins will at best be a 1 and done, loaded down with their roster of other team's rejects.
By the time our Pens are real contenders again, DOC will be well past his prime. By trading him, I set up a Win, Win, Win scenario for DOC, the team to which he gets traded, and the Pens.
And that is why I have Puustenin with Malkin, try to build his trade value up for the trade deadline to get back max assets. Puustenin really wouldn't figure in my long term plans. I appreciate his hockey IQ and although he isn't tall, he is very dense but like DOC, by the time the team could really use him for a real playoff run, he wouldn't be much help. His best value to the team is in what we could get back in exchange for him.
Bunting did play well with Malkin and if I though the team had a real Cup run in it, I would play him there. However, since Dubas chose to sign quantity (lots of nobody s) rather than quality (a real valuable UFA) this team will be at best as good as last seasons team but possibly worse, I would rather give as many kids a chance to play to quickly see who will stick and be part of the future and who can be moved out to make room for more viable players. To that end, I would want each kid to get to play with solid veterans, to put them in a position to succeed rather. That is why I give McGroarty first crack with Crosby, Koivunen first crack with Malkin and surround Ponamorov with Bunting and Rakell.
I do understand why you would rather start McGroarty on a low expectation, low pressure role of 3rd line and I would completely agree if I felt the team didn't need divine intervention this season. If Sullivan had been doing just that, these past 6 seasons, then we wouldn't be mourning the end of this CML era and we could continue that very logical practice of easing prospects (McGroarty) into the line up on the 3rd line, but the Ferrari, of which Sullivan was handed the keys, was run into the ground by never changing the oil and not replacing worn out parts with brand new parts but used (not so gently used) parts. The engine is now in need of a complete overhaul replete with a new transmission. the tires are bald, the brakes are shot and the fuel line is leaking.
Hey Rick,
Preseason, in most people brings a large dose of optimism. Therefore, I get the sugar plums dancing in your head in August. Even I had brief moment this off-season, I must admit the signing of Murashov did brighten my day...for about a day. However, when I remembered who the Coach was going to be and my expectations return to last season's low.
More's the pity.
You may be dreaming about a gritty team but what I see when I look at the team's potential roster is,
a 38 year old Center - Malkin
a 37 year old Center - Crosby
a 35 year old Center - Eller
a 33 year old C/RW - Acciari
Three 32 year old s - Hayes (C/RW), Nieto (LW), and Rust (RW)
31 year old Rakell (RW)
29 Year Old Bunting (LW)
28 Year old Imama (LW)
That is 10 players past the upper edge of their prime competing for one of 12 roster spots with a Coach that loves to play fossils
I also see,
Two 27 year old s Beauvillier (LW) and Lizotte (C)
and 3 more 26 year old s Huntington (F), O'Connor (LW), and Puljujarvi (RW)
Five more players competing for those precious few 12 roster spots.
Where you are seeing Christmas dreams as fall approaches, I am having (to quote Young Frankenstein) nightmares of 5 times before.
I don't know how I am going to feel by opening night but for now, with the limitations of Dubas's scatter gun approach of bringing in a thousand has been, never was s and other oxygen thieves to block prospect development I all for giving first shots to the following players,
1 Line: McGroarty - Crosby - Rust
2 Line: Koivunen - Malkin - Puustenin
3 Line: Bunting - Ponamorov - Rakell
4 Line: Poulin - Eller - Pulijarvi
They kids may not earn those spots, but I would give them a serious shot.
If FSG wants to create excitement in this team it needs to break from their worn and failed schemes and try something new. They need to start giving kids a chance to develop rather than burying them as far down in the organization as they can with the boat loads of empty veteran jerseys that they accumulate season after season.
I do get it. I do get Dubas's apparent strategy of sorting through lots of bodies to find those that can improve the team, but where he fails miserably and loses any claim to wunderkind that some would lay upon him is his insistence on sorting through the failures and cast-offs from other teams. The laws of probability would be far greater to sort through prospects to find gems rather than burned out wrecks with track records of futility.
And to that end, I would trade DOC off now, his stock will never be higher. As for Poulin I only want to give him an opportunity to build his stock up so I can trade him. I would be doing the same thing with Puustenin - but my asking price would be greater for the young Finn. What I would be looking for would be Draft Picks or younger prospects.