Are Better Days Ahead for Our Penguins?

Not too terribly long ago, all I saw concerning the future of the Penguins when I peered into my crystal ball was gloom and doom. A rusting, corroding former champion with a bankrupt prospect pipeline on the verge of collapse.

But now?

Maybe I’m letting our 10-5-2 finish unduly influence my thinking and tint my glasses a rosy hue. After all, we finished 8-2-2 last season and look where that got us. A third consecutive playoff miss.

Color me silly or slap happy, but I actually think there’s real hope for a fairly quick turnaround. Here’s why.

The Kids

Goodness, did rookie forwards Ville Koivunen and Rutger McGroarty make an impression during their late-season cameos. Koivunen’s the real deal folks, able to step right in and not only produce (seven assists in eight games), but mesh with an elite talent like Sidney Crosby.

His hockey IQ is high, his passing crisp, sure and deceptive, and he always seems to be on or around the puck. You can’t teach those things.

McGroarty improved by leaps and bounds during his apprenticeship with the Baby Pens. He plays a rugged, surprisingly mature all-around game, an element the Pens desperately need and lack.

Let’s not forget former first-rounder and AHL All-Star Owen Pickering, who for the most part acquitted himself well during his 25-game stint with the big boys, even filling in for a spell on the top pairing.

Pencil in all three as regulars next season.

I’m cautiously optimistic that forward Tristan Broz will earn a spot as well. His first pro season’s been derailed to an extent by a bout with mono, yet he’s still netted 19 goals in 58 games at Wilkes. Pending RFA Vasily Ponomarev could fill a bottom-six role if we re-sign him.

Although the goaltending situation has stabilized (and clouded at the same time) due to Tristan Jarry’s late-season resurgence, it’s a fair bet that one or both of Joel Blomqvist and Sergei Murashov see duty between the Pens’ pipes.

As for longer shots, peppery winger Avery Hayes and right-shot defenseman Harrison Brunicke could get looks. Ditto fellow starboard sider Jack St. Ivany, who appeared to lose his footing but would provide much-needed elements (size, physicality, a defense-first style).

Any way you slice it, there figures to be a significant infusion of youth.

Sid

As Crosby matures, so does his game. Maybe it’s because I’ve spent more time focusing on him the last year or so, but, my word, the details in his game are off the charts. There simply isn’t anything our captain doesn’t do well. To say nothing of his love for the game and treasure-trove of intangibles.

The best all-around player in the game? You betcha.

I’ll include his frequent linemates, Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust, as reasons for optimism. The trio combined for nearly 100 goals (99 to be exact) and were among the most lethal combinations in the league.

While it’s true the R&R Boys enjoyed career seasons they aren’t likely to duplicate, I wouldn’t anticipate a dramatic drop-off, either.

The same goes for Sid.

One Man’s Junk is Another Man’s Treasure

I may be squarely in the minority, but I think there are some capable spare parts to work with, especially among the forwards.

I was impressed with Philip Tomasino, who possesses speed and skill and, like Koivunen, seems to be on the puck a lot. We never really got a chance to see what he and fellow ex-Pred Tommy Novak could do together. In my mind, they could form the hub of an offensively oriented third line (say, with Broz on the wing).

A potential wrench. Tomasino is a pending RFA with arbitration rights. Hopefully, he fits in the Pens’ budget and earns a new contract…and a longer look.

I’d also like to see us re-sign inspirational heavyweight Boko Imama (UFA) and deadline pickup Connor Dewar (RFA with arbitration rights). Both provide a much-needed dose of sand. So does Blake Lizotte, who’s signed through next season.

Keep in mind, these guys don’t need to be all-stars. They just need to fill a role. Based on what I witnessed following the 4 Nations Face-Off, they do, and reasonably well to boot.

Hope Sinks

If there’s an area where my hopeful express goes off the rails and straight into a ditch, it’s our defense.

While many pin our porous defensive record on our goaltenders, I beg to differ. Following a rocky start, Alex Nedeljkovic had a .901 save percentage from November 30 on. Jarry posted a .904 mark following his reprieve in March. While they aren’t going to qualify for the Vezina Trophy, neither would Georges Vezina if he played behind our poorly constructed, mistake-riddled defense.

Gifted as he is, I move Erik Karlsson if at all possible, even if I have to retain significant coin to do so. With his lackadaisical approach to defending (I’m being kind), he’s a one-man structure smasher.

Ryan Graves needs to go, too. He simply doesn’t fit here.

Provided we move on from Karlsson, I’d consider keeping Matt Grzelcyk. Yes, he’s small and doesn’t defend particularly well, but he’s an outstanding puck distributor and does an excellent job of quarterbacking the power play. Better, IMHO, than either EK65 or Kris Letang.

Ryan Shea became more assertive as the season progressed, enough to keep him as an inexpensive depth option. I’m intrigued by Vladislav Kolyachonok’s wheels and passing. (The Pens, or more to the point Mike Sullivan, don’t appear to share my enthusiasm.)

Conor Timmins is a pending RFA with arbitration rights. I lump him into the same category as Tomasino…bring him back if you can. And just say “no” to re-upping RFA-to-be Pierre-Olivier Joseph. Great guy that he is, to me POJ embodies everything that’s wrong with our defense.

It’ll, indeed, require a ton of work by POHO/GM Kyle Dubas to reconstruct our ‘d,’ a skill he hasn’t really demonstrated dating back to his tenure in Toronto.

I’d start with a couple of solid all-arounders who pay attention to their defensive chores and don’t mind the rough going.

The coaching staff doesn’t get a free pass, either. In a recent interview, Sullivan complained bitterly about our lack of attention to defensive chores, yet his defensemen pinch almost by rote.

Obviously, something’s getting lost in the translation.