Hey all. Just a few random thoughts on what turned out to be a beautiful Memorial Day in the ‘Burgh.
Current Capitals assistant Mitch Love is gaining lots of support from the local media to be the Penguins next head coach. Rightfully so, given his impressive track record and straight-forward approach. However, the fact that he preaches defense first may ultimately tip the scales toward another.
Call it a hunch, but I think before all is said and done the new black-and-gold skipper will be former Senators bench boss and current Kings assistant D.J. Smith.
His upbeat personality, not to mention extensive experience with developing kids, would seem an ideal fit for the Pens’ current situation and culture. Like Love, Smith was a tough guy during his playing career, a heavyweight defenseman to be exact, so you know he has an appreciation for the edgier side of the game.
Too, Smith was an assistant coach with the Maple Leafs during Kyle Dubas’ tenure in Toronto. Prior to that he coached the Oshawa Generals of the OHL with distinction, leading them to a Memorial Cup in 2015.
My dark horse candidate if not Smith?
Stars assistant and former Pens defenseman Alain Nasreddine.
For what it’s worth, I think Love will wind up in Boston.
Moving on to personnel matters, I don’t think it’s any great revelation we need to add players who bring size, physicality and compete, especially in light of the Florida Panthers’ success.
That’s why I’m somewhat taken aback by the players we’ve been linked to recently. Particularly, Wild center Marco Rossi (PHN) and, more recently, Russian forward Maxim Shabanov (Pensburgh).
While both are undeniably skilled—the Austrian-born Rossi tallied 24 goals and 60 points for the Wild this season and Shabanov likewise compiled impressive boxcars with Chelyabinsk in the KHL (23 goals, 67 points) there’s a catch.
Rossi, 23, tips the scales at 182 pounds on a 5’9” frame. The 24-year-old Shabanov? A paperweight at 156 pounds. Given that neither is a blazing-fast skater, their lack of size becomes more of an issue. Especially on a less-than-imposing club like the Pens.
Remember waiver pickup Matthew Phillips from a season ago? The 5’8” 160-pounder tore up the AHL, but was simply overwhelmed physically during his brief three-game trial with us. A boy among men, to reverse the old expression.
I’m not saying good things can’t come in small packages. Former Pen Jake Guentzel is hardly a behemoth, yet he’s thrived thanks to his skill, smarts and ultra-competitive nature. The Habs’ Cole Caufield and Red Wings Alex DeBrincat have certainly proven that undersized players can succeed in the NHL. Ditto flashy Devils star Jack Hughes.
Perhaps I remember the pre-Mario Pens of the early 1980s a little too vividly. Under then-GM Eddie Johnston, we consistently burned draft picks on second-tier skill players like Lee Giffin, Steve Gotaas and Grant Sasser. While each rang up 100 points or better in junior, they lacked the size and gristle to be effective at the big-league level.
Or the 2019-20 team, tailored to Mike Sullivan’s speedy (and Smurfish) specifications and muscled out of the Qualifying Round of the postseason with ridiculous ease by the infinitely bigger and stronger (and way lower-seeded) Canadiens.
While I fully understand the need and desire to acquire and stockpile talent in any form at this stage of our rebuild/retool, turning a blind eye to the need for size and aggression as we have in the past and especially under Sully would be an egregious mistake. One Dubas & Co. can ill afford to perpetuate going forward.
Hey Rick
The team does need to settle ASAP on a Coach so that they can focus on the draft. They can’t go into another draft clueless. I am pissed that they couldn’t get the University of Denver guy.
As for the players, it is funny how so many people (including the talking heads writing blogs) seem to still be in denial. This team’s weakest area is on Defense and in Goal, yet they are looking for Forwards. Even among Forwards, the team has consistently been laden with small soft Forwards for years, yet they are still searching for small soft Forwards. It is 8 years past time for a paradigm shift, but they are stuck in the box of futility.
When it comes to the two players linked to our Pens by the wishful thinking of some bloggers, first more than likely it is just wishful thinking on the part of people who haven’t really been watching hockey these past several season, Penguins Hockey or Playoff Hockey, people that haven’t noticed the downward spiral our Pens have been in for several seasons now, nor the vast number of bigger, stronger teams success in the playoffs.
Having said that, I wouldn’t be completely upset if the team signed Shabanov to an affordable entry level contract, since it wouldn’t have to cost them anything but a contract, I would definitely temper the contract with knowledge that KHL numbers do not always translate into NHL numbers. If he is a beast, then Dubas looks like a genius. If he is just decent, he could be traded for other future assets. If he is a flop, nothing other than a contract was lost.
In Rossi’s case, that is a hard pass. He is RFA and whether Dubas trades for his rights or he signs him out from under Minnesota, the team would be giving something up to get the kid. Also, just like KHL numbers not always translating to NHL numbers, Player’s numbers from one team do not always translate to another team. Karlsson scored 100 points for San Jose and won multiple Norris Trophies until coming to Pgh – then he effectively has flopped. Zucker was a flop for all but his last season in the ‘burgh after some bog season’s in Minnesota. And David Perron had big numbers everywhere but in Pgh where he too flopped.
At least in Zucker’s case, he was able to bring a little size, the last thing this team needs to do is risk trading more assets away on a Smurf flop.