Inspired by a certain segment of the Florida Panthers’ lineup, I thought I’d scrape together a Penguins Update while once again focusing on a familiar subject matter and pet peeve.
During the Mike Sullivan era, it both rankled me to no end and served an incredible source of frustration that we wouldn’t employ anyone remotely resembling a genuine physical player.
The few heavyweights then-GM Jim Rutherford dared to import, forward Ryan Reaves and defensemen Jamie Oleksiak and Erik Gudbranson, were each shown the door in relatively short order, likely at our coach’s behest.
Reaves, in particular, couldn’t pass Sully’s muster, yet served as a physical, forechecking hammer for a Vegas squad that went to the Stanley Cup Final.
While Dominik Simon was posting eight goals and 28 points for us during the 2018-19 campaign, Reaves scored nine goals and 20 points for the Golden Knights while delivering 305 hits. No offense to Simon, who was industrious and hard-working, who would you have rather had?
A season and change after being dealt to Dallas, Oleksiak emerged as a driving force, literally, behind the Stars’ run to the Cup Final in ’19, notching five goals while registering a staggering 117 hits in 27 postseason games.
Despite playing some of the best hockey of his career while embracing and thriving in Sullivan’s system, Gudbranson’s stay here (26 regular-season games) was ridiculously brief.
So what brought on this latest rant?
The Panthers’ fourth line. Check that, the defending Stanley Cup champion’s fourth line.
Left wing, A.J. Greer. The aggressive 28-year-old goes 6”3”, 209, and registered six goals, 17 points and 222 hits to go with 130 penalty minutes. Dropped the gloves six times. Earned $850K, or 50K less than Matt Nieto.
A.J. was also a valued bottom-sixer for the Bruins’ record-setting Presidents’ Trophy winner a couple of seasons back.
Right wing, Jonah Gadjovich (pictured). Twenty-six years old, 6’3”, 211. On a short list of the toughest fighters in the league. Four goals, 127 hits in 42 regular-season games. Also had six fights. Lest you think Jonah’s a one-dimensional thug, he’s a former second-round pick who once scored 46 goals in junior and tallied 15 goals in 19 games for Utica of the AHL in ’20-21.
He makes $775 K, which is what we paid Joona Koppanen while receiving a lot less.
Center, Tomáš Nosek. Thirty-two years old, 6’3”, 199. Former linemate of Reavo’s in Vegas and Greer’s in Boston. Faceoff-winning defensive specialist with plenty of playoff experience. Eighty-three hits in 59 games. He, too, made $775K.
Not only are they big, physical and hard to play against, they’ve been remarkably productive this postseason. Greer and Gadjovich each have two goals, the former in nine games and the latter in six, while combining for 67 hits. Nosek has three assists in six games to go with a plus-five.
As an aside, soon-to-be $13-million man Mitch Marner of the recently vanquished Leafs tallied two goals in 11 playoff games. One during the second round against the Panthers, while Greer and Gadjovich combined for three.
It galls to me to no end that these guys can fill a role for Cup champions and Presidents’ Trophy winners, but not our Pens. I’m hoping (praying) now that Sully has moved on and taken his player preferences with him, GM Kyle Dubas will be more open to signing players of Greer and Gadjovich’s ilk.
If the point hasn’t already been pounded home by recent Cup champions, physicality is a vital element when it comes to building a contending team and not the distant (and verboten) afterthought it was under Sully.
Fortunately, by promoting heavyweight forward Boko Imama and at least attempting to add some physicality on defense with the likes of Vincent Desharnais and Luke Schenn, there appears to be an awareness on Dubas’s part of both the value and need for skaters who employ a rugged style.
Scoff at Imama as metrics mavens often do, but a player’s impact, intangibles and true worth aren’t always measured by boxcars or Corsi. The Pens were 9-5-2 with Boko in the lineup and 25-31-10 without him. On several occasions I witnessed an opposing defenseman hurry his play and flub the puck with Boko bearing down on him.
There’s value in that. To say nothing of having a guy who’s ready, willing and able to stick up for his teammates. An all-too-rare occurrence during the Sully era.
I very much look forward to a future without restrictions.
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100% correct. The days of being tough to play against have been long gone. The days of having players like Kasparatis, Asham, Laraque , etc have been long gone. No star protection at all. I hope your right and Dubas see’s the worth of a physical player