Penguins Update: I Was Wrong (A Lot)

Having authored three books about our Penguins, I like think I know a thing or two about hockey and hockey players.

As it turns out, maybe I don’t know so much after all.

Lately, I’ve been wrong. A lot. In some cases, hopelessly so.

The first and foremost example?

Rookie Ben Kindel.

Count me among those who thought POHO/GM Kyle Dubas committed a colossal blunder by taking the 18-year-old center 11^th overall in this summer’s draft, some 10 slots ahead of his final ranking among North American skaters according to NHL Central Scouting.

My opinion was based largely on his size (5’11” 182) and the fact that he was reputed to be a step slow.

Man, did I ever miss the boat on this kid. Happily so.

Frankly, I’m shocked at how good Kindel is. He’s much faster than I dreamed and nimble, too, with the ability to change speeds and turn on a dime. Skill-wise, he can flat-out shoot the puck. As for playmaking? He’s made at least a handful of passes that rival those of Sidney Crosby.

Ben’s smart and alert, with an obviously high hockey IQ. He pays equal attention to his defensive chores, rare for one so young. Despite his lack of size, he competes and digs in the corners.

Tenacious is a word that comes to mind.

In addition to meeting the eye test, Kindel leads the club in several 5v5 metrics, including Expected Goals for Percentage (61.52), Scoring Chances for Percentage (58.43) and High Danger Chances for Percentage (72.22). He’s second in Shots for Percentage at 57.50.

Wrong No. 2, Justin Brazeau.

Based largely on his season-ending performance with the Wild (a goal and two points in 19 games), I was kind of expecting a hybrid of Anthony Angello and Jesse Puljujärvi, i.e., a big guy who’d bump and grind a little and perhaps set some screens in front of the net.

I had no idea he could skate as well as he does or have the hands and offensive instincts he possesses. Even if he isn’t likely to keep up his current point-per-game pace, he was a heck of an astute signing by Dubas.

Oh, and I was totally ignorant of the fact that Brazeau tallied 61 goals (and 113 points) his final season in junior. You don’t put up those numbers by being chopped liver.

Count me among those who banged the drum for Dubas to dump Erik Karlsson over the summer. Based on his lapses in judgment (and effort), frankly I thought he’d be negative presence, not to mention a poor example for the kids.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that long-term commenter, Mike, lobbied just as hard to keep EK65 for reasons that are now obvious. Indeed, Karlsson’s been all over the ice, offensively and defensively, while giving a pretty fair imitation of his former Norris Trophy self.

Perhaps my biggest misread of all? I thought our goaltending would be an Achilles heel, with what I perceived to be a washed-up Tristan Jarry and 4Aer Arturs Silovs manning the fort. To the contrary, they’ve been an incredibly pleasant surprise, statistically and otherwise, while combining for a gaudy .920 save percentage and 2.39 goals against average.

As an aside, I’m reminded of how much an effective defense can help out goalies and vice versa. Speaking of, our mostly No-Name Defense, which I also thought would be a glaring weakness, is getting ‘er done in workmanlike fashion. With an occasional brilliant play by Karlsson and 19-year-old rookie Harrison Brunicke mixed in.

Again, a job well-done by Dubas.

About the only thing I did get right?

Back when FSG axed Ron Hextall and Brian Burke, I thought they’ve should’ve fired Mike Sullivan, too. A rare instance when I was ahead of the curve.

Hey, even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every once in a while.