In a year in which fans of both the Penguins and Steelers have had to endure more than their usual share of injuries, we may have just been dealt the biggest blow of all. It was announced that Evgeni Malkin has torn 2 ligaments in his knee and will be out for the season. The Steelers endured long periods of time this year without Troy Polamalu, Aaron Smith, Willie Colon and Max Starks, on an improbable and in many ways heroic march to the Super Bowl. They then lost All Pro center Maurkice Pouncey for the Super Bowl. Their opponents, the Green Bay Packers have 16 men from their original lineup out on IR, and they made the Super Bowl as well. Both teams found ways to win all year long, and both were lead by stars in Roethlisberger and Rogers, and supported by gutsy, gritty players and strong coaching. In a season in which the Penguins in 53 games played, have had their 3 star centers around whom the team is built on the ice for exactly two games, the Pens have been dealt a more serious blow with the season ending injury to Evgeni Malkin. With Sidney Crosby out for what appears to be at least 2-3 more weeks, the Penguins are playing the stretch run without their two best offensive playmakers, one of whom will not return, and the other, we just don't know when, or in what form he will return. And yet, for those who know me as an avowed pessimist, I have a faith that this team, like its football counterpart, will survive this and make a deep run into the 2011 post season. Like their football counterparts, the Penguins are lead by a superstar, surrounded by a gritty supporting cast, and excellent coaching. The last time I really sat and reflected about a sports team like this was right after the Red Wings dismantled the Penguins in Game 5 of the Stanley Finals in 2009. The Wings took a 3-2 lead, and with the past season's history, the Game 5 winner statistics for closing out a series, the Game 7 road team statistics etc. etc. even optimistic fans figured that the season was over. And at first blush so did I. I sat in my backyard like a child to start the process of getting my mind wrapped around 2 consecutive losses to the Wings in the Stanley Cup Finals.........Instead, I wrote on this blog that I actually believed that the Penguins would rebound from the Game 5 demolition to win 2 games in a row, including a Game 7 at Joe Louis Arena to win the Stanley Cup. I was not sure why I felt that, I just did. Today, when I heard that Malkin was done, on top of Crosby not being close to a return to health, my initial instincts were the same. As much as I have ridden Malkin, and I have, and as much as I think trading him for two elite wingers may serve the Penguins best, the thought of just losing him WITHOUT getting two elite wingers in return on top of the existing injuries would seem to end the thoughts of the Pens having a shot at much this year. Yet, after sitting here and thinking about it, I have the same odd confidence in this team and this organization. Why? Well the Pens are now 8-3-1 withouth Crosby in the lineup, and have won 5 in a row without Sid or Geno for the most part. They are playing strong defensively, and are getting lights out goaltending from both Johnson and Fleury. They are playing like a TEAM, killing penalties, hitting everything that moves and standing up for each other at every turn. They have 6 players with ten or more goals (Crosby, Malkin, Kunitz, Cooke, Dupuis, and Letestu), though 3 of them are out of the lineup, and will be for awhile(Crosby, Malkin, and Letestu). The Pens are 34-15-4, giving them the 3rd most points in the conference with 72, and a 15 point advantage and a game in hand on 8th place Atlanta, who holds the last playoff spot in the conference. Like the Steelers, they seem to have an ability find ways to win right now. I am not foolish enough to think that the team as currently constructed will be able to continue that pace and remain among the elite in the league, or compete in the playoffs. And I will couch my thoughts with ONE BIG IF. IF, Crosby can come back by early March, and be anything like the Crosby we have seen now for 5 years, the Penguins will be fine, and I still think could bring home the big silver trophy. WHY? You could do far worse for your top 2 centers than Sidney Crosby and Jordan Staal right? The problem is that we are too cap strapped to bring in any wingers to add complementary scoring. Well, with Malkin on LTIR, the Pens suddenly have lots of cap space to maneuver with, especially if they consider Godard expendable, and are willing to package one of their UFA forwards as part of a deal for a winger, even if it is a rental for the playoffs. The Pens can use this cap space and some of their defensive propect glut, some of their bottom 6 forward glut, and a draft pick or two to pick up some scoring to comlement their team. Two snipers added to this team with a healthy Crosby and Staal centering the top 2 lines, and Letestu back to take the 3rd line could be a more balanced and formidable attack than the Penguins have had all year IF Crosby comes back as Crosby. A balanced 3 line attack, added to a grinding 4th line, great PK, strong defense, and great goaltending would make the Penguins tough to beat in a 7 game series. The grit and team play they have shown during a very tough season from an injury standpoint, combined with Shero's history of making astute moves leaves me a believer. I know we are in for some dark days in February, and it may look ugly for a bit, but when April comes around, this Pens team will be in the dance, and they will not be a partner that anyone is hoping to waltz with.
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