What a difference 19 days makes

Back on March 11th I wrote a post called Ramblings where I talked about the Penguins' needs related to defense and penalty kill v the much requested "winger for Sid."  Well on the 30th of March, despite adding two hard core, if a little long in the tooth, wingers to the team and a defenseman who adds some great PK skills and a much needed net front nastiness, the numbers have changed dramatically.  Mind you, I don't think it is so much the trades, though both Morrow and Iginla will add to the defensive abilities in the forward group, much of the improvement occurred pre-trades.  I assume that if the team stays healthy, the defensive numbers are likely to only improve.  The Penguins riding 3 straight shutouts and a 11 game run where they are giving up less than one goal per game have dramatically improved their statistics in key team areas.  On March 11th, the Penguins were 21st in the league in goals against at 2.92 goals per game against, and as of tonight they are now 4th in the league in that category at 2.33 goals per game allowed.  By the way they are still first in the league in goals for at 3.36 goals for per game, down a bit from the 3.65 goals per game as noted on March 11th.  The Penguins now own a whole month of March without a loss, an NHL record, and their 15 game unbeaten streak they are currently on is secondly only to the 17 game streak the 1992-93 Penguins were on.  Of the past 11 games there have only been two where Pittsburgh has given up more than one goal, and those were both 2 goal games.  Utterly stunning transformation in defensive responsibility.  The penalty kill has improved from 22nd to 16th going from 78.8% to 81%, but looking much more like a key to victory v a reason for losing.  The two extended 5 on 3's recently killed may have been two of the most impressive periods of Penguins hockey I have seen in quite some time.  Though the power play has cooled from 27 plus percent to just over 23%, it is still third in the NHL, and can be quite lethal.  The recent additions should only improve the team and its options in that area also.  Fleury was 24th in GAA at 2.71 GPG and 29th in save percentage at .902.  He is now 12th in GAA at 2.24 GPG and he is now tied for 14th with a .918 save percentage.  Add to that Tomas Vokoun is now 7th in the NHL with a save percentage at .922 and 16th with a 2.33 GAA after pitching 7 straight periods of shutout hockey.  In short, there is a lot of hockey left to be played and the Penguins are getting hit hard by the injury bug as I feared with Paul Martin out 6 weeks or so with a hand injury, Letang out 10 days with a foot injury, and the status of Sidney Crosby's jaw and head uncertain after taking a puck to the face from Brooks Orpik today.  But you also see a tremendous amount of resolve and battle level at all times from this deeply balanced team, and if they can stay off of the injury list, they sure do have the swagger of a championship caliber team.  I am going to try to just enjoy the ride and hope that the additions of two NHL captains who fill offensive, defensive and grit issues in the top 9, and a big physical defenseman will put this highly skilled, but recently underperforming post season team over the top.  LETS GO PENS!!

Welcome to Pittsburgh Jarome

As I write this Jarome Iginla is somewhere overhead en route to Pittsburgh after spending sixteen seasons in Calgary.  He was the captain of the Flames since the 2003-04 season, the first black captain ever named in the NHL.  As of this writing Iginla has 9 goals and 13 assists, nice numbers for sure, but not the kind to cause all of this fuss right?  I write that because many of my friends who are not die hard fans are asking me why is the city on fire as if they just got a King to join their organ I zation as the Canadian people like to say.  Well Jarome may not be a king exactly, but he is hockey royalty, and he may not be a young lion anymore, but he sure is the type of player that will make this team that much tougher to play against in the postseason due to his leaderhip, toughness and skill.  To put this into proper perspective let me recite some of the details of Iginla, a man who has played his entire career in the western conference and therefore not that well known to the more casual of fans here in the east.  Jarome Iginla is a 35 year old right wing who is six foot one inch tall and about 214 pounds.  He is a right handed shooter, something that will be a help to the Penguins' power play.  In the NHL, you are generally considered an offensive weapon if you score 20 goals, a sniper if you get 30, and once you hit 40 and above you walk on some rather rarified ground, especially if you can also hit hard, and fight when necessary.  Well, Jarome Iginla had 20 plus goals in ALL but ONE of his 15 seasons in the NHL, he had two years where he had more than 40 goals and 2 more where he actually had 50 goals or more!  If that were not impressive enough, last season Iginla became only the 7th player in the history of the NHL to score 30 or more goals in 11 straight seasons.  Think about that....only 7 have been consistently strong enough to accomplish that feat EVER.  Iginla has played in 1188 regular season games prior to this season despite his tough as nails style of play and in those games he has scored 516 goals, added 557 assists for a total of 1073 points and 809 penalty minutes.  In the playoffs he has added 28 goals and 21 assists in 54 games played, or nearly a point per game in the post season.  Iginla has also won Gold for Team Canada twice in the Olympics, and he connected with our captain to win the Gold against Team USA in the 2010 Olympics.

 

Add Gold in the 2004 World Cup, Gold in the 1996 World Junior Championships and Gold again in the 1997 Worlds.  Iginla has also won the Rocket Richard as top goal scorer in the NHL twice and the Art Ross trophy for most points once.   The Penguins now boast three former Art Ross Trophy winers in their lineup, the first time an NHL team can claim that since the 1945 Wings.  In addition to the winning and the scoring, Iginla is well known for his ferocious physcial style and his willingness to drop the gloves when necessary.  The 35 year old Iginla is not likely to be the top scoring winger on this team at his age, but he will for sure add tenacity, toughness, hitting and clutch scoring for a team who could use these attributes in the post season.  His style of play will create more room for his linemates as well, and they will take pause before taking liberties with either Malkin or Crosby, whomever Iginla flanks.  If the on ice resume is not enough, he is one of the most well regarded leaders off the ice in the lockerroom, and even more so as a key member of the community based on his charitable contributions and general demeanor.  In short, Iginla is a warrior you would go to battle with anytime, and he is a man you would be proud to know.  Another quality person added to the Penguins organization, and a man who for many reasons I would love to see skating around with that silver chalice over his head in late June.  Welcome to Pittsburgh Jarome Iginla, we are proud to call you a member of our hockey family.

 

 

Don't plan that parade yet

Yo my yinzer brethren, please do not take this post as overly negative.  Just take it as realistic.  Some of you who may read this post may not be old enough to clearly recall that magical 1992-93 season?  You know that one where the Pens had the record breaking win streak of 17 games, won the President's trophy, and had a lineup that included Lemieux, Tocchet, Stevens, Jagr, Mullen, Murphy, Samuelsson, Barasso, et al?  I was as guilty as anyone of planning the parade, and thinking how great it would feel to win 3 Stanley Cups in a row, hell I was thinking 5!  Then came a man named Richard Pilon, and worse yet David Volek, and I can recall sitting n stunned silence on Short Street in Munhall contemplating what might have been for 15 minutes before I could even MOVE.  That does not mean that we should not enjoy EVERY magical moment of this streak and whatever remaining glory there is in our regular season.  In fact, it means you should relish these moments as we are very lucky to have them.  Also the fact that our management team seems to be ALL IN, addressing the weaknesses that led to early playoff exits should excite you and on paper, I do not currently see a team in the East our beloved Pens SHOULD NOT handle in a seven game series.  But several words of caution are to follow:

First, until the ink dries on all possible trades at the deadline, we do not know what we are really competing against this spring.  There are several teams who with the right tweaks could give Pittsburgh fits;

Second, the line up is championship caliber if healthy.  Recent years have not been overly kind in that area, and currently Malkin, Letang and maybe even Fleury are on the shelf.  This cannot happen come playoff time or the big bad Pens do not look as big and bad;

Third, as that 1992-93 team can tell you, and even last year's team can tell you, the pundits saying you are the best team in the conference or the league does not matter.  You will have to face four quality teams and win 4 best of 7 series for the honor of hoisting that Cup.  The playoffs will test your talent, your depth and your desire in ways that are very hard to even describe! Every opponent will fight you for every inch in every game to take that chance at winning away.  That is why the honor of doing so is to me the greatest glory in all of sports. 

So, I am not saying this team cannot win that chalice, nor am I saying that this does not have me full of hope, even more than most.  I am just saying do not ASS-U-ME as you know what they say! However, if the gods are kind on the injury front, maybe just maybe, we can live these moments again!   Go Pens!!

Shero strikes again

Ray Shero is definitely sending a message to the league that he is looking to bring the hardware back to Pittsburgh.  Not that towering defenseman Douglas Murray is the kind of guy who will turn a team around, but Pittsburgh does not need turned around.  What it was lacking was a big, extremely physical and nasty blue liner to fill a need as the fourth or fifth defenseman.  Murray, a 6'3" 245 lb blue liner who hits (56), and also blocks shots with 64 shots blocked this season (top20) fills that bill nicely for Pittsburgh.    Murray also plays significant minutes on the number 4 ranked PK in the NHL, so he should help the Penguins there as well.  The Penguins felt like they needed more grit on the blue line, and though they preferred another top four player, they felt that prices for those guys were too high so they filled in a very specific need instead, for a second round pick this year, and I believe the pick next year is a second rounder that is conditional upon Murray re-signing with the Penguins.  The third round pick acquired in the Morrow deal may have impacted the willingness to make this move since Pittsburgh has two third round picks in the coming draft.  This move also gives the Pens a left handed shot on the blue line which would have made an impact last night, as well as a veteran player who will definitely leave a physical mark on you.  In the playoffs, adding another shot blocker and significant depth at a key position is an added bonus.   Dan Boyle, a teammate of Murray's in San Jose said today that if the Eastern Conference forwards do not know who Douglas Murray is, they will.  The Penguins to me still have chips in Tyler Kennedy, Dustin Jeffrey, and either Deryk Engelland or Robert Bortuzzo, along with prospects and picks to further improve their team for a long playoff run should the right price and player come along. I like this move as well.  Shero is all in baby.

Morrow for Morrow

Sorry, had a busy couple of days and work is crazy so had to scratch most of this out late last night and thanks to Adam Lambert, he posted a video I needed to complete the post on FB today!  So as I sit on another conference call, I can now do my analyis of the Morrow for Morrow for trade the Penguins made yesterday. 

At first, as the news broke, I was not sure what I thought of the move, as I am a big fan of the POTENTIAL I have seen in Joe Morrow.  At one point, I had visions of he and Simon Despres anchoring a large and mobile defense corps well into my old age.  Two camps ago it appeared that Joe Morrow could have made the big club as a teenager, and I had visions of grandeur associated with a blue line that had Letang, Morrow and Despres as the anchors along with Harrington, Strait and Bortuzzo.  Well folks upon further review, I think it is a great move for the Penguins as I read some of the pros and cons, and make my own opinion.  Those who are against the move cite a few major reasons;

The big time top four POTENTIAL of Joe Morrow;
The relatively lackluster season of Brenden Morrow thus far;
The rental nature and advancing age of Brenden Morrow;

Well, those are all points that are well taken, and in a vacuum all are totally true issues that can be chalked up in the con column.  But there are way too many arguments to the pro side of the equation.  First, and this ties back to my Sutter and two stud blue line prospects for Staal post, is the fact that Ray Shero has stockpiled blue chip defensive prospects for this very reason.  To improve the team's chances of winning the Stanley Cup NOW, and in the future.  According to Josh Yohe, the Penguins scouts have been said that both Olli Maata and Pouliot project to better pros than Morrow, and that does not even cover the emergence of Despres on the Penguins, Bortuzzo as the seventh defenseman on the Penguins this season, or the high regard for Brian Dumoulin and Scott Harrington among others in the system.  In other words, despite the POTENTIAL of Morrow, the Penguins blue line depth for now or the future is FAR from depleted by this move.  The world is full of blue chip prospects who never actually reach their POTENTIAL, ie Noah Welch, Angelo Esposito, Eric Tangradi, et al.  So to me, the Penguins decided to take advantage of a team who is poised atop the Conference, but possibly lacking some grit, leadership and size in the top 9 and they took a shot at winning NOW, without mortgaging the future at all.  But, did they get an aging rental who is past his prime?  Possibly they did.  But is that not what they got when they added Gary Roberts and Bill Guerin at past deadlines?  Did both of those players not add to the team in a way that led to a Finals trip and a Stanley Cup?  Has Noah Welch even played enough ever to be noticed as an NHL player much less win the Norris?  There you go!  And what did the Penguins get in Morrow?  They got a 6'0" and 210 lb LW, who has been the captain of the Stars since 2006-07.  They got a gritty player who goes hard to the net, and has 243 goals and 528 points in his regular season career to go with about 1200 PIMs who probably recognizes this stop as one that may represent his last best chance to hoist the Stanley Cup, no small matter for a fierce Canadian kid who won Gold representing his country in the 2010 Olympics, despite the availablity of younger kids.  He was selected for the grit and leadership he possessed, and he helped to deliver.  Is he on the downside of his carreer?  Sure he is, but he does not have to drive the numbers in Pittsburgh to lead them to the promised land.  He will clearly either add some drive and grit to the second line along with Neal and Malkin, creating even more space for those two guys, along with getting them the puck in battles along the boards, a la Chris Kunitz or he will match up with Sutter and Cooke, leaving Bennett to keep gaining his chemistry on the second line to give the Penguins a truly nasty to play against tough ass third line who can wear you out and score the occasional big goal. Or more than occasional GWG when you add the big goal potential of Morrow, who scored 3 of the Stars' game winning OT goals in their drive to the Finals, to clutch goal scoring of Brandon Sutter.  Folks, the Penguins are a much tougher match up problem for any opponent today than they were yesterday, and they gave up NOTHING from the roster today.  They took a man with POTENTIAL, albeit big time potential to take a shot at winning NOW.  And they took that man from a deep pool of others with POTENTIAL.  They also moved up two rounds in a deep 2103 draft with swapping of draft picks that occurred as well.  If Morrow is a rental and the Penguins make a deep run into the post season at least, still a good deal.  If he adds the depth, grit and character to win the Cup then it is a GREAT deal.  This move does not in any way guarantee the Penguins a deep playoff run, much less the Cup, but the teams who do win the Cup tend to be deep, balanced, gritty and defensively responsible.  The Penguins are more of all four of this things after this trade folks.  All in, nicely done!

More rants from the semi-intelligent

It was a good day at the barn today.  The Penguins put a good win in the record books by beating Division rival New York, 3-0 putting 14 points between them and the Rags in the standings.  Fleury also recorded his 23rd shutout, surpassing Tom BarASSHOLE as the Penguins leader in that category!  Congrats to Mr. Fleury!  He also moved to the top of the NHL in victories with 15, despite some modest personal stats, the kid seems to just win baby.   It was also great to see Beau Bennett net his second goal of the season and contribute some offense as he gets more and more comfortable in a top six role for Pittsburgh.  More important to me is the fact that the Penguins seem to have tightened up their defensive zone play over the past four games, and their penalty kill for now has gone from algatross to momentum builder, killing 9 of their past ten opportunities.  My boy Pascal Dupuis scored his 14th goal of the season, 13 of them at even strength, tying him with none other than Steven Stamkos for that honor!  Great for Duper!  Tyler Kennedy had a very good game and with LOTS of scouts in the building from other teams, particularly Columbus.  I would love to see Derek Dorsett on the Penguins to add some grit and nastiness on the bottom line.  Also, loved Sidney Crosby sticking up for Pascal Dupuis after Ryan McDonagh shoved Dupuis face first into the boards in a classic boarding call that the NHL supposedly wants to stop, but in typical garage league fashion, one of the turds on skates looked right at the play and let it go.  The Orpik/Martin pairing has looked solid and more like a shutdown pairing the past couple of games, and Eaton played a solid game paired up with Kris Letang.  Again, to me, Simon Despres did NOTHING to indicate that he should ever sit the pine again for Pittsburgh as a healthy scratch. Matt Niskanen is not afraid to fire the biscuit from the point either!  The Penguins looked amazing in period one, pretty awful in period two where Fleury held the line, and in what has become the norm of late, they displayed a killer instinct in period three to put a division rival away.  In fact, Pittsburgh has beaten the Rags now in seven straight games.  It was good to see contributions from Dustin Jeffrey and Tyler Kennedy, though it may be more for the addition of trade value for one or both.  I don't think DJ is a bad player, but he does not seem to have quite enough skill to play a top six role nor enough grit to be much on the bottom six.  He is however a good utility guy who can contribute a bit anywhere in a pinch in my opinion.  I think that Kennedy has been a much better player of late, but still believe that for 2M from a pending UFA who is smallish and inconsistent, if somebody takes the bait, goodbye Mr. Kennedy, thanks fort the memories!  I was a big fan of the Tanner Glass signing based on him being a top 10 hitter in the NHL last season as well as a solid shot blocker.  I am not so sure now that I like that deal for Pittsburgh, and to me, anybody on the line 4 is fair game to be replaced if the right opportunity would present itself.  In a perfect world, I love the thought of Chris Stewart becoming a Penguin in a hockey trade, a solid veteran defenseman who can clear the net,  even if a rental and some swapping of assets from our bottom six, draft picks, and prospects to add some veteran leadership and grit on the bottom six.  I do not want to see Despres moved at all, and I would only move Dumoulin or Morrow in a deal that brought back a Chris Stewart type asset.  I know that they would still needs to add to either of them to get a Stewart, but I think Stewart would change the whole dynamic of our top six in terms of added toughness and net front presence.  If Wayne Simmonds is available as is rumored, that is another player who would add a ton up front for Pittsburgh, but I am not sure if those two organizations would dance.  Let's see, an interesting couple of weeks are pending.

Sutter....he is kind of good

Some of this post will be redundant if you are one of the few crazy enough to read my posts on a regular basis.  I posted right after the Sutter/Staal trade was announced that I thought given the circumstances in which Staal had rejected a ten year/60 million dollar offer from the Penguins, and was one season away from being a UFA, the fact that Shero got a player the caliber of Sutter in return for Staal amazed me.  If you add to that the fact that he ALSO got former 2nd round pick Brian Dumoulin, a highly touted 6'4" defenseman, and the 8th overall pick which turned out to be Derrick Poulliot in addition to Sutter for soon to be UFA Staal, the deal seemed to be an unreal return given the circumstances.  Staal is a player who will remain a favorite of mine, a player who filled my head with so many memories, not the least of which was the shorthanded goal he scored in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals in 2009, that to me, not only tied the game at 2-2, but likely turned the tide of the series in favor of the Penguins, and ultimately led to the third Stanley Cup in Penguins history!

I will never forget that moment, as the goal was scored right in front of my family, and the building erupted!  I wish Staalsy could have remained a Penguin, but if he had to go, I am pretty happy with the return when you analyze it in full.  Sutter carries a 2M less cap hit this season, and 4M less cap hit than Staal next season, which will allow the Penguins to carry some other talent on top of Sutter to replace Staalsy.  To put this in perspective, Sutter and Kunitz combined will be just under the Staal cap hit for next season.  I think it is safe to say that if thought of in those terms, the deal looks pretty damn good for Pittsburgh.  If you factor in the value that Dumoulin and Pouliot will add either by growing into their top two pairing projections or by getting a return as part of another trade for Pittsburgh either directly or indirectly, the return value is pretty amazing.  Staal definitely wanted the chance to be a top 2 line center, and given the fact he was kind of close to his brother Eric, getting this package for Staal is even more impressive.

In short the value of Sutter, the additional cap space, and the long term value of the Dumoulin and Pouliot portion of the trade, this will be a very adequate replacement of a player even the caliber of Jordan Staal.  The impatient fan base here was a little tough on Sutter when he was slow to start from an offensive standpoint, forgetting that he not only had to deal with a completely different system, different linemantes/teammates, but he did that without the normal benefit of a training camp and exhibition games.  The condensed schedule also cut down on practice time between games, so Sutter had a lot of extra issues that would hinder anybody making such a change in job status.  And oh yeah, the penalty kill woes were also blamed on Sutter by some.  Well folks, the PK after nearly two years of top performance starting to suck on this level in March of last year, and remained a thorn in the side of the Pens and a key reason for their playoff woes while Staal was still the key player on the unit.  It did not slide due to Sutter taking Staal's place.  It is also important to note that although it is a small sample size, Sutter currently has goals against of 1.7 GA per 60 minutes, while Staal currently has a 3.7 GA per 60 minutes and had a 2.8 GA per 60 minutes last year.  Sutter has 8 goals to Staal's 6 despite minimal power play time, and being saddled most nights with Tyler Kennedy on his wing.  That is like taking a butter knife to a gunfight!  Sutter also has a +6 rating for the year compared to Staal's -3.  Staal does have 12 assists to Sutter's 5, but he also gets far more power play time, and plays with far better wingers.  As far as clutch goals, Sutter is 9th in the league with 3 game winning goals, and should have had a goal v Philadelphia that would have stolen at least a point in the last minute if Vokoun had been able to find his ass with either hand that night.  The fact that Voracek killed the improbable comeback 33 seconds later had no bearing on the fact that Sutter had shown us a glimpse of the near future by scoring a clutch goal for the Penguins!  Some of those goals are to follow here:

GWG 2.5.13 v Islanders

Game tying goal 2.20.13 v Flyers

Gamre tying and game winning goals v Boston

Jordan Staal will be a favorite player of mine forever, but I am sure Brandon Sutter will rank right up there over time, providing plenty of his own memories.  Bank on it!

A Fools Ramblings

If you chose to read this post despite its title, well then perhaps there is more than one fool out here, welcome aboard my friend!  I am just going to free form some thoughts I have had while sitting here tonight trying to get the thoughts of a long work day out of my head.

The Penguins have so many leaders in all of the offensive categories it is amazing to me.  In points Crosby is first with 45pts, Kunitz is 3rd with 36pts, Neal is 11th with 28pts, and Letang is 17th with 26 points, along with being the top scoring NHL defenseman.  This gives the Pens four players out of the top 20 and the top blueliner to boot in scoring in the league.  And we need MORE scoring?  In the goal category, Stamkos is first with 19 goals, but the Penguins have Kunitz and Neal both at second with 17 goals, Crosby 13th with 12 goals and Dupuis tied for 18th with 11 goals, meaning the whole top line for Pittsburgh is in the top 20 in the league in goals!   Please note that last year's scoring champ Evgeni Malkin does not even factor in here, and one would think he will get hot before all is said and done, which would give Pittsburgh some unreal firepower!  Kunitz leasds the league in plus/minus at +21, while Crosby is 8th at +16.  In power play goals, Neal and Kunitz are tied for the league lead with 8 PPG apiece, while four Penguins are in the top TEN in assists with Crosby first at 33A, Letang third at 23A, Kunitz and Malkin are 6th with 19A apiece.  While Fleury is tied for second in wins with 12 victories, he is 24th in GAA at 2.71 and 29th in save percentage at .902.  Finally, some team statistics that tell a tale include the fact that Pittsburgh is first in the league in Goals for at 3.65 goals per game, but 21st in goals against allowing 2.92 goals per game.  The power play is a white hot 27.9%, good for third in the league, while the penalty kill remains pathetic at 78.8% kill rate good for 22nd in the league.  What does all of this mean?  I don't know for sure, but it feels a lot like last year, and as fun as that regular season ride was, the playoff ride was not fun at all.  Some individual thoughts from analyzing the above, and watching every game at least once?

Sidney Crosby is back to being the best player in the game...period.  Before his concussion he was tearing up the league at a record pace, and now with a "full" season of health he is scoring 1.73 points per game, which is the highest points per game average since Mario Lemieux had 1.76 points per game in 2000-2001! He is making the little plays in all three zones as well, and seems to be one step ahead most nights.  I just wish sometimes he would SHOOT the F'ing puck instead of making a tough pass, but tough to grouse about his game eh?

Chris Kunitz, just a monster.  We all know about his ability to forecheck, win battles in the corners, create space for either Crosby or Malkin, get in front of the net, and clean up garbage goals,  but NOW he is an absolute sniper to boot.  Just an unreal display by one of my favorite Penguins!  For those who groused about signing for 3.5M plus, well you could not have been more wrong about the KOON!

Pascal Dupuis is another guy who is just amazing to me.  Every day on the local hockey boards, people grouse about that winger for Sid.  Every god damn day.  Well guess what?  He has two wingers who fit him just fine.  Sometimes the whole is just better than the sum of the parts, and a unit just meshes.  Folks, this is one of them times yinz.  Let it go!  On a cap strapped team that has big money tied up in Malkin, Crosby, Fleury, Neal, and soon to be Letang, you cannot have tons of highly paid wingers, so getting what you get from Duper for 1.5M per season IS ONE OF THE BEST VALUES IN THE NHL.  Also, save for some time off for 87's concussion, this line has been the best line in the NHL up to Crosby's concussion, and all year this year.  We don't need a winger for Sid folks, at least not one we can afford.

Nealer?  I have not been a fan of his sudden inability at times to control his emotions, but hey, he truly is the power forward us yinzers love to watch play.  He gets to open ice, and his release, simply put is just awesome to watch.  Pure sniper baby.

Malkin to me has been a disappointment thus far this season.  He has been hit by the injury bug lately, and he seemed to be closer to the 2011-12 Geno the past two games prior to another injury hitting him.  That said, if he comes back anywhere near the Geno of last season, the Penguins top two lines are looking very solid!  Geno needs to get back on the top flight Geno pace if the Pens are thinking it may take 10M per season to sign him.

Beau Bennett?  You can really see some of the things that make you KNOW he is a legitimate top six winger, who will put up some big numbers at some point in the NHL.  He is grittier than I expected, and you can see how well he sees the ice, and works well with other top flight talent.  That said, I am not sure that THIS year I would put that much pressure and hope on him.  I would consider the right trade for a top six winger if the price were right, but I expect to see 19 on that second line all of next season and for the rest of this season or at least until we see what the deadline brings.

Brandon Sutter started a little more slowly than some would like but remember two things before you call him a disappointment as some have.  First, he played in a completely different style and system in Carolina than he plays in here.  Second, he did not have any training camp or exhibition games to learn the new system.  Third, for those who are rumbling about his offensive output he has more goals than 71, and yes he played a few more games, but his job is not to score goals at the rate of a Malkin.  He is still in my mind, an integral player and long term piece on this team.  His linemates to me are one of the places Pittsburgh HAS to improve to be a factor in the playoffs.  Kennedy is too small to wear teams down with physical play, and he mostly contrbutes very little if anything on a nightly basis.  Matt Cooke has been okay, but again, not the pest he used to be.  Pittsburgh has to get more physical play and some offense from the third line to be a force in the post season.  Look for Pittsburgh to try to address this need at the deadline.  The same goes for the fourth line in my opinion.  I don't see an untouchable on that line, and would love to see Pittsburgh get bigger and tougher by swapping a player or two on the bottom six.  Other than Sutter, I don't see an untouchable in the bottom six, and I see Kennedy as someone who has to GO.

On defense, for different reasons, I see Letang and Despres as untouchables, with Martin in the next level while all others could be moved for the right returns in a series of deals.  Orpik WAS the bruiser who anchored a once solid blue line, but now he seems slow and at times disinterested in getting dirty or even tying up sticks in the crease.  Given the miles on him, and depending on what they can bring in, he is movable to me in the right scenario.  Niskanen has been very serviceable for the price, but the Pens have a lot of smaller puck moving defensemen, and Nisky could be moved for the right return in my opinion as part of an effort to get bigger and tougher on the blue line.  Bortuzzo, who is young and makes some mistakes could still  make Engelland a movable part based on his ability to play physical, but with a bigger upside, projected as a possible top four player.  Despres, makes some mistakes, but you can see his ability to be physical, make smart plays to get the puck out of the zone, and join the rush at the appropriate times.  Eaton seems to be a Disco man, and in that vein provides some nice veteran depth for Pittsburgh.  Martin has had a good rebound season, and has been solid on a strong power play unit, and more physical than in the past.  I would love to see Pittsburgh get an NHL now player who is big and can clear the net for a playoff run, even if it costs one of the many not quite ready for prime time blue line prospects in the system. 

Vokoun was brought in and paid 2M to allow Pittsburgh to be ready in case Fleury struggled down the stretch or in the post season.  I would give him several more starts in the next two weeks or so to determine if that 2M is getting you that luxury, or if he might be movable in favor of a less costly back up.  Injuries to other goalies would set  either a decent market or no market at all for an aging goaltender with marginal stats though. 

There are so many variable to potential trades that could happen, especially actual hockey trades like the Kunitz/Tangradi for Whitney deal, and the Goligoski for Neal/Niskanen deal that I will not even speculate on possibilities there.  Some top rentals that make sense in way or another for Pittsburgh given my general desire for Pittsburgh to add size and grit include David Clarkson who, to me is exactly what Pittsburgh needs in their lineup, Jarome Inginla, Ryan Clowe, Nate Thompson, and Clark MacArthur up front.  Mark Streit, Ian White, Lubomir Visnosky, and Sergei Gonchar lead the list of potential defense rentals.

Pens win thriller but I'm not thrilled

I have not had the time to post this season as usual, but I thought that given an exciting win last night in overtime against Montreal 7-6, and the fact that we are two games shy of midseason, and the trade deadline is a month away it might be a good time to check in again.  Hey, getting two points last night was big for Pittsburgh, and I like the way that they hung in and kept coming back on the road, but on a road trip that was 1-2 with 18 goals against, forgive me if I am not planning on being in the Consol in June this season.    Hey, yes, the Pens have the third most points in the Eastern conference, so it is tough to be too hard on them, BUT, and that is BUT larger than Kim Kardashian's, they do not seem to have learned their lessons from their early departure from last season's playoffs!  This next part will also tie in to the percieved trade deadline needs for Pittsburgh, which seem to always center around a top six winger for either Malkin or Crosby.......Hello folks, scoring is not the issue AGAIN for Pittsburgh, stopping other people from scoring, killing penalties and not taking penalties is the ISSUE just like last season.  Like last season the glass half full people want to point to the standings to say it is okay, but folks this team is not built for a long playoff run without a MAJOR attitude adjustment and or a couple of trades.  Some evidence to support my thoughts are as follows:

Pittsburgh is tied for 2nd in the NHL IN goals for at 3.46 per game only slightly behind 1st place Tampa at 3.48 GF per game, but they are 19th in the NHL in goals against per game at 2.91 GA per game.  They are also third in the NHL on the power play converting at 27.8%,but just 18th on the PK at 80.7%!  Upper echelon in goals per game and power play goals, bottom half of league in goals against and the penalty kill!  If you look at individual rankings in the NHL, the Penguins boast the NHL's leading scorer in Sidney Crosby who has 34 points, with 10 goals and 24 assists, two points ahead of Tampa's Steven Stamkos.  They also have the NHL's top scoring defenseman in Kris Letang, with 19 points and its fourth leading scoring defenseman in Paul Martin with 15 points.   Add to that, they have James Neal tied for 2nd in the NHL in goal scoring with 13 goals and Chris Kunitz tied for 9th with 11 goals, while leading scorer Sidney Crosby is lurking right behind the leaders with 10 goals.  Conversely, Marc Andre Fleury despite playing very well in my opinion is 16th in the NHL in GAA and 18th in save percentage, while Vokoun is buried in the depths of the rankings.  Vokoun has played sub par, but Fleury has not.  It is tough to have great numbers when opposing forwards are standing in your blue paint looking for rebounds, and getting two or three cracks at pucks in and near the crease!

To me, the numbers do not lie!  The Penguins existing personnel HAS to take playing a defensive system FAR more seriously than they have, from the star forwards to the depth defensemen, and though I would love the chance to add a legitimate top six winger, I would rather add some two way players who play a sound game and take care of their own end and  a veteran defenseman who does not like to see opposing forwards standing in his crease without making them pay a steep price.  With the shortened season there are too many potential ways to look at who may be available, and I sure won't turn away a guy who has skills, but they better also play with some edge, play in all three zones, and have some size to wear down the opposition.  Getting goals does not seem to be the issue, stopping the opponent from getting them clearly is.