It’s been a rollercoaster first half of the season for the Pittsburgh Penguins. They’ve had to deal with the mumps, a cancerous tumor, and a blood clot which no team should have to go through. They’ve also dealt with more than their fair share of injuries, something that has been a theme in Pittsburgh the last two years. Even through all of that, the Penguins are in second place in the Metropolitan Division just three points behind the New York Islanders. They are expecting Patric Hornqvist, Kris Letang, and Sidney Crosby to all be back in a the lineup shortly, setting them up for a good start to the second half. Expected to be on the shelf for a few more weeks though are forwards Blake Comeau and Evgeni Malkin who has arguably been their best player this season.
State of the Pittsburgh Penguins
Outlook On the Rest of the Season: The Penguins are locked in a playoff spot. Even though they haven’t technically clinched it would take a monumental collapse for them to fall out of the playoffs. The only things that need to be hammered out are the seedings in both the Atlantic and Metropolitan division. The Penguins will need to get healthy before the playoffs, but they are getting very close to having a healthy lineup which is something they have not had that much this season. While Olli Maatta is done for the year, the rest of the Penguins core is expected back within a few makes. As always a lot rides on goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury who has played like a Vezina candidate through the first half of the season. He will need to keep that up for the stretch drive.
The Biggest Storyline: At this point it has to be Sidney Crosby. He’s really struggled throughout the season to put up points, and at one point was in the midst of the worst slump of his career. He currently sits five points behind scoring leader Jakub Voracek, but a strong second half could see Crosby back on top of the scoring charts. He finished the first half strong, but has now missed the all-star game and tonights game with a lower-body injury. We’ll see how he does as he returns from that.
Trade Targets: The trade deadline will be very interesting for the Penguins. They have already acquired David Perron from the Edmonton Oilers and this has left the Penguins with little cap space to work with. If they are to trade for another top six winger, a defenseman, or even bottom six help, it would require that they give up a roster player in order to make room. I think general manager Jim Rutherford will look to see how the Penguins play with a healthy lineup and if they need something to be upgraded, he will pull the trigger on a trade.
One intriguing name on the market is Jaromir Jagr of the New Jersey Devils. Bringing Jagr back to Pittsburgh would be something most Pens fans would welcome, and he could be available for a few young players and picks. It doesn’t seem like Jagr wants to be in New Jersey anymore and what better way to end his career than with the team he started it with, and starred on for so long?
Conclusion: The Penguins are in second place in the Metropolitan division and only a game and a half back of the Islanders. They have plenty of time to catch them this season once they get healthy. Once they do get healthy, they could be the best team in the Eastern Conference. They do need to play a lot better against the division in the second half of the season though as they are below .500 against Metropolitan Division opponents. That said they could be a favorite in the wide-open Eastern Conference come playoff time.
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Main Photo by Claus Anderson, Getty Images
