For the month of June, Last Word On Sports will be covering each team in our 30 in 30 series. Once a day, we take a look at an NHL team’s past season, what their off-season looks like, and what they could hope to achieve before the start of their 2015-16 season. Everybody wants to get better and improve upon last season’s success or downfall and NHL’s 30 in 30 gives you that analysis and preview you need to get you by during another long and grueling summer season. 30 days in June, 30 teams to cover. Starting on June 1st we start from the bottom and make our way to the very top.
Today’s team: The Pittsburgh Penguins. Check out our previous 30 in 30 articles here.
NHL’s 30 in 30: Pittsburgh Penguins
Finishing 15th overall, the Pittsburgh Penguins posted a record of 43-27-12 to end up with 98 points. Their home record (23-14-4) accumulated for 50 points, tying them for the least amount of points earned among playoff teams, with the Minnesota Wild and Vancouver Canucks. Their away record (20-13-8) was reasonable enough to earn them enough points to make the dance. The Penguins were in a tight battle with the Boston Bruins for the final spot in the East. Down to the last three games, the Penguins, Bruins, and Ottawa Senators were battling for two playoff spots, and Pittsburgh managed to squeak by and grab a spot to the dance.
The 2014-15 Regular Season
Although they managed to make the playoffs, they were faced with expectations too hard to meet and unfortunately beyond their control, losing out in five games against the New York Rangers, in the Eastern Conference quarter-finals. With a solid foundation to build upon, there is hope yet for the Penguins to accomplish something but how much longer will their window remain open before it finally shuts?
At the start of next season, Sidney Crosby will be 28 years old. While he remains the best player in the world right now, his prime years are slowly passing him by. This past season, his ice-time took a dip, averaging out to 19:58, and his point production was significantly less as well, down to 84 from the 104 he notched last season. Perhaps a little more ice-time and better shot selection could have increased his point total, something to watch out for next season. Evgeni Malkin also saw decreased time, playing under 19 minutes a game, but his situation is a bit different. Malkin missed 13 games in the second half of the season, something that has become a regular occurrence in recent years. Traded to Pittsburgh from Edmonton, David Perron produced at the same rate he did in Edmonton with more ice-time, but with more playing time with the Penguins top-six, he could eventually find chemistry there.
Pascal Dupuis had a season he hopefully never has to live through again. Coming back from an ACL injury, Dupuis got off to a great start before it was discovered he had blood clots in his lungs. At 36, Dupuis has had his future questioned but is expected to play next season and will look to add some reinforcement to the top-nine. Also getting up in age is Chris Kunitz, who is expected to once again play alongside Crosby. His one goal in the final 19 games of the season will have to be something he avoids, especially if he wishes to continue playing with Sid the Kid. Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling, two Nashville Predators turned Penguins, had good seasons in their own respect. Spaling played a great role in the bottom-six while Hornqvist put up 51 points in 64 games.
Injury struck the blueline in Pittsburgh as well. Heading into the final month of the season, the Penguins were without three of their top four defensemen. Star defenseman Kris Letang suffered a concussion, forcing him to miss more time after the stroke he had suffered earlier. Along with various other injuries, many aren’t sure how much longer Letang can last. Olli Maata was another story of a kid doing great before disaster struck. After a cancer scare and shoulder surgery, the 20-year-old was out of the line-up frequently, however he contributed when he was playing. Derrick Pouliot got some playing time as well, but was protected enough to not face exposure. Gifted with the puck and a smooth skater, the time for Pouliot to be given more responsibilities may come sooner than we think.
Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury had himself a good season. His .920 was his second-best performance, behind the 2007-08 season, while his 2.32 goals against tied his single-season best, set in 2010-11. The most important thing was that he wasn’t the one to be blamed for their first-round exit. Commonly known to collapse in the post-season, Fleury stood tall and gave his team a fighting chance. Thomas Greiss posted a 9-6-3 record in 20 starts and if he isn’t returning for next season, the Penguins can find an inexpensive back-up to fill that spot.
After adding James Neal and Hornqvist in the off-season, General Manager Jim Rutherford was among the most active GMs in terms of trades last season. Defensive prospect Philip Samuelsson was sent to Arizona for Rob Klinkhammer and a conditional 2015 6th-round pick. Rutherford then flipped Klinkhammer to Edmonton, along with a 2015 1st-round pick for scoring winger Perron. Marcel Goc was swapped with Maxim Lapierre, adding some agitation to their bottom-six. Rutherford then acquired Daniel Winnik from Toronto for fourth-liner Zach Sill, a 2015 4th-round pick and a 2016 2nd-round pick. Robert Bortuzzo was sent to St. Louis, along with a 2016 7th-round pick for Ian Cole and finally, in a trade that left many scratching their heads, Simon Despres was sent to Anaheim for Ben Lovejoy.
The Off-Season and Free Agents
Heading into the off-season, the Pittsburgh Penguins have a total of ten free agents to decide on. Of the ten free agents, only two are restricted to the team, including forward Beau Bennett, and defenseman Ian Cole. Forwards Daniel Winnik, Lapierre, Steve Downie, Craig Adams and Blake Comeau, defensemen Paul Martin and Christian Ehrhoff, and goaltender Greiss are the upcoming unrestricted free agents. In terms of non-roster players, Rutherford will have to decide on eight restricted free agents and five unrestricted free agents.
With about $11-12 million in cap space and eight forwards, four defensemen and one goaltender under contract, Rutherford is going to have to do some smart maneuvering in order to fill the few holes on his team. 23-year-old Bennett can be an inexpensive top-nine player and slot in nicely, or become a chip in a trade package. There’s also some promise in 18-year-old Kasperi Kapanen and he’ll be in the mix for a spot on opening day. The Penguins will need some depth and a player on their top-six to compliment one of Crosby or Malkin. A Joel Ward-type that crashes and bangs in corners, has a presence in front of the net and could provide some secondary scoring could perhaps be the key.
On defense, Cole is a definite must re-sign in the off-season. Pouliot proved he could play at the NHL level and he’ll likely have a spot on opening day, and newly-signed Niclas Andersen could also be in the mix. The 27-year-old spent last season in the Swedish Hockey League, playing for the Brynas IF Gavle, posting 5 goals and 17 assists in 54 games. Prior to that, he spent two years in the KHL. He’s quite physical, can clear the crease and rarely makes mistakes. He’s a defensive defenseman that has little-to-no offensive upside, but defensively he is as sound as they come. If the Penguins need some more depth on their blue-line, prospects Scott Harrington and Brian Dumoulin could provide some stability, despite being unproven so far at the NHL level.
The Draft Table
Rutherford and his scouting staff won’t be particularly busy at the upcoming draft unless something interesting happens, as the Penguins hold just four picks in seven rounds. Their 16th overall pick belongs to the Oilers as part of the Perron trade. Their 3rd-round pick (77th overall) belongs to the Panthers as part of the Goc trade, back in 2014. Their 4th-round pick belongs to the Leafs as part of the Winnik deal. In all the Penguins select 46th, 137th, 167th and 197th.
While having their first chance to select a player midway through the second round, in a deep draft no less, may sound saddening, the fact is they can still come out with an NHL regular with the 46th pick. In Ben Kerr’s second-round mock draft, forward Blake Speers seems to make sense in that slot. Ben states:
After trading their first round pick as part of the deal to get David Perron, the Penguins come to the podium for the first time at 46th overall. Knowing that he continues to need to look for wing talent to play with his solid 1-2 punch at centre, Jim Rutherford adds the pure speed of Blake Speers on the right side.
If Denis Guryanov can drop a bit down to 46th, he’d be an ideal candidate for Pittsburgh. As the story goes, Russian players get the nice asterisk next to their name because of their pending KHL status, which leaves several scouts hesitating. Don’t count Guryanov out, as he is first-round material, mixing size, skill and speed into a tightly-knit ball and tying it all together with a two-way game. Developed properly, Guryanov could be what the Penguins need in their top-six.
Depending on what Rutherford does at the draft, he’ll be left with three more picks to hopefully steal a kid that may have gone unnoticed and turn that prospect into a diamond. With a great core that is starting to creep to their 30s, the Penguins will need to count on late-round steals, especially if they keep trading away their picks in higher rounds. Rutherford needs to remember his 2012 draft, when he picked up Pouliot and Maata in the first round. A year that he brought new hope to the Penguins blue-line. A hope they now need on the wing.
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