Penguins Looking To Compete After Offseason Facelift
In the ever-changing landscape of the National Hockey League, the Pittsburgh Penguins have been a mainstay of the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference since Sidney Crosby’s arrival in 2004. Except for last season when Ron Hextall ruined the Penguins playoff streak and sent them into a frenzy to recover and make at least one more Stanley Cup run with the aging but still great core of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang.
Tough Competition For Penguins
The Eastern Conference has always been tough in the NHL, but maybe never tougher than it is right now. The Metropolitan Division itself is stacked with teams like the Devils, Rangers, Hurricanes, and Capitals as well as the Penguins. Then you have to worry about teams like the Bruins, Maple Leafs, Panthers, and Lightning. That’s a lot of good teams.
While the Penguins just barely missed the playoffs last year, they will have an uphill battle this season but have improved the roster greatly. Kyle Dubas has undone a lot of the putrid moves that Hextall made, but things still have to work out on the ice.
The Dubas Era
Newly self-appointed general manager Kyle Dubas has wasted no time improving the Penguins roster in his first season in control. Aside from acquiring future first-ballot Hall Of Famer Erik Karlsson, Dubas has spent every waking moment trying to improve this roster. He knows how much hockey means in Pittsburgh, and the scrutiny he could face if he doesn’t put a winning product out there this winter.
On draft night Dubas pulled off a move to bring in Reilly Smith, a guy fresh off a Stanley Cup victory with the Vegas Golden Knights. Pittsburgh sent Vegas a third-round pick that just so happened to be the same third-round pick the Penguins acquired from Vegas when they sent them Teddy Blueger earlier in the season. Many Penguins fans think Smith could be the Jason Zucker replacement. Zucker was a guy that hurt to lose, as he brought so much energy to the Penguins at key times, scoring some big goals. A spark plug. Smith is a solid addition, as he posted 26 goals and 30 assists last season and was plus 11 for Vegas in his 78 games played.
Another big addition that Dubas has made came on the blue line. The Penguins defense has been suspect for years, even dating back to the back-to-back Stanley Cups people had questions about the defensive unit, but it worked out. Dubas signed defenseman Ryan Graves to a six-year deal, the former New Jersey Devil now gets to put on black and gold. Graves is a big body, standing at six foot five and 220 pounds, the left-handed defenseman isn’t afraid to throw the body around, landing 287 hits in his two years in New Jersey. Graves should be a good juxtaposition of the up-tempo offensive styles of Letang and Karlsson.
Another guy the Penguins have added throughout the Free Agency process was a familiar face, Lars Eller. Eller was a key component of those Capitals team the Penguins went toe to toe with every year in the playoffs, so he knows the deal in Pittsburgh. It’s about winning. Eller is 34 years old and will be a big piece of the bottom six forward group that has needed an upgrade since the Hagelin-Bonino-Kessel days. Unfortunately, no third line could compare to that, Eller will be a good piece for the Penguins this year.
Eller scored the goal that clinched the Stanley Cup for the Capitals, so he’s no stranger to the big stage that Pittsburgh plans to be on this year and every year. Eller is primarily a center but can play wing and is a solid penalty killer.
The Penguins plethora of aging players makes many fans question if they have the speed to keep up with all the young guns in the Eastern Conference but we saw them only a couple of games away from getting into the playoffs last year. If they can just get into that top eight in the east, their experience will take them a long way. There are not many teams if any at all that have the experience that Pittsburgh has. Be sure to stop and smell the roses, and appreciate Crosby, Malkin, Letang, and Karlsson while they’re here. The Penguins are going all in, Things could get dark once this era is over, just like the transition into this current great era of Penguins hockey.
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