It's A Hockey Night In Pittsburgh
Posted: October 7th, 2010, 5:03 pm
Well, Consol Energy Center and another Pittsburgh Penguin campaign kick off tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers. A new look Penguins will take the ice after a lot of off-season departures and acquisitions. Thought I would throw a little Penguins preview together for you more casual hockey fans that visit this site.
Defensive Changes:
-Gonchar left for Ottawa, Leopold is now in Buffalo, and Eaton now will be with the NY Islanders.
-Penguins in turn acquired Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek. These were two of the best defensemen available this past offseason. The are both defensemen that can put up fairly good offensive numbers while being sound defensively. Martin came from the Devils and Pen's fans are real familiar with him. Michalek on the other hand has been in Phoenix since the lockout and has put up consistent and solid numbers for each of those seasons. Michalek is 27 and Martin is 29 so they could be a long-term answer at defense (compared to Gonchar who is probably entering his final contract).
-The other defense openings from last year will be filled from within the system. Ben Lovejoy played in a dozen games last year and was a +8. Many people felt he should have been up last year but it looks like he will play his first full NHL season this year as long as he stays healthy. Jay McKee was a scratch much of last year for the Penguins but led the NHL in blocked shots the year before with the Blues. I am not really sure why he was scratched so much last year but it may have been due to not being able to find a good pairing with him. It appears as though he will be a mainstay is the Pen's lineup this year and I would expect to see him paired with Goligoski most of the way. The final defensemen to make this team was David Engelland a 28 year old that has been in the system quite a while now. He will probably see the most scratches unless those in front of him don't stay healthy but he will be a good reliable player to fill in when needed.
My projected defense pairings:
Orpik and Letang
Martin and Michalek
Goligoski and McKee
Offense:
Bill Guerin, Ruslan Fedotenko, and Alex Ponikarovsky are the big departures for the forwards.
Penguins have added the once hated now loved Arron Asham from the Flyers. Many think he will be paired with Crosby to add that line a little more "grit." Great role player to add to the team that isn't afraid to drop the gloves for a good cause. The other key addition was Mike Comrie who has just been lighting the lamp all preseason. He is a player that has spent much of his career with the Islanders and Oilers so now that he has some players around him many think his production will explode. The biggest weakness on this team the last few years was the fact the Penguins have the best Centers in the league but struggled getting wingers to help the offensive cause. That is what the management addressed in the offseason.
Other new faces at forward will be Mark Letestu. He was undrafted out of college but Bylsma has always liked this guy. He played a fair amount at the end of last season but will probably be a mainstay in the lineup this year. A very smart hockey player that always seems to be in a good position to score. Eric Tangradi was optioned to ECHL today but that does not mean he will not have a good bit of playing time. They put him in Wheeling so he was more assessable if needed for the game tonight or Saturday with Asham being day-to-day with a shoulder injury. He will be in the NHL sooner rather than later but with the Pen's taking 3 goaltenders to start the year he was a product of the numbers game. He is the Pen's best prospect.
I really have no projections on the offensive lines at this point. Staal is out until around December with an infection on his foot that he had several surgery's on this summer. This is the thing that is really up in the air going into the season.
Goaltending:
Like last season Fleury will be the number one. Brent Johnson will back him up. The Pen's did add Patrick Killeen to the roster a 20 year old so we shall see what role they plan on developing him into. Is it going to be Fleury's long-term backup or a challenger to Fleury's job in the future.
Projections:
The Penguins play in the toughest division in the East with Pittsburgh, New Jersey, and Philadelphia all having realistic Cup chances. This will definitely hurt the Penguins in producing a lot of points in the standings. I think the Penguins will win this division but having such a tough division will hurt them in getting the top seed. I project the Penguins getting a 2 seed. Many people do not take into account the challenges the Penguins had last season. They played in 2 straight Stanley Cup Finals which means more games and less of a summer for your players than other teams. Add in the fact that many of the Pen's stars played in a very competitive and physical Olympic tournament and that is a lot of bruises and it plays a toll on the body. This team will be fresh and ready to go deep into the playoffs again this year. I say this team will not only win the East but will add a 4th banner to Consol Energy Center. I like the direction this organization went in the offseason.
Penguins over Canucks in 6
Defensive Changes:
-Gonchar left for Ottawa, Leopold is now in Buffalo, and Eaton now will be with the NY Islanders.
-Penguins in turn acquired Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek. These were two of the best defensemen available this past offseason. The are both defensemen that can put up fairly good offensive numbers while being sound defensively. Martin came from the Devils and Pen's fans are real familiar with him. Michalek on the other hand has been in Phoenix since the lockout and has put up consistent and solid numbers for each of those seasons. Michalek is 27 and Martin is 29 so they could be a long-term answer at defense (compared to Gonchar who is probably entering his final contract).
-The other defense openings from last year will be filled from within the system. Ben Lovejoy played in a dozen games last year and was a +8. Many people felt he should have been up last year but it looks like he will play his first full NHL season this year as long as he stays healthy. Jay McKee was a scratch much of last year for the Penguins but led the NHL in blocked shots the year before with the Blues. I am not really sure why he was scratched so much last year but it may have been due to not being able to find a good pairing with him. It appears as though he will be a mainstay is the Pen's lineup this year and I would expect to see him paired with Goligoski most of the way. The final defensemen to make this team was David Engelland a 28 year old that has been in the system quite a while now. He will probably see the most scratches unless those in front of him don't stay healthy but he will be a good reliable player to fill in when needed.
My projected defense pairings:
Orpik and Letang
Martin and Michalek
Goligoski and McKee
Offense:
Bill Guerin, Ruslan Fedotenko, and Alex Ponikarovsky are the big departures for the forwards.
Penguins have added the once hated now loved Arron Asham from the Flyers. Many think he will be paired with Crosby to add that line a little more "grit." Great role player to add to the team that isn't afraid to drop the gloves for a good cause. The other key addition was Mike Comrie who has just been lighting the lamp all preseason. He is a player that has spent much of his career with the Islanders and Oilers so now that he has some players around him many think his production will explode. The biggest weakness on this team the last few years was the fact the Penguins have the best Centers in the league but struggled getting wingers to help the offensive cause. That is what the management addressed in the offseason.
Other new faces at forward will be Mark Letestu. He was undrafted out of college but Bylsma has always liked this guy. He played a fair amount at the end of last season but will probably be a mainstay in the lineup this year. A very smart hockey player that always seems to be in a good position to score. Eric Tangradi was optioned to ECHL today but that does not mean he will not have a good bit of playing time. They put him in Wheeling so he was more assessable if needed for the game tonight or Saturday with Asham being day-to-day with a shoulder injury. He will be in the NHL sooner rather than later but with the Pen's taking 3 goaltenders to start the year he was a product of the numbers game. He is the Pen's best prospect.
I really have no projections on the offensive lines at this point. Staal is out until around December with an infection on his foot that he had several surgery's on this summer. This is the thing that is really up in the air going into the season.
Goaltending:
Like last season Fleury will be the number one. Brent Johnson will back him up. The Pen's did add Patrick Killeen to the roster a 20 year old so we shall see what role they plan on developing him into. Is it going to be Fleury's long-term backup or a challenger to Fleury's job in the future.
Projections:
The Penguins play in the toughest division in the East with Pittsburgh, New Jersey, and Philadelphia all having realistic Cup chances. This will definitely hurt the Penguins in producing a lot of points in the standings. I think the Penguins will win this division but having such a tough division will hurt them in getting the top seed. I project the Penguins getting a 2 seed. Many people do not take into account the challenges the Penguins had last season. They played in 2 straight Stanley Cup Finals which means more games and less of a summer for your players than other teams. Add in the fact that many of the Pen's stars played in a very competitive and physical Olympic tournament and that is a lot of bruises and it plays a toll on the body. This team will be fresh and ready to go deep into the playoffs again this year. I say this team will not only win the East but will add a 4th banner to Consol Energy Center. I like the direction this organization went in the offseason.
Penguins over Canucks in 6