While hockey fans across the continent of North America were anxiously waiting to see what their favorite clubs were going to do during the first day of free agency on July 1st it wasn’t even a free agent signing that took the headlines that day. The Pittsburgh Penguins decided to go after their guy a different way via trade acquiring high scoring winger Phil Kessel from the Toronto Maple Leafs. I’m sure you could guess, Penguins fans were jubilant about landing a 40 goal and potential 50 goal scorer.
We’ve heard and seen this song and dance before and have seen it from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Offense will make for an entertaining season and can even put you in a good position for the postseason but what has happened to this team in the playoffs since 2010? You have to excuse the 2010 playoffs since Montreal went on their miracle run to get past both Ovechkin and Washington and Crosby and Malkin in back to back rounds and the 2011 playoffs both Crosby and Malkin were out with injuries.
Since 2012 the Pittsburgh Penguins have underachieved in the playoffs and a lack of offense can’t be the main reason. A lack of offense has come up in some series but who were they playing? Good defensive teams. Bostons, New York Rangers teams with great defenses and great goaltenders behind those defenses. People have said it time and time again the defensive teams are the ones who make it far these days. Chicago, Boston, The Rangers, The Kings, the fast, physical shutdown type teams, it’s no secret why these four teams have had success over the past half decade or so.
The Pittsburgh Penguins don’t have a very menacing defense right now. Kris Letang at his best is one of the best defensemen in the entire league sure but taking out Olli Maata who is still somewhat unproven what else is on that Penguins defense? Ian Cole is a fine DMan, but then you have Scuderi at 36 as your best guy.
This could all be a moot point, the Pittsburgh Penguins were a top ten team last year defensively and in the short amount of time they were in the playoffs this year they didn’t allow many goals either even though the Rangers didn’t exactly blow the doors off anyone this past playoff year.
The offense won’t have any trouble next season, when your biggest problem is who does Phil Kessel play with Crosby or Malkin is your biggest problem you have it pretty good. I honestly don’t know what Kessel brings over James Neal though. Neal scored 40 goals for the Penguins, was a pest for other teams and he’ll play better defense than Kessel will. Neal didn’t have any off ice issues and we don’t even know if Kessel does or if it was just the Toronto media blowing up that Kessel does which there is a good chance that was the case. Kessel can’t be the guy on a team so being in the background of Crosby and Malkin maybe he can sit back and score 40-50 goals.
The Pittsburgh Penguins will be one of the teams to watch again next year. It’s hard to not see a Penguins game on and not turn it on with Crosby and Malkin but Kessel does add that excitement to an explosive offensive team. In my opinion though the Pittsburgh Penguins are in no better shape than the past couple of years because of their defense. We’ve seen it before with this team as well as others, the offense is a great thing to have and can put you in a good position in the regular season but when the offense comes down in the playoffs it comes down to your defense and the Pittsburgh Penguins don’t have enough defense to beat the better teams in the league.
