Pittsburgh Penguins Season Review
The Pens started off the season strong coming out of the gate as one of the conferences top teams. However inconsistencies between the pipes soon lead to a slow drop down the standings. The need was addressed as Vesa Toskala was brought in from the Coyotes.
However Toskala failed to find his game in Pittsburgh and struggled mightily throughout his tenure. These struggles continued throughout the playoffs and it looks as though Toskala may have played his last game as a Pen.
Toskala was not the only player to struggle as super star Sidney Crosby never got his game going in the Steel City and was shipped out in a deal to bring in what GM Goffie calls the best all around center in the game today. Mike Richards. Richards struggled finding consistency in his game for the majority of the regular season. However when the playoffs rolled around he was the Pens best player not named Ovechkin.
Alexander Ovechkin came to Pittsburgh in a massive blockbuster that saw Alex Semin and Drew Doughty leave the organization. Ovechkin was a solid goal scorer all year scoring 33 goals in 63 games as a Pen and really blossomed in the playoffs scoring 10 goals in 10 games.
Jason Spezza proved again that he is one of the most dangerous players in the history of the sim, putting up huge numbers again this season. Spezza scored 36 times and added 58 helpers to give him 94 points and a +16 rating. Spezza continued his tear in the playoffs, setting up 8 goals but only scored once. Spezza is a RFA after this season and rumors are swirling with the emergence of Richards that he may have played his last game as a Pen.
Moving Forward
Upfront
Jason Spezza, Tomas Plekanec, and Daniel Alfredsson, are all expected to play elsewhere next season. However the Spezza rumors seem to swirl every offseason, so there are no confirmed sources saying he will be moved. The Pens have decided to go with a grittier lineup and these players may not fit into the plan and will be placed on the block. UFA’s Jason Chimera and Saku Koivu are not expected to receive contract offers before July 1st sending them to free agency.
Ian Laperrier’s grit and two way play makes him a surprise keeper on the forward list moving forward. Mike Richards, Andrei Kostitsyn, Alex Ovechkin, Troy Brouwer, and Chris Higgins are all expected to be back. Bobby Ryan is expected to move up into a big role with the club. The club has not decided whether Sergei Kostitsyn will be kept or dealt.
On Defense
Mike Komisarek, Andrei Markov, and Greg Zanon are all expected to be back with the club next year. The club will not send offers to Mathieu Schnieder or Brett Hedican making them UFA’s. Premiere offense defenseman Sergei Gonchar is expected to be dealt. Ruslan Salei may come back for next season or may be dealt depending on what types of trades the club makes within the next little while.
Between the pipes
Vesa Toskala will be traded in the offseason, his playoff meltdown combined with the fact that he is a NHL Leaf makes him a priority to deal. Ray Emery was a stellar backup and all signs point to him coming back to the NHL so he will remain part of the club for now, but will be made available for trade. Carey Price is expected to step into fulltime action next year as is Jaroslav Halak. It is unknown whether the Pens will deal for a veteran presence to help out the two youngsters yet or not.
The Pipeline
Bobby Ryan is expected to play a roll on a scoring line next season and Matt D’Agostini, and Teddy Purcell could see part time action. The club is expected to patient with Mikkel Boedkar, Max Pacioretty, and Colton Gillies. Russian Evgeny Grachev also remains part of the clubs future plans.
On defense the trio of Ryan McDonagh, PK Subban, and Zach Bogosian are expected to be a huge part of the future. Bogosian will be given a look at for fulltime action next season, but the Pens will likely be patient.
Overall review:
The Pens 5th place finish was the best in recent years but it is still nowhere near where we think this club should be. The club is going to go over some major changes this offseason and should come back with a very different look next season. The future is bright with the trio of Ovechkin, Richards, and Ryan up front, and Subban and Bogosian on the blueline. Carey Price and Jaro Halak will continue to grow and give the Pens a great young tandem moving forward. All and all we think this season was not as good as what it should have been, but the groundwork is there to make the future of this team very bright. The Pens will pull out all the stops needed to be playing for the Cup next season.
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