Penguins don’t have much trouble. But as they open training camp with the Stanley Cup playoffs to (hopefully) start on August 1, the main problem is: the teams will not be quarantined during camp. Penguins need to be healthy before reaching the Toronto bubble. Problems will be more difficult to solve, or just before leaving.
So far, so bad: The Penguins announced that nine players will miss the start of camp due to “possible secondary exposure to a person who had contact with a person who tested positive for the covid-19 virus.” This is known as “abundance of caution”. It could also be called “Madden’s Point Test”.
But if the Penguins arrive in Toronto with minimal pandemic-related problems, their chances are as good as anyone’s.
The thirty-something stars are rested. Injuries, a big problem throughout the season, have decreased. Jake Guentzel is cured. Penguins, on paper, could be the best NHL team.
But sliding down to the fifth seed didn’t help. A place in the round robin among the top four seeds in the Eastern Conference would have given the Penguins a safe shot at seed No. 1, which is good as gold with replenishment made after each round.
Including the penguins, there are five Eastern Conference teams that could win the Stanley Cup. The penguins will probably have to beat three of them just to make it to the Stanley Cup final. That is the effect of replanting: the Penguins support cannot be broken.
Coach Mike Sullivan has mostly good problems to deal with. How which line works as your third, Jared McCann centering Patrick Marleau and Patric Hornqvist, or Teddy Blueger between Zach Aston-Reese and Brandon Tanev? Each of those trios has a third-line caliber and could easily thrive with the corresponding minutes.
The clashes can dictate, but McCann’s line ranks third, because members of Blueger’s line will absorb heavier minutes in the penalty.
The power play evokes debate, having turned 19.9% of the time to 16th place during the regular season. That’s amazingly mediocre given the talent.
The penguins have not replaced Phil Kessel in the left circle, with the PK opposition leaning heavily to their left to deal with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. It is suggested to move Crosby or Malkin to Kessel’s place, but that draws one of your top two players from his strength (but does bring Guentzel and Hornqvist to light).
My Answer: Put Bryan Rust there. It’s not traditional for that role, but it’s a right-handed shot with the best 27 goals of his career in 55 games. Would he gain the respect of enemies, thus creating room for Crosby and Malkin on the other side? Good question.
Then there is the Conor Sheary debate: Should he be on the Crosby line alongside Guentzel?
But there is no debate: that will happen. It should, at first. That line has worked well before, and it’s Crosby’s preference.
If Sheary doesn’t produce, Jason Zucker jumps to the Crosby line. But then many parts begin to move. Sheary on the Crosby line makes the rest of the depth chart fall much easier.
Matt Murray is a question mark. It is also the only option for the Penguins in goal, at least initially. Tristan Jarry’s first NHL playoff game shouldn’t come after a layoff of more than four months. The two goalkeepers performed relatively smoothly throughout the season, but Murray’s playoff record gives him the go-ahead and a fairly long leash.
Furthermore, Murray had no playoff record when he led the Penguins to his first Stanley Cup in 2016. And it cannot be denied that Murray’s ceiling since winning his second Cup in ’17 is above average, no best. He didn’t do so well without Marc-Andre Fleury there to push him. That’s what the statistics say.
Murray is the most cliche topic. But also the largest.
On defense, the Penguins need Jack Johnson to maintain his mediocrity and Justin Schultz to play much better. But rookie John Marino’s appearance gives the Penguins three strong right-handed defenders – absolute luxury in today’s hockey.
With the variables properly pointed out, there is zero chance the penguins will get mad at Montreal in the preliminary round, best of five. Canadians suck. They know they suck. Most of them don’t want to play. The top six forward, Max Domi, could choose not to participate because he is diabetic. The penguins had almost a complete squad in their informal training. Until recently, Canadians barely had a starting lineup.
Penguins in three games. Then the real fun begins, if covid-19 allows it.
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Columns by Mark Madden | Penguins / NHL | sports
