FanNation - The Republic of Sport

The main flurry of activity is over now, so it's time to look at the end result and decide:

 Are the Penguins Better now? Or worse?

I voter for better, and here's why...

Although Common Wisdom says the Penguins have slipped a notch, that is only based one equation, and I think it's short-sighted.

The "Penguins Are Worse" thinking is based on the wing trade-off. In other words, Miroslav Satan isn't as good as Marian Hossa and Ruslan Fedotenko is not as good as Ryan Malone, so we're worse off.

Well... not so fast.

First off, Marian Hossa, who was a good rent-a-player for us during the playoffs was a complete non-factor during the regular season. He only played in a handful of games, and was not exactly lighting up the scoreboards.

In fact, I think it is safe to say that he did nothing to shed his reputation of "Play-off choker" during the first round of the playoffs either. It was not until the closing games of the Ranger's series that he looked like the Marian Hossa we hoped to get. He continued terrific play during the Flyers series... but did anyone notice him inflicting heavy damage during the Red Wings series?

I realize that the Penguins lost that one, but my point is: If Hossa had ONLY played the series with the Senators and the Red Wings, would anyone even had wanted him back at $7 million a season?

Which is not to say that I didn't hope the Penguins would sign him. I did. I thought he was a nice fit, and I admired his two-way play. But it's not like his contribution to the Penguins was irreplaceable.

I'm pretty sure we lose to the Red Wings in the finals last year with or without Hossa. Maybe the Ranger's series goes another game. But the over-all outcome of the Stanley Cup Playoffs would not have been altered had Hossa never donned the black and gold.

Which brings me to Ryan Malone.

First off, I want to say that I really liked Ryan Malone -- despite the fact that his shoulders and neck tatoos made him looking like a walking advertisement for DC Comics... He was a gusty player in the playoffs, always a stand-up guy in the locker room (never ducking the press for interviews) and a Pittsburgh Native. BUT... does anyone except his agent, and his father, think he is worth $5 million a year?

Let's put this in perspective, Petr Sykora -- you know, the other guy on the line with Evengi Malkin -- is making about half of that. Does anyone want to tell me why Ryan Malone is worth twice as much as Petr Sykora? Frankly, if I'm rating that line, Malone comes in third.

Yes, Malone had a "break-out" year. He also was on, arguably, the best line in hockey last year. And, although I am willing to say that his gutsy play in front of the net was part of what made it great, his hulking presence is nothing without Sykora and Malkin making stunning moves heretofore confined to Cirque du Soleil performances.

And, although I'm willing to buy that Satan is not the two-way player that Hossa is, I don't think you can say the same thing about Fedotenko and Malone. I see no reason that Fedotenko can't be every bit as good as Malone on our 1B line - and probably even better.

As for Satan, he may not be as good as Hossa (who can say?) but I don't' know that the Penguins will notice. If he can get to the net and finish Crosby's passes, I think we'll be just fine.  

Which brings me to the rest of the team...

Let's examine some of the other players we lost:

Gary Roberts: Great guy. Great presence in the locker room. But - maybe - our fourth line center. (Who you gonna sit so he can play? Crosby, Malkin or Staal?) He, too, missed much of the season, and also much of the playoffs. Great guy, but we're not going to miss him on the ice. Sorry Gary Robert's fans. Put your WWGRD bracelets on E-Bay... but life moves on.

Jarko Rutuu: He was fun to watch, and had a wicked sense of humor. I'll miss him. But will the Penguins? Hell, he was a healthy scratch a lot of the season. And he would draw penalties that we could ill afford - not always his fault, I'll admit. Sometimes his reputation got the penalty, but 2:00 minutes on the penalty kill is 2 minutes on the penalty kill, for whatever reason.

George LaRaque: George was a stand-up guy in the community... but did anyone notice him being what we paid him for - a deterrent on the ice? It seems that A) No one was afraid of him and B) He never fought. Correct me if I am wrong, but Talbot and Kennedy had more fights in the play-offs than Laraque... When push came to shove, they benched him in the finals. Not a ringing endorsement.

OK... end of bad news... how about the good news?

First off, the salary cap continues to rise, and we have players locked in a reasonable rates that will just get better. By the time Malkin's 5 year deal expires he will be one of the best deals in all of hockey and people will be wondering how the Penguins got him so cheap. We still need to sign Staal, but our cap management looks really good right now.

As for the players, you need to remember: This team will keep getting better. They're kids. They will all get better.

Write it down. It is probably the five most feared words in hockey: The Penguins will get better.

Evgeni Malkin: He may already be the best player on ice. A world class player - who will only get better this year. You think he doesn't want to show Ovechkin who's the best Russian? Look out... he's going to come back with fire in his eyes. He wants to play on this team, and took a discount to do it.

Jordon Staal: Anyone think this kid has peaked? I don't. I expect him to be even better this year than he was last year. He may develop into the best defensive center we have had since Ron Francis.

Tyler Kennedy: Another young kid who will only get better. He showed absolutely zero nerves in the playoffs, and always brought a lot of energy to the ice. This kid is going to have a breakout year this year (if we can keep him away from whoever gave him Mono last year...)

Mark Andre Fleury - He's been hit or miss for much of his career, but down the stretch and in the playoffs, he was incredible. Yes, he had a couple of games against the Red Wings that made him look human, but let's not take away from the fact that they are Stanley Cup champions for a reason. Now that he's the man in Pittsburgh, I expect him to show everyone why we drafted him with a number 1 round draft pick.

Sidney Crosby: I know, it seems hard to believe, but he will be better this year. Every year he works on another aspect of his game, and this year I expect to see him shoot more and pass less. That will confuse the defense, eh?

The point is that the Penguins roared into the playoffs with no help from Hossa. Except for Malone, the main players are back, and the east didn't exactly get better.

(Philly lost Umberger... I will be shocked to see the Rangers do anything... the Senators are years away from a rebuild... and the Caps lost their new-future goalie. The Lightning made a lot of noise, but I didn't like Melrose as a coach back when the Mullet was in fashion. He has a losing record and has done nothing to impress me as a color analyst. John Madded makes as much sense as a head coach.)

Nothing is a given, but the Penguins should be back in the play-off hunt again next spring. Then, I'm betting that the play-off experience they garnered this year will take them down the stretch again.

Right now, I would say that Detroit and Pittsburgh are on a collision course... which would really be interesting.

But of course, a lot can happen between now and then...

My point is that the Penguins are still a power-house, and next year has a lot of promise for Penguin fans.