The Pittsburgh Penguins look a little different now than they did a few months ago, though most of the primary characters remain.<\/p>\n
Is that a good thing? Can they reach the postseason again? Are young players being left out in the cold?<\/p>\n
These are all legitimate questions without right or wrong answers. But let\u2019s break it all down.<\/p>\n
Much could change between now and puck drop on Sept. 29, of course, but here\u2019s a look at the Penguins\u2019 potential lineup as we begin to drift into the dark days of the hockey offseason.<\/p>\n
Current best guess: Forwards
\n Left wingCenterRight wing<\/p>\n
Rickard Rakell<\/p>\n
Sidney Crosby<\/p>\n
Bryan Rust<\/p>\n
Egor Chinakhov<\/p>\n
Tommy Novak<\/p>\n
Evgeni Malkin<\/p>\n
Andrei Kuzmenko<\/p>\n
Ben Kindel<\/p>\n
Nick Robertson<\/p>\n
Connor Dewar<\/p>\n
Blake Lizotte<\/p>\n
Elmer S\u00f6derblom<\/p>\n
The good<\/p>\n
\u2022 Though Crosby, Rust and Rakell weren\u2019t as effective as usual when playing together last season, they still managed to produce their typical numbers. The trio works as a legitimate top line, so long as regression doesn\u2019t hit significantly.<\/p>\n
\u2022 That second line was dynamite last season.<\/p>\n
\u2022 It\u2019s difficult to say how the third line would work because these players have never skated together. Still, there\u2019s a lot of offensive punch there.<\/p>\n
\u2022 We know Lizotte and Dewar are very good together. S\u00f6derblom was a pleasant surprise almost immediately after being acquired from the Detroit Red Wings. His size is real. His upside might be, too.<\/p>\n
\u2022 This is a very deep forward unit that appears capable of replacing Anthony Mantha\u2019s offense.<\/p>\n
The bad<\/p>\n
\u2022 When the average age of your top line is 35, you\u2019re asking for trouble.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Novak is a fringe top-six player.<\/p>\n
\u2022 It might be a lot to ask Malkin, who gets hurt a lot, to perform at last season\u2019s level.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Chinakhov needs to prove he wasn\u2019t a flash in the pan.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Kuzmenko and Robertson are not good defensive players, which isn\u2019t ideal for third-line wingers.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Who is going to kill penalties? Lizotte and Dewar, for sure. Kindel looks qualified. Rust does, too, but you don\u2019t want him expending all of his energy there. Who else? Not a lot of PK depth.<\/p>\n
Odd man out<\/p>\n
Justin Brazeau? It seems silly not to have him listed on the top four lines, but where does he fit? S\u00f6derblom played at a higher level last season. Brazeau, you\u2019ll recall, was a healthy scratch for the first time all season in the playoffs against the Flyers. The Penguins\u2019 top six appears pretty well set. They didn\u2019t acquire Robertson and Kuzmenko to have them sit in the press box, nor did they give Lizotte and Dewar new contracts for that purpose.<\/p>\n
The ugly<\/p>\n
I believe the players listed above, along with Brazeau, are the top 13 forwards on the Penguins\u2019 depth chart. Not mentioned, of course, are Rutger McGroarty and Avery Hayes, two of the team\u2019s better prospects.<\/p>\n
McGroarty, perhaps because of health issues in September, started last season slowly and never looked like the player the Penguins hoped to see. Still, he\u2019s only 22 and brings plenty to the table. Is starting him in AHL Wilkes-Barre next season really for the best?<\/p>\n
Hayes, whose ceiling might not be that high, has the look of a bottom-six pest who can score in the NHL. How exactly do McGroarty and Hayes make this team as currently constructed? And what about 24-year-old Hendrix Lapierre?<\/p>\n
Going with the 12 best forwards is any coach\u2019s job, yes, but aren\u2019t the Penguins supposed to be getting younger? Wasn\u2019t Dan Muse brought here to work with young NHL players?<\/p>\n
Current best guess: Defensemen\u00a0
\n Left defenseRight defense<\/p>\n
Trevor van Riemsdyk<\/p>\n
Erik Karlsson<\/p>\n
Sam Girard<\/p>\n
Kris Letang<\/p>\n
Declan Carlile<\/p>\n
Kaedan Korczak<\/p>\n
The good<\/p>\n
\u2022 So long as Muse has unlocked prime Karlsson, he\u2019ll be a joy to watch and will make the Penguins better.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Carlile may well have been president\/GM Kyle Dubas\u2019 best free-agency pickup, and along with Korczak, could give the Penguins a very young, dependable pairing.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Girard was playing hurt last season and may have more to offer now that he\u2019s had a full summer to adjust to the Penguins\u2019 system.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Van Riemsdyk is a dependable player.<\/p>\n
The bad<\/p>\n
\u2022 While they showed flashes in the last few games of the postseason, Letang and Girard generally were not good together.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Van Riemsdyk shouldn\u2019t be receiving top-pairing minutes. He\u2019s 34 and will be asked to play on his off side.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Letang should no longer receive substantial minutes but probably will again.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Their arguably two best penalty-killing defensemen, Ryan Shea and Parker Wotherspoon, are gone.<\/p>\n
Odd men out<\/p>\n
The Penguins don\u2019t want Ryan Graves in the lineup, which is understandable. Caleb Jones showed flashes early last season and appears to be a fairly strong bet to be the No. 7 defenseman if the Penguins enter the season healthy. Prospect Owen Pickering shouldn\u2019t be forgotten and seemed to make some strides last season despite playing hurt. But there\u2019s also little indication that the current front office has grandiose plans for him.<\/p>\n
The ugly<\/p>\n
Ugly might be harsh, but prospect Harrison Brunicke is the most important defenseman to the organization\u2019s future. No, it\u2019s not the end of the world if he starts next season in Wilkes-Barre. He\u2019s only 20 and has played just 34 AHL games in his young career. Some more seasoning at that level isn\u2019t necessarily the wrong move, though he looked a little too good for the AHL during most of Wilkes-Barre\u2019s playoff run this spring.<\/p>\n
Current best guess: Goaltenders
\n Goaltender<\/p>\n
Sergei Murashov<\/p>\n
Art\u016brs \u0160ilovs<\/p>\n
The good<\/p>\n
\u2022 The Penguins have handled Murashov, 22, perfectly. He appears ready for prime time. His athleticism and overall talent are difficult to ignore.<\/p>\n
\u2022 \u0160ilovs is only 25 and has room to grow.<\/p>\n
The bad<\/p>\n
\u2022 That\u2019s an awfully inexperienced goaltending duo. Going with youth is the right call, but it could lead to some short-term issues.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The Penguins love to split goaltenders\u2019 playing time 50-50, but in a non-Olympic schedule, does that make for too much downtime for developing goalies?<\/p>\n
Odd man out<\/p>\n
Joel Blomqvist was nearly as good as Murashov in Wilkes-Barre last season and is a legitimate NHL prospect. The net appears to be his in Wilkes-Barre this season, which is fine, but he\u2019ll be wanting his NHL chance sooner than later.<\/p>\n
The ugly<\/p>\n