The Pittsburgh Penguins were ravaged by injuries during the 2010-11 season as neither Sidney Crosby nor Evgeni Malkin played more than 43 games. Can a healthy Penguins squad take the Stanley Cup next season?
Even so, the Penguins were again a contender in the Eastern Conference, but it grew evident that they were a few bricks short of a load once the playoffs hit.
With a healthy Crosby and Malkin, the Pens will again be 2012 Stanley Cup contenders. But they have some work to do in the offseason, most notably to find some right wingers. They don’t have a lot of cash to work with, so it will be interesting to see what kind of solutions they come up with.
What They’ve Got:
Two of the best players in the game, and an MVP-caliber goaltender.
The Penguins obviously have a lot more than that, but the trio ofSidney Crosby, Malkin and Marc-Andre Fleury are the three major factors as to why the Penguins will be Cup contenders next season and for many years to come.
There is a good supporting cast – particularly among the forwards – for Crosby and Evgeni Malkin to work with. Jordan Staal, Chris Kunitz, James Neal, Eric Tangradi and Mark Letestu are a decent cast, which means the Penguins don’t have a ton of work to do. If they can bring back Tyler Kennedy and make good on the recent Jaromir Jagr rumors, they’ll be in great shape up front.
On the blue line, the Pens will bring all of their defensemen back from last season, which is a good sign from a consistency standpoint. It wouldn’t hurt if they added a veteran blue liner, but it’s not necessarily a glaring need.
What They Need:
The Pens really need to figure out their winger situation. If Kennedy walks, the only right winger on the entire roster will be Craig Adams.
As mentioned, the original plan is to bring Kennedy back and sign Jagr, but they’ll also hope for some overall improvements in-house.
Neal scored just two goals in 27 games since he was acquired from the Dallas Stars and the Penguins expect more. Obviously, playing with Crosby or Malkin should improve those totals, but as of now, he’s been quite the disappointment. More is also expected out of Tangradi, who missed most of the season because of a concussion.
The blue line is in good shape, so the main concern for the Penguins this year – as it will be every year – will be who do they put around Crosby and Malkin?
With Alexei Kovalev, Maxim Talbot, Michael Rupp, Eric Godard, Aaron Asham and Mike Comrie all unrestricted free agents, and Kennedy and Dustin Jeffrey restricted, the Pens could have a lot of new faces around Crosby and Malkin when they do return to health next season.
Outlook:
It’s tough to bet against a team like the Penguins. They have played in the Stanley Cup finals or won it in two of the last three seasons, and even last year, they were fairly competitive without their two biggest stars.
Bodog has already released their Future NHL betting lines and the Penguins are tied with the Boston Bruins at 8/1 hockey odds to win the Stanley Cup.
If Neal steps up and the Pens alleviate their concerns at the right wing position, they will be Stanley Cup frontrunners in the East. And even if they don’t, there’s a good chance they’ll be in the mix once again as this is a veteran squad with All-Star leadership and far fewer holes than many of the other East contenders.
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