SabreWolf wrote:
X-pensfan wrote:
BlueandYellow wrote:
X-pensfan wrote:
Godard, Asham, Rupp, Cooke, and Adams. They got the agitator/knuckle dragger roles covered.
AND scoring. AND defense. AND goaltending.
We shall see. They are indeed a lock to make the playoffs, and the GAA should come down with the defensive upgrades they've made. But NONE of their top 6 guys on the blue line should be expected to put up 20 even strength points next season. Malkin is the only player on the team with a shot from the point, and the coaches-who are mind numbingly blind-continue to try and cram Crosby and Malkin into the same roles on the power play instead of spreading them out with Geno at the point. That might change now that Mike Yeo (the PP mastermind-less) has moved on.
The new guys, Martin and Michalek both have pretty much homo-sexual type shots and they aren't exactly Paul Coffey with the puck either. SO while they might be better in their own zone, their breakout probably wont be as crisp, which means that they will be spending MORE time in their own zone. The power play may not even enter the top 20 again, despite enough talent to easily be in the top 10. And the winger situation just keeps getting worse every year and the Penguins pathetic scouting/drafting has done nothing to relieve the situation. There is a TON of pressure on rookie Eric Tangradi to produce 20^ goals on a scoring line next season, and it's possible that they will bump Staal up to the wing. Which will weaken their depth considerably, even if he does rekindle his scoring touch.
Fleury is also VERY inconsistent. On one night he can dislocate his spine and look like a freak of nature. But then he will go 2 or 3 games without looking very interested in the games.
As for their coaching, I have my doubts. While I really like Dan Bylsma, I'm not convinced that he is as good a coach as his record indicates. His idea of a good defensive system is to keep the puck in the attacking zone. That's sound logic, but the longer he goes as their coach the sloppier they get in their own zone, and the on ice discipline continues to get worse under his watch as well.
I'm still perplexed as to why Malkin is still sporting a rather frail NHL physique. Maybe the rest is all he needs, but all of last season he was a tired, frustrated hockey player. And the winger situation and his physical stature are not getting better.
There are no 1984 Oilers in the NHL, every team has strengths and weaknesses and the Penguins are certainly no exception to that.
I would be very interested to see how Michalek fits into a very competitive and high pressure team such as the Pens. He has a somewhat underrated scoring touch simply because he didn't have to use it when he was on a defensively poor Coyotes team.
I don't think he will suck, and with some power play time he might manage 25^ points. If he scored over 30 I would be very surprised. With Malkin and Crosby you often just need to chip it out and watch them go, so he should pick up some easy helpers now and then. I think Bylsma will probably want all of the blue liners to be more supportive in the O-zone this season, and it will be interesting to see what (if any) effect that will have on their overall game.
Oh and thanks Daz! Yeah I'm a fairly obsessed hockey fan, sometimes I'll watch games twice because I like it so much!
