By Mark Madden
November 6, 2017
Brock Boeser #6 of the Vancouver Canucks scores his first goal against Matthew Murray #30 of the Pittsburgh Penguins during their NHL game at Rogers Arena November 4, 2017 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Vancouver won 4-2. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)
While the team’s play leaves something to be desired, things are far from desperate.
If you’re truly upset about the Penguins’ start, you just like to be mad.
That’s not ignoring what’s wrong with the Penguins. Their problems are great, and they are many (lack of five-on-five production being the worst).
But what solutions do you suggest? What options are available?
Consider defenseman Kris Letang. He’s minus-16 and was minus-3 in Saturday’s 4-2 loss at Vancouver.
Letang has had a few rough games. Despite missing last year’s playoff run after surgery to repair a herniated disc, Letang doesn’t appear to be physically lacking. He’s just playing bad and trying too hard.
GM Jim Rutherford won’t trade Letang. Even if Rutherford tried, Letang’s market value would be low because of his play, health issues and $7.25 million salary.
Coach Mike Sullivan won’t scratch Letang or decrease his ice time. Matt Hunwick and Justin Schultz look set to return from concussions. But even if Hunwick and Schultz play, who replaces Letang? Frank Corrado? Not much upside.
Letang has pedigree, bountiful physical attributes and a dazzling skill set. He’s accomplished a lot. When he plays to his talent level, Letang is one of hockey’s top five defensemen. He’s only 30. He’s hardly washed up.
The best solution is to let Letang play through his bad patch. Have faith.
The same applies to Sidney Crosby at minus-11. To Bryan Rust, with one goal in 16 games despite a top-six role. To Jake Guentzel, who looks in a funk.
The same applies to the entire team. Have faith. Just go play hockey.
That might not placate younger fans who don’t remember the Penguins losing, or the bandwagon jerks. It certainly doesn’t satisfy the mob mentality.
But it’s the logical option. It’s really the only option.
But selected Twitter simpletons, talk-show callers and low-rent bloggers would blow up a team that’s won the last two Stanley Cups based on playing lousy for 16 games.
Results-wise, those 16 games haven’t even been that terrible. The Penguins are 8-6-2 and, before last night’s NHL action, were just one point out of first place in the Metropolitan Division and had the fourth-most points in the Eastern Conference despite a difficult schedule to date.
The Penguins have had bad stretches before. Bad seasons, too. Some entire decades were mostly putrid.
But the Penguins have Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Letang, Matthew Murray, Phil Kessel and 13 other players from last year’s champs. Despite a mediocre record, being optimistic doesn’t require being a hopeless romantic.
Kessel, by the way, is the exception to the Penguins’ lackluster start.
Kessel’s play will always have its quirks, but he leads the team in points, assists, shots and power-play points. The man-advantage unit has carried the Penguins by converting 28.8 percent of its chances, and Kessel has excelled on the left half-wall. He also has two overtime goals.
The biggest question is finding more offense five-on-five.
The answer is not Daniel Sprong.
Sprong, a second-round pick in 2015, is off to a torrid beginning in his first full season of pro hockey. The Dutch right winger has eight goals in 10 games with the Penguins’ Wilkes-Barre/Scranton farm team.
Fans see that and want Sprong, 20, called up.
ut production at the minor-league level doesn’t necessarily translate to success in the NHL. It’s not a fantasy league.
By all accounts, Sprong’s defensive acumen is improving. But the organization doesn’t feel he’s ready for the NHL. While the Penguins’ play leaves something to be desired, things are far from desperate.
Sprong’s style is also similar to Kessel’s. In today’s era of grinding and shot-blocking, do the Penguins need two of that ilk? When Sprong arrives in Pittsburgh with any degree of permanence, Kessel may be on his way out.
Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WXDX-FM (105.9).
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