The Penguins have six games left and even with all of their injuries they have 64 points and are currently in first place in the Eastern Conference. They have made some quality moves over the last month and have one of the deepest teams in the NHL if not the deepest. The acquisitions of Brenden Morrow, Douglas Murray, Jarome Iginla, and Jussi Jokinen have added quality players to the Penguins lineup. They have a good problem to have when everybody comes back from injury, who deserves to play, and where do they play.
Right now the Penguins have Sidney Crosby, Paul Martin, and James Neal on the shelf and their returns will be very welcomed. But these returns mean players have to be scratched and people who are playing well have to be sat down.
Jokinen has come to this team for a conditional pick which looks like a huge steal for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Ray Shero. He has played a huge factor in the last few games that this team has played in. In three games with the Pens he has three goals and two assists in three games. He has fit nicely in between Pascal Dupuis and Morrow.
Murray has been solid on the blue-line for the Penguins and has added a nice defensive force. He’s not lighting up the stat sheet or anything, but he has brought a toughness to the team that was missing before his arrival. Murray is also showing he has no problem standing up for his new teammates, just the other night he fought B.J. Crombeen because earlier in the game, Crombeen hit Evgeni Malkin. Him standing up for his fellow teammates will definitely earn him some respect in the locker room.
Iginla is as good as advertised and he is fitting in real well with Malkin and Neal or Kunitz. In his first six games with the team, he has one goal and three assists. He might be lighting the lamp with goals so to speak, but he is possessing the puck well and making the right play when the puck is on his stick
Morrow has played the most games for the Penguins out of all these players, and so far in those eight games he has one goal and two assists. He finally notched his first goal against the Carolina Hurricanes the other night. Morrow was added for his grit, and experience and will come in handy when the playoffs begin.
All the players mentioned above have played well enough to play when everyone comes back healthy. But it is going to be tough to sit some guys down that are also playing well. When healthy I believe the lines should go as such: Crosby, Kunitz, Dupuis as your first line, Malkin, Neal, Iginla as your second, Sutter, Morrow, Cooke as the third, and Jokinen, Kennedy, Adams as your fourth line. The defensive pairings should be: Orpik, Martin as the first pairing, Letang and Murray as the second, and Niskanen, Eaton as the third.
A team with that lineup should have a hard time losing four out of seven games to any team. Not to mention the depth that they have on the bench, with that lineup you have Glass, Jeffrey, Vitale, Engelland, and Despres not dressed come game time. The depth on this team is unreal, and the Penguins have to be seen as the favorites coming into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Photo Credits: Rant Sports
