Tonight, hockey is back as the Pens will face the Dallas Stars to open their search for their fourth Stanley Cup. If you haven’t been watching, a lot has changed since the Pittsburgh Penguins last took to the ice five and half months ago.
After watching his team score only four goals in their four losses to the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, and then watching the deep and talented forward groups of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Chicago Blackhawks battle deep into June, Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford decided that what his team needed was even more offense.
Starting with the drafting of Dutch winger Daniel Sprong in the second round of this year’s NHL Draft, this offseason’s changes were a continual injection of skill.
With a pair of trades and a handful of free agent signings, Rutherford had completely revamped the Penguins forward group by mid-summer. Of the 12 forwards dressed on April 24, just Sidney Crosby, Patric Hornqvist, Chris Kunitz, Evgeni Malkin and David Perron remain.
For the Penguins, it’s been a doubling down on the team’s most famous attribute. With superstar winger Phil Kessel, European rookies Sergei Plotnikov and Sprong and centers Nick Bonino and Eric Fehr, the Penguins have assembled their deepest front line since their cup run in 2009.
The expectations for the offense are through the roof, with Kessel pegged as a 40-goal scorer and Crosby the likely Art Ross trophy winner. Those lofty expectations should be matched, however, with equal amounts of concern for the team’s blue line.
Derrick Pouliot failed to capitalize on his opportunity to start the season in the top four. Instead, he’ll begin the season in Wilkes-Barre. Big minutes will be heaped upon the plate of Ian Cole and Ben Lovejoy, which was a disastrous recipe down the stretch run in the spring.
Rob Scuderi hasn’t gotten any younger over the offseason, which leaves the bulk of the improvement on the shoulders of Brian Dumoulin and Adam Clendening. If the Pens youngsters on defense can step up to the plate, this Penguins team has the potential to be an all-time great one.
The defense must temper the fans expectations, but not their enthusiasm. Penguins fans may have the rare opportunity to watch one of the league’s great offenses operate this season. For the first time in a long time, there is an air of excitement surrounding the franchise.
“I think for everybody, there’s excitement for the start of the season,” Penguins head coach Mike Johnston said after his team’s morning skate.
“It’s exciting,” Crosby added. “This is what we’ve been waiting for. (Sprong) had his gear on I think 20 minutes before morning skate (today). It’s fun to see that as a teammate. It’s a pretty cool feeling.”
“It doesn’t matter how many games you’ve played or how long you’ve been around,” said Johnston. “Whether it’s Daniel Sprong in his first game or Rob Scuderi in his 13th season, opening night is just special.”
A special night for what could become a very special team. Enjoy it, Penguins fans.
Photo credit: NHL.com
