The Penguins recent spate of injuries to both the forwards and defensive corps has been a blessing without much of a disguise. It has also exposed excellent drafting and poor off-season decisions.
Let’s begin with excellent drafting. The play of Olli Maatta and Simon Despres on the blue line has been excellent. Both are former first round picks. Both have shown top 4 pairing ability and consistency.
So why was Rob Scuderi signed?! Oh wait, we’ll get to the log jam and poor decisions…
Since his call up on November 27, Despres has only four points in 14 games and is only a plus two, but Despres’ play easily passes the eye test. He is in position, eliminating scoring chances and he is moving the puck efficiently.
Despres has been good. No, he’s been better than good. After being anointed a top four defenceman at the conclusion of last season, Despres had a terrible training camp. Perhaps trying to do too much, his game was, at best, a hot mess. The new Despres is staying within himself, making good decisions and showing the skills of a player who has no business playing in the AHL, ever again.
Since training camp, Maatta has exceeded expectations. His stellar play is already drawing comparison to fellow Fins, Sami Salo and Teppo Numminen. Maatta has 7 points in his last 12 games and an impressive team leading 70 blocked shots in 39 games. Maatta most certainly should be on the Finland Olympic roster.
Lost in the shuffle is physical defenceman Robert Bortuzzo. Bortuzzo is a minus one for the year, but you don’t measure the contributions of player like Bortuzzo in stats. You measure him on ability to clear the front of his net, make opposing forwards think twice about playing in the high traffic areas and finishing checks. Bortozzo won’t be confused with Zdeno Chara, but he has been consistently the Penguins most physical defenceman.
The Penguins belief in their skating system and seeming downplaying of physical play, means Bortuzzo will be one of the odd men out when the Penguins blueliners return to health.
Bortozzu and possibly Despres being removed from the Penguins top 6 brings us to…Poor Decisions!
If defencemen Kris Letang, Brooks Orpik, Rob Scuderi and Paul Martin were not injured, would the Penguins have called up Despres? Given huge minutes to Matt Niskanen or Maatta? The latter three have arguably been reasonable facsimiles of the first three. The latter three are inarguably less expensive, much less expensive.
In a salary cap era, sacrifices must be made. Players must be asked to step up or fill larger roles. It just isn’t possible to keep the best two players in the world, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, pay a top end goalie and then allocate over three million to a 5th defenceman like Scuderi.
That isn’t a knock on Scuderi’s talent or ability to play in the top two pairings. It is a knock on GM Ray Shero, who spent salary cap space the Penguins don’t have for a player they didn’t truly need. GM’s aren’t afforded the luxury of thinking only about hockey matters. They must also factor a player’s cost over replacement.
From the cost over replacement perspective, Scuderi is not valuable to the Penguins. Actually, Scuderi would appear as a negative on that balance sheet.
One could also call into question Letang’s current value over replacement with a healthy Paul Martin and/or Matt Niskanen. Letang was a Norris Trophy finalist last year, but his play has been inconsistent since a disastrous start to last year’s playoffs. If he were to be dealt, it must be for an All-Star caliber player or players. It won’t happen, but it is fun to think about the potential bounty in return.
The Penguins have a lot of choices to make in a short amount of time. They can, and probably will, dress the same top 6 defencemen who started the season; Letang-Orpik-Martin-Scuderi-Niskanen-Maatta, in that order.
Out will be Despres, Bortuzzo, Deryk Engelland and Dumoulin. All four of whom could play on many blue lines across the NHL and do so inexpensively.
With a little courage and risk taking, the Penguins also have the ability to deal for what they truly need, which are physical bottom six wingers, a legitimate back-up goalie or even an all star caliber first line winger.
Shero has surprised hockey folk before with unexpected moves. Unfortunately, moving any of the presumed top four defencemen would count as more than unexpected, it would be shocking.
That is the Penguins loss and another sign management mistakenly thinks the same team, which has woefully underachieved in the playoffs four years running, is again good enough to win the Stanley Cup.
Photo Credit: Rant Sports
