Wow! So soon?
After watching (okay, mostly hearing and reading about) the Penguins getting off to a 6-3 start, one thought keeps repeatedly rolling through my mind. The team wasn’t supposed to be this good. Not yet. Not right now. They weren’t supposed to be competing for the Atlantic Division lead. They were supposed to be lucky to earn a playoff berth. They weren’t supposed to, on some nights, be the better team than teams that are considered contenders. None of that was supposed to happen this year.
Granted, everything comes with the huge caveat that the Penguins are all of 9 games into the season and have yet to complete a major road trip. Still, let’s look at everything that’s gone right at the start of the season:
∑ Sidney Crosby is still Sidney Crosby.
∑ Evgeni Malkin takes my breath away—literally. He’s already a star.
∑ The only time Jordan Staal looks anywhere near eighteen years of age is when he’s off the ice.
∑ Marc Andre Fleury has lived up to his pedigree and is stopping the puck like top-tier NHL goalies should.
∑ The team’s defense, while still nowhere near the level of elite, has been more than adequate enough when the young players mentioned above do their thing.
Given everything that’s going right so far, it behooves to go back and look at the expectations I held prior to the start of the season. I expect this season to be a season of "growing pains"—I expected to see potential fulfilled on some nights, but I also expected to endure some games where I’d have to remind myself the team’s core players are young.
I’m in the midst of revising my preseason expectations (I’m sure constantly altering my expectations will become a consistent theme of this blog throughout the season), and I’m revising my expectations precisely because of the play of the "kids" so far. I’m stating it flat-out: The reason I still don’t consider the Penguins a Stanley Cup contender has nothing to do with the kids. Right now—yes, hear me, right now—the kids are more than capable of being the core players on a for-real Cup contender. Yes, of course, I hope and expect the kids will get better with age. Never mind that. Jaromir Jagr got better with age and he was still a crucial piece to the puzzle in the Pens’ championship years. I’m sure Eric Staal is only going to improve, but Carolina doesn’t win the Cup last year without him. Besides, the new NHL gives skilled players—such as the Pens kids—a real showcase for their all-world talent. In any case, I’m convinced that right now—yes, right now—the Pens’ core players are the real core of a legitimate Cup contender.
Granted, of course, my previous statement does still come with the caveat that the kids are kids. While I don’t want Jordan Staal returned to his junior team at the present moment, he still could be. And even the greatest players in hockey history have games where they don’t score a goal (it will happen to Malkin eventually) and even the game’s best goalies have off nights (I hope it doesn’t happen to Fleury any time soon). The kids are kids, and yes, they’re going to have off nights and mini-slumps and perhaps even slumps. And they’re going to face off against teams with better depth and with all-world defensemen (see the Anaheim Ducks) with gobs of experience. But through nine games of the season, I’ve seen the talent these "kids" have, and the talent is real, special, and explosive—and enough to dominate opponents. Domination isn’t going to come every night, but at the present moment, the kids have shown me enough to convince me that they’re for real as the core of a Cup contender—right now.
However, there is no way the Pens can yet be considered a legitimate Cup contender. Sure, I can make that statement for the usual reason that we’re only nine games into the season, blah blah, blah, which is true. I can also make the statement because the kids are kids and at some point, even if only for a few games, their youth and inexperience will lead to the so-called "rookie" mistakes. But honestly, my issue with the Pens is not with their core players but with the players surrounding their core players. Until the wingers figure out how to score with consistent regularity, until the Penguins wingers and the rest of the roster convince me they have the depth to overcome multiple injuries (I don’t expect me to be convinced), and until the defensemen truly gel as a unit—I can’t say the Pens are anywhere near being a Cup contender. Because to be a contender for the Cup, you need more than just a core of stars. You need players who support those stars. Yeah, sure, you need to know that the stars are going to perform come crunch time (and we haven’t had the chance to see that at the NHL level yet), but you need a team. The Penguins, as a team, still appear to lack the team-wide speed and depth necessary to be truly considered a for-real Cup contender. And frankly, I’m really not yet ready for general manager Shero to start bargaining with one of his core players to bring in depth because I don’t think the team is at the point where they’re ready to make a move like that. Yet I also think the team is closer to being ready for a move such as that than I would have dared to think prior to the start of the season.
Many questions remain about the 2006-07 Penguins. Can the stars remain healthy for a whole season? Does Staal even stay for a whole season? Can Fleury play this way all year? What happens if—dare I even mention this—one of the stars gets hurt at some point in the season? Can the stars keep playing the way they’ve been playing all season long? And even if everything good happens in answer to those above questions—the stars stay stars, the young players keep getting better, and Fleury stays great all year—what about the rest of the team? Does the team have the depth and speed to match up well with above-average and contending teams? Can the team win the close 1-goal games they lost so frequently last season?
At the present moment, I don’t know the answers to those questions, and I still feel one reasonable answer to why the Pens aren’t a for-real contender yet is because an injury to one of their stars would kill them, and by kill them, I mean they would lose games they would win with the star in the line-up. (The Pens won the Cup playing games without their starting goaltender, Mario Lemieux, and Joey Mullen, at various points.) But one thing I do know, especially after reading the box scores of games like those against the Flyers last night—this team is going to be fun to watch—and hopefully, it’s going to be fun to watch this team win a lot more than I expected at the start of the season.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Random NHL Notes
∑ Dare I speak too soon, but I don’t think the Buffalo Sabres are as good as were my NHL record setting 17 game winning streak 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins. I would appreciate it if some NHL team would at least tie the Sabres. A tie with a red-hot Ryan Miller should be within the realm of possibility. And if my Pens play the Sabres any time soon, I very much desire for my young team to have one of those nights where they play "out of their minds" and as though they’re a few years older than they are, and you know, beat Buffalo.
∑ Peter Forsberg is a great player. The edge with Sidney Crosby plays the game reminds me of Forsberg’s edgy style. Forsberg, for all he might complain about Crosby, is borderline dirty and nasty. Yet Forsberg’s greatness made me wonder—what the heck is the problem in Philadelphia? And what is the irony of Forsberg captaining the Flyers, given the Eric Lindros trade?
∑ The Rangers appear to have some issues with defense and goaltending and perhaps depth. I still like the Rangers, of course, and still love Jags and Marty, so I hope the team can find some consistency. But finding some defensive consistency might help out the Rangers sophomore Swedish goaltender quite a bit. So how about it, New York? Defensive consistency? Everybody doing their part? Can you manage that 2 years in a row? Oh, and interesting questions to watch—how’s the team going to react when the Garden crowd—as it’s already done—starts hissing and booing instead of cheering? Is Jagr’s head in the right place, and will his head stay in the right place all season? (I really, really hope so—but it’s something that bears watching.)
∑ I really see so little of the Western Conference what with needing to get at least some sleep, so these statements come with a huge caveat. Eric Lindros, at least if SI is to believed, has found a home in Dallas. Good for him; the Stars need help. Apparently, if message boards are to be believed, some Anaheim fans don’t yet fully "get" Chris Pronger. Here’s the thing—you don’t "get" Pronger the way you get Scott Niedermayer. But when you watch most NHL defensemen play and then you watch Pronger, you "get" him, and you’ll get him way more as the season continues. Just my 2 cents.
∑ Dare I speak too soon, but I don’t think the Buffalo Sabres are as good as were my NHL record setting 17 game winning streak 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins. I would appreciate it if some NHL team would at least tie the Sabres. A tie with a red-hot Ryan Miller should be within the realm of possibility. And if my Pens play the Sabres any time soon, I very much desire for my young team to have one of those nights where they play "out of their minds" and as though they’re a few years older than they are, and you know, beat Buffalo.
∑ Peter Forsberg is a great player. The edge with Sidney Crosby plays the game reminds me of Forsberg’s edgy style. Forsberg, for all he might complain about Crosby, is borderline dirty and nasty. Yet Forsberg’s greatness made me wonder—what the heck is the problem in Philadelphia? And what is the irony of Forsberg captaining the Flyers, given the Eric Lindros trade?
∑ The Rangers appear to have some issues with defense and goaltending and perhaps depth. I still like the Rangers, of course, and still love Jags and Marty, so I hope the team can find some consistency. But finding some defensive consistency might help out the Rangers sophomore Swedish goaltender quite a bit. So how about it, New York? Defensive consistency? Everybody doing their part? Can you manage that 2 years in a row? Oh, and interesting questions to watch—how’s the team going to react when the Garden crowd—as it’s already done—starts hissing and booing instead of cheering? Is Jagr’s head in the right place, and will his head stay in the right place all season? (I really, really hope so—but it’s something that bears watching.)
∑ I really see so little of the Western Conference what with needing to get at least some sleep, so these statements come with a huge caveat. Eric Lindros, at least if SI is to believed, has found a home in Dallas. Good for him; the Stars need help. Apparently, if message boards are to be believed, some Anaheim fans don’t yet fully "get" Chris Pronger. Here’s the thing—you don’t "get" Pronger the way you get Scott Niedermayer. But when you watch most NHL defensemen play and then you watch Pronger, you "get" him, and you’ll get him way more as the season continues. Just my 2 cents.
Random NHL Notes
∑ Dare I speak too soon, but I don’t think the Buffalo Sabres are as good as were my NHL record setting 17 game winning streak 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins. I would appreciate it if some NHL team would at least tie the Sabres. A tie with a red-hot Ryan Miller should be within the realm of possibility. And if my Pens play the Sabres any time soon, I very much desire for my young team to have one of those nights where they play "out of their minds" and as though they’re a few years older than they are, and you know, beat Buffalo.
∑ Peter Forsberg is a great player. The edge with Sidney Crosby plays the game reminds me of Forsberg’s edgy style. Forsberg, for all he might complain about Crosby, is borderline dirty and nasty. Yet Forsberg’s greatness made me wonder—what the heck is the problem in Philadelphia? And what is the irony of Forsberg captaining the Flyers, given the Eric Lindros trade?
∑ The Rangers appear to have some issues with defense and goaltending and perhaps depth. I still like the Rangers, of course, and still love Jags and Marty, so I hope the team can find some consistency. But finding some defensive consistency might help out the Rangers sophomore Swedish goaltender quite a bit. So how about it, New York? Defensive consistency? Everybody doing their part? Can you manage that 2 years in a row? Oh, and interesting questions to watch—how’s the team going to react when the Garden crowd—as it’s already done—starts hissing and booing instead of cheering? Is Jagr’s head in the right place, and will his head stay in the right place all season? (I really, really hope so—but it’s something that bears watching.)
∑ I really see so little of the Western Conference what with needing to get at least some sleep, so these statements come with a huge caveat. Eric Lindros, at least if SI is to believed, has found a home in Dallas. Good for him; the Stars need help. Apparently, if message boards are to be believed, some Anaheim fans don’t yet fully "get" Chris Pronger. Here’s the thing—you don’t "get" Pronger the way you get Scott Niedermayer. But when you watch most NHL defensemen play and then you watch Pronger, you "get" him, and you’ll get him way more as the season continues. Just my 2 cents.
∑ Dare I speak too soon, but I don’t think the Buffalo Sabres are as good as were my NHL record setting 17 game winning streak 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins. I would appreciate it if some NHL team would at least tie the Sabres. A tie with a red-hot Ryan Miller should be within the realm of possibility. And if my Pens play the Sabres any time soon, I very much desire for my young team to have one of those nights where they play "out of their minds" and as though they’re a few years older than they are, and you know, beat Buffalo.
∑ Peter Forsberg is a great player. The edge with Sidney Crosby plays the game reminds me of Forsberg’s edgy style. Forsberg, for all he might complain about Crosby, is borderline dirty and nasty. Yet Forsberg’s greatness made me wonder—what the heck is the problem in Philadelphia? And what is the irony of Forsberg captaining the Flyers, given the Eric Lindros trade?
∑ The Rangers appear to have some issues with defense and goaltending and perhaps depth. I still like the Rangers, of course, and still love Jags and Marty, so I hope the team can find some consistency. But finding some defensive consistency might help out the Rangers sophomore Swedish goaltender quite a bit. So how about it, New York? Defensive consistency? Everybody doing their part? Can you manage that 2 years in a row? Oh, and interesting questions to watch—how’s the team going to react when the Garden crowd—as it’s already done—starts hissing and booing instead of cheering? Is Jagr’s head in the right place, and will his head stay in the right place all season? (I really, really hope so—but it’s something that bears watching.)
∑ I really see so little of the Western Conference what with needing to get at least some sleep, so these statements come with a huge caveat. Eric Lindros, at least if SI is to believed, has found a home in Dallas. Good for him; the Stars need help. Apparently, if message boards are to be believed, some Anaheim fans don’t yet fully "get" Chris Pronger. Here’s the thing—you don’t "get" Pronger the way you get Scott Niedermayer. But when you watch most NHL defensemen play and then you watch Pronger, you "get" him, and you’ll get him way more as the season continues. Just my 2 cents.
The Flyers
I heard on Sporting News radio today that Ken Hitchcock had been fired as the Flyers’ coach and that Bobby Clarke was stepping down as general manager. As a Pens fan, I just hate the Flyers. I was so excited when we beat them, but I didn’t realize Philly was in a serious free-for-all. I haven’t paid enough attention, really, (e.g. I haven’t seen the Flyers’ play) to know why what’s happening in Philly is happening there.
Though, of course, I’d probably blame goaltending before anything else. But apparently the Flyers were into waiving Petr Nedved. Seriously, does anyone know what Nedved’s deal is? Can the boy—at 34 now, just like Jagr, not a boy anymore—still skate? If he can still skate, what’s his contract like? Seriously, could he be a productive winger (more productive than what the Pens have) alongside one of our two stud centers? I speak with no knowledge, just memories of Nedved from almost a decade ago (he was one of my faves, as you may have guessed).
And, of course, Aleksey Morozov, currently tearing up the RSL, isn’t worth a huge NHL contract, and I’m assuming he’s quite content to be a star and make millions in his native land. He never did put it altogether on this continent, anyway.
Yet somehow I wonder, as I mentioned the wingers previously, if Nedved or Morozov—who both once knew how to score and had very soft hands—would be able to convert those dandy set-ups of Malkin and Crosby’s—into goals with more regularity than our current wingers.
In any case, players like that would be a short-term fix, the same way Mark Recchi and John Leclair are at present. The Pens ultimately need younger—not as young as their centermen—wingers when the time comes for the team to contend.
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I heard on Sporting News radio today that Ken Hitchcock had been fired as the Flyers’ coach and that Bobby Clarke was stepping down as general manager. As a Pens fan, I just hate the Flyers. I was so excited when we beat them, but I didn’t realize Philly was in a serious free-for-all. I haven’t paid enough attention, really, (e.g. I haven’t seen the Flyers’ play) to know why what’s happening in Philly is happening there.
Though, of course, I’d probably blame goaltending before anything else. But apparently the Flyers were into waiving Petr Nedved. Seriously, does anyone know what Nedved’s deal is? Can the boy—at 34 now, just like Jagr, not a boy anymore—still skate? If he can still skate, what’s his contract like? Seriously, could he be a productive winger (more productive than what the Pens have) alongside one of our two stud centers? I speak with no knowledge, just memories of Nedved from almost a decade ago (he was one of my faves, as you may have guessed).
And, of course, Aleksey Morozov, currently tearing up the RSL, isn’t worth a huge NHL contract, and I’m assuming he’s quite content to be a star and make millions in his native land. He never did put it altogether on this continent, anyway.
Yet somehow I wonder, as I mentioned the wingers previously, if Nedved or Morozov—who both once knew how to score and had very soft hands—would be able to convert those dandy set-ups of Malkin and Crosby’s—into goals with more regularity than our current wingers.
In any case, players like that would be a short-term fix, the same way Mark Recchi and John Leclair are at present. The Pens ultimately need younger—not as young as their centermen—wingers when the time comes for the team to contend.
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Wings
We also lack depth on the wings, and to be honest, none of our wingers impress me. Fine, Jaromir Jagr, (I could be wrong on this) once netted a NHL scoring title skating alongside Jan Hrdina and Kip Miller. It’s not always necessary for great players like Malkin and Crosby to play alongside other obscenely talented players.
Yet how much more successful was Jagr when he played with Ron Francis and Petr Nedved? Seriously? How many points did Mario start scoring when he finally had All-Star wingers and a Norris-Trophy winning defenseman to play with?
At some point—whether it means converting a center to a winger—the Penguins have to get more depth on the wings, and they have to get players who can complement Malkin and Crosby. I don’t mind putting them together—E.J. won a playoff series by putting Jagr and Mario on the same line one year—but when you do put them together, eventually, the teams with depth are going to reveal your lack of depth, and you’re going to lose games.
I don’t know where the Pens go to find wings who can compete in the new NHL. I don’t know where they find them at a reasonable price. But I know they need players who can put the puck in the net, skate, and be defensively responsible. Fine, we don’t have them this season, and it’s a weakness. But we need to find them if we really want to contend. So let’s start looking, searching, and perhaps, eventually, beckoning them to the Pens?
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We also lack depth on the wings, and to be honest, none of our wingers impress me. Fine, Jaromir Jagr, (I could be wrong on this) once netted a NHL scoring title skating alongside Jan Hrdina and Kip Miller. It’s not always necessary for great players like Malkin and Crosby to play alongside other obscenely talented players.
Yet how much more successful was Jagr when he played with Ron Francis and Petr Nedved? Seriously? How many points did Mario start scoring when he finally had All-Star wingers and a Norris-Trophy winning defenseman to play with?
At some point—whether it means converting a center to a winger—the Penguins have to get more depth on the wings, and they have to get players who can complement Malkin and Crosby. I don’t mind putting them together—E.J. won a playoff series by putting Jagr and Mario on the same line one year—but when you do put them together, eventually, the teams with depth are going to reveal your lack of depth, and you’re going to lose games.
I don’t know where the Pens go to find wings who can compete in the new NHL. I don’t know where they find them at a reasonable price. But I know they need players who can put the puck in the net, skate, and be defensively responsible. Fine, we don’t have them this season, and it’s a weakness. But we need to find them if we really want to contend. So let’s start looking, searching, and perhaps, eventually, beckoning them to the Pens?
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More Defense
I wanted Noah Welch on the Penguins team coming out of training camp, and I haven’t seen enough of Kris Letang to know if he should stay in the NHL or go back to juniors (though frankly I wish he had the option of going to the AHL—I think that might be the best place for him at some point this season). On the whole, the Pens’ defense needs to be stronger as a unit. The new NHL demands that guys who can hit can also be guys who can skate. And if we don’t have those players, maybe we don’t trade for them yet—as we’re not in a position to contend yet—but you better be sure we draft those defensemen and we scout other teams in hopes of acquiring those defensemen when the team is truly close to being a contender.
I wanted Noah Welch on the Penguins team coming out of training camp, and I haven’t seen enough of Kris Letang to know if he should stay in the NHL or go back to juniors (though frankly I wish he had the option of going to the AHL—I think that might be the best place for him at some point this season). On the whole, the Pens’ defense needs to be stronger as a unit. The new NHL demands that guys who can hit can also be guys who can skate. And if we don’t have those players, maybe we don’t trade for them yet—as we’re not in a position to contend yet—but you better be sure we draft those defensemen and we scout other teams in hopes of acquiring those defensemen when the team is truly close to being a contender.
Defense
As previously stated, I haven’t had the chance to watch games, but it strikes me as—er, well, umm—not a good thing that the Penguins seem to be in the habit of routinely giving up approximately an average of 39 shots per game. Marc-Andre Fleury has thus far played quite well in goal, but still—39 shots per game is just too much.
Sergei Gonchar appears to be playing like Sergei Gonchar of old, and I expect growing pains with any young defenseman—no matter how talented a young defenseman is, I expect to be driven crazy—routinely, and by routinely I mean probably, at minimum, wincing a few times each game—as a young defenseman learns how to play NHL defense. Still, this whole giving up close to 40 shots every night, it strikes me as something the coaching staff should mark as a "need for improvement" and then find or implement some plan to improve.
Unless, of course, we routinely expect to outscore the opposition. Which, perhaps, could happen in a couple more years. (I recall my early ‘90s Penguins teams doing this with frequency.) But as of right now, we lack the depth on the wings to expect to routinely outscore the opposition—particularly those "close to" and "clearly superior" opponents. Please, let’s, as a team, work on knocking some shots off that shot clock total. Not at the expense of bridling our best players, of course—but a few fewer shots against surely couldn’t hurt, right?
As previously stated, I haven’t had the chance to watch games, but it strikes me as—er, well, umm—not a good thing that the Penguins seem to be in the habit of routinely giving up approximately an average of 39 shots per game. Marc-Andre Fleury has thus far played quite well in goal, but still—39 shots per game is just too much.
Sergei Gonchar appears to be playing like Sergei Gonchar of old, and I expect growing pains with any young defenseman—no matter how talented a young defenseman is, I expect to be driven crazy—routinely, and by routinely I mean probably, at minimum, wincing a few times each game—as a young defenseman learns how to play NHL defense. Still, this whole giving up close to 40 shots every night, it strikes me as something the coaching staff should mark as a "need for improvement" and then find or implement some plan to improve.
Unless, of course, we routinely expect to outscore the opposition. Which, perhaps, could happen in a couple more years. (I recall my early ‘90s Penguins teams doing this with frequency.) But as of right now, we lack the depth on the wings to expect to routinely outscore the opposition—particularly those "close to" and "clearly superior" opponents. Please, let’s, as a team, work on knocking some shots off that shot clock total. Not at the expense of bridling our best players, of course—but a few fewer shots against surely couldn’t hurt, right?
Inferior and Superior Opponents
In the previous post, I referred, briefly, in inferior opponents. For the first time in awhile, the Pens have played clearly inferior opponents. If the team is functioning properly and is generally healthy—the team should win these games. Perhaps "half the NHL" is overstating matters. But with the level of talent—and I don’t care how young the talent level is—the Pens have, they can win most of those games.
There’s another category of opponents—those who are clearly superior. These are the teams to which the Pens have already lost—deeper, more experienced, and at the moment, more talented teams like Carolina and Detroit. The Penguins, most often, shouldn’t embarrass themselves anymore, but in all honesty—if the other team is bringing a good game to the rink, on most nights, the Pens are going to be beat by clearly superior opponents. Fine—they’ll learn from the experience.
Yet in the NHL, there’s a whole other category, and that’s teams the Penguins are "close to"—similar enough to such that you play competitive games with these teams. Incidentally, they’re also the teams closest to you in the standings. Obviously for the Pens season to be successful, they have to beat clearly inferior opponents, and if that doesn’t happen, the season is going nowhere. But assuming the Pens can maintain their current pace of beating clearly inferior opponents, their season is going to be decided in these games with teams "close to" them in make-up and record. Sure, it would be lovely to see the young Pens sneak a game away from a team that really—on paper—looks far superior. It would be nice to get a glimpse like that of what the kids, hopefully, will be doing with regularity in the span of a few years. But the Pens’ playoff hopes, even at this early stage, appear to rest on the team getting more wins than losses against those teams "closest" to them in the standings and in talent level.
I
In the previous post, I referred, briefly, in inferior opponents. For the first time in awhile, the Pens have played clearly inferior opponents. If the team is functioning properly and is generally healthy—the team should win these games. Perhaps "half the NHL" is overstating matters. But with the level of talent—and I don’t care how young the talent level is—the Pens have, they can win most of those games.
There’s another category of opponents—those who are clearly superior. These are the teams to which the Pens have already lost—deeper, more experienced, and at the moment, more talented teams like Carolina and Detroit. The Penguins, most often, shouldn’t embarrass themselves anymore, but in all honesty—if the other team is bringing a good game to the rink, on most nights, the Pens are going to be beat by clearly superior opponents. Fine—they’ll learn from the experience.
Yet in the NHL, there’s a whole other category, and that’s teams the Penguins are "close to"—similar enough to such that you play competitive games with these teams. Incidentally, they’re also the teams closest to you in the standings. Obviously for the Pens season to be successful, they have to beat clearly inferior opponents, and if that doesn’t happen, the season is going nowhere. But assuming the Pens can maintain their current pace of beating clearly inferior opponents, their season is going to be decided in these games with teams "close to" them in make-up and record. Sure, it would be lovely to see the young Pens sneak a game away from a team that really—on paper—looks far superior. It would be nice to get a glimpse like that of what the kids, hopefully, will be doing with regularity in the span of a few years. But the Pens’ playoff hopes, even at this early stage, appear to rest on the team getting more wins than losses against those teams "closest" to them in the standings and in talent level.
I
Staal
In the past week, I’ve noticed that the Penguins have won more games than they lost. I’ve also noticed the Penguins have beaten other teams by virtue of their talent level. Seriously, you can throw Crosby, Malkin, a hot player or two and good goaltending at about half the teams in the NHL, and you automatically—no matter the youth of Crosby and Malkin—have more talent than do several other NHL teams. Against those bottom-tier, less-talented team, the 2006-07 Penguins have no excuse—but none—for losing games against clearly less-talented team. And if Michel Therrien’s teams wins the games it’s supposed to win—the Penguins should be, at bare minimum, a .500 team and possibly—given other variables—a little more than that.
Here’s the thing. Jordan Staal is a crucial reason why Pittsburgh’s penalty killing has been so incredibly effective (for the Penguins, seriously, their PK is "on it" this year). Perhaps, as Malkin acclimatizes to the NHL, he slides into the role Staal has filled on the PK unit, and the Penguins are no worse for wear. But over the course of a season, injuries (witness Ryan Malone’s current one) occur. At this moment, Staal provides solid play in his own end, extremely effective penalty killing, and depth the Penguins choose to give up if they send him back to his junior team.
I really think Jordan Staal could play a role in helping the Penguins sneak into the playoffs this year. Not to contend for the Cup, mind you. But to get the team into the playoffs, I think Staal could play a role in ensuring the 2006-07 Penguins are a playoff team for the first time in six seasons. I also think Staal’s ability to contribute to the Penguins this season isn’t the question anyone should be asking or answering.
When it comes to Staal, and to an investment an organization makes in a number two overall draft pick, the organization has to think long-term, and long-term is what is going to make Staal, ultimately, the most effective NHL player he can possibly be. When that’s the question that’s being answered—not even salary cap worries, etc—is it really best for the kid to stay in the NHL this season?
Because, hmm, he can play a "role," and perhaps more than that when injuries occur, in learning the NHL game and getting NHL experience, maybe even NHL playoff experience.
Or he can return to junior and play in every situation and develop those aspects of his game at which he’s not yet elite. Granted, he’s playing against boys, not men, and not getting NHL experience.
I read online this week that a Penguins beat reporter suggested that Staal and Letang should both be sent back to junior if the team wasn’t going to play them 18 minutes a game at the NHL level. Because, bottom line, young players learn by playing games, and they need ice time to learn the game. I think I basically agree with that sentiment—young players need game time to develop their games, and not just 10 minutes a game. (Though just to be difficult, it should be noted that Jaromir Jagr played mostly on the third line his first NHL season and was none the worse for wear come playoff time that year or definitely come playoff time the next season. Still, Jagr—his faults aside—is a 5 time NHL scoring champion and future Hall of Fame player, and no one really ever questioned that he’d eventually turn into a scoring superstar.)
In any case, if the Pens do decide to return Staal to juniors, the 2006-07 team needs to be aware of what they’re losing this season—an incredibly effective penalty killer, a role player who has the potential to be so much more than just a role player. However, if the organization decides—as the organization should when it comes to making long-term decisions—that it’s important for Staal to develop a whole repertoire of skills that could help the Pens when the time truly comes to contend—then GM Shero needs to make sure he finds a replacement for Staal on the NHL roster this season. Maybe that comes from within the organization; maybe that replacement doesn’t.
But the Penguins need what Staal has already provided this season. Granted, I think it’s far more important that they need what a more complete, more mature Staal could provide in a few seasons’ time. But if they don’t keep Staal for the season, the GM needs to do his job in the short-term and find someone who can do what Staal has already been able to do so his team still has a real chance to make the playoffs.
,
In the past week, I’ve noticed that the Penguins have won more games than they lost. I’ve also noticed the Penguins have beaten other teams by virtue of their talent level. Seriously, you can throw Crosby, Malkin, a hot player or two and good goaltending at about half the teams in the NHL, and you automatically—no matter the youth of Crosby and Malkin—have more talent than do several other NHL teams. Against those bottom-tier, less-talented team, the 2006-07 Penguins have no excuse—but none—for losing games against clearly less-talented team. And if Michel Therrien’s teams wins the games it’s supposed to win—the Penguins should be, at bare minimum, a .500 team and possibly—given other variables—a little more than that.
Here’s the thing. Jordan Staal is a crucial reason why Pittsburgh’s penalty killing has been so incredibly effective (for the Penguins, seriously, their PK is "on it" this year). Perhaps, as Malkin acclimatizes to the NHL, he slides into the role Staal has filled on the PK unit, and the Penguins are no worse for wear. But over the course of a season, injuries (witness Ryan Malone’s current one) occur. At this moment, Staal provides solid play in his own end, extremely effective penalty killing, and depth the Penguins choose to give up if they send him back to his junior team.
I really think Jordan Staal could play a role in helping the Penguins sneak into the playoffs this year. Not to contend for the Cup, mind you. But to get the team into the playoffs, I think Staal could play a role in ensuring the 2006-07 Penguins are a playoff team for the first time in six seasons. I also think Staal’s ability to contribute to the Penguins this season isn’t the question anyone should be asking or answering.
When it comes to Staal, and to an investment an organization makes in a number two overall draft pick, the organization has to think long-term, and long-term is what is going to make Staal, ultimately, the most effective NHL player he can possibly be. When that’s the question that’s being answered—not even salary cap worries, etc—is it really best for the kid to stay in the NHL this season?
Because, hmm, he can play a "role," and perhaps more than that when injuries occur, in learning the NHL game and getting NHL experience, maybe even NHL playoff experience.
Or he can return to junior and play in every situation and develop those aspects of his game at which he’s not yet elite. Granted, he’s playing against boys, not men, and not getting NHL experience.
I read online this week that a Penguins beat reporter suggested that Staal and Letang should both be sent back to junior if the team wasn’t going to play them 18 minutes a game at the NHL level. Because, bottom line, young players learn by playing games, and they need ice time to learn the game. I think I basically agree with that sentiment—young players need game time to develop their games, and not just 10 minutes a game. (Though just to be difficult, it should be noted that Jaromir Jagr played mostly on the third line his first NHL season and was none the worse for wear come playoff time that year or definitely come playoff time the next season. Still, Jagr—his faults aside—is a 5 time NHL scoring champion and future Hall of Fame player, and no one really ever questioned that he’d eventually turn into a scoring superstar.)
In any case, if the Pens do decide to return Staal to juniors, the 2006-07 team needs to be aware of what they’re losing this season—an incredibly effective penalty killer, a role player who has the potential to be so much more than just a role player. However, if the organization decides—as the organization should when it comes to making long-term decisions—that it’s important for Staal to develop a whole repertoire of skills that could help the Pens when the time truly comes to contend—then GM Shero needs to make sure he finds a replacement for Staal on the NHL roster this season. Maybe that comes from within the organization; maybe that replacement doesn’t.
But the Penguins need what Staal has already provided this season. Granted, I think it’s far more important that they need what a more complete, more mature Staal could provide in a few seasons’ time. But if they don’t keep Staal for the season, the GM needs to do his job in the short-term and find someone who can do what Staal has already been able to do so his team still has a real chance to make the playoffs.
,
Malkin
I still have yet to see Malkin play in a Penguins uniform this season, but from the games I’ve heard and what I’ve heard, he’s definitely a difference-maker this year. Hopefully I’ll have the chance to see Malkin play in the upcoming week, so then I can offer up some comments as to who he compares to in style of play, etc. But right now, all I’m saying is he gives me great hope for the future of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and good hope for this season. Because a second-line center, one who’s already a difference-maker in the NHL, makes the Penguins a much more competitive team, and I like that—a lot.
I still have yet to see Malkin play in a Penguins uniform this season, but from the games I’ve heard and what I’ve heard, he’s definitely a difference-maker this year. Hopefully I’ll have the chance to see Malkin play in the upcoming week, so then I can offer up some comments as to who he compares to in style of play, etc. But right now, all I’m saying is he gives me great hope for the future of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and good hope for this season. Because a second-line center, one who’s already a difference-maker in the NHL, makes the Penguins a much more competitive team, and I like that—a lot.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Random NHL Notes
∑ Someone please beat the Buffalo Sabres. They’re good, very good. But unbeaten? C"mon now, eventually someone has to penetrate Ryan Miller. Maybe.
∑ The Rangers started out well and have lost a few games in a row. How’s the new captain going to respond? How is the team going to respond? Their response, collectively and individually, will say a lot about how successful the Rangers season will ultimately be.
∑ Watching the Pens-Rangers game, I was struck by the finite amount of time the Rangers have, with Jagr, to transform themselves into a Cup Contender. The best days of players like Shanahan are already behind him, though he’s still a very good player. Jagr’s still a great player, but at 34, he’s not getting any younger. In contrast, I’m not worried about the time my Penguins have left to contend for the Cup. Because seriously—we have teenagers in our line-up! Babies! My Penguins have a finite amount of time, sure, but that time is 7 to 8 years, and I’m okay with waiting for 3 or 4 years because I can see what will be. But for Rangers’ fans? There isn’t time to wait. I know that’s traditionally said of Rangers fans, but in all honesty—with Jagr and Straka and Nylander and Shanahan actually being the grizzled veterans (still hard for me to believe), there just isn’t that much time left. Fans will—and should—respond to losses differently. Still, will the veterans respond with veteran savvy in New York—or not?
∑ Someone please beat the Buffalo Sabres. They’re good, very good. But unbeaten? C"mon now, eventually someone has to penetrate Ryan Miller. Maybe.
∑ The Rangers started out well and have lost a few games in a row. How’s the new captain going to respond? How is the team going to respond? Their response, collectively and individually, will say a lot about how successful the Rangers season will ultimately be.
∑ Watching the Pens-Rangers game, I was struck by the finite amount of time the Rangers have, with Jagr, to transform themselves into a Cup Contender. The best days of players like Shanahan are already behind him, though he’s still a very good player. Jagr’s still a great player, but at 34, he’s not getting any younger. In contrast, I’m not worried about the time my Penguins have left to contend for the Cup. Because seriously—we have teenagers in our line-up! Babies! My Penguins have a finite amount of time, sure, but that time is 7 to 8 years, and I’m okay with waiting for 3 or 4 years because I can see what will be. But for Rangers’ fans? There isn’t time to wait. I know that’s traditionally said of Rangers fans, but in all honesty—with Jagr and Straka and Nylander and Shanahan actually being the grizzled veterans (still hard for me to believe), there just isn’t that much time left. Fans will—and should—respond to losses differently. Still, will the veterans respond with veteran savvy in New York—or not?
Random Thoughts
∑ John Leclair brings many intangibles to the Penguins; I understand why he’s on the roster. I’m not sure what intangibles Ryan Malone brings to the table. Watching the Penguins play a speedy team in Carolina—watching Malone and Leclair play was hardly the most pleasant experience. Those guys need speed, and they don’t make magic speed skates. Ice time needs to be distributed differently on nights when the Penguins are playing teams against whom the slower players—e.g. Malone, Leclair—simply don’t match up well.
∑ If Sergei Gonchar can be Sergei Gonchar, if Ryan Whitney can perform like a first round pick should, the Penguins defense is vastly improved. Frankly, I far prefer Noah Welch (currently in Wilkes-Barre) to a couple of other Penguins defenseman, and as I already mentioned, I like the way Kris Letang plays. If the Penguins’ defense can resemble a NHL defense—let’s say, everyone legitimately deserves a spot on a NHL roster—the Penguins come way closer to a playoff birth.
∑ Malkin, Malkin, Malkin. I say it all the time, but I’m really curious what difference a real second line center would have made in the two games the Penguins lost. Can Malkin work with Crosby on the power play and get something going when nothing is going? As already mentioned, can he be the player who shakes free of the shadow that’s on Crosby throughout the whole game? I’ll be curious to see what happens when Malkin returns. The temptation to keep Staal could be even greater if we see that Malkin makes a huge difference in the lineup, because suddenly, we have 4 legitimate NHL centers. That would be nice, too, wouldn’t it?
∑ Goaltending matters so much. Being screened didn’t help Fleury much last night, but the games in which the Penguins won—and will win—they’re going to get good or great goaltending. That’s just how it is.
∑ I don’t know what’s going to come of the season. But I like the babies and young players a lot. I have hope, and hope is a good thing to have—and can make even the icky games worth watching.
û
∑ John Leclair brings many intangibles to the Penguins; I understand why he’s on the roster. I’m not sure what intangibles Ryan Malone brings to the table. Watching the Penguins play a speedy team in Carolina—watching Malone and Leclair play was hardly the most pleasant experience. Those guys need speed, and they don’t make magic speed skates. Ice time needs to be distributed differently on nights when the Penguins are playing teams against whom the slower players—e.g. Malone, Leclair—simply don’t match up well.
∑ If Sergei Gonchar can be Sergei Gonchar, if Ryan Whitney can perform like a first round pick should, the Penguins defense is vastly improved. Frankly, I far prefer Noah Welch (currently in Wilkes-Barre) to a couple of other Penguins defenseman, and as I already mentioned, I like the way Kris Letang plays. If the Penguins’ defense can resemble a NHL defense—let’s say, everyone legitimately deserves a spot on a NHL roster—the Penguins come way closer to a playoff birth.
∑ Malkin, Malkin, Malkin. I say it all the time, but I’m really curious what difference a real second line center would have made in the two games the Penguins lost. Can Malkin work with Crosby on the power play and get something going when nothing is going? As already mentioned, can he be the player who shakes free of the shadow that’s on Crosby throughout the whole game? I’ll be curious to see what happens when Malkin returns. The temptation to keep Staal could be even greater if we see that Malkin makes a huge difference in the lineup, because suddenly, we have 4 legitimate NHL centers. That would be nice, too, wouldn’t it?
∑ Goaltending matters so much. Being screened didn’t help Fleury much last night, but the games in which the Penguins won—and will win—they’re going to get good or great goaltending. That’s just how it is.
∑ I don’t know what’s going to come of the season. But I like the babies and young players a lot. I have hope, and hope is a good thing to have—and can make even the icky games worth watching.
û
If I were a betting girl….
See, I just had this feeling about last’s night game against Carolina. The defending Cup champions had to wake up at some point. The Penguins, after their victory against New York, weren’t going to be able to get away with playing the same style against Carolina. Plus, the Penguins traditionally don’t play well against the Hurricanes (I’m not going to analyze the reason for that at the present moment; perhaps someone else can comment or I’ll leave it for another day).
I wasn’t surprised to see the team lose. I saw encouraging things, but as soon as that first period goal went in on Fleury, I just sighed. My suspicion that it was going to be "one of those nights" proved true.
I wondered about my suspicions—somehow knowing the Pens would match up well with New York but not with Carolina—and while I know that I don’t bet or plan to bet on games, well, I could have made money last night.
Yet still, when it comes to my young team, I don’t really want to bet against them. Because—as in Letang’s goofy bounce goal—there are always signs something good might be just around the corner. And honestly—there will be nights like last night and nights like the Rangers game, sometimes in back-to-back games. Other times such nights will string themselves together.
Let’s just remember what we have: A young, talented team. Root for them, cheer for them—but don’t freak when they lose to the team that claimed the Cup last year. We’re not at the place where we can freak about that yet.
See, I just had this feeling about last’s night game against Carolina. The defending Cup champions had to wake up at some point. The Penguins, after their victory against New York, weren’t going to be able to get away with playing the same style against Carolina. Plus, the Penguins traditionally don’t play well against the Hurricanes (I’m not going to analyze the reason for that at the present moment; perhaps someone else can comment or I’ll leave it for another day).
I wasn’t surprised to see the team lose. I saw encouraging things, but as soon as that first period goal went in on Fleury, I just sighed. My suspicion that it was going to be "one of those nights" proved true.
I wondered about my suspicions—somehow knowing the Pens would match up well with New York but not with Carolina—and while I know that I don’t bet or plan to bet on games, well, I could have made money last night.
Yet still, when it comes to my young team, I don’t really want to bet against them. Because—as in Letang’s goofy bounce goal—there are always signs something good might be just around the corner. And honestly—there will be nights like last night and nights like the Rangers game, sometimes in back-to-back games. Other times such nights will string themselves together.
Let’s just remember what we have: A young, talented team. Root for them, cheer for them—but don’t freak when they lose to the team that claimed the Cup last year. We’re not at the place where we can freak about that yet.
Random Notes
∑ I heard the Rangers-Penguins game over the Internet (actually it was over a phone connection over the Internet, but let’s never even go there) Thursday night. Hearing announcers refer to the line of Straka-Jagr-Nylander as possibly the oldest line in the NHL unnerved me. Given the way Straka and Jagr still play, I have a hard time picturing them as grizzled veterans. Yet their NHL playing time reveals the players are most definitely NHL veterans. Listening to the tic-tac-toe and lack of defense in the Pens-Rangers game, however, well, wow, it was hard to believe that Jagr and Straka were 34 years old, the way they were conducting themselves on the ice. To me, I guess Jagr and Straka will forever be the young players on those great Penguins teams of the early nineties (yes, I know Straka didn’t come along until 1993, but still, that 1993 team set a new NHL record for a17-game winning streak that season) and later the young men who still made Penguins games, sans Mario, worth watching during the late nineties.
∑ I had several thoughts about the Rangers-Pens match-up.
1. The Rangers have got to play defense if they want to go anywhere this season. More timely goaltending would help, too. But the Rangers are doing neither of their goaltenders any favors by letting up odd man breaks and taking needless penalties.
2. I agreed with Mike Lange when he said, "If this is any indication, we’re going to have a lot of fun with the Rangers this year!" I love hockey games that end in scores of 6-5. I like offense, and I like stars being allowed to be stars. I like seeing stars perform as stars. Say what you will, but the way Crosby and Jagr et. al were clicking Thursday night—the lack of defense aside—that game was exciting and tons of fun. The NHL would be well served if more games were like the Pens-Rangers game in terms of excitement and stars putting on shows that befit stars.
3. Just taking Thursday night (not the flat performance against Carolina Saturday night) into consideration, my first thought was, "The Penguins weren’t supposed to be this good." Not this year, not this fast. The Penguins are supposed to be able to win a shootout against Shanahan and Jagr someday but not necessarily this season. What I saw Thursday night wasn’t necessarily a portend of an incredibly great season to come—but Thursday’s night performance did show me what I can expect to see of the Penguins, perhaps not this season, but definitely in future seasons.
4. If the 3 teenagers perform like that every game, the Penguins win a lot more games than they lose. If the Penguins defense scores 3 goals a game, they win way more games than they lose.
5. Goaltending matters, and Marc-Andre Fleury staying hot matters, perhaps more than anything else, when it comes to Pittsburgh’s hopes of making the playoffs.
∑ I heard the Rangers-Penguins game over the Internet (actually it was over a phone connection over the Internet, but let’s never even go there) Thursday night. Hearing announcers refer to the line of Straka-Jagr-Nylander as possibly the oldest line in the NHL unnerved me. Given the way Straka and Jagr still play, I have a hard time picturing them as grizzled veterans. Yet their NHL playing time reveals the players are most definitely NHL veterans. Listening to the tic-tac-toe and lack of defense in the Pens-Rangers game, however, well, wow, it was hard to believe that Jagr and Straka were 34 years old, the way they were conducting themselves on the ice. To me, I guess Jagr and Straka will forever be the young players on those great Penguins teams of the early nineties (yes, I know Straka didn’t come along until 1993, but still, that 1993 team set a new NHL record for a17-game winning streak that season) and later the young men who still made Penguins games, sans Mario, worth watching during the late nineties.
∑ I had several thoughts about the Rangers-Pens match-up.
1. The Rangers have got to play defense if they want to go anywhere this season. More timely goaltending would help, too. But the Rangers are doing neither of their goaltenders any favors by letting up odd man breaks and taking needless penalties.
2. I agreed with Mike Lange when he said, "If this is any indication, we’re going to have a lot of fun with the Rangers this year!" I love hockey games that end in scores of 6-5. I like offense, and I like stars being allowed to be stars. I like seeing stars perform as stars. Say what you will, but the way Crosby and Jagr et. al were clicking Thursday night—the lack of defense aside—that game was exciting and tons of fun. The NHL would be well served if more games were like the Pens-Rangers game in terms of excitement and stars putting on shows that befit stars.
3. Just taking Thursday night (not the flat performance against Carolina Saturday night) into consideration, my first thought was, "The Penguins weren’t supposed to be this good." Not this year, not this fast. The Penguins are supposed to be able to win a shootout against Shanahan and Jagr someday but not necessarily this season. What I saw Thursday night wasn’t necessarily a portend of an incredibly great season to come—but Thursday’s night performance did show me what I can expect to see of the Penguins, perhaps not this season, but definitely in future seasons.
4. If the 3 teenagers perform like that every game, the Penguins win a lot more games than they lose. If the Penguins defense scores 3 goals a game, they win way more games than they lose.
5. Goaltending matters, and Marc-Andre Fleury staying hot matters, perhaps more than anything else, when it comes to Pittsburgh’s hopes of making the playoffs.
Pens Defense
In the previous post, I mentioned the Penguins defense. I really think Noah Welch is probably a better NHL defenseman than a couple of defenseman on the current roster. More importantly, I think Welch—provided he plays NHL games and gets experience—is going to be a far superior NHL defenseman to a few of the Penguins current defenseman.
His current 2-way contract aside, if Welch is one of the Penguins top 6 defenseman, he needs to find his way onto the big team’s roster, and pronto.
In the previous post, I mentioned the Penguins defense. I really think Noah Welch is probably a better NHL defenseman than a couple of defenseman on the current roster. More importantly, I think Welch—provided he plays NHL games and gets experience—is going to be a far superior NHL defenseman to a few of the Penguins current defenseman.
His current 2-way contract aside, if Welch is one of the Penguins top 6 defenseman, he needs to find his way onto the big team’s roster, and pronto.
The Babies, er, the children, er,
the Teenagers, er, the Rookies
I finally had the chance to see Kristopher Letang and Jordan Staal play. I read online that Coach Michel Therrien had commented that he would like to keep both players for the duration of the season. After watching both babies, er, children, er, teenagers, er, rookies, play, well, I can understand Coach Therrien’s wishes.
Jordan Staal is already an extremely effective penalty killer. Staal has the size, reach, and hockey sense to know how to kill penalties. The goal scoring and offense, no doubt, will come with time. Just watching Staal kill penalties, I saw the Penguins would be losing a player who could definitely help them—special-teams wise—this season.
Kristropher Letang is the kind of defenseman I love (personal biases should be known, I feel). Beyond my love for offensive-minded defenseman who know how to make an accurate outlet pass, the 19-year-old scored 2 goals in his first four NHL games (the lucky bounce of last night’s goal against Carolina aside, 2 NHL goals count as 2 NHl goals). When I watched him on the power play, he knew what he was doing, and again, he appeared to know how to make passes that I haven’t seen Pittsburgh defensemen make with any real regularity in recent seasons. In any case, he looked like he had the potential to be better than some of the current defenseman on our roster, and the times he made me nervous by virtue of his youth and inexperience aside, I would far prefer to watch him play defense than to watch Rob Scuderi.
While I previously noted that I understood Coach Therrien’s wish to keep Letang and Staal all season long—as I’ve already seen in 4 games, both players can clear help this Penguins team this season—that doesn’t mean I agree with Coach Therrien. As a fan, I have to think longer term than this current season. Frankly, the idea of Malkin and Staal potentially being due huge contracts in the same season is hardly a pleasant thought. Beyond just future financial concerns, however, I know Jordan Staal is capable of making a contribution in the NHL this season. What I wonder, particularly in the case of Staal, is whether making the contribution he is capable of making this season is in the best interests of his long-term development. Fine, Staal’s shown he can play well in the Show this year. But playing "well" is not what the Penguins should ultimately want for a #2 overall draft pick. When it comes to Staal, two questions have to be answered affirmatively. Is it worth the future financial risk, contract-wise? Even more importantly, what experience will most help Staal to be the player the Penguins want him to be in four or five years when they hope to be a legitimate contender for the Cup?
When it comes to Staal, right now, I can’t answer both of those questions affirmatively, but then again, I’m not the general manager. In the case of defenseman Letang, well, again, he’s a defenseman. Traditionally and historically defensemen take time to learn the craft of NHL defense. Letang doesn’t have the option of going to Wilkes-Barres to adjust to the pro game if should even a brief sojourn be desired at some point in the season. While I hope Letang does turn into the next Brian Raflaski, the same two questions have to be answered affirmatively. Contract-wise, what do you think this kid is going to become? More importantly, is he going to be helped more by a return to major juniors or by taking a regular shift in the NHL? And are the Penguins committed to giving the kid a regular shift in the NHL (because sitting on the pine isn’t going to be in the best interests of a 19-year-old in the least)?
Since I am not general manager Ray Shero, I don’t have the answers to these questions. Perhaps my heading for this entry provides a clue as to the answer. It should be noted that generally speaking, I like to watch talented young players. I like to watch talented younger players, as a general rule, often before I like to watch players in their primes (personal preferences again being made known here). I love to watch those players and dream about what they’ll become and enjoy them when they become all I saw they could be when they were just babies—kids—teenagers—rookies.
Is it the best interests of the teenagers to remain rookies for this season? Is it in the best interest of the franchise to see these 2 teenagers remain rookies for this season?
Oh, and please provide an explanation as to "why."
My answers may not turn out to be Ray Shero’s. But here are my tentative ones, for the moment.
Staal: The contract’s too risky for the franchise, and he needs to be all-over dominant. His already-evident penalty killing prowess aside, I want him to be more than just a great penalty killer. Back to junior, and in the Show to stick next year.
Letang: I really, really like defenseman like him. If the Penguins will commit to playing him in every situation and as a top-6 defenseman all season, he can stick. However, if the Penguins have 6 defensemen who are currently better NHL defensemen, then send Letang back to juniors. If he’s legitimately one of your top 6 defenseman, please, keep him around; for as crazy as his youth and inexperience might drive me this season, I’m sure to enjoy the pretty passes and occasional show.
I don’t know how Shero is going to answer the questions I asked, but I know one thing—for the next five games, whatever happens after that aside—I’m going to enjoy watching the babies—children—teenagers—rookies—play NHL games.
the Teenagers, er, the Rookies
I finally had the chance to see Kristopher Letang and Jordan Staal play. I read online that Coach Michel Therrien had commented that he would like to keep both players for the duration of the season. After watching both babies, er, children, er, teenagers, er, rookies, play, well, I can understand Coach Therrien’s wishes.
Jordan Staal is already an extremely effective penalty killer. Staal has the size, reach, and hockey sense to know how to kill penalties. The goal scoring and offense, no doubt, will come with time. Just watching Staal kill penalties, I saw the Penguins would be losing a player who could definitely help them—special-teams wise—this season.
Kristropher Letang is the kind of defenseman I love (personal biases should be known, I feel). Beyond my love for offensive-minded defenseman who know how to make an accurate outlet pass, the 19-year-old scored 2 goals in his first four NHL games (the lucky bounce of last night’s goal against Carolina aside, 2 NHL goals count as 2 NHl goals). When I watched him on the power play, he knew what he was doing, and again, he appeared to know how to make passes that I haven’t seen Pittsburgh defensemen make with any real regularity in recent seasons. In any case, he looked like he had the potential to be better than some of the current defenseman on our roster, and the times he made me nervous by virtue of his youth and inexperience aside, I would far prefer to watch him play defense than to watch Rob Scuderi.
While I previously noted that I understood Coach Therrien’s wish to keep Letang and Staal all season long—as I’ve already seen in 4 games, both players can clear help this Penguins team this season—that doesn’t mean I agree with Coach Therrien. As a fan, I have to think longer term than this current season. Frankly, the idea of Malkin and Staal potentially being due huge contracts in the same season is hardly a pleasant thought. Beyond just future financial concerns, however, I know Jordan Staal is capable of making a contribution in the NHL this season. What I wonder, particularly in the case of Staal, is whether making the contribution he is capable of making this season is in the best interests of his long-term development. Fine, Staal’s shown he can play well in the Show this year. But playing "well" is not what the Penguins should ultimately want for a #2 overall draft pick. When it comes to Staal, two questions have to be answered affirmatively. Is it worth the future financial risk, contract-wise? Even more importantly, what experience will most help Staal to be the player the Penguins want him to be in four or five years when they hope to be a legitimate contender for the Cup?
When it comes to Staal, right now, I can’t answer both of those questions affirmatively, but then again, I’m not the general manager. In the case of defenseman Letang, well, again, he’s a defenseman. Traditionally and historically defensemen take time to learn the craft of NHL defense. Letang doesn’t have the option of going to Wilkes-Barres to adjust to the pro game if should even a brief sojourn be desired at some point in the season. While I hope Letang does turn into the next Brian Raflaski, the same two questions have to be answered affirmatively. Contract-wise, what do you think this kid is going to become? More importantly, is he going to be helped more by a return to major juniors or by taking a regular shift in the NHL? And are the Penguins committed to giving the kid a regular shift in the NHL (because sitting on the pine isn’t going to be in the best interests of a 19-year-old in the least)?
Since I am not general manager Ray Shero, I don’t have the answers to these questions. Perhaps my heading for this entry provides a clue as to the answer. It should be noted that generally speaking, I like to watch talented young players. I like to watch talented younger players, as a general rule, often before I like to watch players in their primes (personal preferences again being made known here). I love to watch those players and dream about what they’ll become and enjoy them when they become all I saw they could be when they were just babies—kids—teenagers—rookies.
Is it the best interests of the teenagers to remain rookies for this season? Is it in the best interest of the franchise to see these 2 teenagers remain rookies for this season?
Oh, and please provide an explanation as to "why."
My answers may not turn out to be Ray Shero’s. But here are my tentative ones, for the moment.
Staal: The contract’s too risky for the franchise, and he needs to be all-over dominant. His already-evident penalty killing prowess aside, I want him to be more than just a great penalty killer. Back to junior, and in the Show to stick next year.
Letang: I really, really like defenseman like him. If the Penguins will commit to playing him in every situation and as a top-6 defenseman all season, he can stick. However, if the Penguins have 6 defensemen who are currently better NHL defensemen, then send Letang back to juniors. If he’s legitimately one of your top 6 defenseman, please, keep him around; for as crazy as his youth and inexperience might drive me this season, I’m sure to enjoy the pretty passes and occasional show.
I don’t know how Shero is going to answer the questions I asked, but I know one thing—for the next five games, whatever happens after that aside—I’m going to enjoy watching the babies—children—teenagers—rookies—play NHL games.
Visuals, Finally
Dad sent me a tape of the season opener, so I finally got to see the Pens play this year. Last night, too, I got to watch an incredibly flat Penguins team take on the Carolina Hurricanes. So all of today’s postings come from the limited perspective of having seen parts of two games—the 1st and 2nd periods of the opener and (unfortunately) all of last night’s game. But hey, I’ve seen games now, which is progress from last week.
Dad sent me a tape of the season opener, so I finally got to see the Pens play this year. Last night, too, I got to watch an incredibly flat Penguins team take on the Carolina Hurricanes. So all of today’s postings come from the limited perspective of having seen parts of two games—the 1st and 2nd periods of the opener and (unfortunately) all of last night’s game. But hey, I’ve seen games now, which is progress from last week.
One Huge Caveat
Included in the tape of the season opener was the press conference with Mario and the new owner. My initial gut reaction was: Wow, if only there were an arena already built.
Because here is everything I liked about the man behind Blackberries. He was smart and articulate. He was no-nonsense, blunt, and direct. More importantly than those character traits, however, he was so excited to be purchasing the Penguins. He really, really, really wanted a hockey team. Even more so than really, really, really wanting a hockey team, I could immediately perceive that the new owner wanted to win. He knew the players on the team, he knew the promise of the team, and he wasn’t buying a hockey team just for the sake of making money. In all of 5 minutes, I could clearly tell this new owner wants to win the Stanley Cup.
Can you see everything good about the new owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins? Unlike the ownership of the local baseball team, this man wants to win. More so than just wanting to win, he has the money to make sure winning happens. If, in about three years’ time, the Penguins are a player away from the Cup, this new owner is going to bite the figurative bullet and spend the money on that player (salary cap permitting, of course). The new owner loves the game, and more than that, he already loves his new team—and he already wants to win it all. How can you not love a deep-pocketed, passionate owner who wants to win?
However, everything good about the Pens’ new owner comes with a giant caveat, or asterisk, or whatever you want to term it, and that caveat/asterisk comes because ground has yet to be broken on a new arena for the city of Pittsburgh. All the character traits of bluntness and intelligence, which could help the Penguins franchise immensely, can also lead to the Penguins becoming known as a different franchise than the Pittsburgh Penguins. To put it frankly: the man behind Blackberries isn’t going to fool around or be patient with government officials who can’t figure out how to get a new arena constructed and constructed as quickly as possible. The new owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins is not going to ensure the team remains the Pittsburgh Penguins if a new Pittsburgh arena isn’t built pronto. This man is insanely wealthy, has a Harvard MBA, and while he wants to win, he didn’t buy the Penguins to lose money. Fact of the matter is, the team is going to lose money if it stays in Mellon Arena indefinitely. Likewise, as much as the new owner wants to win, he’s not going to have the amenities of a new arena that will enable him to shell out the dollars that will help the team when the time comes to add the last pieces to transform a contender into a champion. Simply put, everything that makes the "Blackberry guy" a potentially terrific owner also makes me wary and—honestly, yes—a little afraid.
Because I like the new owner already. I’m also aware of how fast I could not like the new owner because of how fast he can up and move my team out of my hometown. Here’s the thing: the new owner wouldn’t be wrong to do that if a new arena doesn’t get built. He wouldn’t be. Because his goal, as a owner, are two things: to turn a profit and to win.
The reason I like the new owner—giant caveat aside for the moment—is because he’s already proven he knows how to run a successful business and is clearly capable of applying his intellect to owning a NHL franchise. Yet beyond business success, I already love the new owner’s clear desire to win. This guy wants a winning team. I’m not going to go in-depth on analyzing his Canadian background, his personal hockey coach, and maybe his desire—through ownership—to make a childhood dream of winning the Stanley Cup become reality in too much detail (though perhaps I just did). But if there already were a perfect new 21st century arena in Pittsburgh, I’d be embracing this new owner with everything I’ve got. Because he’s got it all—business sense, money, and the desire to win.
Yet with all those good things comes a giant caveat. This new owner’s not going to wait or tolerate idiocy. Not when he wants to run a successful franchise that wins it all. And if the people who have to pull their strings to get a new arena don’t start pulling their strings, it’s not Mario Lemieux or the new owner I’m going to want to boo. No. My booing will be reserved for the people who couldn’t get their acts together to get a new arena. I’m going to want to chase those officials who couldn’t get their acts together out of town—or at the very least, out of office.
Hear me clearly, elected officials?
Oh, and to the new Pens owner: Welcome to Pittsburgh. I hope the Penguins win several more Stanley Cups, in Pittsburgh, under your ownership. I hope you get a new arena and get a new arena fast.
To the elected officials: Get the arena taken care of. Pronto. Fast. This new owner, he doesn’t play.
‰
Included in the tape of the season opener was the press conference with Mario and the new owner. My initial gut reaction was: Wow, if only there were an arena already built.
Because here is everything I liked about the man behind Blackberries. He was smart and articulate. He was no-nonsense, blunt, and direct. More importantly than those character traits, however, he was so excited to be purchasing the Penguins. He really, really, really wanted a hockey team. Even more so than really, really, really wanting a hockey team, I could immediately perceive that the new owner wanted to win. He knew the players on the team, he knew the promise of the team, and he wasn’t buying a hockey team just for the sake of making money. In all of 5 minutes, I could clearly tell this new owner wants to win the Stanley Cup.
Can you see everything good about the new owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins? Unlike the ownership of the local baseball team, this man wants to win. More so than just wanting to win, he has the money to make sure winning happens. If, in about three years’ time, the Penguins are a player away from the Cup, this new owner is going to bite the figurative bullet and spend the money on that player (salary cap permitting, of course). The new owner loves the game, and more than that, he already loves his new team—and he already wants to win it all. How can you not love a deep-pocketed, passionate owner who wants to win?
However, everything good about the Pens’ new owner comes with a giant caveat, or asterisk, or whatever you want to term it, and that caveat/asterisk comes because ground has yet to be broken on a new arena for the city of Pittsburgh. All the character traits of bluntness and intelligence, which could help the Penguins franchise immensely, can also lead to the Penguins becoming known as a different franchise than the Pittsburgh Penguins. To put it frankly: the man behind Blackberries isn’t going to fool around or be patient with government officials who can’t figure out how to get a new arena constructed and constructed as quickly as possible. The new owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins is not going to ensure the team remains the Pittsburgh Penguins if a new Pittsburgh arena isn’t built pronto. This man is insanely wealthy, has a Harvard MBA, and while he wants to win, he didn’t buy the Penguins to lose money. Fact of the matter is, the team is going to lose money if it stays in Mellon Arena indefinitely. Likewise, as much as the new owner wants to win, he’s not going to have the amenities of a new arena that will enable him to shell out the dollars that will help the team when the time comes to add the last pieces to transform a contender into a champion. Simply put, everything that makes the "Blackberry guy" a potentially terrific owner also makes me wary and—honestly, yes—a little afraid.
Because I like the new owner already. I’m also aware of how fast I could not like the new owner because of how fast he can up and move my team out of my hometown. Here’s the thing: the new owner wouldn’t be wrong to do that if a new arena doesn’t get built. He wouldn’t be. Because his goal, as a owner, are two things: to turn a profit and to win.
The reason I like the new owner—giant caveat aside for the moment—is because he’s already proven he knows how to run a successful business and is clearly capable of applying his intellect to owning a NHL franchise. Yet beyond business success, I already love the new owner’s clear desire to win. This guy wants a winning team. I’m not going to go in-depth on analyzing his Canadian background, his personal hockey coach, and maybe his desire—through ownership—to make a childhood dream of winning the Stanley Cup become reality in too much detail (though perhaps I just did). But if there already were a perfect new 21st century arena in Pittsburgh, I’d be embracing this new owner with everything I’ve got. Because he’s got it all—business sense, money, and the desire to win.
Yet with all those good things comes a giant caveat. This new owner’s not going to wait or tolerate idiocy. Not when he wants to run a successful franchise that wins it all. And if the people who have to pull their strings to get a new arena don’t start pulling their strings, it’s not Mario Lemieux or the new owner I’m going to want to boo. No. My booing will be reserved for the people who couldn’t get their acts together to get a new arena. I’m going to want to chase those officials who couldn’t get their acts together out of town—or at the very least, out of office.
Hear me clearly, elected officials?
Oh, and to the new Pens owner: Welcome to Pittsburgh. I hope the Penguins win several more Stanley Cups, in Pittsburgh, under your ownership. I hope you get a new arena and get a new arena fast.
To the elected officials: Get the arena taken care of. Pronto. Fast. This new owner, he doesn’t play.
‰
Sunday, October 08, 2006
The Old NHL versus the New NHL
There are obvious differences between the old NHL and the new NHL. For example, the amount of power play time in an average game—puh-leaze. The obstruction that used to be acceptable and isn’t anymore. The list goes on.
However, what I have been pondering lately is how the old NHL versus the new NHL affects various types of players. My brother informed me that one of the Penguins babies, defenseman Letang, "will owe his career to the new NHL." Apparently, Letang can skate and play defense well positionally, etc, though he is not a huge behemoth by any means. My brother was noting that the NHL game has changed—brute force will not be enough anymore.
It made me wonder about currently injured Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik, and if perhaps his less than stellar speed, coupled with hard-hitting ways (not all the time, Pens fans, I’m certainly aware of that) were better suited to a NHL game that no longer exists. Likewise, I wondered about the power forward who dominated the old NHL. The player who was perhaps not gifted with foot speed at all but who could stand in front of the net and dish out body checks and take a beating and use soft hands to put the puck in the net. I wondered if there would be room in the new NHL for players like a younger version of John Leclair or one-time Penguin Kevin Stevens. I wondered if Ryan Malone would ever be able to achieve at an above-average level in the present NHL.
Because the game is different now, and obstruction that was once permissible no longer is, and because so much of the game depends on being able to skate with speed and authority, I wondered about those players of old. The slow-footed yet tall and brutal defenseman who could at least cover in his own zone a little bit? The power forward who had skates of mud but hands of gold?
Is there still room for these types of players in the new NHL? Will defensemen like Letang replace defensemen like Orpik at the NHL level? Will every power forward need to be able to skate at will in addition to having hands of gold? Which old players—renowned in the old NHL—would be out of a job, or have a job description severely altered, by the new NHL?
And, as it pertains to my Penguins—which players do we need to ice the best team for the new NHL, and who are the players who aren’t going to help us win in the new NHL?
Thoughts?
There are obvious differences between the old NHL and the new NHL. For example, the amount of power play time in an average game—puh-leaze. The obstruction that used to be acceptable and isn’t anymore. The list goes on.
However, what I have been pondering lately is how the old NHL versus the new NHL affects various types of players. My brother informed me that one of the Penguins babies, defenseman Letang, "will owe his career to the new NHL." Apparently, Letang can skate and play defense well positionally, etc, though he is not a huge behemoth by any means. My brother was noting that the NHL game has changed—brute force will not be enough anymore.
It made me wonder about currently injured Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik, and if perhaps his less than stellar speed, coupled with hard-hitting ways (not all the time, Pens fans, I’m certainly aware of that) were better suited to a NHL game that no longer exists. Likewise, I wondered about the power forward who dominated the old NHL. The player who was perhaps not gifted with foot speed at all but who could stand in front of the net and dish out body checks and take a beating and use soft hands to put the puck in the net. I wondered if there would be room in the new NHL for players like a younger version of John Leclair or one-time Penguin Kevin Stevens. I wondered if Ryan Malone would ever be able to achieve at an above-average level in the present NHL.
Because the game is different now, and obstruction that was once permissible no longer is, and because so much of the game depends on being able to skate with speed and authority, I wondered about those players of old. The slow-footed yet tall and brutal defenseman who could at least cover in his own zone a little bit? The power forward who had skates of mud but hands of gold?
Is there still room for these types of players in the new NHL? Will defensemen like Letang replace defensemen like Orpik at the NHL level? Will every power forward need to be able to skate at will in addition to having hands of gold? Which old players—renowned in the old NHL—would be out of a job, or have a job description severely altered, by the new NHL?
And, as it pertains to my Penguins—which players do we need to ice the best team for the new NHL, and who are the players who aren’t going to help us win in the new NHL?
Thoughts?
Penguins Musings
My Penguins, on the other hand, managed to win their first game and lose their second game. I didn’t see either game, but from what I have heard and read, here are some thoughts.
∑ Malkin would have made a difference in the loss to the Red Wings. With the reigning Norris Trophy winner all over Crosby and Crosby shadowed, Malkin could have, potentially, had the free room that Crosby didn’t have throughout the game. Malkin’s presence might have been enough to have helped the Penguins to get the one goal they needed to tie the game.
∑ If Marc-Andre Fleury can continue to play goal as well as he has in the first two games, the Red Wings coach is right. With goaltending as good as what the Pens have had for their season’s first two games, the Penguins are immediately a competitive team most nights (even when they have no business being a competitive team). Being a competitive team most nights means the Penguins will be in contention for a playoff berth for much of the season—so long as the goaltending remains as high caliber as it has been for the remainder of the season.
∑ The 2006-07 Penguins are a much better coached and prepared team than were the 2005-06 Penguins. Therrien’s system is obvious in terms of shots blocked, shots given up, and in attributes like the penalty killing being flawless throughout the season’s first two games. Therrien’s system is another factor that will help Pittsburgh to remain competitive in games in which the team has no business being competitive.
∑ With all my talk about games in which this team has no business being competitive, you might wonder why. Frankly speaking, this Penguins team is still way too slow for the new NHL. John Leclair and Ryan Malone, in all honesty, have games that were better suited for the old NHL. However, Leclair brings intangibles, and as for Malone, well, the Penguins don’t currently have anyone better to take his place. In any case, however, there are other NHL teams that are still far more talented and more experienced than this Penguins team. Our young stars aren’t yet as good as they will someday be, nor do they have the NHL experience that makes great players even better than they already are. Our young, talented stars will get experience this year, and eventually, hopefully, through the developmental system or trades, we’ll ice a faster team than the one we currently have. But to be honestly realistic—this Penguins team, talent-wise, is middle-of-the-pack merely due to the presence of extremely gifted youngsters and a couple of aging but once perennial All-Stars. Speed-wise, however, we’re just not where a good team in the new NHL has to be. Period.
∑ I haven’t yet had the chance to see Ryan Whitney play defense this year, but the box scores reveal Whitney has been logging a ton of minutes. He was the fifth overall draft choice of the Pens a few years ago, and I’m really hoping he makes that high draft choice seem a wise, worthwhile investment. I understand defensemen take longer to develop (Chris Pronger’s first three NHL seasons, anyone?) and that Whitney is still learning the NHL game. But if he can take several steps forward this year (not necessarily one giant leap) and start to show signs of becoming a legitimate number 1 NHL defenseman on a real NHL defense, well—that development would go a long way towards helping the Penguins compete for a playoff spot.
∑ I refer to the youngsters currently on the team (the ones who could still be returned to their junior team) as "the babies." Because, well, they are. However, it’s exciting to see young kids successfully able to kill NHL penalties and hold their own—and more than their own—against NHL competition. For that very reason, however—due to how good the kids already are—I’d send them back to junior after their nine game cup of coffee. Because, frankly, I don’t want Jordan Staal merely to know how to kill penalties in the NHL. I want the number 2 NHL draft choice to know how to skate, score, pass, and dominate, and yes, of course, he can kill penalties and win faceoffs, too. Staal isn’t ready to dominate the NHL yet, and I want him to be closer to being able to dominate when the time comes for him to take a regular NHL shift. Plus, I just think 30 minutes of ice in every situation, rather than 10 minutes of ice time in limited situations, is far more beneficial for an 18-year-old kid. Tempting as it might be to keep Staal around to kill penalties this season, the Penguins made a long-term investment in him, and that investment isn’t merely to make sure the kid can kill penalties. Much as love seeing "the babies," play and play well, I’ll be even more glad to see them play when they’re just as talented and one year older.
My Penguins, on the other hand, managed to win their first game and lose their second game. I didn’t see either game, but from what I have heard and read, here are some thoughts.
∑ Malkin would have made a difference in the loss to the Red Wings. With the reigning Norris Trophy winner all over Crosby and Crosby shadowed, Malkin could have, potentially, had the free room that Crosby didn’t have throughout the game. Malkin’s presence might have been enough to have helped the Penguins to get the one goal they needed to tie the game.
∑ If Marc-Andre Fleury can continue to play goal as well as he has in the first two games, the Red Wings coach is right. With goaltending as good as what the Pens have had for their season’s first two games, the Penguins are immediately a competitive team most nights (even when they have no business being a competitive team). Being a competitive team most nights means the Penguins will be in contention for a playoff berth for much of the season—so long as the goaltending remains as high caliber as it has been for the remainder of the season.
∑ The 2006-07 Penguins are a much better coached and prepared team than were the 2005-06 Penguins. Therrien’s system is obvious in terms of shots blocked, shots given up, and in attributes like the penalty killing being flawless throughout the season’s first two games. Therrien’s system is another factor that will help Pittsburgh to remain competitive in games in which the team has no business being competitive.
∑ With all my talk about games in which this team has no business being competitive, you might wonder why. Frankly speaking, this Penguins team is still way too slow for the new NHL. John Leclair and Ryan Malone, in all honesty, have games that were better suited for the old NHL. However, Leclair brings intangibles, and as for Malone, well, the Penguins don’t currently have anyone better to take his place. In any case, however, there are other NHL teams that are still far more talented and more experienced than this Penguins team. Our young stars aren’t yet as good as they will someday be, nor do they have the NHL experience that makes great players even better than they already are. Our young, talented stars will get experience this year, and eventually, hopefully, through the developmental system or trades, we’ll ice a faster team than the one we currently have. But to be honestly realistic—this Penguins team, talent-wise, is middle-of-the-pack merely due to the presence of extremely gifted youngsters and a couple of aging but once perennial All-Stars. Speed-wise, however, we’re just not where a good team in the new NHL has to be. Period.
∑ I haven’t yet had the chance to see Ryan Whitney play defense this year, but the box scores reveal Whitney has been logging a ton of minutes. He was the fifth overall draft choice of the Pens a few years ago, and I’m really hoping he makes that high draft choice seem a wise, worthwhile investment. I understand defensemen take longer to develop (Chris Pronger’s first three NHL seasons, anyone?) and that Whitney is still learning the NHL game. But if he can take several steps forward this year (not necessarily one giant leap) and start to show signs of becoming a legitimate number 1 NHL defenseman on a real NHL defense, well—that development would go a long way towards helping the Penguins compete for a playoff spot.
∑ I refer to the youngsters currently on the team (the ones who could still be returned to their junior team) as "the babies." Because, well, they are. However, it’s exciting to see young kids successfully able to kill NHL penalties and hold their own—and more than their own—against NHL competition. For that very reason, however—due to how good the kids already are—I’d send them back to junior after their nine game cup of coffee. Because, frankly, I don’t want Jordan Staal merely to know how to kill penalties in the NHL. I want the number 2 NHL draft choice to know how to skate, score, pass, and dominate, and yes, of course, he can kill penalties and win faceoffs, too. Staal isn’t ready to dominate the NHL yet, and I want him to be closer to being able to dominate when the time comes for him to take a regular NHL shift. Plus, I just think 30 minutes of ice in every situation, rather than 10 minutes of ice time in limited situations, is far more beneficial for an 18-year-old kid. Tempting as it might be to keep Staal around to kill penalties this season, the Penguins made a long-term investment in him, and that investment isn’t merely to make sure the kid can kill penalties. Much as love seeing "the babies," play and play well, I’ll be even more glad to see them play when they’re just as talented and one year older.
More Rangers Musings
Seriously, however, the Rangers remind me of my Penguins teams back in the mid to late nineties. (Jagr and Martin Straka were on the team at various points.) Those Penguins teams—by virtue of Jagr’s presence and of a few other gifted offensive players—managed to produce offensively. Defense, however, was—er—how to put this—not exactly a priority. There were days when the Penguins routinely gave up more shots than they took.
In any case, the Rangers’ rookie sensation in goal doesn’t look as though he is about to suffer the ill effects of a sophomore slump anytime soon. But the Rangers are surely not going to help Henrik the Great remain great if they make it a habit to give up 30, 35, and 40 shots an evening. When Jagr and Shanahan are producing, fine, wonderful, the Rangers have two lines that can score, perhaps even score at will. Nevertheless, at some point, team defense is going to have to kick in for the team to make real progress.
Granted, my best Penguins teams often treated defense as an afterthought during the regular season and managed to execute a defensive game plan come playoff time. But the NHL now is different than the NHL was ten to fifteen years ago, and 90 points are required to make the playoffs. This isn’t to say the Rangers will not make the playoffs if they don’t tighten up defensively, it’s just to say—there’s room for improvement given the amount of shots the Rangers are giving up habitually.
To summarize (as if my suggestions carry weight anyhow): Let the offensive stars do their thing, but also make sure the whole team knows how important team-wide defensive play is.
Still, the best thing about the Rangers, at least two games into this season? Just like my Penguins of old—they’re a fun team to watch. No matter how many shots they give up.
Seriously, however, the Rangers remind me of my Penguins teams back in the mid to late nineties. (Jagr and Martin Straka were on the team at various points.) Those Penguins teams—by virtue of Jagr’s presence and of a few other gifted offensive players—managed to produce offensively. Defense, however, was—er—how to put this—not exactly a priority. There were days when the Penguins routinely gave up more shots than they took.
In any case, the Rangers’ rookie sensation in goal doesn’t look as though he is about to suffer the ill effects of a sophomore slump anytime soon. But the Rangers are surely not going to help Henrik the Great remain great if they make it a habit to give up 30, 35, and 40 shots an evening. When Jagr and Shanahan are producing, fine, wonderful, the Rangers have two lines that can score, perhaps even score at will. Nevertheless, at some point, team defense is going to have to kick in for the team to make real progress.
Granted, my best Penguins teams often treated defense as an afterthought during the regular season and managed to execute a defensive game plan come playoff time. But the NHL now is different than the NHL was ten to fifteen years ago, and 90 points are required to make the playoffs. This isn’t to say the Rangers will not make the playoffs if they don’t tighten up defensively, it’s just to say—there’s room for improvement given the amount of shots the Rangers are giving up habitually.
To summarize (as if my suggestions carry weight anyhow): Let the offensive stars do their thing, but also make sure the whole team knows how important team-wide defensive play is.
Still, the best thing about the Rangers, at least two games into this season? Just like my Penguins of old—they’re a fun team to watch. No matter how many shots they give up.
Jags and the Rangers
I will always love Jaromir Jagr (set aside the snarky comments for the moment, please). Jags will forever be the talented teenager who won two Cups his first two years in the league and later fulfilled the potential he’d shown early in his career when he became widely recognized as the best player in the game.
All of which is why I was glad to see the newly minted Rangers captain appeared to show no ill effects from last season’s shoulder injury and subsequent surgery. If Jagr can continue scoring two points a game, the Rangers can cross off their captain’s play from their list of concerns. (There are other concerns the Rangers need to address, but more on those in a minute.) As a fan of hockey, and yes, as the person who’s always loved to watch Jagr play, I want him to play at his peak this season. Because, fact of the matter is, Jagr is going to turn 35 this year. Even with all the advances in modern medicine, etc, at some point, age catches up to the greatest of hockey players (witness Mario Lemieux and Steve Yzerman last season as cases in point). Frankly, I’d like another season of remembering Jagr as one of the best, most creative, and most productive players in hockey. I’d like to remember why he’s going to end up in the Hall of Fame. I’d like to enjoy watching him dominate games for at least one more season.
So, yes, although the Rangers play in the same division as my Penguins, I’m still pulling for Jags and the Rangers. Because unlike the young stars of my Penguins (Crosby and Malkin) whose best days are in the future, Jagr and his Rangers have a finite amount of time left to contend for the Cup—that’s just how the nature of aging works.
Just saying—it was nice to see the Rangers win their first two games, and nicer still to see Jagr pile up two points a game—and I’d like to see that continue all season.
Cause yeah, I love Jags—so what?
I will always love Jaromir Jagr (set aside the snarky comments for the moment, please). Jags will forever be the talented teenager who won two Cups his first two years in the league and later fulfilled the potential he’d shown early in his career when he became widely recognized as the best player in the game.
All of which is why I was glad to see the newly minted Rangers captain appeared to show no ill effects from last season’s shoulder injury and subsequent surgery. If Jagr can continue scoring two points a game, the Rangers can cross off their captain’s play from their list of concerns. (There are other concerns the Rangers need to address, but more on those in a minute.) As a fan of hockey, and yes, as the person who’s always loved to watch Jagr play, I want him to play at his peak this season. Because, fact of the matter is, Jagr is going to turn 35 this year. Even with all the advances in modern medicine, etc, at some point, age catches up to the greatest of hockey players (witness Mario Lemieux and Steve Yzerman last season as cases in point). Frankly, I’d like another season of remembering Jagr as one of the best, most creative, and most productive players in hockey. I’d like to remember why he’s going to end up in the Hall of Fame. I’d like to enjoy watching him dominate games for at least one more season.
So, yes, although the Rangers play in the same division as my Penguins, I’m still pulling for Jags and the Rangers. Because unlike the young stars of my Penguins (Crosby and Malkin) whose best days are in the future, Jagr and his Rangers have a finite amount of time left to contend for the Cup—that’s just how the nature of aging works.
Just saying—it was nice to see the Rangers win their first two games, and nicer still to see Jagr pile up two points a game—and I’d like to see that continue all season.
Cause yeah, I love Jags—so what?
Qualifier
Everything I post today must begin with the qualifier that the only two teams I’ve actually seen play thus far were the Sabres and Hurricanes on opening night. Nevertheless, I’ll still be posting thoughts based on what I’ve heard from others who’ve seen games as well as my own opinions, etc, garnered from box scores and game recaps.
Everything I post today must begin with the qualifier that the only two teams I’ve actually seen play thus far were the Sabres and Hurricanes on opening night. Nevertheless, I’ll still be posting thoughts based on what I’ve heard from others who’ve seen games as well as my own opinions, etc, garnered from box scores and game recaps.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Malkin
After Mom’s scouting report, after news of an injury, I was relieved to hear that Malkin wasn’t going to need shoulder surgery. I’m very much looking forward to seeing him play, and I know the Penguins are going nowhere fast without a legitimate number 2 NHL center. (Yes, that could be termed a prediction, but based on last season spent without a number 2 center, I think my prediction leans more toward verifiable fact than accurate guess.)
However, if something goes awry with Malkin’s shoulder, and considering his talent level and value to the Pens franchise should he blossom into the star he’s expected to become—as much as it would suck in the present moment, have the surgery. Get the surgery done; do the rehabilitation. Do what needs to be done so that the kid can truly become all that he’s supposed to be, unhampered by an injury.
However, that doesn’t change the fact that I’m thrilled—for the moment—that I get to see the kid play this season.
e
After Mom’s scouting report, after news of an injury, I was relieved to hear that Malkin wasn’t going to need shoulder surgery. I’m very much looking forward to seeing him play, and I know the Penguins are going nowhere fast without a legitimate number 2 NHL center. (Yes, that could be termed a prediction, but based on last season spent without a number 2 center, I think my prediction leans more toward verifiable fact than accurate guess.)
However, if something goes awry with Malkin’s shoulder, and considering his talent level and value to the Pens franchise should he blossom into the star he’s expected to become—as much as it would suck in the present moment, have the surgery. Get the surgery done; do the rehabilitation. Do what needs to be done so that the kid can truly become all that he’s supposed to be, unhampered by an injury.
However, that doesn’t change the fact that I’m thrilled—for the moment—that I get to see the kid play this season.
e
Oh, anyhow
After all that fussing about the pointlessness of making predictions, well, guess what I think I’m—sort of, anyhow—about to do as it pertains to my Pittsburgh Penguins?
Looking at the team’s current roster, it strikes me that the roster’s major parts aren’t that different from the major parts of the team that won the rights to the #2 overall pick in the NHL draft last spring. While Ray Shero appears to have done a good job in bringing in players like Dominic Moore, etc, the Penguins are still relying on Sidney Crosby, Mark Recchi, John Leclair, and Ryan Malone to provide much of their scoring. The Penguins will still be relying on Sergei Gonchar to be their number one defenseman. Unless Recchi, Leclair, and Gonchar—all veterans—put up way better numbers than last year, this Penguins team is going nowhere fast. The complimentary role players Shero has acquired will not make a dent if the Penguins do not get reliable scoring from their wingers, a defense that resembles an NHL defense, and NHL caliber goaltending every night.
I can hear the protests about why the Penguins will be better. Crosby will be a year older and be better. Fine, agree. It’s not enough. The role players will help. Fine, agree. It’s not enough. We’ll have a real second line center in Malkin. Absolutely agree Malkin’s presence—once he is healthy enough to play—will make a huge difference.
Yet the ability of the Penguins to improve on last season’s record depends on large part on players who were members of the team last season. Can Brooks Orpik and Ryan Whitney develop into above-average NHL defensemen this season? Can Mark Recchi and John Leclair put the puck in the net on a regular basis? Can Ryan Malone find the net? Can players who lack speed find ways to compensate for their lack of speed? Can Marc-Andre Fleury or another one of our goaltenders consistently post a save percentage above .900 and give the Pens a chance to win most games?
Notice that none of my statements above are actually predictions. Perhaps I am trumpeting a warning—or a calling card, something to which we can look forward. Because if our wings can put the puck in the net, if our young defensemen can develop quickly, if our goaltender can stop the puck—well, that should be enough to be competitive against most teams most nights. Yet if those things don’t happen, well, didn’t we see that show last year? Bad goaltending, bad defense, slow wingers who couldn’t score? You saw the Sidney Crosby show, but you saw that show last season, too.
Just so you know—I’m not saying it necessarily goes one way or the other way. In fact, I might guess the best the team could hope for is a split somewhere down the middle. They’d still have hope.
But as for actual predictions—nope, don’t do that, but as a fan, I hope for the best—a great season for Crosby, a Calder Trophy for Malkin, a goaltender who can stop the puck consistently, defensemen who learn to play effective NHL defense, wingers who remember how to skate and score, a team that can play a system as necessary—
You look at all of those things and make your own prediction. What’s most likely to happen? What’s most likely not to happen?
Go ahead, be the prescient genius. I don’t mind at all—so long as some of those dreams become reality this season.
After all that fussing about the pointlessness of making predictions, well, guess what I think I’m—sort of, anyhow—about to do as it pertains to my Pittsburgh Penguins?
Looking at the team’s current roster, it strikes me that the roster’s major parts aren’t that different from the major parts of the team that won the rights to the #2 overall pick in the NHL draft last spring. While Ray Shero appears to have done a good job in bringing in players like Dominic Moore, etc, the Penguins are still relying on Sidney Crosby, Mark Recchi, John Leclair, and Ryan Malone to provide much of their scoring. The Penguins will still be relying on Sergei Gonchar to be their number one defenseman. Unless Recchi, Leclair, and Gonchar—all veterans—put up way better numbers than last year, this Penguins team is going nowhere fast. The complimentary role players Shero has acquired will not make a dent if the Penguins do not get reliable scoring from their wingers, a defense that resembles an NHL defense, and NHL caliber goaltending every night.
I can hear the protests about why the Penguins will be better. Crosby will be a year older and be better. Fine, agree. It’s not enough. The role players will help. Fine, agree. It’s not enough. We’ll have a real second line center in Malkin. Absolutely agree Malkin’s presence—once he is healthy enough to play—will make a huge difference.
Yet the ability of the Penguins to improve on last season’s record depends on large part on players who were members of the team last season. Can Brooks Orpik and Ryan Whitney develop into above-average NHL defensemen this season? Can Mark Recchi and John Leclair put the puck in the net on a regular basis? Can Ryan Malone find the net? Can players who lack speed find ways to compensate for their lack of speed? Can Marc-Andre Fleury or another one of our goaltenders consistently post a save percentage above .900 and give the Pens a chance to win most games?
Notice that none of my statements above are actually predictions. Perhaps I am trumpeting a warning—or a calling card, something to which we can look forward. Because if our wings can put the puck in the net, if our young defensemen can develop quickly, if our goaltender can stop the puck—well, that should be enough to be competitive against most teams most nights. Yet if those things don’t happen, well, didn’t we see that show last year? Bad goaltending, bad defense, slow wingers who couldn’t score? You saw the Sidney Crosby show, but you saw that show last season, too.
Just so you know—I’m not saying it necessarily goes one way or the other way. In fact, I might guess the best the team could hope for is a split somewhere down the middle. They’d still have hope.
But as for actual predictions—nope, don’t do that, but as a fan, I hope for the best—a great season for Crosby, a Calder Trophy for Malkin, a goaltender who can stop the puck consistently, defensemen who learn to play effective NHL defense, wingers who remember how to skate and score, a team that can play a system as necessary—
You look at all of those things and make your own prediction. What’s most likely to happen? What’s most likely not to happen?
Go ahead, be the prescient genius. I don’t mind at all—so long as some of those dreams become reality this season.
Predictions, Prescience, Genius, and Idiocy
My copy of Sports Illustrated arrived this week. This week featured the NHL preview issue. Among other things, SI predicted that the Anaheim Ducks, led by Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger, would win the Stanley Cup over the Buffalo Sabres. SI also featured a NHL general manager assuring fans that neither Crosby nor Ovechkin would suffer the dreaded sophomore slump.
I know this is a blog. I know people expect blogs to give predictions, etc, for how the season will go. Who will win this division, who will make the playoffs, who win the Cup, and list continues. Here’s the thing. Living where I live, I haven’t had the chance to see preseason hockey yet—but even if I had, I’m not into making predictions the way that SI does.
It’s true. I could look like a genius with amazing gifts of prescience if I tell you that there’s no way the Rangers do what they did last year but that the Ducks will excel. I could also look like a complete idiot if I tell you that the Rangers can’t do what they did last year and Jaromir Jagr somehow manages to win another scoring championship while spearheading a New York playoff drive.
Here’s the thing, and granted, this is "my" thing. I can’t make preseason predictions. Ask me a quarter of the way through the season, and then I might be prepared to tell you what I’ve seen—based on actual NHL games that have been played. Until that point of the season, however, please don’t bug me about who’s making the playoffs, winning the division, winning the scoring title, winning the Cup. I don’t write for magazines like SI and THN and get paid big pucks (well, get paid anything, as I do this for fun and for free) to make predictions based on nothing.
Until games that count start being played, let’s stop with the predictions. Let’s see if the Ducks actually have the offense to complement Pronger and Niedermayer, and let’s make sure Pronger and Niedermayer actually complement each other in the correct way on the ice. Let’s see if Jaromir Jagr’s shoulder has healed to the point that he is convinced his shoulder isn’t a problem when it comes time to playing the games. Let’s see real games that matter be played before we determine who will make the playoffs, who will win awards, and who will the Cup.
Although—seriously, this isn’t in jest—provided no injuries befall them, I do agree with the NHL GM who scoffed at the idea that either Crosby or Ovechkin would suffer a sophomore slump. Based on each player’s performance last season, I merely wonder how much better each player will be this season?
The upcoming NHL season should certainly be fun to watch, fun to find out which players will improve and discover which teams have the depth to go the distance—but we only begin to discover those things when the teams start playing games that count in the standings.
My copy of Sports Illustrated arrived this week. This week featured the NHL preview issue. Among other things, SI predicted that the Anaheim Ducks, led by Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger, would win the Stanley Cup over the Buffalo Sabres. SI also featured a NHL general manager assuring fans that neither Crosby nor Ovechkin would suffer the dreaded sophomore slump.
I know this is a blog. I know people expect blogs to give predictions, etc, for how the season will go. Who will win this division, who will make the playoffs, who win the Cup, and list continues. Here’s the thing. Living where I live, I haven’t had the chance to see preseason hockey yet—but even if I had, I’m not into making predictions the way that SI does.
It’s true. I could look like a genius with amazing gifts of prescience if I tell you that there’s no way the Rangers do what they did last year but that the Ducks will excel. I could also look like a complete idiot if I tell you that the Rangers can’t do what they did last year and Jaromir Jagr somehow manages to win another scoring championship while spearheading a New York playoff drive.
Here’s the thing, and granted, this is "my" thing. I can’t make preseason predictions. Ask me a quarter of the way through the season, and then I might be prepared to tell you what I’ve seen—based on actual NHL games that have been played. Until that point of the season, however, please don’t bug me about who’s making the playoffs, winning the division, winning the scoring title, winning the Cup. I don’t write for magazines like SI and THN and get paid big pucks (well, get paid anything, as I do this for fun and for free) to make predictions based on nothing.
Until games that count start being played, let’s stop with the predictions. Let’s see if the Ducks actually have the offense to complement Pronger and Niedermayer, and let’s make sure Pronger and Niedermayer actually complement each other in the correct way on the ice. Let’s see if Jaromir Jagr’s shoulder has healed to the point that he is convinced his shoulder isn’t a problem when it comes time to playing the games. Let’s see real games that matter be played before we determine who will make the playoffs, who will win awards, and who will the Cup.
Although—seriously, this isn’t in jest—provided no injuries befall them, I do agree with the NHL GM who scoffed at the idea that either Crosby or Ovechkin would suffer a sophomore slump. Based on each player’s performance last season, I merely wonder how much better each player will be this season?
The upcoming NHL season should certainly be fun to watch, fun to find out which players will improve and discover which teams have the depth to go the distance—but we only begin to discover those things when the teams start playing games that count in the standings.
Marc-Andre Fleury and Goaltending
I’m not in Pittsburgh, but if box scores, statistics, and news reports are to be believed, Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has had, to put it politely, a less than stellar training camp. To be honest, I’m still not sure what the Penguins have in Fleury aside from a young goaltender who appears to have lots of potential.
However, lessons should have been learned from last season. In addition to other components of the team never meshing properly, the Penguins were done in, early last season, by sub-par goaltending. If the team hopes to compete for a playoff spot this year, the Penguins cannot have sub-par goaltending at any point of the season. In particular, the Penguins cannot start the season with a number one goaltender who is "fighting the puck" or slumping or whatever the correct term is for when goaltenders cease to stop the puck.
For the sake of the Penguins future (and right now Fleury has been projected to be the Penguins future in goal), I don’t really want Fleury to be dispatched to Wilkes-Barre to start the season. Likewise, I’m not sure that benching a young goaltender for a long period of time is going to prove helpful to that young goalie’s development. So while (and keep in mind I write without having seen any preseason games or workouts) I’d tend to keep Fleury on the Pittsburgh Penguins roster for the moment, there’s a bigger issue that has to be acknowledged.
That bigger issue is goaltending as a whole. Whichever goaltender gives the team the best chance to win games, particularly early in the season, has to be the goaltender who plays. Goalies, perhaps more than other athletes, are suspect to hot streaks. And when a goalie gets hot, you play the hot goalie. Based on training camp reports, Fleury doesn’t appear to be the hot goalie right now, and for a team that wants to re-establish itself as one that can at least compete—you have to play the hot goalie. You have to play the goalie who gives you the best chance to win games.
Here’s to hoping that goalie eventually and quickly turns out to be Marc Andre Fleury. But if Fleury isn’t the guy, the Penguins have to place the best guy they have in front of the net if they want to regain a competitive edge this season.
I’m not in Pittsburgh, but if box scores, statistics, and news reports are to be believed, Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has had, to put it politely, a less than stellar training camp. To be honest, I’m still not sure what the Penguins have in Fleury aside from a young goaltender who appears to have lots of potential.
However, lessons should have been learned from last season. In addition to other components of the team never meshing properly, the Penguins were done in, early last season, by sub-par goaltending. If the team hopes to compete for a playoff spot this year, the Penguins cannot have sub-par goaltending at any point of the season. In particular, the Penguins cannot start the season with a number one goaltender who is "fighting the puck" or slumping or whatever the correct term is for when goaltenders cease to stop the puck.
For the sake of the Penguins future (and right now Fleury has been projected to be the Penguins future in goal), I don’t really want Fleury to be dispatched to Wilkes-Barre to start the season. Likewise, I’m not sure that benching a young goaltender for a long period of time is going to prove helpful to that young goalie’s development. So while (and keep in mind I write without having seen any preseason games or workouts) I’d tend to keep Fleury on the Pittsburgh Penguins roster for the moment, there’s a bigger issue that has to be acknowledged.
That bigger issue is goaltending as a whole. Whichever goaltender gives the team the best chance to win games, particularly early in the season, has to be the goaltender who plays. Goalies, perhaps more than other athletes, are suspect to hot streaks. And when a goalie gets hot, you play the hot goalie. Based on training camp reports, Fleury doesn’t appear to be the hot goalie right now, and for a team that wants to re-establish itself as one that can at least compete—you have to play the hot goalie. You have to play the goalie who gives you the best chance to win games.
Here’s to hoping that goalie eventually and quickly turns out to be Marc Andre Fleury. But if Fleury isn’t the guy, the Penguins have to place the best guy they have in front of the net if they want to regain a competitive edge this season.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Selling the Team?
I’m glad it looks like Mario Lemieux won’t be selling the team to out-of-town buyers. I want the Penguins to stay in Pittsburgh. I want the Isle of Capri plan to come through for the team.
However, Mario Lemieux isn’t dumb by any stretch of the imagination. If the Isle of Capri plan comes through, then the team is immediately more valuable—they have an arena that will help them make money and an already entrenched local and loyal fan base. But if the Isle of Capri plan falls through, and no arena work gets done (hint, hint, local pols, better start doing something soon) by season’s end, well, the team is immediately more valuable because it is a free franchise, free to go wherever, to some degree.
In any case, I want the Penguins to stay in Pittsburgh, and I’m happy that it looks Mario won’t be selling to out-of-town buyers. But local fans and politicians beware, if nothing goes through on an arena this season, don’t be surprised when the Penguins are sold to out-of-town buyers (for a greater price) in less than a year's time.
.
I’m glad it looks like Mario Lemieux won’t be selling the team to out-of-town buyers. I want the Penguins to stay in Pittsburgh. I want the Isle of Capri plan to come through for the team.
However, Mario Lemieux isn’t dumb by any stretch of the imagination. If the Isle of Capri plan comes through, then the team is immediately more valuable—they have an arena that will help them make money and an already entrenched local and loyal fan base. But if the Isle of Capri plan falls through, and no arena work gets done (hint, hint, local pols, better start doing something soon) by season’s end, well, the team is immediately more valuable because it is a free franchise, free to go wherever, to some degree.
In any case, I want the Penguins to stay in Pittsburgh, and I’m happy that it looks Mario won’t be selling to out-of-town buyers. But local fans and politicians beware, if nothing goes through on an arena this season, don’t be surprised when the Penguins are sold to out-of-town buyers (for a greater price) in less than a year's time.
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The Wrong Question
Dad and I were having a phone chat about the Penguins and Jordan Staal’s name got brought into the conversation. Dad referenced a particular talk show host in Pittsburgh (one who shall remain nameless, not one of whom I’m fond). Dad said the talk show host contended that saying, "Staal doesn’t look out of place" isn’t really what we should be aiming for—and I agree with the host.
If a general manager or coach is asking himself, " Does Staal look out of place here?" that general manager or coach is asking himself the wrong question. When it comes to players like Staal who come with a particular high draft pick pedigree, well, such a player should not merely not look out of place in the NHL. Such a player, even at a young age, should already be a good player. Granted, such a player isn’t going to be the best player on the ice or perhaps even among the top five on your team, but such a player needs to stand out as a good NHL player. Not as a good young NHL player, not as a player who shows the glimpses of being good eventually, but as a player who is already a good NHL player.
Think back to Jaromir Jagr’s first NHL season. Jagr wasn’t yet the dominant superstar he would later become, but he was already a goal-scorer, already capable of scoring points, and already a very good NHL player. In his good play, fans saw the glimpse of the greatness that was later to be. To take an even more extreme case, look at Sidney Crosby’s rookie season. There were games when Crosby was good, games when he was very good, and a few games when he was great and when he was already dominant. Granted, Crosby broke Mario Lemieux’s team rookie scoring record, so it’s probably safe to say—barring catastrophic injury or illness—that Crosby is a once-in-a-generation player.
While not all high draft picks are going to be once-in-a-generation players—indeed most will not be—when teams are deciding if one of their high draft choices is NHL-ready, they shouldn’t be looking to see if the player merely "doesn’t look out of place" at the NHL level. They need to know if the player is already capable of contributing at a good level, and in the player’s play at the NHL level, they need to be able to see glimpses of future greatness and dominance. And frankly, in the view of this fan and wannabe GM, a player like Staal needs to play at a level where he can learn what greatness, control, and dominance of the game should be. If Staal is merely capable of being an average NHL player now, he should not yet be in the NHL. If Staal is capable of being a good NHL player—a la Jagr or even slightly less than that—in his first season, then fine, he can stay in the NHL. But if we’re merely saying, "You don’t look out of place," that’s not the point. That can never be the point with players like Staal. Because you do want them to look out of place, to some degree—you want everyone’s eyes to be drawn to them because of how their skill and talent stands out and towers over that of other players. "You don’t look out of place" isn’t what you’re going to want to be said of Staal five years into his NHL career, and it’s also not what you want to hear at the nascent point of his professional career.
All that being said, this fan—if she had Ray Shero’s job—sees no harm, particularly considering Evgeni Malkin’s shoulder injury—to keep Staal on the roster for the first few games of the season. Let the kid get his feet wet in the NHL; let him get a taste, and let’s see how he fares in the real, live NHL games. For very practical financial reasons (let’s say Staal and Malkin have extremely productive careers from the outset, do you want to be signing both to ridiculous contracts in the same year?) as well as for personal development reasons (often players are harmed far longer by rushing them than by waiting a year), this fan would then send Staal back to his junior team for the remainder of the season and allow him to dominate there. Unless, of course—unless he proved to be, let’s say, the third or fourth best player on the Penguins team and one who could help make the team immediately competitive. Yet even then—the question has to be asked—do you want Staal to help now, or do you want him to learn how to dominate and be able to dominate in two or three years time when the Penguins are seriously built to take a run at the Cup?
Ask yourself the right question. And for the sake of Penguins fans, let’s hope that Shero and his coaching staff, et. al are asking themselves the right question when it comes to Jordan Staal.
Dad and I were having a phone chat about the Penguins and Jordan Staal’s name got brought into the conversation. Dad referenced a particular talk show host in Pittsburgh (one who shall remain nameless, not one of whom I’m fond). Dad said the talk show host contended that saying, "Staal doesn’t look out of place" isn’t really what we should be aiming for—and I agree with the host.
If a general manager or coach is asking himself, " Does Staal look out of place here?" that general manager or coach is asking himself the wrong question. When it comes to players like Staal who come with a particular high draft pick pedigree, well, such a player should not merely not look out of place in the NHL. Such a player, even at a young age, should already be a good player. Granted, such a player isn’t going to be the best player on the ice or perhaps even among the top five on your team, but such a player needs to stand out as a good NHL player. Not as a good young NHL player, not as a player who shows the glimpses of being good eventually, but as a player who is already a good NHL player.
Think back to Jaromir Jagr’s first NHL season. Jagr wasn’t yet the dominant superstar he would later become, but he was already a goal-scorer, already capable of scoring points, and already a very good NHL player. In his good play, fans saw the glimpse of the greatness that was later to be. To take an even more extreme case, look at Sidney Crosby’s rookie season. There were games when Crosby was good, games when he was very good, and a few games when he was great and when he was already dominant. Granted, Crosby broke Mario Lemieux’s team rookie scoring record, so it’s probably safe to say—barring catastrophic injury or illness—that Crosby is a once-in-a-generation player.
While not all high draft picks are going to be once-in-a-generation players—indeed most will not be—when teams are deciding if one of their high draft choices is NHL-ready, they shouldn’t be looking to see if the player merely "doesn’t look out of place" at the NHL level. They need to know if the player is already capable of contributing at a good level, and in the player’s play at the NHL level, they need to be able to see glimpses of future greatness and dominance. And frankly, in the view of this fan and wannabe GM, a player like Staal needs to play at a level where he can learn what greatness, control, and dominance of the game should be. If Staal is merely capable of being an average NHL player now, he should not yet be in the NHL. If Staal is capable of being a good NHL player—a la Jagr or even slightly less than that—in his first season, then fine, he can stay in the NHL. But if we’re merely saying, "You don’t look out of place," that’s not the point. That can never be the point with players like Staal. Because you do want them to look out of place, to some degree—you want everyone’s eyes to be drawn to them because of how their skill and talent stands out and towers over that of other players. "You don’t look out of place" isn’t what you’re going to want to be said of Staal five years into his NHL career, and it’s also not what you want to hear at the nascent point of his professional career.
All that being said, this fan—if she had Ray Shero’s job—sees no harm, particularly considering Evgeni Malkin’s shoulder injury—to keep Staal on the roster for the first few games of the season. Let the kid get his feet wet in the NHL; let him get a taste, and let’s see how he fares in the real, live NHL games. For very practical financial reasons (let’s say Staal and Malkin have extremely productive careers from the outset, do you want to be signing both to ridiculous contracts in the same year?) as well as for personal development reasons (often players are harmed far longer by rushing them than by waiting a year), this fan would then send Staal back to his junior team for the remainder of the season and allow him to dominate there. Unless, of course—unless he proved to be, let’s say, the third or fourth best player on the Penguins team and one who could help make the team immediately competitive. Yet even then—the question has to be asked—do you want Staal to help now, or do you want him to learn how to dominate and be able to dominate in two or three years time when the Penguins are seriously built to take a run at the Cup?
Ask yourself the right question. And for the sake of Penguins fans, let’s hope that Shero and his coaching staff, et. al are asking themselves the right question when it comes to Jordan Staal.
Roses and Raspberries
Great Players and Shoulder Injuries
Roses to: Players who can play the game of hockey the way Jaromir Jagr and Evgeni Malkin can.
Raspberries to: Shoulder Injuries, Shoulder Surgery, Potential Shoulder Surgery
Mom’s scouting report turned out to be a bit too prescient for my liking. If you recall, Mom, upon seeing Malkin play for the first time, exclaimed, "He’s like a baby Jagr!" And now, apparently Malkin is like Jagr in more ways than just style of play.
At the current moment, the Rangers are saying Jagr’s status for the season opener is uncertain. Jagr had shoulder surgery, but the Rangers and doctors, apparently, aren’t convinced that Jagr’s shoulder is yet ready for the rigors of actual NHL games. Thus, the Rangers could be starting their season without their best player.
While Malkin hasn’t yet assumed the role of best player on the Pittsburgh Penguins, Malkin did show—before the shoulder injury felled him in his first game—that he was definitely ready to make a contribution to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Without Malkin and without a healthy Malkin, the Penguins lack a second line center. The Penguins never had a legitimate second line center all of last season, and the only reward that came from last year’s miserable record was the prize of Jordan Staal in the NHL entry draft. Point being, having a more than legitimate #2 NHL center in a healthy Malkin, the Penguins can be competitive on most nights. With Malkin injured, well, which players look to be the top prospects for next year’s NHL lottery draft?
Beyond anything else, the thing that sucks about shoulder injuries is that I’m not going to get to see Jaromir Jagr be Jaromir Jagr to start the season (and I’m one who thoroughly enjoyed the return of the Jaromir Jagr I’d known and loved in the 90’s last season). If Malkin ends up sitting out a few weeks, I’m not going to see Malkin for awhile, and if he does end up needing surgery on his shoulder, well, it’s going to be almost a full year (or it could be) until I actually get to see the kid whom Mom compared to a young Jagr.
And as a hockey fan, well, I want to see Jagr and Malkin healthy, and I want to see Jagr and Malkin playing. Best wishes to both for a full, fast recovery and regaining of full strength in their injured shoulders—because, really, I just want to see Jaromir Jagr be Jaromir Jagr and Evgeni Malkin be Evgeni Malkin.
Great Players and Shoulder Injuries
Roses to: Players who can play the game of hockey the way Jaromir Jagr and Evgeni Malkin can.
Raspberries to: Shoulder Injuries, Shoulder Surgery, Potential Shoulder Surgery
Mom’s scouting report turned out to be a bit too prescient for my liking. If you recall, Mom, upon seeing Malkin play for the first time, exclaimed, "He’s like a baby Jagr!" And now, apparently Malkin is like Jagr in more ways than just style of play.
At the current moment, the Rangers are saying Jagr’s status for the season opener is uncertain. Jagr had shoulder surgery, but the Rangers and doctors, apparently, aren’t convinced that Jagr’s shoulder is yet ready for the rigors of actual NHL games. Thus, the Rangers could be starting their season without their best player.
While Malkin hasn’t yet assumed the role of best player on the Pittsburgh Penguins, Malkin did show—before the shoulder injury felled him in his first game—that he was definitely ready to make a contribution to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Without Malkin and without a healthy Malkin, the Penguins lack a second line center. The Penguins never had a legitimate second line center all of last season, and the only reward that came from last year’s miserable record was the prize of Jordan Staal in the NHL entry draft. Point being, having a more than legitimate #2 NHL center in a healthy Malkin, the Penguins can be competitive on most nights. With Malkin injured, well, which players look to be the top prospects for next year’s NHL lottery draft?
Beyond anything else, the thing that sucks about shoulder injuries is that I’m not going to get to see Jaromir Jagr be Jaromir Jagr to start the season (and I’m one who thoroughly enjoyed the return of the Jaromir Jagr I’d known and loved in the 90’s last season). If Malkin ends up sitting out a few weeks, I’m not going to see Malkin for awhile, and if he does end up needing surgery on his shoulder, well, it’s going to be almost a full year (or it could be) until I actually get to see the kid whom Mom compared to a young Jagr.
And as a hockey fan, well, I want to see Jagr and Malkin healthy, and I want to see Jagr and Malkin playing. Best wishes to both for a full, fast recovery and regaining of full strength in their injured shoulders—because, really, I just want to see Jaromir Jagr be Jaromir Jagr and Evgeni Malkin be Evgeni Malkin.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Musings on the Rangers and Jagr
I probably shouldn’t admit this, but Jaromir Jagr is probably my favorite hockey player of all time. Paul Coffey’s skating originally got me intrigued by hockey (I was five then), but when Jagr arrived in Pittsburgh (I was eight), I took an immediate liking to how he played the game. Sure, I’ll admit as a young girl and teenager, I liked the flowing hair and Jagr’s goofy grin, but most of all, I just liked the way he played the game. Jagr was aggressive on the ice. Jagr didn’t dive when players tried to pull him down; he just skated with two and three people on his back during the years in the mid to late nineties when obstruction fouling ruled in the NHL. Early in his career, Jagr dipsy-doodled over the ice, always strong on the puck, and danced around defenders. As he developed more strength, he learned to plow through defenders while still doing some dipsy-doodling. And when Jagr finally became Jagr—the player who’d win multiple league scoring championships and play on an injured groin and lead his team to a playoff victory series—well, wow, I just loved to watch Jagr play.
Jagr’s last season in Pittsburgh soured many people on him, but not me. I guess it’s probably because I had too many fond memories of Jagr and all that he had done in a Penguins uniform for me to get really angry and bitter with him. Jagr had always been a little moody and neurotic—not that his neurotic moodiness really affected his on-ice production much at the peak of his career—and I accepted his personality as part of what it meant to love Jags the player. I still loved Jagr the player even in a Capitals uniform and even though he certainly wasn’t performing like the Jaromir Jagr I knew and loved. And last year, when I watched my Penguins team fall flat, I cheered from a distance for a rejuvenated Jagr. Because Jaromir Jagr playing at the peak of his game is good for the NHL and great for the game of hockey.
However, Jagr’s great season didn’t end so great. He fell short of capturing the league scoring championship and injured his shoulder in the first round of the playoffs, an injury from which he’s had to recuperate all summer. A recent issue of The Hockey News informed me that questions still abound about the Rangers, as they should. The Rangers are still seeking "respect," according to the article.
But respect has to be earned, and as I mentioned earlier this summer, I’m concerned about the Rangers this upcoming season. Recent events have only made me more concerned. Jagr claims he hasn’t been able to work as he would have liked this summer due to his injury, and I believe him. I also believe that if Jagr believes he hasn’t been able to work out as well as he wants to and Jagr believes he’s not ready for the season, that’s a huge problem. Because as Jagr’s mind goes, so goes his fate, and as goes Jagr’s fate and fortune, so goes the fate and fortune of the Rangers season. Likewise, while I understand why doctors and coaches are keeping Jagr out of preseason games in order to ensure his shoulder can withstand the pounding that will no doubt come when the season commences, Jagr has always been a player who believes scrimmages are important to be in game shape. Whether Jagr can just step on the ice and pick up where he left off before his injury last season is moot point. If Jagr believes that he isn’t ready or capable of picking up where he left off last season, he and the Rangers will have a huge problem on their hands.
A sluggish start by Jagr could lead to a slow start overall for the Rangers, and I’d be lying if I said—given Jagr’s past history (keep in mind that I still love Jags)—that shouldn’t concern Rangers partisans. Because a slow start in a New York market where fans and media expectations are going to be amplified given the renaissance that occurred during the regular season last year, well—just look out.
I don’t even know that I have advice for Tom Renney or Glen Sather or Rangers fans about what to do if Jagr gets off to a slow start or if the team starts out the season at a sluggish pace (saying, winning at the same rate as they lose, or perhaps even slightly worse than that, to begin the year). But given the experience of loving and cheering for Jagr for the better part of 16 years now, have patience until he gets to the point where he believes the shoulder injury and off-season won’t affect him. Sure, if you can work the mind trickery to get him to believe that before the start of the season, bravo and terrific for you.
But when it comes to Jagr, believing he can do it—at this stage of his career—is what matters the most. Pouncing on other players with doubt might be the right way to go, but for Jags—just as a warning for fans, media, et. al—it’s generally not the way to go.
Yet, seriously, I’m hopeful. Hopeful to see Jagr again play like the player who was the best player in the world. Even in a Rangers uniform. Because, as age and injuries show, best player in the world lasts for a finite amount of time.
So here’s to wishing Jags and the Rangers a great season in the window of time still left, while I cheer for my team, hopeful that our window of time in Pittsburgh remains long after Jagr’s hung up his skates for good.
I probably shouldn’t admit this, but Jaromir Jagr is probably my favorite hockey player of all time. Paul Coffey’s skating originally got me intrigued by hockey (I was five then), but when Jagr arrived in Pittsburgh (I was eight), I took an immediate liking to how he played the game. Sure, I’ll admit as a young girl and teenager, I liked the flowing hair and Jagr’s goofy grin, but most of all, I just liked the way he played the game. Jagr was aggressive on the ice. Jagr didn’t dive when players tried to pull him down; he just skated with two and three people on his back during the years in the mid to late nineties when obstruction fouling ruled in the NHL. Early in his career, Jagr dipsy-doodled over the ice, always strong on the puck, and danced around defenders. As he developed more strength, he learned to plow through defenders while still doing some dipsy-doodling. And when Jagr finally became Jagr—the player who’d win multiple league scoring championships and play on an injured groin and lead his team to a playoff victory series—well, wow, I just loved to watch Jagr play.
Jagr’s last season in Pittsburgh soured many people on him, but not me. I guess it’s probably because I had too many fond memories of Jagr and all that he had done in a Penguins uniform for me to get really angry and bitter with him. Jagr had always been a little moody and neurotic—not that his neurotic moodiness really affected his on-ice production much at the peak of his career—and I accepted his personality as part of what it meant to love Jags the player. I still loved Jagr the player even in a Capitals uniform and even though he certainly wasn’t performing like the Jaromir Jagr I knew and loved. And last year, when I watched my Penguins team fall flat, I cheered from a distance for a rejuvenated Jagr. Because Jaromir Jagr playing at the peak of his game is good for the NHL and great for the game of hockey.
However, Jagr’s great season didn’t end so great. He fell short of capturing the league scoring championship and injured his shoulder in the first round of the playoffs, an injury from which he’s had to recuperate all summer. A recent issue of The Hockey News informed me that questions still abound about the Rangers, as they should. The Rangers are still seeking "respect," according to the article.
But respect has to be earned, and as I mentioned earlier this summer, I’m concerned about the Rangers this upcoming season. Recent events have only made me more concerned. Jagr claims he hasn’t been able to work as he would have liked this summer due to his injury, and I believe him. I also believe that if Jagr believes he hasn’t been able to work out as well as he wants to and Jagr believes he’s not ready for the season, that’s a huge problem. Because as Jagr’s mind goes, so goes his fate, and as goes Jagr’s fate and fortune, so goes the fate and fortune of the Rangers season. Likewise, while I understand why doctors and coaches are keeping Jagr out of preseason games in order to ensure his shoulder can withstand the pounding that will no doubt come when the season commences, Jagr has always been a player who believes scrimmages are important to be in game shape. Whether Jagr can just step on the ice and pick up where he left off before his injury last season is moot point. If Jagr believes that he isn’t ready or capable of picking up where he left off last season, he and the Rangers will have a huge problem on their hands.
A sluggish start by Jagr could lead to a slow start overall for the Rangers, and I’d be lying if I said—given Jagr’s past history (keep in mind that I still love Jags)—that shouldn’t concern Rangers partisans. Because a slow start in a New York market where fans and media expectations are going to be amplified given the renaissance that occurred during the regular season last year, well—just look out.
I don’t even know that I have advice for Tom Renney or Glen Sather or Rangers fans about what to do if Jagr gets off to a slow start or if the team starts out the season at a sluggish pace (saying, winning at the same rate as they lose, or perhaps even slightly worse than that, to begin the year). But given the experience of loving and cheering for Jagr for the better part of 16 years now, have patience until he gets to the point where he believes the shoulder injury and off-season won’t affect him. Sure, if you can work the mind trickery to get him to believe that before the start of the season, bravo and terrific for you.
But when it comes to Jagr, believing he can do it—at this stage of his career—is what matters the most. Pouncing on other players with doubt might be the right way to go, but for Jags—just as a warning for fans, media, et. al—it’s generally not the way to go.
Yet, seriously, I’m hopeful. Hopeful to see Jagr again play like the player who was the best player in the world. Even in a Rangers uniform. Because, as age and injuries show, best player in the world lasts for a finite amount of time.
So here’s to wishing Jags and the Rangers a great season in the window of time still left, while I cheer for my team, hopeful that our window of time in Pittsburgh remains long after Jagr’s hung up his skates for good.
Yet, Concern….
In the midst of my eagerly looking forward to the Penguins upcoming season, two palpable clouds hang over my anticipation of the coming season. Even as I know I’ll get to watch my Penguins play in Pittsburgh this season, doubts abound.
The first doubt, the one that I want resolved quickly, is assurance that Malkin will actually be legally permitted to play for the Pittsburgh Penguins this season. I know I’m going to have to wait for that decision to come down—but until that decision comes down, I’m certainly not going to feel confident that the Penguins are good to go with 2 legitimate NHL centers to man the team’s top two lines. I can’t do anything but wait for the Malkin saga/situation/drama/legal issues to be resolved. But in the midst of eagerly hearing Mom’s scouting report, well, let’s just say I want that issue resolved, presto, pronto, in favor of my Penguins, of course.
Yet the other issue that’s lurking is really a much larger issue. My parents have already bought tickets for a Penguins-Rangers game a weekend when I’ll be in Pittsburgh, so I’m already looking forward to that game. However, recent news that a Canadian is now the front-runner to buy my franchise is making me, well, leery. Because this Canadian has deep ties to the area where he’s currently living, and because he’s previously been known to want to relocate the team, well, sigh. Plus, there’s also the fact that no ground has yet been broken on a new facility in Pittsburgh and the Penguins lease is up at the end of the year. And while I have fond memories of Mellon Arena (then the Civic Arena) from the days when Lemieux, Jagr, et. al put on nightly displays of firewagon hockey at its best, the fact is that the arena is aging. Aging is a polite way to put falling into a state of disrepair. Aging is a polite way to say that the team and the city need a new arena with 21st century amenities in order to do business in the current century. But the slots license deal is still a mess ( I agree with one local Pittsburgh sports broadcaster who claims the slots license deal "reeks to high heaven"), and the end result is the Penguins don’t have to stay in Pittsburgh next season.
So sure, I want to see Crosby and Malkin star. I want to see what will happen as Fleury and Jordan Staal develop, too. I want to see how GM Ray Shero plans to build a contender.
But over all that excitement and anticipation, come the doubts, and the doubts aren’t fleeting. Because I’m a grown-up and I know that if the new owner doesn’t get what he needs when he needs it, my team—the Pittsburgh Penguins—is no more. And then, well, when I’m counseling patience with our young, talented team throughout this winter because of what will one day come to fruition, well, am I really counseling patience for the future of my Pittsburgh Penguins?
In the midst of my eagerly looking forward to the Penguins upcoming season, two palpable clouds hang over my anticipation of the coming season. Even as I know I’ll get to watch my Penguins play in Pittsburgh this season, doubts abound.
The first doubt, the one that I want resolved quickly, is assurance that Malkin will actually be legally permitted to play for the Pittsburgh Penguins this season. I know I’m going to have to wait for that decision to come down—but until that decision comes down, I’m certainly not going to feel confident that the Penguins are good to go with 2 legitimate NHL centers to man the team’s top two lines. I can’t do anything but wait for the Malkin saga/situation/drama/legal issues to be resolved. But in the midst of eagerly hearing Mom’s scouting report, well, let’s just say I want that issue resolved, presto, pronto, in favor of my Penguins, of course.
Yet the other issue that’s lurking is really a much larger issue. My parents have already bought tickets for a Penguins-Rangers game a weekend when I’ll be in Pittsburgh, so I’m already looking forward to that game. However, recent news that a Canadian is now the front-runner to buy my franchise is making me, well, leery. Because this Canadian has deep ties to the area where he’s currently living, and because he’s previously been known to want to relocate the team, well, sigh. Plus, there’s also the fact that no ground has yet been broken on a new facility in Pittsburgh and the Penguins lease is up at the end of the year. And while I have fond memories of Mellon Arena (then the Civic Arena) from the days when Lemieux, Jagr, et. al put on nightly displays of firewagon hockey at its best, the fact is that the arena is aging. Aging is a polite way to put falling into a state of disrepair. Aging is a polite way to say that the team and the city need a new arena with 21st century amenities in order to do business in the current century. But the slots license deal is still a mess ( I agree with one local Pittsburgh sports broadcaster who claims the slots license deal "reeks to high heaven"), and the end result is the Penguins don’t have to stay in Pittsburgh next season.
So sure, I want to see Crosby and Malkin star. I want to see what will happen as Fleury and Jordan Staal develop, too. I want to see how GM Ray Shero plans to build a contender.
But over all that excitement and anticipation, come the doubts, and the doubts aren’t fleeting. Because I’m a grown-up and I know that if the new owner doesn’t get what he needs when he needs it, my team—the Pittsburgh Penguins—is no more. And then, well, when I’m counseling patience with our young, talented team throughout this winter because of what will one day come to fruition, well, am I really counseling patience for the future of my Pittsburgh Penguins?
Palpable Excitement
I can’t deny that I’m really excited about the upcoming Penguins season. Although I’m not in Pittsburgh, my mother’s first scouting report on Malkin got me extremely excited. Mom’s 1-sentence report "He’s like a baby Jagr!" was an exclamation, and then she proceeded to describe Malkin’s strength on the puck, and how he, like Jagr, could just throw opposing players off him while holding onto the puck.
Well, hip hip hurray. I can’t deny being excited about the possibility of seeing two players of the caliber of Crosby and Malkin center the Penguins first two lines this winter. Likewise, I can’t deny the fact that I still don’t believe my Penguins are anywhere near ready to contend for the Cup—the goalie is still young and unproven, and our defense, well—the less said about our depth at defense and on the wings, the better.
But I grew up watching Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr star for the Penguins. I grew up watching the best hockey player in the world, followed by the best hockey player in the world. I grew up watching teams that had winning records every year because two of the best players in the world played for my team.
And the idea that I, as an adult this time around, get to watch young kids like Crosby and Malkin potentially develop into players who are recognized as the best in the game, well, it’s just plainly exciting. It’s plainly something I’m eagerly looking forward to watching. Because, what with all the memories I have of the highlight reel goals of Lemieux and Jagr, I know watching Crosby and Malkin play and create new highlight reels is just going to be tons of fun and sheer pleasure.
I can’t deny that I’m really excited about the upcoming Penguins season. Although I’m not in Pittsburgh, my mother’s first scouting report on Malkin got me extremely excited. Mom’s 1-sentence report "He’s like a baby Jagr!" was an exclamation, and then she proceeded to describe Malkin’s strength on the puck, and how he, like Jagr, could just throw opposing players off him while holding onto the puck.
Well, hip hip hurray. I can’t deny being excited about the possibility of seeing two players of the caliber of Crosby and Malkin center the Penguins first two lines this winter. Likewise, I can’t deny the fact that I still don’t believe my Penguins are anywhere near ready to contend for the Cup—the goalie is still young and unproven, and our defense, well—the less said about our depth at defense and on the wings, the better.
But I grew up watching Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr star for the Penguins. I grew up watching the best hockey player in the world, followed by the best hockey player in the world. I grew up watching teams that had winning records every year because two of the best players in the world played for my team.
And the idea that I, as an adult this time around, get to watch young kids like Crosby and Malkin potentially develop into players who are recognized as the best in the game, well, it’s just plainly exciting. It’s plainly something I’m eagerly looking forward to watching. Because, what with all the memories I have of the highlight reel goals of Lemieux and Jagr, I know watching Crosby and Malkin play and create new highlight reels is just going to be tons of fun and sheer pleasure.
Garth Snow Did What?
So in the midst of work and life, somehow I missed the news this week that Garth Snow signed Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro to a 15-year-deal worth 67.5 million dollars. Yes, I did a double-take too. A 15-year-deal? 67.5 million dollars in guaranteed money? Seriously now, this is how Snow wanted to begin his career as Islanders general manager?
When it comes to long-term contracts for millions of dollars, general managers have the potential to look like geniuses or buffoons (and buffoons is putting it mildly). To be perfectly frank, DiPietro, provided no injuries or other things come his way (a big if for any hockey player) looks like he can be a competent and even above-average NHL goaltender for many years. Yet the rational, logical side of my brain asks the question, What in the world was Snow thinking? Or not thinking? The rational, logical side of my brain concurs with my little brother’s sentiment that Garth Snow is clearly trying to become the new Craig Patrick of NHL GM’s. (Little brother, by the way, is not referring to Patrick when he was swinging deals for Ron Francis and Ulf Samuelsson, but the Patrick of more recent seasons who did such things as trade Markus Naslund for Alek Stojanov and Jaromir Jagr for, well, let’s not even go there.)
Because here’s the thing when it comes to long-term deals for any player. You are TIED to that long-term deal. You are TIED to that player. With a long-term deal, if your player suddenly doesn’t perform at his labeled price tag, well, guess what? There is no way you’re going to get anywhere near equal value in a trade because no other team is going to want to be a legitimate trading partner. You’re tying, bonding, binding, yourself to one specific player for an incredible length of time, and I don’t care if that player is one of the best in league history in the prime of his career (which DiPietro most definitely isn’t), it’s still incredibly risky.
Making risky moves can pay off in the NHL, and sometimes making risky deals pays dividends. If DiPietro ever performs to capabilities he’s shown at various times throughout his career and becomes one of those "money" goalies who can steal a playoff series for his team, then maybe his deal looks cheap and looks like a great idea. (However, the idea of the Islanders, under current ownership, actually qualifying for the playoffs, remains a laughable concept.) And I would not be surprised if there is a season or two, or even a period of multiple seasons throughout his career, when DiPietro’s contract ends up looking like a bargain. But the thing is, honestly, 15 years is such an incredibly long time. Sure, with the advent of modern conditioning, goalies can play stronger games for much longer, but still—what happens when you have a goalie, past his prime, in his late thirties, still pulling down a ridiculous salary? At the time when, let’s say, you’ve drafted another young goalie to replace the goalie who was your franchise goalie. What happens when the young, brash DiPietro is the wily veteran—a competent back-up but not a goalie you want to play 70 games a season anymore and you’re still paying him the same salary? Isn’t that contract going to look like a ridiculous albatross?
Although I hated the one economics class I was forced to take in college, I’ve heard of "inflation," and perhaps current Islanders GM Snow believes that inflation will ultimately make DiPietro cheap. Yet right now, in the present moment, I’ve got to come down on the side of little brother. Unless we’re talking about a once-in-a-generation player a la Gretzky or Lemieux, you don’t do 15-year-deals. Period. And even with those once-in-a-generation players, you’d best be careful. Because who knows what kind of injuries and health problems can occur? Seriously? And even with the deal’s apparent qualification for "retirement due to injury," one can have injuries that affect your level of play and yet still not be forced to retire due to such injuries.
Of course, I have to qualify everything. I won’t be surprised if there is a season or two or even a few more where Snow’s unorthodox signing will make me, and other bloggers and prognosticators like me, look incredibly foolish. Yet over the long-term? The long-haul that is 15 years?
Well, it looks like my previous post from this summer is holding up:Islanders rookie GM Garth Snow is definitely learning on the job.
Also—as an aside—a part of me wonders if Snow would have attempted to sign DiPietro to such a long-term deal if they hadn’t been good buddies as teammates? A part of me wonders if DiPietro would have signed such a long-term deal if he and Snow hadn’t been friends? Because, for something so unorthodox, well, other considerations had to factor into this decision, at least in my opinion.
Over the next fifteen years, we’ll have to wait and see if my opinion and those of little brother and so many others ultimately win out over those of rookie GM Snow.
So in the midst of work and life, somehow I missed the news this week that Garth Snow signed Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro to a 15-year-deal worth 67.5 million dollars. Yes, I did a double-take too. A 15-year-deal? 67.5 million dollars in guaranteed money? Seriously now, this is how Snow wanted to begin his career as Islanders general manager?
When it comes to long-term contracts for millions of dollars, general managers have the potential to look like geniuses or buffoons (and buffoons is putting it mildly). To be perfectly frank, DiPietro, provided no injuries or other things come his way (a big if for any hockey player) looks like he can be a competent and even above-average NHL goaltender for many years. Yet the rational, logical side of my brain asks the question, What in the world was Snow thinking? Or not thinking? The rational, logical side of my brain concurs with my little brother’s sentiment that Garth Snow is clearly trying to become the new Craig Patrick of NHL GM’s. (Little brother, by the way, is not referring to Patrick when he was swinging deals for Ron Francis and Ulf Samuelsson, but the Patrick of more recent seasons who did such things as trade Markus Naslund for Alek Stojanov and Jaromir Jagr for, well, let’s not even go there.)
Because here’s the thing when it comes to long-term deals for any player. You are TIED to that long-term deal. You are TIED to that player. With a long-term deal, if your player suddenly doesn’t perform at his labeled price tag, well, guess what? There is no way you’re going to get anywhere near equal value in a trade because no other team is going to want to be a legitimate trading partner. You’re tying, bonding, binding, yourself to one specific player for an incredible length of time, and I don’t care if that player is one of the best in league history in the prime of his career (which DiPietro most definitely isn’t), it’s still incredibly risky.
Making risky moves can pay off in the NHL, and sometimes making risky deals pays dividends. If DiPietro ever performs to capabilities he’s shown at various times throughout his career and becomes one of those "money" goalies who can steal a playoff series for his team, then maybe his deal looks cheap and looks like a great idea. (However, the idea of the Islanders, under current ownership, actually qualifying for the playoffs, remains a laughable concept.) And I would not be surprised if there is a season or two, or even a period of multiple seasons throughout his career, when DiPietro’s contract ends up looking like a bargain. But the thing is, honestly, 15 years is such an incredibly long time. Sure, with the advent of modern conditioning, goalies can play stronger games for much longer, but still—what happens when you have a goalie, past his prime, in his late thirties, still pulling down a ridiculous salary? At the time when, let’s say, you’ve drafted another young goalie to replace the goalie who was your franchise goalie. What happens when the young, brash DiPietro is the wily veteran—a competent back-up but not a goalie you want to play 70 games a season anymore and you’re still paying him the same salary? Isn’t that contract going to look like a ridiculous albatross?
Although I hated the one economics class I was forced to take in college, I’ve heard of "inflation," and perhaps current Islanders GM Snow believes that inflation will ultimately make DiPietro cheap. Yet right now, in the present moment, I’ve got to come down on the side of little brother. Unless we’re talking about a once-in-a-generation player a la Gretzky or Lemieux, you don’t do 15-year-deals. Period. And even with those once-in-a-generation players, you’d best be careful. Because who knows what kind of injuries and health problems can occur? Seriously? And even with the deal’s apparent qualification for "retirement due to injury," one can have injuries that affect your level of play and yet still not be forced to retire due to such injuries.
Of course, I have to qualify everything. I won’t be surprised if there is a season or two or even a few more where Snow’s unorthodox signing will make me, and other bloggers and prognosticators like me, look incredibly foolish. Yet over the long-term? The long-haul that is 15 years?
Well, it looks like my previous post from this summer is holding up:Islanders rookie GM Garth Snow is definitely learning on the job.
Also—as an aside—a part of me wonders if Snow would have attempted to sign DiPietro to such a long-term deal if they hadn’t been good buddies as teammates? A part of me wonders if DiPietro would have signed such a long-term deal if he and Snow hadn’t been friends? Because, for something so unorthodox, well, other considerations had to factor into this decision, at least in my opinion.
Over the next fifteen years, we’ll have to wait and see if my opinion and those of little brother and so many others ultimately win out over those of rookie GM Snow.
Friday, September 08, 2006
Patience is a Virtue
"Patience is a virtue, but not one of mine," my best friend frequently says. Fortunately, my best friend, bless her heart, is not a diehard Penguins fan like me. Because during the 2006-07 season, Penguins fans are going to have to internalize the belief that patience is a virtue.
I’ve already explained why I believe patience is going to be necessary when it comes to Evgeni Malkin, but frankly, Malkin is not the only player on this team with whom fans and coaches alike are going to need to have patience. Sidney Crosby, phenomenal as he was last season and still is, remains a kid. Hopefully Crosby gets his "yapping" at officials under better control this season, but there are going to be occasions (hopefully very few) when the fact that Crosby is nineteen will supersede his incredible talent.
Even more so than Crosby and Malkin, however, are the young defensemen the Penguins will presumably have playing top 4 or top 6 minutes this year. Unfortunately, whether fans or coaches like it or not, the only way young NHL defensemen learn how to play defense in the NHL is by playing defense in the NHL. Knowing that mistakes are going to be made and then learned from, coaches have got to put the young defensemen on the ice and just let them learn by playing the game. Given that the Penguins do not have a Chris Pronger or Scott Niedermayer to pair with their young defensemen and to help cover up youthful errors, well, the inexperience of our defensemen will be put on display mostly every night until our defensemen gain enough experience to know the right play and how to execute the play. And watching that while screaming at the TV about how that’s been the third time in as many games that a defenseman got beat because he’s not as strong on the puck as a forward isn’t going to make that defenseman gain strength any quicker. Like it or not, Pens fans are going to have to be patient.
Oh, and on that patient bit? Ask Hartford Whalers fans (any still remaining) and St. Louis Blues fans how long it took Chris Pronger to become Chris Pronger. Heck, even ask Glen Sather to remind you that it took him half a season to convince Paul Coffey (yes, the Hall of Famer who later starred for the Penguins) to rush the puck up the ice. Ask any coach who’s had to coach a young, talented defenseman, and ask that coach if the player really put it altogether in his first or second season—and the answer is generally going to be, Not yet.
That doesn’t mean coaches need to tolerate repeated mistakes, and it doesn’t mean fans should back off all criticism of young players. It just means be aware of what you’re getting. When it comes to Ryan Whitney and Noah Welch, you’re getting young, talented defensemen. Are they talented enough? What’s their talent level really like; what’s their career going to look like?
The answers to those questions are "We don’t know yet." And in the midst of beginning to discover those answers in the 2006-07 season, the truth of rooting for a talented but very young team remains:
Patience is a virtue.
"Patience is a virtue, but not one of mine," my best friend frequently says. Fortunately, my best friend, bless her heart, is not a diehard Penguins fan like me. Because during the 2006-07 season, Penguins fans are going to have to internalize the belief that patience is a virtue.
I’ve already explained why I believe patience is going to be necessary when it comes to Evgeni Malkin, but frankly, Malkin is not the only player on this team with whom fans and coaches alike are going to need to have patience. Sidney Crosby, phenomenal as he was last season and still is, remains a kid. Hopefully Crosby gets his "yapping" at officials under better control this season, but there are going to be occasions (hopefully very few) when the fact that Crosby is nineteen will supersede his incredible talent.
Even more so than Crosby and Malkin, however, are the young defensemen the Penguins will presumably have playing top 4 or top 6 minutes this year. Unfortunately, whether fans or coaches like it or not, the only way young NHL defensemen learn how to play defense in the NHL is by playing defense in the NHL. Knowing that mistakes are going to be made and then learned from, coaches have got to put the young defensemen on the ice and just let them learn by playing the game. Given that the Penguins do not have a Chris Pronger or Scott Niedermayer to pair with their young defensemen and to help cover up youthful errors, well, the inexperience of our defensemen will be put on display mostly every night until our defensemen gain enough experience to know the right play and how to execute the play. And watching that while screaming at the TV about how that’s been the third time in as many games that a defenseman got beat because he’s not as strong on the puck as a forward isn’t going to make that defenseman gain strength any quicker. Like it or not, Pens fans are going to have to be patient.
Oh, and on that patient bit? Ask Hartford Whalers fans (any still remaining) and St. Louis Blues fans how long it took Chris Pronger to become Chris Pronger. Heck, even ask Glen Sather to remind you that it took him half a season to convince Paul Coffey (yes, the Hall of Famer who later starred for the Penguins) to rush the puck up the ice. Ask any coach who’s had to coach a young, talented defenseman, and ask that coach if the player really put it altogether in his first or second season—and the answer is generally going to be, Not yet.
That doesn’t mean coaches need to tolerate repeated mistakes, and it doesn’t mean fans should back off all criticism of young players. It just means be aware of what you’re getting. When it comes to Ryan Whitney and Noah Welch, you’re getting young, talented defensemen. Are they talented enough? What’s their talent level really like; what’s their career going to look like?
The answers to those questions are "We don’t know yet." And in the midst of beginning to discover those answers in the 2006-07 season, the truth of rooting for a talented but very young team remains:
Patience is a virtue.
On That Other Penguins News and Musings on Goaltending
So the Penguins signed another goaltender. I haven’t yet done any research on this goalie, so as of yet, I can’t comment on him specifically. But I do think the Pens needed more organizational depth when it comes to goaltending, and if this kid provides that even for the minor league levels, so be it.
Am I the only one who’s still not keen on the idea of relying on Thibeault to back up Fleury this year? Seriously?
Also, on another note, while drafting 18-year-olds is often a crapshoot, there are times when I feel that "crapshoot" is never more evidenced than by how certain (not all) goaltenders develop or, more precisely, fail to develop. Scanning through hockeydb.com this summer (a lovely web site you should definitely check out), my brother noted that Trevor Kidd was drafted before Martin Brodeur. The response to such a selection years later, is, of course, "What was so-and-so thinking?"
And Eddie Belfour? The goaltender who might be old and past his prime now but who remais one of the NHL’s winningiest goalies? If little brother has informed me correctly, Belfour was never drafted. A free-agent pick-up who turned out to be near the leader board of all-time NHL victories for goalies.
Granted, I want Marc-Andre Fleury to become the money goaltender who can backstop Stanley Cup winners and keep the Penguins in games until Crosby, Malkin, et al, put on their show. But if for whatever reason that doesn’t happen, here’s to dreaming that Penner, the goalie about whom I know very little, turns out to have a career as great as Belfour’s or even a moment where he shines in the limelight as did Frank Pieterangelo back in the spring of 1991.
So the Penguins signed another goaltender. I haven’t yet done any research on this goalie, so as of yet, I can’t comment on him specifically. But I do think the Pens needed more organizational depth when it comes to goaltending, and if this kid provides that even for the minor league levels, so be it.
Am I the only one who’s still not keen on the idea of relying on Thibeault to back up Fleury this year? Seriously?
Also, on another note, while drafting 18-year-olds is often a crapshoot, there are times when I feel that "crapshoot" is never more evidenced than by how certain (not all) goaltenders develop or, more precisely, fail to develop. Scanning through hockeydb.com this summer (a lovely web site you should definitely check out), my brother noted that Trevor Kidd was drafted before Martin Brodeur. The response to such a selection years later, is, of course, "What was so-and-so thinking?"
And Eddie Belfour? The goaltender who might be old and past his prime now but who remais one of the NHL’s winningiest goalies? If little brother has informed me correctly, Belfour was never drafted. A free-agent pick-up who turned out to be near the leader board of all-time NHL victories for goalies.
Granted, I want Marc-Andre Fleury to become the money goaltender who can backstop Stanley Cup winners and keep the Penguins in games until Crosby, Malkin, et al, put on their show. But if for whatever reason that doesn’t happen, here’s to dreaming that Penner, the goalie about whom I know very little, turns out to have a career as great as Belfour’s or even a moment where he shines in the limelight as did Frank Pieterangelo back in the spring of 1991.
The Last Malkin Post (For the Moment)
(Until It’s time for another one)
Okay, so Evgeni Malkin has arrived in North America. More specifically, young Mr. Malkin is now attending the Penguins rookie camp.
I’m going to refrain from speculation about the off-ice mess and circus surrounding Malkin. (Really, there are no better words than circus and mess to describe a general manager invoking phrases like "sports terrorism," among other threats.) For one, speculating about off-the-ice issues, such as potential legal actions by the Russians, is pointless. So I’ll set aside that off the ice idle speculation for the moment.
Instead, because this is a hockey blog, I’m going to focus my speculation on what Malkin’s arrival in North America means to the Penguins, assuming Malkin will be legally able to suit up in a Penguins jersey come opening night. In the midst of Malkin’s sojourn to the United States, and the ensuing interviews Malkin has given through an interpreter, several facts have become abundantly clear. Malkin desperately wants to play in the NHL. Malkin was under pressure—if not threats, then certainly pressure—to remain in Russia. Malkin is twenty-years-old and was listening to a bunch of people tell him several different things.
Among all those facts about Malkin—and they’re all relevant to the 2006-07 Pittsburgh Penguins—what is most salient is the fact that Malkin is a twenty-year-old kid who just arrived in a foreign country. While Malkin is used to being a star in Russia, he is going to have to adjust to the demands of the American media and become accustomed to American culture. He’s also going to have to learn English. Unlike Sidney Crosby, who came into the league at age eighteen speaking his native language and having been used to dealing with the media from the age of thirteen, Malkin is going to have to make off-the-ice adjustments. It’s the off-the-ice adjustments that the Penguins management and Penguins fans are going to have to keep in mind throughout the 2006-07 season.
For a moment, think back over the years to various players who’ve arrived from Europe or Russia. Think back on their first seasons in the NHL. For every player who took the NHL by storm while learning a foreign language and adjusting to a new culture, there are certainly more players who struggled at least a few times, and possibly more than just a few times, that first season. Learning the NHL game can be a transition enough, but couple that with everything going on off the ice, too? No matter how much money a player is making, the transition is never without struggle. Sure, Penguins fans all remember Jaromir Jagr’s pretty playoff goals during the 1991 Stanley Cup run, but Pens fans might forget that Jagr didn’t begin to settle in comfortably in Pittsburgh until Jiri Hrdina arrived in December of 1990.
Which brings me to Sergei Gonchar. Moan as Penguins fans might about Gonchar’s defensive lapses, etc, Gonchar’s most important role on the Penguins this season has absolutely nothing to do with quarterbacking the power play, killing penalties, or even teaching the young defensemen. No, this year Gonchar’s main responsibility, on and off the ice, is going to have to be Evgeni Malkin. Gonchar is going to have to serve as mentor, friend, counselor, and translator for Malkin. Sure, Penguins fans, if they want, have the right to fuss at Gonchar for subpar defensive play. But I, for one, am going to withhold my fussing at Gonchar so long as Gonchar is doing his job (on the ice and off the ice) in helping Malkin adjust to the NHL game and to North America. So long as Malkin is producing and beginning to adjust and perhaps showing signs of flourishing, and so long as Malkin credits Gonchar for helping him out, well, guess what, I’ll just have to deal with an occasional boneheaded Gonchar play.
I’m aware of the fact that I’m a cynical person, and Pens fans who saw Crosby and Ovechkin take the NHL by storm last year might wonder why I’m so insistent about "lowering expectations," so to speak, for Evgeni Malkin. The cynical side of my brain asks, Do you remember who the last Penguin to be called the best player in the world not yet in the NHL was? Yes, folks, that was one Aleksey Morozov, currently the reigning MVP of the RSL but never a dominant or consistently even a very good player in the NHL. Of course the logical side of my brain knows that Malkin plays a very different style of game than Morozov, a game that is far more suited to the NHL than Morozov’s. I also saw Malkin more than hold his own against NHL players in the past winter Olympics. Yet the logical and cynical sides of my brain still meet and cry out, "Please don’t expect this kid to be perfect right away!"
Because that’s the thing. In all the interviews, in every quote that’s come out of newspapers, what stands out is that Malkin is still a kid. An extremely talented kid who’s going to have to adjust to North American ice and North American culture. Sure, hopefully Malkin’s talented enough to "just be himself" on the ice surface when everything off the ice is new.
Yet a fact holds for Penguins coaches, Penguins players, and Penguins fans, and that’s this: Be patient with this kid.
Hopefully we won’t need patience. Hopefully Malkin repeats what Ovechkin did last year, in a way that’s unique to his particular skill set.
But if he doesn’t do that immediately—be patient. That advice has to go to Coach Therrien and Sergei Gonchar as well as other Penguins players.
Less than two years after he arrived in North America, Jaromir Jagr took over the Rangers series after Adam Graves slashed Mario Lemieux’s hand. Sure, Pens fans had previously seen what Jagr could do—but not the way we saw it in that series. So guess what, really, if I’m expecting Evgeni Malkin to turn out to be as good or better than Jaromir Jagr, I really don’t have low expectations. I have high expectations. I’m just saying, don’t be surprised, angry, or impatient if those high expectations aren’t immediately fulfilled in the 2006-07 season.
Celebrate if immediate success comes, of course, but if not, well…just know that time eventually brought us Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr in the prime of their careers.
Take time to wait on Malkin to become what his decision to leave Russia shows he wants to be—a dominant NHL player.
(Until It’s time for another one)
Okay, so Evgeni Malkin has arrived in North America. More specifically, young Mr. Malkin is now attending the Penguins rookie camp.
I’m going to refrain from speculation about the off-ice mess and circus surrounding Malkin. (Really, there are no better words than circus and mess to describe a general manager invoking phrases like "sports terrorism," among other threats.) For one, speculating about off-the-ice issues, such as potential legal actions by the Russians, is pointless. So I’ll set aside that off the ice idle speculation for the moment.
Instead, because this is a hockey blog, I’m going to focus my speculation on what Malkin’s arrival in North America means to the Penguins, assuming Malkin will be legally able to suit up in a Penguins jersey come opening night. In the midst of Malkin’s sojourn to the United States, and the ensuing interviews Malkin has given through an interpreter, several facts have become abundantly clear. Malkin desperately wants to play in the NHL. Malkin was under pressure—if not threats, then certainly pressure—to remain in Russia. Malkin is twenty-years-old and was listening to a bunch of people tell him several different things.
Among all those facts about Malkin—and they’re all relevant to the 2006-07 Pittsburgh Penguins—what is most salient is the fact that Malkin is a twenty-year-old kid who just arrived in a foreign country. While Malkin is used to being a star in Russia, he is going to have to adjust to the demands of the American media and become accustomed to American culture. He’s also going to have to learn English. Unlike Sidney Crosby, who came into the league at age eighteen speaking his native language and having been used to dealing with the media from the age of thirteen, Malkin is going to have to make off-the-ice adjustments. It’s the off-the-ice adjustments that the Penguins management and Penguins fans are going to have to keep in mind throughout the 2006-07 season.
For a moment, think back over the years to various players who’ve arrived from Europe or Russia. Think back on their first seasons in the NHL. For every player who took the NHL by storm while learning a foreign language and adjusting to a new culture, there are certainly more players who struggled at least a few times, and possibly more than just a few times, that first season. Learning the NHL game can be a transition enough, but couple that with everything going on off the ice, too? No matter how much money a player is making, the transition is never without struggle. Sure, Penguins fans all remember Jaromir Jagr’s pretty playoff goals during the 1991 Stanley Cup run, but Pens fans might forget that Jagr didn’t begin to settle in comfortably in Pittsburgh until Jiri Hrdina arrived in December of 1990.
Which brings me to Sergei Gonchar. Moan as Penguins fans might about Gonchar’s defensive lapses, etc, Gonchar’s most important role on the Penguins this season has absolutely nothing to do with quarterbacking the power play, killing penalties, or even teaching the young defensemen. No, this year Gonchar’s main responsibility, on and off the ice, is going to have to be Evgeni Malkin. Gonchar is going to have to serve as mentor, friend, counselor, and translator for Malkin. Sure, Penguins fans, if they want, have the right to fuss at Gonchar for subpar defensive play. But I, for one, am going to withhold my fussing at Gonchar so long as Gonchar is doing his job (on the ice and off the ice) in helping Malkin adjust to the NHL game and to North America. So long as Malkin is producing and beginning to adjust and perhaps showing signs of flourishing, and so long as Malkin credits Gonchar for helping him out, well, guess what, I’ll just have to deal with an occasional boneheaded Gonchar play.
I’m aware of the fact that I’m a cynical person, and Pens fans who saw Crosby and Ovechkin take the NHL by storm last year might wonder why I’m so insistent about "lowering expectations," so to speak, for Evgeni Malkin. The cynical side of my brain asks, Do you remember who the last Penguin to be called the best player in the world not yet in the NHL was? Yes, folks, that was one Aleksey Morozov, currently the reigning MVP of the RSL but never a dominant or consistently even a very good player in the NHL. Of course the logical side of my brain knows that Malkin plays a very different style of game than Morozov, a game that is far more suited to the NHL than Morozov’s. I also saw Malkin more than hold his own against NHL players in the past winter Olympics. Yet the logical and cynical sides of my brain still meet and cry out, "Please don’t expect this kid to be perfect right away!"
Because that’s the thing. In all the interviews, in every quote that’s come out of newspapers, what stands out is that Malkin is still a kid. An extremely talented kid who’s going to have to adjust to North American ice and North American culture. Sure, hopefully Malkin’s talented enough to "just be himself" on the ice surface when everything off the ice is new.
Yet a fact holds for Penguins coaches, Penguins players, and Penguins fans, and that’s this: Be patient with this kid.
Hopefully we won’t need patience. Hopefully Malkin repeats what Ovechkin did last year, in a way that’s unique to his particular skill set.
But if he doesn’t do that immediately—be patient. That advice has to go to Coach Therrien and Sergei Gonchar as well as other Penguins players.
Less than two years after he arrived in North America, Jaromir Jagr took over the Rangers series after Adam Graves slashed Mario Lemieux’s hand. Sure, Pens fans had previously seen what Jagr could do—but not the way we saw it in that series. So guess what, really, if I’m expecting Evgeni Malkin to turn out to be as good or better than Jaromir Jagr, I really don’t have low expectations. I have high expectations. I’m just saying, don’t be surprised, angry, or impatient if those high expectations aren’t immediately fulfilled in the 2006-07 season.
Celebrate if immediate success comes, of course, but if not, well…just know that time eventually brought us Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr in the prime of their careers.
Take time to wait on Malkin to become what his decision to leave Russia shows he wants to be—a dominant NHL player.
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