PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Pens returned to the playoffs this season as GM Kyle Dubas had an impactful offseason leading into it. So, has this organization established itself again as a Stanley Cup contender?
Before moving forward, let’s take a step back to last offseason. Pens were coming off a third consecutive season missing the playoffs and would part ways with the only two-time Stanley Cup winning coach in its franchise history.
Dubas said when he was hired the instruction was to jolt the core veterans one last time, while at the same time getting younger. The thought being the younger players would improve exponentially better with the experience around them. He said the proof is not going to come until the group is legitimately back in contention.
Is it?
The team finished second in the Metropolitan Division, 15 points behind Carolina at 41-41, 16 overtime/shootout losses gave them 98 points (sixth in the Eastern Conference). They were the second highest-scoring team in the East and 13th in goals allowed.
Forward Rickard Rakell pointed out how much better it would be if they would have pulled out a few more shootout wins (Pens were 3-10).
Holding home ice against the Flyers, the Pens lost the first two at home and never fully recovered, losing 4-2 in the first round of the playoffs. Their last playoff series victory was 2018.
“I think we took some good steps,” said Pens captain Sidney Crosby. “The way we came together. The way guys stepped up individually. A lot of guys had career years, that’s a reflection of guy’s individual play, but also, it’s the group. I think the coaching staff, management, everyone deserves a lot of credit for that.”
He wasn’t the only one to have similar thoughts.
“Even before this year, no one even believed we would be in this spot,” said Rakell. “(Kyle Dubas) has really done a great job bringing some really good players into our team that makes a big difference. We are really hopeful and I only think it’s going to get better.”
“We have a good group in here, a good base,” said defenseman Erik Karlsson who had his best year as a Penguin this season. “Obviously we have some room to improve, just like 31 other teams will have after this year. The potential is there to improve, roster wise. It’s exciting times, it hasn’t been a lot of fun around here lately.”
“I think this year was a very positive year and definitely something where you can see the qualities this team has and easier to find out what we need.”
“There is a lot to build on,” said forward Bryan Rust. “The culture, the mindset, we can rely on everybody. It’s important that everyone knows their value in the room.”
“We were a much better team than we showed early in the Flyers series, we let a game or two get away.”
The point there to not have recency bias on the season, just decide it wasn’t progress because they lost to the hated rival falling down 3-0 in the series.
“Going into the summer, we can feel good to put ourselves in a spot to have success in the postseason,” Rust said. “At the end of the day, we have to look in the mirror and see what went wrong.”
The team is younger, down to the 11th oldest team in the NHL, tied with Edmonton at 29.1 years-old on average. A few of the 30-somethings are free agents. A couple of them had really good seasons (Anthony Mantha-career-high 33 goals, Evgeni Malkin 61 points in 56 games, Noel Acciari was key to a great fourth line), Kevin Hayes and Connor Clifton are also free agents over 30 who didn’t have as big of a role.
Ben Kindel made it through a first full season, turning 19 late in the year finishing with 17 goals (35 points), Egor Chinakhov is a restricted free agent at 25-years-old with 36 points in 43 games with the Pens. Harrison Brunicke is a two-way defenseman who nearly made the team last year. There are several young forwards who showed flashes like Avery Hayes, an injury to Tristan Broz prevented a shot to potentially be called up. Ville Koivunen and Rutger McGroarty were inconsistent, but still young.
“I think there is a foundation for sure,” said Pens head coach Dan Muse. “There were definitely areas where we showed growth, now that base is set. At the same time, we are having this conversation today and the NHL playoffs are still going. So there is a lot of room for us now to all get better, myself included.”
“How much can we build on it? What kind of steps can we take? Those are things we are going to work through this summer. We are trying to maximize every day for each individual to grow and for us collectively to grow. That’s what we set out to do this season, that’s the base that is there, now it’s how do we make that foundation even stronger.”
For Kris Letang, it was as much about the process that Muse brought that has him encouraged for next year as he enters his 21st season in September.
“The way we did it,” Letang said. “When you are in a room for over six months and you play the game every single time there is a feeling that gets inside of you. It was not a group that was going to go out there and win with skill. It was the pace of the game we played at, the commitment to playing better defensively. It can go up from there.”
“It’s a step,” Crosby said. “You got to continue to grow and get better. It’s a starting point though, for sure.”
With another draft, the highest salary cap space of any team in the NHL ($46.5 million) and Dubas coming off the best season of anyone in the organization, it sure looks a lot better for the Pens than it did at this point last year.
‘The culture and the mindset, there is a lot to build on’
‘The culture and the mindset, there is a lot to build on’
