PITTSBURGH, Pa – One could have made an argument that the Pittsburgh Penguins were the best team in hockey last season despite losing Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby. Overall the team has probably the most talent in the Eastern Conference but without Malkin and Crosby they had to get knocked down a notch which is why the Tampa Bay Lightning was able to knock them out in the playoffs.
Assuming that Malkin and Crosby will be back, the Pens will be loaded for bear and could become the favorites to win the cup next season. Still, this is the off-season and the draft and free agency must be played out first before we get ahead of ourselves.
Crosby led the team in offense despite only playing half a season (41 games). Only Chris Kunitz and Tyler Kennedy had over 20 goals other than Crosby (32). Most of the scoring in general comes from the center position and should go after some wingers in free agency. Still the team will need to address it come draft day. Eric Tangradi, Dustin Jeffrey, and Beau Bennett are in the team’s top four prospects so there isn’t a huge need to go for wingers come draft day but it will still be a high priority nonetheless.
Because the Pens missed Malkin and Crosby they were ranked higher in defense than offense ranking seventh where on offense they still managed to rank eleventh. Most of their defensemen are locked up past next season so the team is in relatively good shape on the blueline.
In goal, Marc-Andre Fleury is signed on for the next three seasons and could ask for a raise if he should lead them to another cup. The Pens don’t have a lot of goaltending prospects so taking Pittsburgh native John Gibson would not be a bad thing come draft day.
The big question is, do the Pens go for sentiment and take Gibson or pass up taking wingers that could help sooner than Gibson could? In our Mock draft left wingers Nicklas Jenson and Phillip Danault are still on the board and on right wing Ty Rattie and Tomas Jurco are very good at scoring. If Gibson were not on the board, this would be an easy call to go for a winger, but in our mock that’s not the case.
Still, the Pens will probably go for what’s best for them, not for sentiment.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are proud to select, from the Memorial Cup champion Saint John Sea Dogs, right winger Tomas Jurco.”
To learn more about Tomas Jurco click here .
Contact the author at Brian.Jennings@prohockeynews.com Contact the photographer at Lewis.Bleiman@prohockeynews.com
