LOS ANGELES – Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this column will have fewer thoughts than previous columns. For current local COVID-19 restrictions please consult your local government agencies and public health associations.
The Pittsburgh Penguins made two wise decisions in the wake of their Hall of Fame GM Jim Rutherford abruptly quitting. They hired Ron Hextall to be the new GM and they hired Brian Burke to be the organization’s first Director of Hockey Operations.
The Penguins organization is in win mode now but not “at all costs” like they were under Rutherford’s reign. They Penguins need to get healthy on the backend and have better goaltending to even think about contending this year. If neither of those things happen, this season will be about evaluation with an eye to the future. Why throw away the future if the season is a lost cause. Hextall is a great evaluator of talent. He helped build the Los Angeles Kings into Stanley Cups champions and he rebuilt the Philadelphia Flyers on the fly not with a full teardown. The knock on Hextall is his patience.
Burke is not known for his patience. Burke is known as a straight shooter full of wisdom and gruff. The Penguins organization will have many challenging problems in the coming years. Burke will not shy away from unpopular solutions. He will be able to face the public when moves he and Ron make are not the easy ones.
Like when popular players are moved out to make way for younger players. It has been reported Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are off the table but what about Kris Letang, Brian Dumoulin, Bryan Rust and Jake Guentzel. Rust and Guentzel are playing like their way off the table. Burke also demands his teams be tough to play against. The Penguins are not tough enough to play against.
All of the teams who have won the Stanley Cup since the Penguins repeated in 2016 and 2017 have been bigger and nastier teams than those Penguin teams.
The Penguins could use more truculence this season and moving forward. When the rebuild starts in earnest losing on the scoreboard will be easier to take if the team is winning the fights.
Kris Letang plays stupid hockey. The Penguins will always be a stupid hockey club while he is on the team. It is not just his ill-timed pinches and defensive zone coverage, but his power play decisions are questionable at best. He wastes too much time on the power play to then make a costly turnover or take a poor shot.
Columbus Blue Jacket’s Head Coach John Tortorella is bad for the NHL. The NHL is trying to build up stars and hockey in non-traditional markets. Columbus a non-traditional traded for superstar Patrik Laine and Tortorella benched him. It was only Laine’s 4th game with the team. The team was losing by one and needed a goal. It was pure ego and BS. Tortorella always makes it about himself. Nobody ever bought a ticket or turned on a tv to see Tortorella coach. The Blue Jackets lose every star that plays in Columbus. Some of the reason they leave is the city Columbus itself but most of the reason is Tortorella. Benching Laine will not help the Blue Jackets attract star players or fans.
The Chicago Blackhawks are showing what a goaltender can do for a franchise. The first weekend of the season the Hawks started Malcom Subban and Collin Delia in net and were blown out. It looked like this 56-game season would feel like 256 games. The Hawks then switched to goaltender Kevin Lankinen and their season’s fortunes changed. Chicago is in the middle of a rebuild and Lankinen is keeping them in games and in the playoff chase.
I am not impressed with Ottawa’s young defenseman Thomas Chabot. I know the Senators are terrible, but I do not see the magic I saw instantly with like Drew Doughty, Cale Makar and even Kris Letang.
If you doubted how much Jakob Markstrom meant to Vancouver look at them now. He made up for a porous defense with and incredible run of goaltending the last few seasons. Thatcher Demko and Braden Holtby have not been terrible, but they have not stolen any games.
The Boston Bruins sandbagged everyone with their preseason injury report. The Bruins top line was supposed idly ravaged by injuries. Brad Marchand was supposedly out for the first month of the season and David Pastrnak until St. Patrick’s Day. The Rat had a goal, assist and the shootout winner in the Bruins opener. The Pasta Man had a hat trick and assisted on Patrice Bergeron’s OT winner last week to beat the Flyers.
Update on the 5 players last year I said I love to watch.
Bryan Rust has moved up to the Penguins top line. He leads the Penguins in points and assists and is tied for lead in goals. He wore the A when Kris Letang was injured.
Adam Lowry is playing his brand of physical hockey. He has scored a few goals and had a scrap. He will lose ice time because Jets traded for center Pierre Luc Dubois, unless Paul Stastny moves to wing.
JG Pageau tore it up offensively last season in the bubble for the Islanders after coming over from the Senators. Pageau’s started this season slow but like the rest of the Islanders he is heating up.
Connor Garland gets increasingly more and more ice time for Rick Tocchet’s Arizona Coyotes. He has moved up the depth chart because of his nose for the puck and penchant for scoring clutch goals.
Anthony Cirelli signed a new contract after being a key figure in Tampa Bay winning the Stanley Cup. This season he’s been given even more responsibility due to due Nikita Kucherov’s injury. Cirelli is on the short list of Selke candidates.
Four guys I love watching this year.
Pierre Olivier Joseph stepped off the Penguin’s taxi squad to become their best defenseman. He looked like a 5-year veteran with his offense instincts and physicality. Joseph has come back to earth recently but should be on the Penguins for good.
Max Comtois had shown flashes brilliance for the Anaheim the last few years, but he never stuck with the team. This year he has found more consistency. He’s new age power forward. He’s a big kid with sweet hands who not afraid to turn his hand into a fist.
Trent Frederic is a Boston Bruin who would have fit right in with the Bruins of the 70’s. Frederic plays a physical game, talks trash and scores sometimes.
K’Andre Miller is the New York Ranger’s PO Joseph. Miller is bigger than Joseph and meaner. Your eyes and the puck go to him when he’s on the ice.
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