Faceoff Factor

Penguins Season Grades: Defensemen

Mike Adams | Report Cards

Jun 18, 11:36 AM | Hype this story!

Yesterday, we looked at the forwards. Today, we bring you the second installment of the season-ending grades by examining the defensemen.

Philippe Boucher: D
He was a disappointment after they got him from Dallas. I guess we should have known something was up when all they gave up was Darryl Sydor. He’s just too slow to play an up-tempo game, and even his shot isn’t what it once was. He’ll be gone in free agency.

Mark Eaton: C
It was the tale of two seasons for him. He struggled mightily in the first half, and was even a healthy scratch on occasion. But he was still recovering from knee surgery. As the knee got stronger, so did his play. He even showed some offensive flair under Coach B., potting four playoff goals.

Hal Gill: D
The things he can do, he does well. Sadly, penalty killing is the only thing on that list. The rest of his game is, shall we politely say, lacking. This once-slow player now moves at the speed of a beached aircraft carrier. Another vet who will be lopped.

Alex Goligoski: B+
He played very well as an emergency fill-in for Gonchar and Whitney. He definitely showed promise on the power play. I can see him and Letang manning the points for years to come. The Genius eventually lost confidence in him because of his defensive zone work, but he wasn’t all that bad back there for a rookie. He’ll replace Gill in the regular rotation next year.

Sergei Gonchar : A
How far has he come in my eyes! His first two seasons with the Pens were huge disappointments. But then last year, he showed his toughness in the playoffs. The regular season this year was a washout due to the shoulder injury. But once again, he came to play in the playoffs. He tore his MCL in Round 2 when Alex Ovechkin nailed him knee to knee. But he came back later in the series and played the rest of the playoffs on one healthy leg. And his return helped bring the power play back to respectability. When you see a guy like Brian Campbell making over $7 mil a year, you realize that Gonch at a $5.5 mil cap hit is a bargain.

Kris Letang: A
Like most young players, he is still inconsistent. But the talent just oozes from this guy. He’s not big, but he hits solidly. He can skate the puck out of trouble. And he’s getting better at the point on the power play.

Ben Lovejoy: Incomplete
His stock is rising though. He didn’t look out of place in the couple games he played in Pittsburgh. Good chance he’ll be on the roster next year with Gill and Boucher likely departing.

Brooks Orpik: A
He took a bit of a discount to stay in Pittsburgh (thank you, Marian Hossa), and boy does that look smart now. He is one of the leaders on this team, even though there is no letter on his sweater. He’s a hitting machine who continues to get better and better at knowing when to line somebody up.

Darryl Sydor: F
He was in The Genius’ doghouse almost from the day he signed. But when he played this year, he played poorly. Definitely not worth the $2.5 mil cap hit.
Rob Scuderi: A
How far has he come? Two years ago, he was part of the much-maligned Scudichar pairing. Now, after a solid regular season and a monster playoff in which he added goaltending to his resume, he’ll hit the open market as one of the top defensemen available. The only problem his reliable play has created is on the salary cap. Can they afford to keep him? Here’s to hoping he follows Orpik’s lead and takes the hometown discount. No team can be without “The Piece.”

Ryan Whitney: F
While Scuderi’s stock skyrocketed, Whitney’s went in the other direction. Once thought of as part of “the core,” he was traded to Anaheim after a stretch of wretched play. He seemingly never recovered from offseason foot surgery. He “quarterbacked” an awful power play. He was a giveaway machine in his own end. And his positioning stunk too. There was just no redeeming quality to his game this season.

Tomorrow: goalies.