Faceoff Factor

The Mid-Season Report Card

Mike Adams | Report Cards

Jan 7, 11:46 AM | Hype this story!

We have reached the end of the first half of the season, so it’s time to evaluate how each Penguin player has performed thus far. These grades are done against expectations so that we’re not rating, say, Jarkko Ruutu on the same scale as Sidney Crosby. The grades are a reflection of how each player has fulfilled his role/potential so far.

Forwards

Colby Armstrong: C. He has played extremely well since being reunited with Sid. But we can’t forget that he was also a regular healthy scratch in the early going due to his indifferent play.

Erik Christensen: D. I expected more out of him, especially scoring-wise. He has started to come around recently, exhibiting a never-before-seen physicality that bodes well for his improvement in the second half.

Sidney Crosby: C-. He is slightly behind last year’s scoring pace, and has not developed a true goal-scoring ability yet. Needs a true scoring winger to fully tap his potential.

Adam Hall: C. He’s been exactly what he was expected to be—a penalty killer and fourth-liner.

Connor James: Incomplete. Connor, we barely knew ye.

Tyler Kennedy: A. I don’t think anyone really expected him to have this much success this quickly. Has never been a real prolific offensive player at any level, but is chipping in with key goals for the Pens.

Georges Laraque: A. After his less-than-impressive play in last year’s playoffs, expectations were exceedingly low. But he has played well, and not only in the pugilist role. His forecheck ability has been superb and will be important come playoff time.

Evgeni Malkin: C. Another player who has not progressed much since last year. He is only very slightly ahead of last year’s pace in goals and assists. I had thought his second year would bring a big jump, a la Sid last year.

Ryan Malone: B. While he likely won’t ever be the offensive force we thought he might become, he has become a valuable player because of his new-found dedication and hard work. If nothing else, he is an excellent third-liner and penalty killer, as long as he accepts the role.

Gary Roberts: C. He started to fall out of favor with some, but those people fail to realize that no player can play a kamikaze style, like Roberts does late in the year, for an entire season. He was playing very well before he broke his leg.

Jarkko Ruutu: D. Last few games aside, he has been a huge disappointment and is likely in his last few months as a Penguin. The coaching staff seems to have no confidence in him.

Jordan Staal: F. While I am not shocked at his goal-scoring drought, I am surprised at how huge the falloff has been. While other aspects of his play have not necessarily fallen off, he simply must be more productive offensively if he is to justify the lofty draft pick used on him.

Petr Sykora: C. Start fast and then disappear has been his modus operandi. This year appears to be no exception.

Jeff Taffe: Incomplete. Haven’t really seen enough of him on which to make a judgment, though he appears to be a decent fourth-liner.

Maxime Talbot: A. He just seems to keep advancing as a player. Right before he was hurt, it looked like he’d get a chance on the second line. It would have been interesting to see if he could handle it.

Defensemen

Mark Eaton: A. He came back from his injury problems and was playing extremely well until he got hurt again. It will be a tough decision on whether to resign him over the summer, due to the injury issues.

Sergei Gonchar: B. Has done what he always does offensively, that is, rack up power play points. But his play in his own end has been better this year, too. Of course, expectations in this regard are about as low as you can get, so playing above them is relatively easy. But he did it.

Kristopher Letang: B. Oddly, he has been better defensively than I anticipated, but has not shown much offensively. This is likely because The Genius is keeping the reigns on him. But he is here to stay.

Alain Nasreddine: Incomplete. Very incomplete.

Brooks Orpik: D. It is now becoming clearer that this guy is a wasted first-round pick. The coaching staff has no confidence in him because of his continued poor decision-making, both with and without the puck. When a defenseman is incapable of playing either on the power play or on the penalty kill, what value does he have?

Rob Scuderi: A. Boy, the remaining half of the former whipping boy Scudichar tandem has really played far beyond expectations this year. He has been solid night in and night out. He has rarely been noticed, which is the best thing you can say about a defensive defenseman.

Darryl Sydor: C. This would have been an F at the quarter pole, but he is back to being that calm, veteran blue line presence that the Pens thought they were getting.

Ryan Whitney: D. His offense has dropped off some as teams have shut down that back door power play move that worked so well last year. He has also been unsteady in his own end, though he has improved recently.

Goalies

Ty Conklin: A. A complete no-brainer here. Easily the most pleasant surprise of the first half. His puck-handling ability has been a godsend to the defensemen. More importantly, he is basically stopping everything that comes his way. He is a great comeback story.

Marc-Andre Fleury: D. While he had started to play well prior to getting hurt, his season overall is a huge disappointment. His play was so bad that The Genius took to benching him in favor of Dany Sabourin. He continues to allow far too many rebounds and still hasn’t figured out how to play the puck outside the crease. Doubts are starting to creep in about his ability to live up to the hype.

Dany Sabourin: C. He has been exactly what most thought he would be—a guy who can play a game here or there, but who was not capable of filling in on a long-term basis. He played well in spot starts, but was only one step above abysmal after Fleury went down.

Management (now, these grades are base don performance, not expectations).

Michel Therrien: C. There have been ups and downs, but he has kept the team together and has them playing well. He stayed with Mark Recchi for too long. His power play is an embarrassment for one with so much talent on it. The penalty kill has been wildly inconsistent. But he has the team ahead of last year’s pace, so, overall, he is doing at least a decent job.

Ray Shero: C. The team’s two glaring holes last season are its two glaring holes this season. They lacked a goal-scoring winger and a shutdown defenseman. They still do. His offseason acquisitions have been adequate, though nothing more. He won on Conklin, lost with Sabourin. His patience is a virtue, but at some point he is going to have to make a bold move.