Faceoff Factor

FF Birthday Series -- Weekly Question 1

FF Staff | Pittsburgh Penguins

Feb 4, 11:38 AM | Hype this story!

As part of Faceoff Factor’s one year birthday celebration, we have invited members of the media and blogosphere to answer a weekly question about the Pittsburgh Penguins and/or the NHL.

This week, the panel of writers includes Jonathan Bombulie, who covers the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for the Citizen’s Voice; the staff of the PensBlog, who generally look at hockey in a satirical way; Chris Yarbrough from Taking One For The Team; and Mike Adams, Faceoff Factor’s resident cynic.

And now on to the question…

With the injuries the Penguins have had to deal with over the course of the last few weeks, how do you envision the future of the Pittsburgh Penguins for this season in regards to both the team as a whole and individual players?

Jonathan Bombulie, The Citizen’s Voice
This analogy is a bit of a hack premise, but bear with me. I think it applies.

The Penguins are like a dam that has sprung a leak with each new injury this season, and various players have stepped up to plug those leaks. When Sidney Crosby went down, it was a leak the size of my mom’s 1984 Bonneville Brougham. Somehow, Evgeni Malkin showed his superstar pedigree and filled it.

When Marc-Andre Fleury went down, it was a leak the size of your first microwave oven. Somehow, shockingly, Ty Conklin filled it.

From a Wilkes-Barre perspective, I don’t see Kris Letang, Tyler Kennedy or even Jeff Taffe as leak-pluggers. They probably should have been up from the get-go. But Jonathan Filewich and Nathan Smith sure look like they can keep their fingers in some quarter-sized leaks, at the very least. Comfortable and useful if not prolific, they’ve been the best of the call-ups on the fringes of the roster.

Anyway, don’t get too comfortable. There is still a flash flood warning for Allegheny County. But each game that passes is a game closer to Crosby’s return, and once he gets back up to speed and the goalie situation sorts itself out, then we’ll find out if this team is a contender for something or not.

Adam and Derek, The PensBlog
We think the Penguins will tread water until they get their full complement of players back into the fold. Gary Roberts’ return from a broken leg will have as big an impact as his arrival at the trade deadline last year did. Not to mention his superpowers.

Sidney Crosby will come back like he is shot out of a cannon. As far as Marc-Andre Fleury goes, could he have really done better than Ty Conklin did during the past month or so? MAF’s return, if anything, will be an emotional push for the Pens, but this team is playing so well with Conklin back there, it may be a collaborative goalie effort down the stretch.

The players who need to step up are no secret. Guys like Christensen, Staal, and Malone. Malkin can carry a big time load.

They will get in the playoffs, and it’s anybody’s guess what happens then. God help us all.

Chris Yarbrough, Taking One For The Team
I think the future (short-term and long-term) is very bright for the Penguins. The Pens have been bit by the injury bug and bit hard, but they are still keeping pace in the ultra competitive Atlantic division.

With so many players out of the lineup, other players are getting a chance to not only contribute but be depended on, and they are responding. This will be a huge confidence boost for guys like Ryan Malone, Max Talbot, and Erik Christensen that should carry over even after the Pens get healthy again. That is something that should help the Penguins during the grind of the playoffs, which they will definitely qualify for.

As far as individual call-ups go, I think we’ll see a steady stream of guys moving back and forth between Pittsburgh and the Baby Pens as King Shero takes stock of what he has and what he needs moving up to the trade deadline, at which point I think he’ll make just enough moves to keep the team afloat until Sid, Roberts, and everyone else get back into the lineup. Then the Pens can get back to plowing through the East again.

What can I say, I’m an optimist. In Shero we trust!

Mike Adams, Faceoff Factor
In the playoff chase, I see the Pens being on the outside looking in by the time Sid returns, especially if his absence goes toward the more pessimistic projections. The Eastern Conference is very tightly bunched, and it won’t take much losing at all to drop them below eighth. I see them playing about.400 hockey while Sid is out, so I suspect they’ll drop into about the 9-12 range by the time he returns. They will really struggle to score goals. Evgeni Malkin has stepped it up, but they are going to have to hope that guys like Ryan Malone, Erik Christensen, and Jordan Staal start scoring more consistently. They are going to ahve to play a tight defensive game, and if Ty Conklin’s play slips too much from where it has been, that will be difficult. That’s why I see a below .500 record and a drop out of the top eight by the time Sid returns.