Player-By-Player Analysis - Defensemen
Justin Maffei | Pittsburgh Penguins
Aug 6, 09:32 PM | Hype this story!
Sergei Gonchar – A strong offensive performer. Last season, his work in his own zone improved drastically. He was, on most accounts, the Penguins best defensemen. He is a menace on the powerplay and also played well on the penalty kill in 2007-08.
Random Stat – Gonchar was third in the league in Goals Scored While on the Ice during the Powerplay. His 53 goals by the Penguins while he was on the ice trailed only Andrei Markov and Mark Streit, both of the Montreal Canadiens and both coming in at 63.
Brooks Orpik – Orpik started the season in the doghouse and it took about half of the season for him to crawl out. He came on strong, especially when Rob Scuderi went down with an injury. Gonchar and he made a solid defensive pairing and his Shift of Insanity was the stuff of Penguins lore.
Ryan Whitney – Whitney took Orpik’s place in the doghouse. His offense, which looked so great in 2006-07, Staaled (pardon the pun) this season. Include that with his poor play on defense and you have a lethal combination. The Penguins are hoping that he can play up to the 6-year, $24 Million deal he signed last off-season.
Random Stat – Not including Alain Nasreddine who played only six game for the Penguins in 2007-08, Whitney led the Penguins defensemen with goals against while on the ice per sixty minutes with 2.65.
Kris Letang – Was a big surprise for the Penguins last season. He did not live up to the offensive hype, though it may come when he becomes more comfortable. His work in his own zone, however, was much better than had been expected. He also has electrifying speed and great hands. Letang will likely be taking the place of Sergei Gonchar on the powerplay when Gonchar’s contract is up.
Hal Gill – Gill was a solid deadline acquisition for Penguins GM Ray Shero. His lack of speed can sometimes hurt the team, but he is a big body to clear the front of the net which Marc-Andre Fleury surely appreciates. His play on the penalty kill down the stretch helped the Penguins reach the Stanley Cup Finals.
Rob Scuderi – Underrated player. Scuderi was very good on the top defensive unit. He quietly gets the job done. He will not have any bone-crushing hits or great offensive plays, but he is a solid guy in front of the net.
Darryl Sydor – Was scratched often late in the season. The team got such solid play from the previous six men mentioned that Sydor was relegated to seventh defenseman. Sydor is a shell of his former self, but could be valuable to mentor young defensemen. Do not be surprised if he is not with the team when the season begins.
Mark Eaton – When healthy, Eaton displayed great positioning and shot blocking skills. However, his past two seasons have ended prematurely due to injuries. With the play of the rest of this group, Eaton may find himself as the seventh defenseman.
Alex Goligoski – Gogo played well in the three games that he played for the Penguins last season. However, he still needs some size to play well defensively at the NHL level. Goligoski will likely get another look this season but with the depth at the position, do not be surprised if he does not stick with the big club.
Coming Soon: Player-By-Player Analysis – Goaltenders
In Case You Missed It: Player-By-Player Analysis – Centers
Player-By-Player Analysis – Wingers
Comments
Dabich
Aug 6, 10:54 PM
I have to say, on Letang, that he didn’t live up to hype offensively because of Therrien. Coach wanted him to play defense, and he did it well. I think we’ll see him do even better this season. I’m excited to see him play again!
Pens1967
Aug 7, 05:03 AM
You forgot to give Whitney credit for the 50+ minutes of outstanding play in game 5 of the Finals after Gonchar went out with a back injury.
Justin Maffei
Aug 7, 07:08 AM
That probably had a lot to do with it dabich. Pens, you are correct, he stepped up big when we really needed him, but for the season Whitney struggled.
Niles
Aug 7, 09:57 AM
Another very good and interesting article. Just amazing… both Penguins and FF crew ;)
Matt Bodenschatz
Aug 7, 10:39 AM
Dabich, I agree. I think, because the Penguins have such a prolific offense and two defenders already with above-average offensive skills, Therrien’s mindset was that he wanted Letang to work on his defensive game, which, by most accounts, was the area he needed to focus on. The result, I think, is that Letang is well on the way to becoming a spectacular two-way defenseman, capable of making some hits, playing well positionally, and tallying a relatively high number of points. I do think, though, that we won’t see a drastic increase in Letang’s numbers this season, as he remains the team’s number three offensive defenseman and won’t see much ice time on the top power play unit.
Pens1967, I think that is a game that Whitney will look back on as motivation to be his best and to return to his level of play from 2006-07. He’s got the talent, I just think he needs to put it all together in his head.
Niles, I agree. I love the interesting statistics Justin in including!
Ray
Aug 7, 11:09 AM
Recall, also, the reason Therrien paired Whitney and Letang. He wanted the two of them to not fall into the bad habit of relying on their defensive-minded partner to clean up defensively after them.
Matt Bodenschatz
Aug 7, 11:43 AM
Yes, and I think it helped both of them round out their overall games. It seemed like a questionable pairing at the time, but his eye was on the long-term, not just the short-term.
Robert Buckles
Aug 7, 01:36 PM
I think Scuds is the best defensemen we have. As you say, nothing flashy, but he just gets the job done, game-in game-out no matter the opponent or game situation.
I hope Orpik doesn’t go Whitney on us, as in folds after getting a big contract. I really hope Whitney can bounce back from a pretty poor season, and he did seem to finally turn a corner very late in the playoffs.
I can’t see Sydor on the team next year, whether it is buying out his deal or out right releasing him.
I love Eaton when he is on the ice, but he has to stay there. Especially with a new deal.
Matt Bodenschatz
Aug 7, 01:55 PM
Robert, Scuderi is probably the best positional defender on the team, but I think he gets buried in the depth chart because of his poor skating/mobility and inability to make a good outlet pass. He tends to treat the puck like a grenade most of the time. Regardless, he is a player I like having on the roster.
As for Sydor, the only way he leaves the roster is via trade. Releasing him is not an option, and buying him out would require the team to pay the full amount of his remaining contract, which would count against the cap. Might as well keep the depth if his salary will continue to be relevant.
I agree that Eaton is excellent when on the ice. Luckily, his two injuries were not ones that can help him gain the label of “injury prone.” He was hit from behind on one and slewfooted on the other. It’s not like he hurt himself by skating or something in either case. Regardless, I agree that he has to prove he can stay in the lineup.
And, by the way, welcome to FF. I don’t recall seeing your name in the past. Stick around — it only gets better as the season draws nearer.
Matt Bodenschatz
Aug 7, 03:12 PM
Tom, Mormina has zero chance of making the team without a significant plague of injuries. The lists include players who have a shot at making the team. With eight NHL defenseman already on the roster and Alex Goligoski serving as the first call-up from the AHL, it would seem Mormina is 10th on the depth chart at best. Last year the Penguins used a total of nine defensemen, if you count Goligoski’s brief two-game stint.
Justin Maffei
Aug 7, 04:20 PM
Tom, I agree with Matt. We are very very unlikely to see Mormina.
Justin Maffei
Aug 8, 11:19 PM
I don’t doubt that he is a good player, but we will not see him. We have too much depth at the position already.
Matt Bodenschatz
Aug 11, 02:50 PM
Tom, you overlook the primary point: there is no room. None. He’s the 10th defenseman on the depth chart, at best.
Physicality on the blueline is extremely overrated in the new NHL. Scuderi has done just fine, as have Eaton and Gonchar. The Penguins had one of the best defenses last year and they have essentially the same makeup.
Mormina was signed to a two-way contract potentially for the future and also, potentially, to encourage him to sign. If he has an AHL-only deal, he has no chance of moving up. If he has a two-way, it’s a little more positive.
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