Though they failed in their quest to win three straight Stanley Cups, the Pittsburgh Penguins put up a valiant fight. And after a much-needed long offseason, Sidney Crosby and company should be Stanley Cup contenders.
It’s hard as heck to win a Stanley Cup, let alone consecutive titles like the Pittsburgh Penguins did in 2016 and 2017. That’s why it wasn’t surprising when they failed to win three straight Stanley Cups last season. There’s a good reason why no one has done it since the New York Islanders from 1979 to 1982. You need a lot of things to go your way to win a title and Sidney Crosby’s team just didn’t have Lady Luck on their side last season.
Despite having countless things go against them last season, Pittsburgh was still one of the best teams in the NHL. Franchise goaltender Matt Murray had a rough year, both physically and mentally. They scored the fourth-fewest goals at five-on-five during the first half and had the eighth-worst shooting percentage at five-on-five for the whole season (7.22). At five-on-five, their goalies combined for the third-worst save percentage in the NHL (91.01).
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Their bad shooting percentage and save percentage led to the Penguins having the third-worst PDO (shooting percentage plus save percentage) at five-on-five in the league at 98.2. This would have been enough to kill just about any team’s postseason chances. But not the Penguins. Despite not being able to buy a goal or stop a goal at times, they finished with 100 points.
In short, the Penguins experienced something pretty close to a “worst case scenario” and were still a dominant team. Aside from injuries (always a concern with the Pens), there’s no reason to believe they won’t be a very strong team in 2018-19.
Offseason Recap
Additions: D Jack Johnson, F Matt Cullen, F Derek Grant
The Penguins seriously considered making some huge changes but opted not to do so. Probably the right move considering how talented their roster is. However, they gave into temptation on July 1 and signed Johnson, a declining defenseman who was never that good to begin with, to a long-term deal. While he should be fine in a third-pairing role, one has to think the Penguins could have found a more budget-friendly option.
Cullen and Grant give the Pens some more bottom six options, which is a good thing. Because last season, the Penguins didn’t get nearly enough out of their bottom six except when Phil Kessel was a part of it.