4 Big Questions for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2020-21
There’s Four Big Questions facing the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2020-21.
We are rolling on with our 2020-21 NHL Season Previews and today we take a deep dive into the Pittsburgh Penguins.
NHL hockey has returned to us, thank the gods. Our patience has been rewarded and we now have glorious hockey to look forward to this Wednesday – it can’t come soon enough.
So, without further ado, let’s delve into the 4 Big Questions facing the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2020-21.
4. Are the Pens ready for the Jarry and DeSmith show?
Many fans, including myself, were yelling for Tristan Jarry to start the Qualifying Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last summer, but we didn’t get our wish until Game 4 and, by then, it was probably too late.
With Matt Murray traded away over the summer to the Ottawa Senators, Penguins fans got their wish as the franchise got a Second-Round pick and prospect forward Jonathan Gruden in return. Like, asking a wish on a monkey’s paw, we are going to see Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith as the 1-2 tandem for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
This doesn’t concern me but looking down the depth chart it does because, behind those two, you have Maxime Legace and Alex D’Orio on the Taxi Squad. Tristan Jarry did have a decent season playing 33 games with a .921 Save Percentage and a 2.43 Goals-Against Average, which isn’t that bad. In a division that is very top-heavy and flush with talent you’re going to need these goaltenders to step up. I just hope they’re ready.
3. What will the Bottom-Six look like in 2020-21?
If there is one thing that really concerns me about this team then it is scoring depth. Oh sure, the Pittsburgh Penguins still have franchise icons Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and a returning Jake Guentzel, and hopefully Kasperi Kapanen can get his Visa issues taken care of. But, once you get past Jason Zucker, the depth sort of falls off.
The Pens will hope to get more from Jared McCann, who recorded 35 points (14 G, 21 A) in 66 regular-season games in 2019-20, but is Mark Jankowski really worth a third-line roster spot?
The fourth-line looks iffy, although Brandon Tanev had a really good season last year with a solid 25-point (11 G, 14 A) campaign before the shutdown, while Teddy Blueger might be one of those typical diamond in the rough draftees.
But, who’s going to step in to that last spot? Will it be Sam Miletic, Josh Currie or Frederick Gaudreau? Drew O’Connor and Anthony Angello are also on the Taxi Squad, so they could be names to watch when it comes to filling that bottom-six.
As top-heavy as the Penguins are, there are just so many question marks in the bottom-six and it severely hurts their depth, which was one of their biggest strengths in their back-to-back Stanley Cup runs.
If the Pittsburgh Penguins are to compete in what is a stacked East Division in 2020-21, then they will need certain players to step up and take on key depth roles throughout the season.
2. With the defense improve with Jack Johnson Gone?
Over the summer Jack Johnson became the first-ever Buyout in Pittsburgh Penguins history. It seemed that General Manager Jim Rutherford replaced him with both Mike Matheson and the signing of defenseman Cody Ceci. We haven’t even started the season and already fans seem to be worried about Ceci following his run with the Toronto Maple Leafs last season (1 G and 8 A) and his mediocre performance with the Ottawa Senators, where he averaged between 20 and 25 points per season.
I don’t mind the Ceci deal as it’s a one-year, $1,250,000 deal, so if it doesn’t work out then he will be a UFA after the end of the 2020-21 season anyway. However, Matheson is still on the books for the next five years with a $4,875,000 cap hit and a No-Move Clause in his contract from the 2021-22 season onwards.
Matheson’s numbers with the Florida Panthers weren’t terrible as he averaged 20 to 25 points per season, including back-to-back 27-point seasons in 2017-18 and 2018-19, so I do think the defense has a chance to improve but it’s going to go up against a really tough offensively talented division. The Boston Bruins, the Washington Capitals and the Philadelphia Flyers all have depth for days when it comes to scoring, and this Pittsburgh backend will need to be on their toes.
Not just Matheson and Ceci, but John Marino, who recently signed a six-year, $26,400,000 contract, will need to continue on his current upwards trajectory, while the likes of Marcus Pettersson and Juuso Riikola will also need to step in addition to Kris Letang hopefully having a bounce-back year.
If this defensive core can hold up, it can really be a good stepping stone season for this team as we head towards what will hopefully be a normal 2021-22 season. Plus, Jack Johnson is now the New York Rangers problem so there’s that.
1. Where will the Pittsburgh Penguins finish in the stacked East Division?
I predict that the Pittsburgh Penguins will be a fringe Playoff team this year, with the top three spots in the Division probably going to the likes of the Boston Bruins, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Washington Capitals.
For the final postseason spot it is a mix of the New York Islanders, the Penguins, and the New York Rangers, so Pittsburgh is going to have to take the Bobby Cox and Atlanta Braves approach if they are going to compete in this division. By that I mean they will have to beat all the teams that are below them or at their level and go .500 against the top-tier teams in the division.
Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin will still do Crosby and Malkin things, and if guys like Bryan Rust, Jared McCann and Teddy Blueger all can play up to their potential this year, coupled with decent contributions from Mark Jankowski and Brendan Tanev, then I think Pittsburgh can get in. There is just a lot of question marks with this team with all the turnover and new contracts brought in.
The ceiling for Pittsburgh this year is third or fourth place in the East Division, going up against either Philadelphia or Washington in the First Round. NBC will be doing backflips if either matchup happens, however the backside of this roller coaster could be a below .500 season for the Penguins.
dark. Next. 4 Big Questions for the Ottawa Senators
There is a real chance this is just a punt year, the signings don’t work out, they get beaten up by their new older brother in Philadelphia, Washington dominates them and they fall back in the Division. I could see a lot of fans just saying it’s a COVID shortened season, so let’s just look ahead to October and regroup for a real season. Either way, we’re all in for a little fun and it all starts this week.