Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Changes coming for the Penguins

By Mark Madden
Beaver County Times
June 17, 2013
Penguins players react to a 1-0 loss to the Boston Bruins in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs, Friday, June 7, 2013, in Boston. The Bruins swept the series. (AP)
The Penguins need change. But how much?
Upper management retained Coach Dan Bylsma and his top two assistants. Marc-Andre Fleury will return as the Penguins’ top goaltender.
What’s left?
Here’s what the Penguins should look like next season:
In goal, the decision has been made: Fleury starts, Tomas Vokoun is the backup that gets a decent workload.
Fleury’s problem isn’t physical. If anything, he sometimes trusts his athleticism too much. Fleury’s problem is confidence at crunch time. He needs to see a sports psychologist during the offseason. Management should mandate that.
Five of the top six defensemen should be holdovers Robert Bortuzzo, Simon Despres, Paul Martin, Matt Niskanen and Brooks Orpik. The sixth should be Kris Letang or, if the Penguins decide to trade Letang, one of the players Letang fetches. The seventh should be a rookie, perhaps Brian Dumoulin.
The handling of the Penguins’ defense this past season was baffling. Mark Eaton couldn’t find a job until late January. The Penguins signed Eaton and he often played in the top four. From unemployed to Letang’s partner. Strange.
Despres has the pedigree that goes with being a first-round pick. But he got scratched a lot. You can believe Bylsma has learned from his mistakes when ECHL retread Deryk Engelland isn’t in the lineup on opening night.
Bortuzzo, 24, is 6-foot-4, 215 pounds. Douglas Murray, 33, is 6-3, 240. Bortuzzo can do what Murray does. Bortuzzo is cheaper, with higher upside. Bortuzzo got drafted in the third round. Why take Bortuzzo if you’re not going to play him? Let Murray walk.
That’s not a great defense. But it could improve. This year’s defense didn’t.
Up front, there are five locks for the top six: Beau Bennett, Sidney Crosby, Chris Kunitz, Evgeni Malkin and James Neal.
The final slot is up in the air. Pascal Dupuis is an unrestricted free agent. Dupuis could get $16 million over four years someplace else. Dupuis won’t get more than $11 million over three years here, and he might get less.
Dupuis is 34. He’s coming off two career seasons. It’s his last chance to cash in. But Dupuis is happy in Pittsburgh, and plays with a superstar center. If Dupuis goes to, say, Montreal, the goals drop off and criticism mounts. En francais.
If Dupuis departs, the Penguins must replace him via free agency or trade. Beyond Bennett, the organization has zero young forwards of true quality.
Jarome Iginla is past it. Just not worth what he’s going to want.
Among the bottom-six forwards, change should be the watchword. With role players, comfort often equals complacence. Brandon Sutter and Jussi Jokinen are contracted. So are Tanner Glass and Joe Vitale.
Let the free agents go. That includes Matt Cooke, who just isn’t worth the trouble he’s perceived to cause. That includes Tyler Kennedy, who was nothing close to a $2 million player these last two seasons. Brenden Morrow? Done.
Craig Adams? At minimum wage, maybe.
It’s hard to believe the Penguins can’t do better than Glass and Vitale on the fourth line. But their system doesn’t have bottom-six prospects, either.
Young, affordable players with high upside are crucial. They’re cheap and, with proper coaching, get better. Bennett, Bortuzzo, Despres and Dumoulin would cost less than $4 million between them.
The Penguins have certain elements they can’t change, and others they have already chosen to not change. Adjustment will be minimal, which is in keeping with a theme. But if the playoff disaster against Boston doesn’t convince this organization it isn’t always right, nothing ever will.

Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WXDX-FM (105.9).

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