Pittsburgh Penguins - Anticipation In The Air
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by FrankD
Teams around the league kicked off their seasons today, and all I can say is anticipation is growing. Here we are, only one day before the Pens' victory over the Canes. I couldn't be more psyched. I'm really looking forward to what lines the Pens work with tomorrow.
Speaking of, rumors from camp have mention some of the following pairs. Notice the utilization of the Vets with the youngins.
Staal-Crosby-Sykora Staal, otherwise deadly on the penalty kill, deserves more a shot than any to be on this first line juggernaut. I don't doubt he'll relinquish his duties on the PK, but I do think he'll be shuffled in and out for the likes of Mark Recchi. Average age: 23
Malone-Malkin-Recchi Again, I wouldn't be surprised to see Recchi make the occasional jump to the first line. Regardless, as far as second lines go, this certainly is above average. Having the veteran Recchi on this line will hopefully help Malkin who we all pray will choose to shoot the puck a bit more this year rather than find the open shooter. If there's one thing you'll notice even more this season (especially with the new line pairings) is that the team is all about depth. And as Crosby recently noted, Stanley Cup teams are all about it. Average age: 29
Roberts-Christensen-Armstrong Again, nice placement of a vet with the younger guys. Similar to Staal on the first line, Christensen may be moving in and out from center to winger on the second. His play in the preseason and in practices so far this season has been focused on him adapting as a winger. Average age: 29
Ruutu-Talbot-Laraque Powerhouse. This line is the one that brings the pain. You won't see much of the red light with this line, but perhaps you'll see some red when the other team is picking up their teeth. The one benefit of being a power line is also the benefit of having Ruutu who, despite his placement on the fourth line, has been known to net a few shots. Average age: 28
Although Coach Therrion has made no official note of defensive pairings, I'm going to draw my own. If you tend to disagree or feel otherwise, definitely share.
Gonchar-Whitney Now the two of them put up a lot of points, there's no doubt about it. But I don't know if Therrion is going to want to break it up a bit. Perhaps rotate them with...
Sydor-Eaton As long as Eaton can stay healthy, he'll definitely be a producer on the second line with Malkin, Recchi and Malone.
Scuderi - ? I don't know who they would pair together on this line. Remember, the roster is still short one man. Is a defenseman in the works for Pitt? I wouldn't doubt by the start of next week the team calls up Letang. That's just high hopes though.
Orpik-Nasreddine The heavy hitters. Similar to their forward counterparts, don't expect to see a lot of goals, but expect to see plenty of hits and penalty minutes racking up like the ticket counter at the main gate.
Also worth noting, only two days after clearing waivers, the Vancouver Canucks have claimed defenseman Mike Weaver. So much for potentially calling him up. Weaver had been appointed to WBS, but before he could even load up his locker it was time for him to catch a plane west. Best of luck to Weaver, I'll be rooting for him, similar to how I rooted for Sabourin last year when he backed up Luongo. Unless of course it comes down to a cup game between the Pens and Canucks, in which case not so much.
The Pens defense is suspect as is the goaltending.
At the end of the day, Crosby, Stall and Malkin make the Pens a playoff team, but they are still a year or two (or a trade or two) away from true contention.