Penguins Perspectives: Don't Look Up
Welcome to Penguins Perspectives, a weekly column by KDKA-TV Digital Producer Patrick Damp. Each Monday, Patrick will talk about the week that was, the week to come, what to watch for, and more.
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – It's May 15, 2022.
Artemi Panarin has just scored in overtime to advance the New York Rangers to the second round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs. In fact, he's scored the goal that every kid dreams of.
Game seven, overtime, on home ice, to win the series.
He scored it on the Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry who as it was later revealed was playing through a broken foot.
For a team that held the territorial advantage for most of the series but was undone by injuries in net, it was the second, maybe even third, straight postseason that the Penguins found themselves singing from the exact same hymnal.
"Goaltending really let us down. If we had some of that…we'd still be playing."
Just a year previous, the Penguins were undone against the New York Islanders as Jarry surrendered 21 goals in just six games and posted a .888 save percentage again, causing the Penguins to bow out in the first round.
When the NHL decided to give us all a relief from the nightmare that was the COVID-19 pandemic in the summer of 2020 by hosting the Stanley Cup Playoffs in two bubbles, the Penguins were undone, once again, by goaltending.
Both because Carey Price discovered the fountain of youth for a few games and because Matt Murray was unable to make a timely save.
That's three years in a row that some combination of Matt Murray, Tristan Jarry, Casey DeSmith, and Louis Domingue were among the biggest reasons the Penguins were unable to get out of the first round of the playoffs.
As this current season loomed, it was clear: if nothing else, there needs to be a viable option behind Tristan Jarry. Either because he may falter, or he could get hurt.
Instead, Brian Burke and Ron Hextall simply…kept the tandem together.
To quote Jennifer Lawrence in Don't Look Up: "Am I to understand correctly that, after all the information you've received today, the decision you're making is to "sit tight and assess?'"
The worst action the Penguins could take this past offseason was inaction and that's exactly what happened.
Now, that isn't the only issue. It wasn't simply the fact that in a must-win game against the 32nd-ranked Chicago Blackhawks Tristan Jarry posted an abysmal .880 save percentage with the season on the line.
Let's roll the tape.
"We're going to do everything we can to improve the team, but we're not looking to spend big assets on rentals. If we're going to spend big assets, it's going to help us in years to come. That decision hasn't been made."
So, what were those big assets the team acquired?
The Penguins, in an attempt to clear cap space, waived Kasperi Kapanen who was claimed by St. Louis. They traded Teddy Blueger to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for defenseman Peter DiLiberatore and a third-round pick. Then Brock McGinn was sent to Anaheim for Dmitry Kulikov.
This was all in service, not counting the rumored JT Miller deal with Vancouver that allegedly fell through, to acquire Mikael Granlund from Nashville and the $5 million salary he carries.
So, let's look at what the assets that went out did with their respective teams.
Kasperi Kapanen: 8 goals, 6 assists in 21 games for 14 points
Brock McGinn: 2 goals, 1 assist in 15 games for 3 points
Teddy Blueger: 2 goals, 4 assists in 17 games for 6 points
For those keeping scores at home, that's 12 goals, 11 assists, for 23 points. Nothing you would get overly excited over, but certainly not nothing.
Let's check in on the acquired players.
Dmitry Kulikov: 0 goals, 1 assist in 5 games for 1 point
Nick Bonino: 0 goals, 0 assists in 3 games for no points
Mikael Granlund: 1 goal, 4 assists in 20 games for 5 points.
That's one goal, five assists for six points.
Those comparables don't even get into the likes of those who walked out the door via trade, expansion draft, or free agency. Plus…I already wrote that column a few weeks back and you can find it, right here.
The Penguins' depth issues have been apparent all season long. It was clear Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jake Guentzel, Rickard Rakell, Jason Zucker, and Bryan Rust would have to shoulder the offensive load, as well as they should.
However, for the Penguins' usual bottom six combined for a total of 41 goals. Their highest-scoring bottom-six player is Jeff Carter with all of 29 points.
I said it earlier in the season, Ron Hextall did an admirable job building the top of the forward group, especially getting Malkin and Rust back on fairly affordable deals, it's everywhere else he either ignored or outright denied having issues.
I understand the compulsion to blame the marquee names, you make the big bucks and that's what comes with the territory. But Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin performed at a point-per-game pace, Everyone in the top six scored 20 or more goals this season.
Not a single bottom-six forward cracked 30 points. One bottom-six forward cracked 10 goals.
Meanwhile, Letang through injury and personal struggle managed just under 40 points. Jeff Petry had just over 30.
Those were your top two producers on the back end in a year when scoring was through the roof.
As for the goaltending?
Not a ton of daylight between Jarry and DeSmith as they posted .909 and .905 save percentages, respectively.
The issues this team had to get back to the status of contender were obvious and glaring.
Jonah Hill, do you mind summing it up for Mr. Hextall?
"People are gonna ask why we didn't act earlier. So you're gonna have to take the hit on this one."
Just don't look up…the numbers.
