How the Penguins Can Change the Story, Be Competitive

Alex Nedeljkovic said something on Wednesday that was unsurprising but perhaps overlooked by many, including most often in this space. The Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender, who signed a two-year contract worth $5 million in June to remain with the team despite the probability that he will figuratively be looking over his shoulder as a pair of blue-chip prospects push for his job, flashed just a hint of the attitude that earned him starts in 15 straight games to end last season.

Coach Mike Sullivan admitted he liked the feistiness and the “battle” that Nedeljkovic brought to the Penguins lineup. The team sorely needed that spark, and though goaltenders rarely provide such fight, it was a welcome addition to a team that for months slapped the snooze alarm with the same obtuse disregard of a hungover college freshman skipping an early morning class.

And therein lies the Penguins chance to be competitive.

No, their chance isn’t necessarily with Alex Nedeljkovic becoming the starter in goal, but with an increased scrappiness and sour disposition. They can no longer afford the tired and too oft-repeated refrains, “We played well enough to win,” or “There was a lot to like about our game,” that echoed through the locker room and coach’s press conferences like soulless bubblegum pop lyrics.

The Penguins need to build a little hate, slather it with some anger, and then top it with a generous portion of coarse resistance.

And that’s where a retrospective becomes important.

Penguins Rewind

A playoff spot was well within their grasp at the end of the 2022-23 season. In fact, the odds were heavily in their favor, and despite a healthy Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, they collapsed. There was no fight or anger.

“We just didn’t earn it,” a surprisingly placid Crosby said following the Penguins’ first playoff miss in his career since his rookie year.

Last season was no different. Despite a near miracle trade executed by president of hockey operations/GM Kyle Dubas on Aug. 6 when he added Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson while shedding salary cap deadweight, the Penguins continued to “not earn it” for the first 67 games of the 2023-24 season.

It seemed every turning-point win was followed by a soul-sucking loss, often multiple losses, usually involving blown leads.

The league wasn’t necessarily exacting its revenge on the Penguins for nearly two decades of success as much as the Penguins seemed to assume those two decades still mattered when the puck dropped.

It was after the Jake Guentzel trade on March 8 that the bottom dropped out. Even Crosby seemed disconsolate; the end was nigh, and perhaps they never took the possibility seriously enough. Dubas issued challenge after challenge, extending deadline after deadline until time ran out, and the most successful linemate in Crosby’s career was shipped off to the Carolina Hurricanes for three mid-level prospects, a second-round pick, and Michael Bunting.

Bunting was a primary reason the Penguins chose Carolina in the Guentzel sweepstakes. Dubas wanted an NHL player in addition to the prospects.

It was a shrewd move.

Penguins Attitude

Bunting and Nedeljkovic added some saltiness to the bland pile of mashed potatoes that had become the Penguins. No, they did not lead the Penguins’ turnaround, nor did they carry the team, but they helped to change the attitude. Presumption became desperation. Acceptance became resistance.

And the team nearly pulled off a historic comeback, charging from nine points behind to have a chance at a Stanley Cup Playoffs berth. They weren’t eliminated until after Game 81 of the 82-game schedule.

In the 14 games preceding their elimination, Nedeljkovic was 8-0-3. Two blown leads–which crushed the Penguins two seasons running–and inexplicably bad overtime play cost the team a playoff spot. The four-goal squander to the Colorado Avalanche on March 24 was egregious, but allowing two late goals to the hapless Columbus Blue Jackets before losing in OT on March 30 might have been worse.

Those two points would have made Game 82 relevant.

Unlike last summer, when optimism swept the team because of Dubas’s hiring and subsequent Karlsson trade, this summer, there is a looming darkness. Crosby has not yet signed a contract, and no one is talking. Dubas has spent his eight-figure salary cap windfall on acquiring draft picks by accepting other teams’ salary dumps. The free agent signings were short one- or two-year deals, the most expensive of which was Matt Grzelcyk at $2.75 million for one season.

It should come as no surprise when Nedeljkovic responded to a question posed by Pittsburgh Hockey Now with a bit of that battle that the Pittsburgh Penguins absolutely need to in order to have a chance this season.

“If we’re a little bit more consistent throughout the year, then there’s no doubt in my mind that we can be a playoff team and surprise a lot of people who maybe count us out,” he said.

Dubas is playing the long game, leaving just enough in the locker room to be competitive in the short term. That should make the room angry, too.

After a summer of subpar acquisitions needing a second or even fifth chance, that’s the battle the Penguins need to have any chance. Crosby, Malkin, Karlsson, and Kris Letang are still on the roster, and the Penguins will have a puncher’s chance. Perhaps that battle will make things interesting after all.