Concern-O-Meter: Which Penguins Problems are Worrisome?

EDMONTON, Alberta — Three wins in eight games, a surly locker room, and the ignominious appearance of some old and unsightly habits have scarred or scared the beginning of the Pittsburgh Penguins season.

On the plus side, the Penguins power play has some snap. Sometimes, it has snap. However, even the power play alternated between successful and the trainwreck version that coughed up glorious shorthanded chances.

Some issues come and go, some issues can be fixed, and others are permanent. So, which issues put the concern-o-meter in the red and which should be ignored?

Sidney Crosby: 0 of 10

Crosby is 37 years old, and most players are about ready to hang up the skates, but they’re not Crosby. No, he isn’t losing it, and he isn’t a concern. Crosby is in one of the worst stretches of play in recent memory, with 13 turnovers and only one goal. He also has seven points in eight games.

If Crosby has seven points, just wait for the “boom” when he dials it in.

Erik Karlsson: 7 of 10

Karlsson has never been a defensive stalwart and a shutdown rearguard, but there is a chicken-or-egg situation going down with the flightless birds. His gaffes this season are indicative or a cause of the Penguins’ irresponsibility. Too many times in this early season, they’ve bolted forward without puck possession. Too many times, Karlsson’s man has been gifted a scoring chance, and his partners have struggled universally.

At 34 years old, Karlsson isn’t going to change his game, but assistant coach David Quinn was hired in part to help with Karlsson. Perhaps coach Mike Sullivan can find more sheltered minutes to expose Karlsson’s extraordinary offensive talent and lessen the exposure of his improv defense.

Kris Letang: 5 of 10

Letang’s struggles this season are a legitimate concern, but whether they are a blip or the start of worries is a cliffhanger that could have much larger ramifications or be part of the Penguins’ surge.

As former general manager said, Letang is the straw that stirs the Penguins’ drink. If Letang clicks, the team could take off. If he continues to scuffle, the team will continue to tread water or hover below .500.

Despite the uptick in the Penguins power play, Letang has only three points (1-2-3) and is a minus-5. Age is unlikely a factor, but he, too, seems to be caught in the defensive disorganization or a cause of it. He’s had plenty of bad stretches over the years; given his conditioning, the physical is unlikely the primary cause of the trouble, so a quick solution is quite possible.

Nevertheless, eight games into the season is not the ideal time to struggle, especially when the team placed a key emphasis on a strong start.

Defense: 10 of 10

The forwards scatter shot coverage combined with defensemen missing assignments. It’s a team-wide issue that has affected all three defense pairs and all four lines.

Teams that struggle with the basics are in for a painful season. A veteran team shouldn’t struggle this badly, and the locker room hasn’t had any answers. Coach Mike Sullivan had already pulled the fire alarm when he swapped nearly every combination and line last Sunday in Winnipeg.

If things don’t improve immediately, their hopes will be dashed quickly. Very quickly.

Michael Bunting: 9 of 10

Bunting is a scrappy net-front winger who can amass goals in the gritty areas and–using the Penguins’ vernacular–drag others into the fight. However, this season, he’s become Jack Griffin, the Invisible Man.

Sullivan made him a healthy scratch against Winnipeg, but it didn’t seem to do the trick, as Bunting was still largely irrelevant when he returned to the lineup against the Calgary Flames on Tuesday.

The Penguins badly need another top-six winger to chip in goals.

Bunting priced himself out of Toronto but never fit in Carolina. He seemed to be a perfect winger for Evgeni Malkin. Still, Bunting’s disappearance creates a hole in the Penguins lineup for which there probably isn’t an internal solution (at least until Rutger McGroarty is ready).

Mike Sullivan: ?

Yes, many fans have staked a position beyond 10 out of 10. There’s no doubt the head coach must shoulder some of the responsibility for the chaotic defensive problems. The team has lacked motivation in only one of the games, so that’s an improvement over last season, but horrible mistakes and three wins in eight games do not reflect well on those at the top of the food chain.

Sullivan’s great skill has been fixing problems, except last season, when the team was terminally broken. It seems the only people who didn’t spot it early on were Sullivan and GM Kyle Dubas. Perhaps they did, too, but holding the line for far too long caused the prolonged mediocrity.

Sullivan had no intention of repeating that mistake this season, but can he herd cats in the defensive zone? His “presence” instead of “positional” defensive scheme is for a dynamic team, but that designation for these Penguins is now in doubt. The Sullivan issue is probably a 1 of 10, but if the losing and trouble persist, changes need to follow, or the trouble will multiply like rabbits.