Penguins Blog: The 3 Things Pens Need to Go Right

On paper, the Pittsburgh Penguins are not a better team in August than they were in October or April. It will be curious if the team can transfer the positive energy from the April charge toward this season or if it is lost to the summer, but the bigger question will be if Penguins president of hockey operations/GM Kyle Dubas did not make sweeping changes or even significant ones designed to improve the team–How will they improve?

The departures and additions are probably an even cancelation. Top-pairing defenseman P.O Joseph was surprisingly not tendered a qualifying offer and left via free agency. Even the Penguins management publicly said they planned to qualify Joseph. And Dubas traded middle-six winger Reilly Smith for a 2027 second-round pick.

In exchange for losing those two players, the team added defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, Anthony Beauvillier, and Kevin Hayes.

The stark realities of the additions could prove costly. Beauvillier bounced from Vancouver to Chicago and then to Nashville last season. Hayes admitted he never found a role in St. Louis and was a healthy scratch later in the season, just as he was the season before with Philadelphia. Grzelcyk had a similar fate in Boston as the depth defenseman lost his regular spot in the lineup.

The oddsmakers are not bullish on the Penguins’ chances, either. The best NHL betting sites make the Penguins a long shot, at best.

In fairness to Dubas, Joseph was only a top-pair defenseman for a couple of months. Still, his play during that time was significantly improved from his near-season-long struggles, and Smith was a non-factor after a torrid start in October.

Perhaps Beauvillier’s speed will translate well to the Penguins system, and he’ll be motivated by the one-year contract. Perhaps Grzelcyk will be in the same mindset.

So, what must occur to avoid a three-peat of playoff misses?

We’ll knock the easy one off the list: The Penguins need to hold leads. They have been abysmal, dreadful, terrible, awful, and otherwise, one of the worst teams in the league playing with a lead. The rest is more tangible.

What Must Go Right for Penguins?

1. Grzelcyk, Grzelcyk, Grzelcyk

The left side of the Penguins’ defensive corps is not stellar—not even solid. Matt Grzelcyk needs to come through for the team to improve.

Marcus Pettersson is the unit’s lynchpin because his steady, reliable defense can cover up for the mistakes or high-pressure spots created by the offensively-minded defensemen Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang.

Behind him, Ryan Graves had a 2023-24 season that was just short of disastrous. The defenseman signed a healthy six-year contract with the Penguins on July 1 but did not live up to expectations. He was also a healthy scratch late last season.

And so, a lot could fall on Grzelcyk’s shoulders. If Graves does not show marked improvement, Grzelcyk will be thrust into the top four and will be responsible for covering for Letang or Karlsson. It’s a big job in which not everyone has excelled.

Sebastian Aho and Ryan Shea are waiting in the wings, and while both can be steady defenders, if the team needs them to play top-four minutes, it’s not a good thing.

2. David Quinn and the Power Play

I’ve been asked a few times, how can Quinn fix the power play? The unsettling answer is I have no earthly clue. The system wasn’t the problem; the opponent has four players, the Penguins have five, so figure it out. Power plays don’t need to be complicated or unique to be successful.

Shoot, retrieve, pressure the net, traffic, shoot, retrieve, try to get a shooter open, pressure, traffic, shoot, retrieve, and so on. It’s not quantum mechanics.

However, Quinn would be wise to keep Evgeni Malkin and Karlsson apart. The combination wasn’t oil and water; it was more like peanut butter and cargo shorts. They had no tangible connection, and the advanced stats we dug into backed that up.

Read More: Penguins Have a Star Problem; Top Players Proving Incompatible (+)

Someone will need to lead the power play. Watching Karlsson and Malkin play catch at the top and the lack of bodies near the net was ungodly maddening for fans and pretty difficult to watch, even as a writer. There were Hallmark movies with less predictable plots.

Michael Bunting can fill the blue paint with humanity. Perhaps Hayes or Drew O’Connor should be included, too. However, it will start at the top with Karlsson and Letang establishing zone entries and the first stages of pressure.

3. Penguins Prospects Kick Down the Door

Sure, coaches will talk about all spots being up for grabs, but the lineup is full of NHL contracts. Dubas wants to acquire draft picks and future capital. However, the lineup has only one spot available: Fourth-line left wing.

It’s not a plum assignment, and we think Vasily Ponomarev is the likely winner of the role. However, the Penguins have openly talked of Brayden Yager pushing for a spot. Perhaps Tristan Broz or 2024 second-round pick Tanner Howe could have a standout training camp and begin to force their way into the conversation.

The lineup desperately needs a couple of kids to kick down the door and demand a spot in the lineup. That desperation, youthful exuberance, and energy of endless possibility could revitalize an aging roster that many times last season failed to summon the necessary gumption to compete.

Howe would be a great addition if he could show that he’s worthy. We hear Ponomarev has that kind of energy, too. Yager taking another step forward this summer surely wouldn’t hurt, either.

The emergence of such players would also allow Dubas to get deeper into his rebuild strategy because displaced veterans mean Dubas can make trades for draft picks. Everyone will be on their toes, and the energy level will go up.

It’s probably a year too early for most of the Penguins’ prospects, but if they want to improve, they need a shot of adrenaline and more things to change.