CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Sidney Crosby went to Montana during the NHL All-Star break and then made the obligatory trip to Toronto for the festival.
Mike Sullivan returned home to Boston. Erik Karlsson and Marcus Pettersson went to Florida. “We brought in Dane (Lars Eller) to give it a Scandinavian feel,” Pettersson said. It was a familiar theme for many of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who were looking for warmth and sunshine during their break.
Well, the fun is over. Everyone returned to the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex for Sunday's practice. The penguins have returned from several destinations, but the real question is where will they go next?
play off? Are you getting ready for a run? Sales? Are you stuck in mediocrity?
The Penguins are five points away from making the playoffs, but they have games against nearly every playoff contender in the Eastern Conference. The Athleticmodel, they have a 75% chance of making it. Las Vegas' odds also favor them making the postseason.
But through 46 games, something hasn't clicked for the Penguins. The season wasn't a disaster, but it certainly didn't live up to expectations.
Is frustration running high in the Penguins locker room?
“No,” Pettersson said after Sunday's practice. “There's no word like that. There's no use being frustrated. We have competitive talent here, but we're not complaining. We have passion. There's a lot of passion here.” So we want to get better and more consistent, to find our game. And we know we can do that.”
Here are 10 thoughts as the second half of the NHL season begins.
• The Penguins aren't much of a deal without Crosby. His greatness this season has been well documented. he is amazing If the Penguins make the postseason, Crosby will be in the Hart Trophy conversation, and rightly so. Thanks to him, they are almost within striking distance of making the playoffs.
However, keep this in mind. Crosby is 36 years old. He looked as exhausted at the end of last season as I've ever seen him. Crosby finished last season with just 10 points in his final 14 games, going scoreless in eight of those games. He's not a big deal to a mere mortal. For Crosby, that was unlikely.
A microcosm of Crosby's depleted energy emerged on nights when the music died. The Penguins were completely annihilated by a Blackhawks team that was about to lose at home. Crosby showed off his ferocious brilliance in the first period, hitting seven shots on target and all but one goal. He was quiet all that evening.
How much do you have left in the tank this season? His wingman is Jake Guentzel, but he also carries a lot of the offensive load in tougher 5-on-5 hockey because of the Penguins' horrible power play.
• Speaking of Günzel, his name will appear on your phone or laptop within the next month.
You may have heard that he is in the final year of his contract and the NHL trade deadline is March 8th. So what happens next?
No one really knows, but team officials say the Penguins likely won't make a decision until a few days before the deadline. Their option is to trade Guentzel for a big payday. Sign an extension before the deadline. They agree to keep him and discuss a new contract after the season. Or let them walk on July 1st.
GM Kyle Dubas doesn't have to make a decision right now, and probably won't. He wants to leave that decision up to the team.
• You may have heard reports out of Canada over the past week that Guentzel turned down a contract offer from the Penguins.
That's not the case.
Dubas and Guentzel's agent, Ben Hankinson, have a good relationship and have had casual conversations about Guentzel's future, team officials said. However, full-scale negotiations have not yet begun.
Dubas has been patient as the Penguins' path remains uncertain. Make it what you want. I don't think Dubas wants to trade Guentzel. I think Dubas simply wants the Penguins to be something of a championship contender next month, which would likely intensify negotiations and probably result in a deal sooner rather than later. But, of course, that would be preferable to letting him walk in July.
• Riley Smith skated for the Penguins on Sunday and seems a safe bet to play against the Winnipeg Jets when the Penguins' season resumes Tuesday night at PPG Paints Arena.
They could definitely use Smith's enhanced play. When the Penguins acquired him in June, those around the organization were ecstatic. After a strong October, he was deeply disappointed.
-I expect Jon Ludwig to be in the lineup on Tuesday as well.
He returned from injury and skated in the third defense pairing with Chad Ruhwedel on Sunday. The Penguins are very interested in Ludvig and like the physicality he brings to the lineup. I think they want him to get a top-six spot.
What will happen to PO Joseph now? You have to think he could be used as a trade chip.
• The Penguins' middle-six wingers were pretty below average. Guentzel was great. Brian Rust performed very well, but was slowed down by injuries several times. Drew O'Connor showed flashes.
However, Rickard Rakell has been very poor, and the rest of the Penguins' wingers have struggled.
Enter Jesse Puljujarvi.
He appears ready to make his Penguins debut on Tuesday. He's not a great finisher, but he does some things very well. Perhaps he could be a cheap spark. He would be worth watching.
• The demotion of Karlsson and Evgeni Malkin from the top power play continues against Winnipeg.
I really don't know what to say about the power play at this point. Blame the person you love. That's the biggest problem the Penguins are grappling with.
• Much of the Penguins' second-half fortunes will depend on Karlsson.
Everything about him is interesting, from his playing style to his personality to his inability (at least for now) to mesh with the Penguins.
I'll tell you this: His teammates really like him. They really want this to work. So far, that's not the case. No one can deny the genius of Karlsson's play. Everyone is just waiting for him to mesh well with his new team.
-I mentioned earlier that Crosby seemed to stall at the end of last season. Pettersson is not as important as the captain, but he is really important. He's the Penguins' best defensive player.
Pettersson has a history of depleting himself late in the season, but that didn't happen last season. I don't think he will do that this season either. He admits he's playing the best hockey of his career. It doesn't seem like he's slowing down. He has developed into quite a player.
• A final word about Crosby: Some in the hockey media (though not many) felt the need to bash Crosby for not participating in all of the NHL All-Star Weekend events in Toronto. ) was there.
I never covered players like legendary NHL ambassadors Jean Beliveau and Wayne Gretzky, and other great players who always had a reputation for making time for reporters. Never happened. I think their response during their active years was excellent.
I can only speak for Crosby. I've been covering him for 15 years. I've never seen him turn down an interview request, I've never seen him be rude to anyone, I've never seen him turn down an autograph or photo request. I never saw him abuse a soul. Crosby is perhaps the most media-accessible athlete in the world. I think he does 200 interviews a year, probably more. He goes to incredible lengths for good causes. He is a regular at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.
It's hard to imagine a better NHL ambassador than Crosby, and that's no surprise. Because the league hasn't always treated him with respect. He shouldn't be criticized. He is a man, not a god. But even in what has been a signature season for Crosby, he remains the same stable and endearing character he has always been. He didn't deserve any criticism for missing out on something completely stupid like the All-Star Game draft.
(Eric Karlsson Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
