I think they will be at least similarly good. Last year, their defense and goaltending were major black holes. This year, they've shored up those spots.
- jmatchett383

People thought the same thing 2 years ago after they pushed the Penguins to the brink. Same with the Blue Jacket last year.

Penguins fans:

How would you rank these goalies from best to worst:

Cam Ward
Cory Schneider
Brayden Holtby
Marc-Andre Fleury
Jaroslav Halak
Steve Mason
Henrik Lundqvist
Sergei Bobrovsky

They've taken a step back this 2nd half of the season compared to the 1st half that's for sure.
- rangerdanger94

Dude they are closing in a 100 point season. They haven't come close to taking a step back in their growth no matter how much you want them to

Unlike the Rags and Penguins, the Islanders are much more soundly constructed to be competitive in the long-term.
- jfkst1

I don't know. Grabovski, Kulemin, Boychuk are tough contracts. JT will be making 11M soon and Okposo could ask for over 6M.

Nice young team but they can screw it up real quick.

People thought the same thing 2 years ago after they pushed the Penguins to the brink. Same with the Blue Jacket last year.
- rangerdanger94

And the Blue Jackets of this year/Islanders of last year were decimated by injuries to key players at key positions. You can't blame a team for that.

The Crosby lottery was weighted based on where teams finished the season before the lockout, Pens finsihed last in the NHL.
- Stalemate

It was an average of the prior three seasons. The Penguins were in the running along with Anaheim and the NY Rangers. It wasn't a direct prior season points = lottery odds like it is these days. Fleury was in the Minors and Malkin hadn't defected yet.

If you think there was a rigging to the Crosby draft, I ask you to consider something. How much do you think the NHL wishes Crosby was playing for the Rangers? Marketing the 'next one' to the biggest media market in the NHL? Making the NHL relevant after a lockout instead of being on the OLN after big game fishing?

I think they will be at least similarly good. Last year, their defense and goaltending were major black holes. This year, they've shored up those spots.
- jmatchett383

Exactly and still have a couple of young studs waiting in the wings

And the Blue Jackets of this year/Islanders of last year were decimated by injuries to key players at key positions. You can't blame a team for that.
- jmatchett383

You sound like a Penguins fan

I don't know. Grabovski, Kulemin, Boychuk are tough contracts. JT will be making 11M soon and Okposo could ask for over 6M.

Nice young team but they can screw it up real quick.
- rangerdanger94

Keep hoping

Guess what? Along with their team, Pittsburgh hasn't bothered to develop their draft picks. That includes 87 and 71. That PP is brutal after a decade. The team relies on them entirely too much to provide the offense, and the team around them cannot support the points they do produce in the playoffs by either neutralizing the other team's offense or providing any offense. The 'role players' don't do either of these things and haven't throughout the mid-to-late 20s of both of these players.

Now it seems like Kap and Sundqvist are going to be asked to save the team. They are going to need at least another year in the minors developing in targeted ways to compete in the NHL. The Pens will probably be a bubble team next year unless they decide to stop being scored on and stop taking an incredibly high number of penalties.
- Johnny Wrath

Agree with most of this except, the pp part and them being a bubble team next year unless they decide to stop being scored on. The pp is 11th this year after following years or being 1st and 2nd. I'm to lazy to check but I woild guess they've been in the top 5 in pp% the last 10 years. And this year (so far) they've cut down on their GAA

Guess what? Along with their team, Pittsburgh hasn't bothered to develop their draft picks. That includes 87 and 71. That PP is brutal after a decade. The team relies on them entirely too much to provide the offense, and the team around them cannot support the points they do produce in the playoffs by either neutralizing the other team's offense or providing any offense. The 'role players' don't do either of these things and haven't throughout the mid-to-late 20s of both of these players.

Now it seems like Kap and Sundqvist are going to be asked to save the team. They are going to need at least another year in the minors developing in targeted ways to compete in the NHL. The Pens will probably be a bubble team next year unless they decide to stop being scored on and stop taking an incredibly high number of penalties.
- Johnny Wrath

Who is saying this???

You sound like a Penguins fan
- rangerdanger94

The Penguins have 2 of the best players in the world so, as long as they're not both injured at the same time, they can compensate and stay competitive at least. When you're thinner like the Jackets/Islanders, you don't have that luxury.

Keep hoping
- Vukota

Trust me I will

Just look at a young team like the Avs and Stars. poop happens is all I'm saying.

The Penguins have 2 of the best players in the world so, as long as they're not both injured at the same time, they can compensate and stay competitive at least. When you're thinner like the Jackets/Islanders, you don't have that luxury.
- jmatchett383

Jackets and Isles and much deeper than the Pens imo.

Trust me I will

Just look at a young team like the Avs and Stars. poop happens is all I'm saying.
- rangerdanger94

I know you will

Penguins fans:

How would you rank these goalies from best to worst:

Cam Ward
Cory Schneider
Brayden Holtby
Marc-Andre Fleury
Jaroslav Halak
Steve Mason
Henrik Lundqvist
Sergei Bobrovsky
- jmatchett383

In order: Lundqvist, Schneider, Bobrovsky, Holtby, Fleury, Mason, Halak, Ward.

Penguins fans:

How would you rank these goalies from best to worst:

Cam Ward
Cory Schneider
Brayden Holtby
Marc-Andre Fleury
Jaroslav Halak
Steve Mason
Henrik Lundqvist
Sergei Bobrovsky
- jmatchett383

Lundqvist
Bob
Schneider
Fluery
Holtby
Halak
Mason
Ward


Whats your order?

Agree with most of this except, the pp part and them being a bubble team next year unless they decide to stop being scored on. The pp is 11th this year after following years or being 1st and 2nd. I'm to lazy to check but I woild guess they've been in the top 5 in pp% the last 10 years. And this year (so far) they've cut down on their GAA
- willi

The PP has failed in the playoffs for six years. Not been average, failed.

The Pens are a soft, squishy defensive team. Fleury is having what may be a career season and the backup hasn't ever been a Capital, so it's an improvement. What has been happening in the playoffs?

The Penguins are on the exact same franchise trajectory as the San Jose Sharks except they've won the ting once. San Jose hasn't been able to come out of the West with Detroit, Vancouver, Anaheim, Chicago, and now LA simply being way better than they are. The East, meanwhile, has been very weak and it's very disappointing that Pittsburgh has floundered for this long.

Jackets and Isles and much deeper than the Pens imo.
- rangerdanger94

The Penguins have been without Olli Maata, Christian Ehrhoff, Patrick Hornqvist, and Pascal Dupuis for long stretches this season and are still in a secure playoff position. That's pretty damn good, if you ask me.

It was an average of the prior three seasons. The Penguins were in the running along with Anaheim and the NY Rangers. It wasn't a direct prior season points = lottery odds like it is these days. Fleury was in the Minors and Malkin hadn't defected yet.

If you think there was a rigging to the Crosby draft, I ask you to consider something. How much do you think the NHL wishes Crosby was playing for the Rangers? Marketing the 'next one' to the biggest media market in the NHL? Making the NHL relevant after a lockout instead of being on the OLN after big game fishing?
- Johnny Wrath

I never said the lottery was rigged, the Pens won the lottery becuase it was weighted in their favor because of how much they sucked in previous seasons.

Lundqvist
Bob
Schneider
Fluery
Holtby
Halak
Mason
Ward


Whats your order?
- Willaged

Lundqvist
Holtby
Halak
Fleury
Mason
Bobrovsky
Schneider
Ward

Out of curiosity, why did you have Mason so low?

The Penguins have been without Olli Maata, Christian Ehrhoff, Patrick Hornqvist, and Pascal Dupuis for long stretches this season and are still in a secure playoff position. That's pretty damn good, if you ask me.
- jmatchett383

Pens vs Isles would be a great 1st rd series

Maybe the Pens don't have to worry so much about which players they've acquired via the draft or college FAs as much as looking at how they're developing or using them? How many of these guys that played in the Pens minor league system or had short tenures with the Pens that didn't work out but ended up elsewhere and have produced?

Maybe that's not reflective of how good or bad the players have been or if they're busts or not, and a reflection on the team's infrastructure & systems or evaluation process? It's not like it's a mystery why some people think picks outside of the 1st round with this team are "worthless". They've had shoddy scouting for so long now that it's a that they find a serviceable player outside the top 10 in picks, much less a solid one. Outside of Letang, who have they developed in rounds 2 thru forever that can actually play a regular NHL shift with any degree of talent?

Who is saying this???
- YouMeAndDupuis9

The perception that I am getting is that Oskar is going to replace Sutter and that Kap is going to be top six next year. And that they'll 'produce' in the playoffs.

They are talking about the NHL Penguins and not the Baby Penguins. This is folly unless the organization wants to Morozov these players.

Penguins fans:

How would you rank these goalies from best to worst:

Cam Ward
Cory Schneider
Brayden Holtby
Marc-Andre Fleury
Jaroslav Halak
Steve Mason
Henrik Lundqvist
Sergei Bobrovsky
- jmatchett383

hmm... probably...

Lundqvist
Schneider
Bobrovsky
Holtby
Mason
Halak
Fleury
Ward

I feel like those 3 are almost interchangeable.