I have taken a look back at some of the Penguins forward line combinations from the Crosby and Malkin era such as: Cooke-Staal-Kennedy, Hagelin-Bonino-Kessel, Kunitz-Crosby-Dupuis, Guentzel-Crosby-Sheary, and Kunitz-Malkin-Neal. Today, I wanted to look back at a defense pairing that didn’t get the credit they deserved at the time.
I am talking about the pairing of Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek. Martin and Michalek were considered two solid free agent signings at the time. Martin received a five-year 25M contract while Michalek received a five-year deal 20M contract.
However, the narrative surrounding the pairing didn’t stay positive and the general manager was even looking to move on
Burnside: Penguins' Paul Martin refused easy option http://t.co/NkGTMGkn
— MurphysLaw74 (@MurphysLaw74) February 11, 2013
"I asked him if he wanted a trade," Shero told ESPN.com this week.These are the moments that define a person, a career even. In some ways, they define a franchise too.
Martin, signed to a five-year, $25-million deal in the summer of 2010, could not have been blamed if he said, "Yes, get me the heck out of here."
Fans were certainly clamoring for just such a move throughout the season as the mistakes piled up and Martin's play worsened.
"He was embarrassed by his year," Shero said.
These takes aged like milk. Paul Martin was never an issue. He was great his entire time as a Penguin. Including, his first year with the Penguins.
Can something age worse than milk, because... it is ridiculous Martin ever came under fire for his play as a Penguins, ludicrous really.
Paul Martin was one of the best signings the Penguins have made during this era. He was terrific. It is more impressive in hindsight considering the mental health hurdles he had to overcome during this time period.
After bottoming out, former Gophers, #NHL star Paul Martin sees the light again: 'I'm pretty lucky' https://t.co/7NcxAXBWm6 via @pioneerpress
— Ben Hankinson (@BenHankinson) March 20, 2021
“I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t ask anyone for help,… Martin confessed. “You’re a hockey guy, right? Tough it out. You have feelings, but you bury them. I was holding it all inside. I was in trouble.…So, he binged the way millions of addicts do in a misguided attempt to cope and escape adversity. And embarked on a 10-year emotional and spiritual journey of despair, denial and redemption that has him dreaming of fatherhood and a more fulfilling second act in life.
He’s not bitter about how his career ended and owns his downfall on the ice.
The Penguins won it all in 2009, the second of consecutive trips to the Finals. Captain Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were two of the best players in the world. The team wanted Martin to help anchor a blue line with former Gophers teammate Jordan Leopold, fellow Minnesotan Alex Goligoski and emerging star Kris Letang. He signed for five years and $25 million.
Professionally, he had reached the apex. Personally, he was a mess.
“Moving was hard for me,… Martin acknowledged. “I was uncomfortable. I lived alone and was trying to make friends. The guys were great. Going to the rink was fun. But it was hard the first couple years. It’s always dark there and cloudy, gloomy.…
Martin’s game was regressing, and the Penguins were eliminated in the second and first rounds, respectively, his first two seasons in town. Media criticism was something he had not experienced, but it’s tough to avoid in a sports-crazy market like Pittsburgh.
“I shouldn’t have let that stuff bother me, but it did,… he said. “That spoke to the spot I was at emotionally. That affected my mood.…
The fact he navigated all that and put up the on-ice performance he did was amazing.
While Michalek didn’t have to overcome as much and wasn’t quite as good as Martin he wasn’t dragging the team down or anything. He was a perfectly fine middle pairing defender. Martin and Michalek put up decent results together. They played 1,200 minutes with one another and had a CF% of 53.07 and an xGF% of 52.86. It isn’t other worldly, but it is solid and probably not worth the scorn they received.
The Penguins actual problem that was deserving of scorn was right under their noses the entire time.
The unvarnished truth is that Orpik was wildly overrated his entire tenure because of a fifteen second sequence in the Stanley Cup Final when he bodychecked multiple Red Wings in a row. A shift where the Penguins top line was getting hemmed in by the Red Wings fourth line and none of the hits actually produced a change in possession.
His perceived value was always higher than his actual value. The Penguins would have not only improved the roster via addition by subtraction, but would have likely netted a solid return of assets.
When looking back at this time period it is clear that both Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek deserved more praise than they got at the time. The pairing itself was more than serviceable while Paul Martin had one of the best runs a Penguins defender has ever had with the team. The criticism of the pairing and each player has aged poorly and the team should have been looking in other areas to improve the team.
Thanks for reading!