As we enter the second half of the NHL regular season it is important for teams to fine tune their systems and for players to start ramping up their on-ice product.
Each team is unique with what their needs are and the Penguins are no different.
With the season ending injury to Olli Maatta the Penguins are going to have to lean on at least one defenseman who has never played regular top four minutes. The candidates for this promotion could be Simon Despres or it could be somebody like Derrick Pouliot if given the chance.
Given the wild card nature of the Penguins #4 defense spot it is imperative that the Penguins get the most out of their top 3 which includes Kris Letang, Paul Martin, and Christian Ehrhoff. All three players are capable of playing 25+ minutes on any given night which is a great luxury to have.
How are the big three playing this year?
I am going to take a look at their Corsi +/- from each game they have played this year (they have all played at least 38 games this year). I am also going to take a look at their past and present 5v5 points/60 offensive production.
Letang has been an animal this year. He is driving possession and owning that #1 defense role. Losing Letang for any stretch of time would be catastrophic to the Penguins.
Paul Martin has been a little bit of a mixed bag so far this season. The current trend has more negative than positive in the Corsi +/- department. A majority of his sample size as of late has him playing with Robert Bortuzzo with a light sprinkling of Letang before he was knocked out of the Flyers game.
Christian Ehrhoff started off slow with the Penguins but has improved steadily as the year has gone on. Josh Yohe talked to him way back on November 26 about that:
Playing for arguably the NHL's least talented team in Buffalo during the past two seasons, Ehrhoff admitted he had to remember how to play with a skilled team. He was a standout with the high-flying Vancouver Canucks and San Jose Sharks before signing with the Sabres.Now, he is with an immensely talented team.
“It definitely was an adjustment for me,… Ehrhoff said. “The whole mindset here is different. It took me a while to get that mindset back. But I feel like it's going better and better now.…
That was at the 20 game mark of the Penguins season. You can see the improvement as you work your way left to right on the chart. He is more comfortable and as a result has played better.
Each of these three players are capable of chipping in offense during even strength play. Here is a past history of each player.
You will notice that they are all contributing equally at even strength this year. Some people have been disappointed with Ehrhoff’s offensive output but the fact of the matter is he is currently having his best ever year offensively at even strength. While the raw point totals seem lower for Ehrhoff that is because he sees minimal power play time when compared to his usage in year’s past.
Power play time has always been one of Ehrhoff’s biggest strengths but the Penguins so far have chosen to go in a different direction. That direction has been Kris Letang. Is it the smart decision?
It seems to be working out. Kris Letang has a career high Points/60 on the power play this season at 5.94. However, Ehrhoff used to consistently put up numbers like that when he received regular minutes on the Vancouver power play. Ehrhoff’s numbers are in decline but need to be taken into context. The Buffalo Sabres had a very negative impact on his ability to produce as does his career low PPTOI/GM average this year. I feel confident that if Letang missed time due to injury that Ehrhoff could step in on the #1 power play and the team wouldn’t miss a beat.
The Penguins are lucky to have 3 guys who can eat the minutes that Letang, Ehrhoff, and Martin can. They should spend the rest of the regular season finding out who that #4 player will be.
Derrick Pouliot should be given every opportunity to find out if it can be him (assuming they want Despres/Scuderi to be a thing). The last regime wasn’t willing to find out what they had in the young prospects. This regime cannot make the same mistake.
Lastly, the Penguins should be interested in retaining Christian Ehrhoff for the long term. He has been a splendid addition for them as all the above numbers point to.
Thanks for reading!
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