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Playoff time is approaching fast and the clarity of who the Penguins will play in round one will start to take shape this weekend. As of right now the Penguins have the potential of matching up against the Red Wings, Blue Jackets, or Flyers, yes those Flyers.
Who should the Penguins want in round 1? Who do they match up well against?
My answer may surprise most people but I believe that the Penguins match up well against the Philadelphia Flyers, especially now that Pittsburgh will be relatively healthy.
I understand the recent history and the immaturity that the Penguins have displayed against the Flyers, that is not lost on me.
I would argue if the Penguins can’t stick to their own script and take care of business against Philadelphia they have 0% of winning the Stanley Cup anyways.
A meltdown against the Flyers would upset Penguins fans in a major way, but there would be a silver lining. It would showcase significant flaws in how the Penguins operate. Major changes would have to come. The status quo would be unacceptable. There is no middle ground. Either the Penguins prove their current way of going about things works, or they get another dose of reality which forces major changes to be made.
The obvious scape goat would be Dan Bylsma and at that point in time he would deserve to be canned. If you can’t get your team to play structured and keep their emotions in check then you are failing in one of the more important jobs a coach has.
The Penguins are the better team on paper, I don’t think that is very debatable. It will boil down to executing a proper game plan and showing composure. It would be put up or shut up time for the Dan Bylsma led Penguins. I love the idea of there being no middle ground. I love the idea of the Penguins finding out what kind of team they are. The Flyers are a perfect opponent because there is no potential for there to be middle ground, decisions would have to be made.
Failure against the Flyers would also dictate some major player personnel changes. The only players I think that would be safe from change are Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Olli Maatta, Paul Martin, Chris Kunitz and Kris Letang. Everybody else would be on the table.
If the Penguins were to flame out a guy that I would look to trade out of town would be James Neal. Neal is a terrific goal scorer, but he has demonstrated a lack of ability to remain disciplined. He has been one of the main culprits who feeds into the Penguins undisciplined ways. Whether it’s Neal getting off of his game while getting involved in unnecessary scrums or taking cheap shots on other players, he has not shown the ability to remain focused in high intensity, high pressure situations.
I also believe that much of Neal’s tangible success (goals) is predicated on playing with a top line center.
Given that Neal would carry high value in any potential trade I would look to take advantage of another team's precarious situation and acquire another top forward.
The specific situation I have in mind is Evander Kane in Winnipeg.
Kane’s success has mostly been derived from his own personal dynamic skill set and his ability to create chances on his own. Throw him on a line with a Crosby or Malkin and he is a 40 goal scorer no doubt. He can be 30 goal guy even without the top end center, something Neal cannot lay a claim to.
Their contracts are almost identical. Both players ages are non-issue, they are both young and in their prime for the entirety of their current deals. It would be something the Penguins should at least explore if the Jets are foolish enough to part ways with Kane.
To be honest, I would explore this option even if the Penguins do have a successful 2014 playoff run.
On the flip side, if the Penguins were to play the Flyers and win decisively it would provide a great deal of confidence for the team moving forward. There is still an aura of failure that hangs around the Penguins which stems from that terrible 2012 playoff loss to Philadelphia. It’s a stigma I don’t think the Penguins have shaken and a decisive playoff victory against Philadelphia could be what the doctor ordered to get the Penguins mental mindset fixed.
It’s time for the Penguins to show some maturity and regain the Stanley Cup Championship composure they exhibited in 2008 and 2009. I couldn’t think of a better opponent for the Penguins to play against that would prove they are ready to take the next step than the Flyers.
If the Penguins beat the Flyers tomorrow, there is a real possibility of this round 1 matchup.
I say bring it on and let the chips fall where they may.
Thanks for reading!
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