It is time to kick off the 2014-15 Pittsburgh Penguins season. The Penguins will play host to the Anaheim Ducks this evening. The Ducks are considered one of the favorites in a stacked Western Conference and will be an excellent test on night number one.
Over the course of this season I am going to try and highlight a theme/player(s) on the opposing team on game days. I hope this can provide insight on the opposition and add to the viewing experience.
When talking about the Anaheim Ducks you start with what could be the most dynamic duo in all of hockey, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Getzlaf was a Hart Trophy candidate last year and Perry has actually won the award a few years back (Rocket Richard as well).
If you can slow down Getzlaf/Perry your team stands a much better chance of defeating the Ducks. These players don’t just feast on the power play, their combination of size and skill absolutely dominates even strength play.
Last season at even strength Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry led the entire league at their offensive output.
Ryan Getzlaf had 3.13 points/60 minutes of even strength play.
Corey Perry was right behind him at 3.04
They are the only two players above the 3.0 barrier. Jaime Benn is third overall at 2.93.
Even when the duo isn’t scoring goals they are controlling play which prevents the other team from scoring goals. Getzlaf had a Fenclose% of 55.63% last year while Perry had a freakish 59.97%.
Top level stuff from those two players. They are a personal favorite of mine.
Kris Letang and Christian Ehrhoff will have their hands full tonight if Mike Johnston chooses to go that route with his matchups.
What makes the Ducks even more legit this year is the fact that have a bonafide #2 center in Ryan Kesler now. Before Getzlaf and Perry were on an island. Now the Ducks have a legit top six forward group. With Vancouver Kesler had a Fenclose percentage of 57.82%. He is a game changer for Bruce Boudreau.
So that is the key to the Ducks and this is a Penguins blog, so what about the 2014-15 Penguins?
Here are five bold predictions for this upcoming season:
1. Kris Letang will win the Norris Trophy. Yep. This will be the first year in which he will play with a competent partner and it will also be the first year in which he will play in a system that will allow him to reach his ceiling. His offensive production has always been top notch. In the past three years his points/60 at even strength is 1.39. Only Erik Karlsson is better at 1.53. Look for Letang’s number to approach Karlsson’s with Ehrhoff as his partner. Health is the biggest variable blocking this prediction from coming true.
2. Christian Ehrhoff will sign a new contract extension with the Penguins in the neighborhood of 5 years and 27.5M (5.5M AAV) in January. He is not allowed to sign an extension until that time period due to the CBA. The signing of Ehrhoff will open up the window to trade Paul Martin, for right or wrong.
3. Thomas Greiss will play at the same level as Marc-Andre Fleury, if not better. His emergence will lead to the Penguins and Fleury parting ways at the conclusion of the season.
4. Beau Bennett will eventually suit up for the Penguins and show his stuff for an extended period of time. He will provide Mike Johnston the roster flexibility that he needs to maximize the Penguins forward lineup. He will have close to a point per game average if he plays in the top six.
5. Patric Hornqvist will score more goals than James Neal. Hornqvist is a better fit for the Penguins, he is cheaper, and he isn’t a dirty hockey player.
One bonus prediction: Derrick Pouliot will prove to be NHL ready by the end of the season.
One last not so bold prediction: Sidney Crosby will once again win the Hart Trophy as well as the Art Ross.
EDIT 10:22 AM I don't know how this one slipped by my proofread but here is another bonus bold prediction. The Devils will fall out of the playoff race and shop Jaromir Jagr...
I have the Penguins losing to the St. Louis Blues in the Stanley Cup Final this year.
Enjoy the game, enjoy the season!
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The brand new 2014-15 Hockey Prospectus book is now available for purchase as of this morning. It is a great book and has some really great people who have contributed to it. I was lucky enough to be asked to contribute to this year’s edition. Here are the contributors to the book
“Hockey Prospectus 2014-15 is an excellent resource to gain quick and meaningful insight into measurable performance at both the individual and team level.…Ray Shero, former General Manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins
“Stats are facts. In the long run, they hardly ever lie. Thorough analytical work, like that done by Hockey Prospectus, is needed to make a proper evaluation of them.…
Jarmo Kekalainen, General Manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets
If you would like to see what the book is all about and purchase the .pdf file you can find that information here
Thanks for reading!
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