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Put the two-headed monster together |
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The Pittsburgh Penguins will be selling at the deadline. They went 1-3 on a very important road trip and are dead in the water.
I would expect Jake Guentzel and Reilly Smith to be on the move before the end of the week. The only players I fully expect back are Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Erik Karlsson, Marcus Pettersson and Bryan Rust. This doesn’t mean I think all the other players are getting moved, but I wouldn’t be too surprised if they did.
Given it is a complete sell situation and the team is throwing in the towel on 2023-24, I think they should lean into the fact that their 2024 draft pick is going to likely be in the top ten. This gives the Penguins the option to keep it and kick the can down the road on giving the Sharks their 1st round compensation for Erik Karlsson.
I would craft a lineup that allows the Penguins legends to keep the ability to get their points, but compromise the ability of the team to actually win games at this point. They are currently slated for the 9th overall pick, but have games in hand on teams in their neck of the woods in the standings. Losing is winning at this point, unfortunately.
One way to accomplish the goal would be to move Evgeni Malkin to Sidney Crosby’s wing. Sid didn’t have a great stretch on the western trip putting up only one even-strength point in four games. Without Guentzel and Rust he was left playing with “Malkin wingers”. Even Sid couldn’t get much out of them.
Crosby currently has 63 points in 59 games. If he can close out the season at a point per game or better it will be 19 consecutive seasons where he’s done so, creating a tie with Wayne Gretzky for best ever. Personally, I would be quite disappointed if Sid were not able to get to this impressive record in what has turned out to be a lost season. So let’s juice up his line and get him across the finish line. If the other three lines get caved in so be it, it would actually be beneficial to the Penguins situation as it stands.
Mike Sullivan is not a fan of using Crosby and Malkin together. It has been quite the departure from when Dan Bylsma would go out of his way to find situations for them to play together at 5v5. In the 29:06 Sid and Geno have shared time this year at 5v5 they have a 67.61 CF% and a 77.50 xGF%. Over the past four years they’ve only played 97:13 together with 68.56 CF% and a 69.73 xGF%.
Make the rest of the season palatable for these two legends. Put the two-headed monster together. Nobody wants to see them play with players devoid of any offensive ability. The team can keep losing and there can still be a reason to tune in and watch the games. It’s a lose-win situation on the surface, but a win-win situation overall.
This is the reality they’re in, might as well make the most of it.
Thanks for reading!
Pittsburgh Penguins Blogger • 
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