What the Penguins need to do this offseason to avoid the end of an era

By: Megan Lukitsch

Phil Kessel isn’t exactly the player he was a few years ago when the Penguins won back-to-back Stanley Cups.  Because of that, Josh Yohe of the Athletic believes the team should trade Kessel even if the return is a few draft picks or prospects.  This would be one way that the Penguins can free up some cap space if they want to sign any free agents this offseason.

Seen up above is a quiet and peaceful Point State Park, something that didn’t seem to fully exist on June 14, 2017.  On that day, fans and players of the Pittsburgh Penguins were celebrating the recent Stanley Cup Championship that was won a few days prior.  With this being a back-to-back championship title, the team, of course, had high expectations the following season.

As we all know, the Penguins fell short of those expectations in the past two seasons. Being swept in the first round this year raises some questions about the team. One big question is, are Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin going to be able to win any more championships together?  Both had very different regular seasons, but similar postseason as neither made a huge contribution in the short series.

As disappointing as this year was, some people always have hope and just brush off the loss by saying, “well, there’s always next year!” But will there be a “next year?” Will the Penguins still be able to be Stanley Cup contenders let alone playoff contenders? In order for the Pens to have another chance at hoisting Lord Stanley, they need to make some changes this offseason.

When you say that changes are needed, you immediately have to think about what changes need to be made.  So what do the Penguins need to do this offseason? Josh Yohe of the athletic believes that the Penguins need to sign the right people and make the right trades.  A couple of trades the Penguins have made in the last few years have backfired, more specifically the trades for Ryan Reaves and Derrick Brassard.

As for signing free agents, trading Phil Kessel could give the Penguins an opportunity to sign a few free agents.  The Olli Maata trade gave them about $3million in cap space which is what they currently have. Trading Kessel could give them an additional $6-7 million in cap space.  Josh Yohe of the Athletic mentioned he spoke to Jim Rutherford and that Rutherford likes Wayne Simmonds. Of course, more cap space if needed if the Penguins do want to sign him.

    Offseason changes eventually play out onto the ice.  With not many changes being made quite yet, we can already take a look at what the team there now needs to do better come October.  Josh Yohe says the Pens need to focus more on defense rather than worry about offense and I agree with him. This team does have good defensemen on it and I don’t think that they have been playing to their full potential.  In Games 2, 3, and 4 of the first round the Penguins were able to take the lead, but lost it almost immediately as the Islanders tied it a few short minutes later and later took the lead thanks to some bad plays by the Penguins defense.

    If you want to get more specific of who should improve their play, Josh Yohe says that Evgeni Malkin needs to have a bounce-back season.  Geno has 72 points in 68 games. Those 72 points included only 21 goals. Malkin had some inconsistency in his offense and would often turnover the puck and take bad penalties.

        When it comes to players who need to break out next year, Zach Aston-Reese is someone that comes to mind says Josh Yohe. Aston-Reese has been injured a lot recently playing only 43 games last year. Yohe went on to say that the Pens don’t know what they’re getting out of Aston-Reese yet.

        Something that seemed to be a recurring theme last season was the different line combination Mike Sullivan would put out on the ice. Crosby and Malkin never seemed to have permanent linemates which is something that needs to change. I’m terms of what Sid needs for linemates, Josh Yohe says that players who play a simple game, go to the net, and are fast is what that top line needs to succeed. Jake Guentzel is of course someone that comes to mind when playing on a line with Sid. Malkin, however, is more adaptable than Sid says Yohe. A player that can stick handle well would be someone that could work with Geno.

       The Penguins will have their work cut out for them to improve the team both on and off the ice. To answer the big question of this article, Josh Yohe says that the Crosby-Malkin era is not over. He says that the two of them can be a threat to win together for about 2-3 more years. So if the Pens want to win another cup, they better gear up to do it soon.