Two summers ago, the Penguins traded fan favorite Jordan Staal to the Hurricanes for Brandon Sutter, Brian Dumoulin and Derrick Pouliot. Since the trade, Sutter has failed to become Jordan Staal 2.0, much to the chagrin of many fans. (And let's be honest, there are many of you out there who still compare Sutter to Staal.) Has Sutter been Jordan Staal? No, he has not. He has not put up the points that the former Penguin had. That being said it was unfair to put those expectations on the kid. It was his first time being traded, he had only played three full years in the league before the deal and management and the fans wanted him to come in here and replace a fan favorite, top 5 pick and Stanley Cup champion without missing a beat. That was unfair to put Sutter under and it would be incredibly unfair to put Patric Hornqvist through as well.
They often say history repeats itself, and so far we are right on track for this deal to turn out like the Staal one did two years ago. It is completely unfair to put such lofty expectations on Hornqvist. He is going to need some time to adjust. He, like Sutter, was traded Friday for the first time in his career. He has never played with the talented forwards that Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are. Frankly, he has never been on a team that demands a Cup from Day 1 and has the pressure on it to do so. Maybe most important of all, he is NOT James Neal, he is Patric Hornqvist.
It is important that we don't confuse Hornqvist with Neal. They are two completely different players; Neal a sniper and Hornqvist more of a "Chris Kunitz" kind of player who goes to the front of the net and works the corners. Hornqvist has put up 106 goals in his essentially five NHL seasons. He will work the net, he will be the "Chris Kunitz" to Evgeni Malkin as the actual Kunitz is to Sidney Crosby.
I like what Hornqvist had to say today at his conference call, "I'm excited to play with Crosby and Malkin. But I'm not changing my game. I'm going to go to the net." That's what he needs to do. That's what will make him and Evgeni Malkin successful. Look at Malkin's season last year, he put up 23 goals and 72 points. The strike shortened season looked rather similar. Then you look at the 2011-12 season for Malkin, 50 goals and 109 points. The difference between 2011-12 and the last two seasons, a net front presence. Malkin had Kunitz there in 2011-12, he hasn't had him (or anyone like him) there the last two years. Hornqvist will make that difference. I expect Hornqvist's numbers to go up, but more importantly, I expect Malkin's numbers to return to their normal levels.
Patric Hornqvist is not James Neal. He is not the sniper who many of you loved. That being said, he is not the devil! He is not the evil that took James Neal away from you. Patric Hornqvist is the newest Penguin, he is ours now and Neal is not. It is not fair to put him on the same pedestal as Neal from the word go, doing so will put him in the same position as Brandon Sutter following the Staal trade. Support the guy, allow him to transition into this team, his line and his role in the Pittsburgh organization. He deserves a chance and I think by the end of the year you will all love the guy. He opened his conference call today by saying, "I was so happy Pittsburgh wanted me. I've only ever heard good things about Pittsburgh as a team and organization." Everyone, the fans are just as much a part of this team and organization as the players, so please, welcome Patric Hornqvist to the Penguins.