For the first time, in what feels like a long time, there is a ton of excitement going into the new season. Phil Kessel was added to the top six. Kris Letang, Olli Maatta and Pascal Dupuis are all healthy. The Pens worked to create four solid, scoring lines and Marc-Andre Fleury is coming off a career year. Frankly, what isn’t there to be excited about?
Several questions remain of course. What will the Pens do with Rob Scuderi? Is the defensive corps good enough? What will the Pens get out of the likes of Dupuis, Kunitz and Perron after injury and down years? They are valid questions, all of them.
But I am not here to answer those questions just yet; that will come in my in-depth Penguins preview piece.
No, what I am here to do right now is make several bold statements, predictions, what have you. It’s time to be outspoken. It’s time to be bold my friends. Here are my 5 bold predictions for the 2015-16 Pittsburgh Penguins season.
5. Beau Bennett Has A Healthy, Productive Year
If there is one thing we can all agree on, it is that Beau Bennett has underachieved in his short NHL career. He has missed the majority of time due to injuries. The other time missed has been a combination of underachieving, falling out of favor and missing so much time to injury. He simply needs to play and be utilized correctly. I think that will happen in 2015-16.
The Penguins are focused on creating a four scoring lines model. While Bennett won’t crack the top six, he will be counted on to play in the bottom six and still produce.
How do I say this you ask? It isn’t that difficult to see.
Firstly, the talent has always been there. I don’t think Beau is a busted first round pick. I think he has underachieved due to injury and incorrect usage.
Now, he first and foremost needs to remain healthy. He entered camp last season flying and primed for a big year alongside Brandon Sutter and Steve Downie. Then he got hurt in camp, and reinjured himself in his return against Boston. He missed the majority of the first half of the season because of it.
I think entering the offseason relatively healthy and having a full summer to train will do wonders for the young winger. The team, and multiple members of the media, has already commented that Bennett has gotten bigger and looks better than he ever has before. That’s good news in itself.
Finally, Bennett will be used the correct way this season. Under Bylsma and starting last year, he has always been told to play left wing when he is natural right wing. He has always looked uncomfortable there, and thus has struggle.
This year, Johnston will use him correctly. He should get 12-16 minutes a night playing on the right wing. I think we could easily see him on the Penguins third line alongside Pascal Dupuis and Nick Bonino.
If that is the line he does in fact play on, and he is healthy, Bennett will have a big year.
I am going on the record here and now: Beau Bennett will play in 70-plus games and score 10-15 goals with 35 points.
4. Rob Scuderi Will No Longer be A Penguin At Season's End
There is no questioning at this point that the signing of Rob Scuderi two seasons ago was a mistake. He broke an ankle a month into his second stint with Pittsburgh and was never the same the rest of the season. While he was much better last year, he still was not “The Piece” that left following the 2009 Cup Finals.
While I have been a fan of his, even I must admit he has to go and now. Scuderi is 36 years old. He hasn’t been fleet of foot…ever, honestly. He does not fit into the Mike Johnston system, especially when it comes to the style the defensemen are asked to play.
So what do the Penguins do with him? The veteran is owed 7.5 million over the next two years. The Pens reportedly have shopped him, but few are willing to take on the money.
Are there options? Of course, but the Penguins will get little if any return for him.
Firstly, they could simply buy him out. They would have to pay the money and still have a cap hit, but he’d be gone. I don’t like this plan because it doesn’t free up money. The Pens might as well get some use of him in this case.
Next, they could find a straight up trade for him. The Hockey Writers had a piece about two weeks ago stating the Penguins should move Scuderi to Toronto for whatever they can get. While it seems unlikely, a Toronto or Arizona is really the only way to move him straight up. These teams need to remain above the cap floor and the Pens need to rid themselves of his money. The problem is Scuderi’s limited no-movement clause. He would likely block a trade to either of those teams.
Finally, the Pens can trade him and eat some of the money. This is the best-case scenario and most likely option. The Penguins can do what the Canes did with Jussi Jokinen a few years ago; pay him to play for another team. The Penguins could eat some of the money in any possible Scuderi trade. They get little in return, but they would be able to free up at least some of the money they owe him. It’s better than nothing.
Scuderi will be moved before season’s end. I don’t know where and I don’t know how, but he will be gone.
3. Phil Kessel Nets 50+ Goals This Season
Anyway, Phil Kessel has the makings of something special for Pittsburgh. He is coming off a down year in Toronto, where he was constantly blamed and bombarded for the team’s failures. In Pittsburgh, he won’t face the brunt of the blame, be ravaged by the media or fail. I’m pretty certain of the last part.
The Penguins will do everything they can to make Kessel comfortable, and more importantly anything to make sure he finds chemistry with Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin. Crosby will get first crack at Phil, but Malkin should see some time with him as well.
I expect “Phil the Thrill” to have a career year in his first with Pittsburgh. He will find chemistry and success with Sidney Crosby, and the two will team up often to put points on the board. If the first preseason game was any indication, they’ll work together just fine. I think Kessel will post somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 points, but that’s not my bold prediction.
My bold prediction is that Kessel nets 50 goals skating alongside Crosby. His speed matches well with Sid’s style of play and his hands are as good as any out there.
The combination leads to 50, period.
2. Kris Letang (Finally) Wins the Norris Trophy
Sorry for the profanity but I am adamant about this one. I thought Letang would return from injury and stroke to win the Norris last season. For the first 60-odd games, he proved me right. If it weren’t for Shane Doan, I might’ve been correct
Letang had a brilliant year last year, posting career highs in goals (11), assists (43) and points (54). He did this in just 69 games; imagine what he’d do with 82 games.
I asked DK on Pittsburgh Sports writer Josh Yohe last week for a bold prediction about these Pens and he said Letang would win the Norris. It was all I needed to hear to confirm my thoughts; who knows better than a man who’s covered this team closely for years?
So, my bold prediction is that Letang remains healthy and wins the Norris Trophy.
It’s a pretty simple equation in the end. The Johnston system is built for Letang to succeed; where defensemen use their speed and join the rush to overwhelm the defense. That’s Kris Letang’s style to a “T.” He will have solid support in Olli Maatta and the offseason additions should have Letang racking up plenty of secondary assists from breakout passes.
Letang wins the Norris Trophy, finally!
1. The Penguins Will Remain Relatively Healthy ALL Season
- Knocking on Wood
- Prayers to the Almighty
- Salt Thrown Over the Shoulder
- Lucky Rabbits Feet
- Four Dozen Four Leaf Clovers
- Any Other Lucky Charms
Call me crazy, but I think this is the year where the Penguins remain relatively healthy for the entire season. We haven’t seen that since…man, may have been the year we won the Cup. I don’t know, but it has sure been a while.
What have the Pens suffered from?
Well besides the normal bumps, bruises and breaks, the Pens have suffered from debilitating concussions, torn ACLs, blood clots, cancer and strokes. It’s rather ridiculous the amount of injuries and illness we have been dealt over the last half decade.
Hey, maybe there really is a curse on the new building, but it’s probably more just horrible luck than anything else.
However, the Penguins are entering the new season in full health, besides Eric Fehr of course. Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Maatta, Dupuis, Kunitz, Perron, Bennett, Hornqvist and Fleury are all in the clear. Kessel is coming off a full, injury-free season and the Pens have more depth in all areas than they’ve had in years. They enter healthy, and while everyone will be afflicted someway, I think the Pens avoid an abundance of major injury.
Bold, Bold, BOLD! The Pens remain relatively healthy all season long.