Summer could be hectic in Pittsburgh.
Missing the playoffs is one thing. Missing the playoffs with the oldest club in the NHL is another.
The Penguins were knocked out of the playoffs for the first time since 2006 with the Islanders’ victory at the expense of the Canadiens on Wednesday.
There will undoubtedly be consequences. It’s unclear who of the new owners or general manager Ron Hextall chose to hold on to the Penguins’ core.
But the plan failed miserably. The famous trio made up of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang has nevertheless been up to the task even if it is advancing in age.
Crosby, 35, hit the 90-point mark for the third time in a decade, Malkin, 36, with 83 points, had his best offensive season since 2018 and Letang, 35, was on his way to a production of 50 points over a full season while being one of the most used defensemen in the NHL.
Hextall, however, failed to surround them properly. The guards weren’t up to it. Tristan Jarry isn’t bad, but he’s been re-injured many times, and Casey DeSmith has had an abysmal winter. Jarry will be entitled to full autonomy if he does not sign a new contract by July 1.
Hextall wanted to revamp their defense with two big trades. The arrival of Jeff Petry, 35, did not give the expected effects. Mike Matheson, six years his junior, transformed into the number one defender in the right environment, in his former agent’s organization.
Petry will have two years left on his contract, with an average salary of 6.1 million per season. Three will remain at Matheson, at 4.8 million annually, a boon for what he now brings to the team.
The other much less talked about trade sent right-handed defenseman John Marino to the New Jersey Devils for Ty Smith and a 2023 third-round pick.
Marino, 25, was the Devils’ most-used defenseman after Dougie Hamilton with an average of 21:04. He left offensive production to Hamilton and Severson, but gave New Jersey a strong second pair with Marino and Ryan Graves.
Marino was by far the most heavily shorthanded defender, averaging three minutes per game, almost a minute more than runner-up Graves. The Devils, third overall, finished seventh in the League in this regard.
Ty Smith, 23, a 2018 first-round pick, has played just nine games in Pittsburgh, the rest in the American League, after two full NHL seasons with the Devils. It’s not too late to unblock, but Pittsburgh needed short-term help.
By giving up the reconstruction, a decision that would have required a lot of courage, it must be admitted, Hextall was also forced last summer to retain other veterans. Jeff Carter, 38, was given a two-year, $3.1 million contract. He has struggled to keep pace this year.
Bryan Rust, soon to be 31, signed a six-year contract for 30.7 million after his 58-point season in 60 games. He has produced only 46 in 80 meetings this year.
Kasperi Kapanen received 6.4 million for two years. Fortunately, the St. Louis Blues relieved the Penguins by claiming him on waivers in February.
In a last-ditch attempt to salvage the season, Hextall acquired 31-year-old Mikael Granlund from the Nashville Predators for a 2023 second-round pick days before the trade deadline. Another appalling failure. Granlund has produced just five points, including a goal, in twenty games. He will have two more years of contract at 5 million per season…
It will be too late to rebuild in Pittsburgh with so many aging players under contract for a few more seasons.
Coach Mike Sullivan will likely save his job as he signed a three-year contract extension on August 30. This agreement will come into effect next season and will end in 2027.
Hextall will no doubt be thanked and no one will beg for mercy. The next CEO will inherit a poisoned gift. We will have to hope for another great season from the leading trio, whose members will all be 36 years old and over, to find a top goalkeeper and hope to replenish a tattered defense, with very little room for maneuver in terms of salary.
Good luck.
Connor Bedard’s season has just ended. The Regina Pats were eliminated in seven games against a more seasoned club, the Saskatoon Blades, 29 points more than Regina in the regular season.
After a season of 143 points, including 71 goals, in 57 games, Bedard amassed 20 points, including ten goals, in seven playoff games, a higher points per game average than this winter!
Bedard is eligible for the World Under-18 Championship in May, but he has yet to confirm his attendance. Given his dominance in the World Junior Championship (under 20) over the holidays, with 23 points in 7 games, we dare not imagine the offensive massacre against players under 18.
The Blue Jackets sit last in the overall standings, one point behind the Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks, but have two games left to play, compared to just one for the other two. The worst team in the NHL will have a 25% chance of getting their hands on this gifted man.
1-Guillaume Lefrançois spoke with defender Charles-Alexis Legault, member of the NCAA champion team, Quinnipiac, winner of the power University of Minnesota and Logan Cooley in the final.
2-The Canadian lost another game on Wednesday, but Nick Suzuki scored a beautiful goal, his 25th of the season, a 65th point. Simon-Olivier Lorange’s analysis.
3-Rafaël Harvey-Pinard had five assists on Wednesday night, in a crucial victory for the Laval Rocket in their quest for a playoff spot. Justin Vézina was at Place Bell.
