Are the Pittsburgh Penguins for Real This Season? Here's Where Things Stand
Photo credit: Edit from PensBurgh
Are the Penguins going to give teams a run for their money and get close to the playoffs? Despite their hot start, they will likely come back to reality soon.
Who would have thought that Ben Kindel would become a solid NHL center this quickly? More remarkably, he's displaying the qualities of a second-line center, not a rookie.
Harrison Brunicke, on defense, is showing that he'll be a full-time NHL defenseman in no time. Despite this, people question whether he can evolve into an actual top-pairing man.
Like the questions surrounding Brunicke, there are still questions surrounding the Penguins despite their hot start.
As youth building blocks arrive in Pittsburgh sooner than expected, GM Kyle Dubas might feel a push to continue to seek out more youngsters, instead of immediate veteran stopgaps. But upper-level talent still needs to be prioritized.
The Penguins Would Need to Acquire Elite Players in Order to Make the Playoffs This Year, Despite Their Hot Start
Pittsburgh will ultimately need to acquire a true top-center and bring in some elite defensemen at both ends of the puck if they want to make the playoffs, despite how well the team has been doing lately.
If those things happen in a timely fashion, then the rebuild could be done much quicker, and the team will be closer to a playoff spot than a lottery pick.
The forward picture will be up in the air. Filip Hallander has a brief time frame to establish himself in an NHL role before waivers become an option. Kevin Hayes' return to practice might be a domino effect.
He might push Tomasino out, and Tomasino might find his position cut by Rutger McGroarty, once he returns from his injury, with Ville Koivunen hanging in as another recall possibility.
Despite all of this young talent, the team doesn't appear to have what it takes to sustain dominance over an 82-game schedule.
Early victories against the Rangers and Islanders were cool, but those were against teams who just started their season. The true test is now, and for the remaining 79 games.
Across the league, NHL analysts and insiders are not convinced. Nobody's calling for Pittsburgh to make the playoffs, and unfortunately, many still have them as a potential for a lottery pick, although not as bad a team as the Sharks, Sabres, or Blackhawks.
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