Could the Misfit Penguins Be a Match Made in Hockey Heaven?
I was preparing to scrape together a quickie summary of the Penguins uber-impressive 5-1 drubbing of the Red Wings last night in the Motor City when an overarching thought occurred to me.
Almost against the odds and with little fanfare, has Pens GM/POHO Kyle Dubas assembled the makings of a hungry team? One that has something to prove?
Based on the results of the last two preseason games?
The answer would appear to be yes.
Missing the playoffs two years running obviously didn’t sit well with franchise pillars Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. No doubt the three-time Cup champs are jonesing to make it back.
Then there are the players Dubas brought in. Anthony Beauvillier, Cody Glass, Matt Grzelcyk, Kevin Hayes, Blake Lizotte and to a lesser degree, Sebastian Aho, are all coming off down years. All have something to prove. To say nothing of players like Jesse Puljujärvi, Valtteri Puustinen and eternal prospect Sam Poulin, who are battling tooth and nail to earn spots.