Will the Penguins Finish Ahead of the Rangers?
Among the questions clattering around in the back of my mind regarding the coming NHL season? How will the New York Rangers fare under Mike Sullivan? Which leads to a second question. Namely, will our Penguins finish ahead of the Blueshirts?
Of course, there are a ton of variables that come into play. The Pens’ outlook could be altered dramatically if POHO/GM Kyle Dubas trades one or more of three key veterans rumored to be on the block, Erik Karlsson, Rickard Rakell and/or Bryan Rust.
For the sake of making a prediction, we’ll go with what we got.
As presently constructed, the Pens are an intriguing bunch. Potentially, we could have three decent scoring lines, supported by a gritty, defensive-minded fourth line, with plenty of depth options if needed.
The obvious question marks lie on the far side of the blue line. Especially given Karlsson’s sporadic (nomadic?) d-zone play, Kris Letang’s decline and starter Tristan Jarry’s erratic puck-stopping.
However, there are some wildcards. Maybe one (or both) of Parker Wotherspoon and Alexander Alexeyev turns out to be a pleasant surprise.