SAN JOSE, Calif. —Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang lingered in his small visitor’s locker stall Saturday night following the Penguins’ 3-0 shutout win over the San Jose Sharks.
He was available to the media, though not anxious to talk. He earned an assist Saturday when Sidney Crosby did one of those Sidney Crosby things to reach past a defenseman and deflect the shot despite being moved away from the net by said D-man.
That was the high point of Letang’s game, which was otherwise marked by several turnovers and a couple of Sharks racing past him for uncontested scoring chances.
The Penguins are 4-2-0 which puts them ahead of most other Eastern Conference teams, including the increasingly decimated Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators.
There are plenty of aspects of the game that bode well for now and the future. Ben Kindel, Harrison Brunicke, and even Justin Brazeau have been positive surprises, ranging from pleasant to shocking.
However, for the green flags, there have been early red flags that not only deserve recognition but could soon deserve effort and fixes, too.
Early Penguins Red Flags1. Unhappy Veterans
Last Sunday, Matt Dumba expressed some disappointment and essentially questioned the decision to keep him in the press box when he spoke to other media outlets.
Dumba is not the only veteran in the press box, and the lineup will soon have another veteran returning (Kevin Hayes), and eventually, rookie Rutger McGroarty will return to presumably shove another veteran not only out of the lineup but off the roster.
As Sidney Crosby noted to PHN Friday in Los Angeles, “It’s never easy when guys are in and out of the lineup. At the end of the day, this is everyone’s livelihood too, you know.”
Dumba was correct. He put in the work and showed well in preseason and training camp practices and would ordinarily deserve playing time based on those performances, as well as a lengthy career in the NHL. For that matter, so, too, did Connor Clifton. However, there’s only one available right-handed spot on the Penguins’ blue line, and Brunicke is quite obviously part of the Penguins’ future.
And that future has begun.
The problem is not that Dumba, Clifton, or Hayes have been or will be in the press box; the problem will be the residual frustrations and keeping those emotions from spilling over into the team.
It will be a challenge for coach Dan Muse, general manager Kyle Dubas, and the veterans themselves.
2. Lack of Power Plays
A lack of power plays is technically on the referees who called a few laissez-faire-type games on the West Coast. However, the greater reason that the Penguins are not spending more time on the man advantage is that they’re not yet swarming opponents.
The Penguins are getting a lot of rush chances, and they’re getting drive-by chances as second chances or subsequent offense, but they’re not pressuring opponents into taking penalties.
The Penguins need to be more aggressive and play more between the dots in the offensive zone.
3. Kris Letang
Unfortunately for the Penguins and the player, defenseman Kris Letang looks similar to the player who struggled down the stretch last season before ultimately deciding to have heart surgery.
Letang has not started well at all. His turnover rate has not been reflected on the score sheets, but
There were a couple of sequences Saturday in which Letang was chasing the game more than a top-pairing defenseman should.
In the first period sequence in the video below, a blind backhand pass by Letang was stolen by William Eklund to begin San Jose’s three-on-two.
Letang compounded one mistake with a couple more as he played a very soft gap against Eklund, then allowed Eklund to shoot past him for the rebound chance.
However, there was more, and it has been too common for Letang this season. Not only did Eklund get by Letang a second time later in the first period on a three-on-two as Letang mistakenly took the outside lane and Eklund bolted through the inside for a high-danger chance, but Jeff Skinner got behind him in the second period, too.
Letang’s injury and health issues are not a secret, but he’s also 38 years old. He has played a lot of minutes for a lot of years. It is far too premature to simply cite Letang’s age as the culprit for the substandard play at the beginning of the season. His injury last week probably did no favors, either.
However, Muse has continued to play Letang nearly 22 minutes per game. Thus far, Letang is a plus-3 with one assist. The advanced stats look just fine, but it’s the play on the ice that doesn’t.
Counting this season, Letang has three years left on his six-year contract with an increasingly affordable $6.1 million deal.
It’s not a conclusion, but it is the biggest red flag of the young season.
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