Sportsnet columnist says Pens will struggle to make playoffs

[cs6687]

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2008/08/ ... he_puck_2/

Mike Toth:

With all the garbage I've been eating this summer, I shouldn't be trusting my gut. But something tells me the Pittsburgh Penguins are headed for a huge fall. The darlings of the NHL last year when they gave Detroit all it could handle in the Cup final, the Pens go into the new season missing some key pieces to the puzzle. Marian Hossa and Ryan Malone are gone and key defenceman Ryan Whitney will miss the first three to five months with a knee problem. To make up for their missing offence, the Penguins are counting on getting some big minutes and big goals out of the mercurial Miroslav Satan, who lit the lamp just 15 times for the Islanders last season. Sure, the Penguins still boast the one-two punch of Crosby and Malkin. However, Tampa Bay finished in the cellar last year despite sending Lecavalier and St. Louis over the boards every night. Prediction? Coach Michel Therrien doesn't last the season and the Penguins shock the NHL by struggling just to make the playoffs.

And if anyone can make sense of this fan comment, please explain:

i dont think that pittsburg is gonna make the playoffs next year they lost all the crosby defenders and crosby and malkin are gonna have injury plaqued seasons cause they dont have any one to protect them, they can protect themselfs.

[Member]

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2008/08/22/toth_pass_the_puck_2/

With all the garbage I've been eating this summer, I shouldn't be trusting my gut. But something tells me the Pittsburgh Penguins are headed for a huge fall. The darlings of the NHL last year when they gave Detroit all it could handle in the Cup final, the Pens go into the new season missing some key pieces to the puzzle. Marian Hossa and Ryan Malone are gone and key defenceman Ryan Whitney will miss the first three to five months with a knee problem. To make up for their missing offence, the Penguins are counting on getting some big minutes and big goals out of the mercurial Miroslav Satan, who lit the lamp just 15 times for the Islanders last season. Sure, the Penguins still boast the one-two punch of Crosby and Malkin. However, Tampa Bay finished in the cellar last year despite sending Lecavalier and St. Louis over the boards every night. Prediction? Coach Michel Therrien doesn't last the season and the Penguins shock the NHL by struggling just to make the playoffs.

And if anyone can make sense of this fan comment, please explain:

i dont think that pittsburg is gonna make the playoffs next year they lost all the crosby defenders and crosby and malkin are gonna have injury plaqued seasons cause they dont have any one to protect them, they can protect themselfs.

0-82

The fan is trying to explain that the Penguins will not have a defensemen on their roster in 2008, it will be a full roster compiled of fowards. Crosby and Malkin aren't going to be effective next year because they're weak and can't defend themselves. They'll also miss most of the season with injuries.

[jmh470]

Ryan Whitney will miss the first three to five months with a knee problem

At least he's well informed.

[vital beach]

Um.. I suppose Marc-Andre Fluery = Johan Holmqvist/Karri Ramo/Mike Smith?

Whitney didn't have much of an impact at all until late in the playoffs. And Crosby, Malkin, etc. will be a year better and hungrier than ever.

[NJ5934]

I think the league right now is so competitive that picking playoff and non-playoff teams before the season starts is alittle silly.

The Pens could very well struggle this season and they could potentially miss the playoffs, but I think it would have more to do with the success of other teams than the Penguins imploding, or whatever the writer was suggesting.

I personally think the team is on the "soff" side. Whether or not that will hurt them this season remains to be seen.

[spi]

That guy is crazy BUT I do worry about this teams toughness and ability to answer the bell when someone takes a run at Sid or Geno.

Malone made the biggest strides in improving his toughness but he was by no means a champ with the fists but he was able to step up and drop the gloves without hesitation. Laraque was a deterant, Roberts and Ruutu were underestimated by other teams.

Hopefully a guy like Stone can make the club because he seems to be able and willing to defend his teamates. Orps may need to step up along with Gill. I am not doom and gloom about it but it is worth noting.

[Three Stars]

Toughness is maybe a minor concern. Malkin could rip someone in half like a wishbone, and Crosby isn't about to back down from anyone. Besides, if the culture of toughness reaches all the way down to Ryan Whitney's flying fists, I'm not worried about the rest of the team.

[Eismann]

Not going too much out on a limb. Several teams who make a long run in the SCP falter the next year. Tuesday follows Monday.

And the knee comment was tremendous. I guess he also thinks that Martin Strbak's going to be a liability for us in net, too.

[André]

Thank you so much.

This is my new favourite quote: "i dont think that pittsburg is gonna make the playoffs next year they lost all the crosby defenders and crosby and malkin are gonna have injury plaqued seasons cause they dont have any one to protect them, they can protect themselfs."

[BfromD]

And if anyone can make sense of this fan comment, please explain:

i dont think that pittsburg is gonna make the playoffs next year they lost all the crosby defenders and crosby and malkin are gonna have injury plaqued seasons cause they dont have any one to protect them, they can protect themselfs.

Crosby and Malkin's failure to go to the dentist for their 6-month cleaning during the offseason will lead to tooth decay?

[MicP]

I do think the Pens have alot of question marks going into this Season, but I still like their chances for the Playoffs. I also don't think Shero is going to sit back and do nothing. He'll pull the "trigger" and make moves if needed.
I don't see any teams in our division that got any better and I don't see any teams in our conference that got much better.

[André]

The Flyers and the Devils could have better seasons. The Rangers should be worse and the Islanders just as crappy as last year though.

[topshelf]

Like I've said before:

- Any mention of Hossa and us getting to the playoffs are asinine. He had nothing to do with us finishing second place in our conference last year. I don't know why people say that his departure will hinder our chances of making the playoffs when his arrival didn't help. It would be more accurate to say that Christensen and Armstrong's departure will hurt our playoff chances, and that's just silly.

- Malone has one decent year playing along side of Malkin and everyone outside of Pittsburgh thinks he's the next Brett Hull. When you really consider that he played with a RED HOT Malkin for the majority of the season, his number don't look that impressive. Both Fedotenko and Satan will fill Malone's vacant spot well.

- We'll be fine without Whitney for a few months. We were fine with out Fleury, Crosby, and a few other guys last year and we can do it again. Besides, this is the defenseman who was place on the fourth line wing near the end of the season for poor play.

[Mongoose87]

Like I've said before:

- We'll be fine without Whitney for a few months. We were fine with out Fleury, Crosby, and a few other guys last year and we can do it again. Besides, this is the defenseman who was place on the fourth line wing near the end of the season for poor play.

I'd like to point out that, arguably, Whitney was more of a hindrance than a help last year, so, we might actually look better without him.

[PenguinHockeyFanatic]

The Flyers and the Devils could have better seasons. The Rangers should be worse and the Islanders just as crappy as last year though.

I think the Flyers are going to struggle to get into the playoffs this season, they nearly missed them last season as well. Their goal-tending is terribly over rated and their defense--even at full health--is still in the lower 3rd in the Eastern conference. A healthy Gagne will give them a great collection of forwards but it's been well documented over the past few seasons how easily they crumble when faced with injuries. Their character is a house of cards and their depth is not good enough.

The Devils will still be very good.

The Islanders would be wise to go into full rebuild mode for this season, their best effort and an injury free season will still not be enough to get them in.

The Rangers are going to be better this season. Their biggest weakness over the past few seasons was their defense, and they have addressed that. Redden was not the best guy available but he is a legitimate top defense men who can log big minutes for them, exactly what they needed. With Jagr gone, the character of guys like Gomez and Drury will take over the leadership and they should have a pretty good collection of forwards to get Lundqvuist some leads. I wont be at all surprised if they end the season in the top 4 in the EC.

The Pens are my favorite to win first in the East.

[PenguinHockeyFanatic]

Like I've said before:

- We'll be fine without Whitney for a few months. We were fine with out Fleury, Crosby, and a few other guys last year and we can do it again. Besides, this is the defenseman who was place on the fourth line wing near the end of the season for poor play.

I'd like to point out that, arguably, Whitney was more of a hindrance than a help last year, so, we might actually look better without him.

I can't wait to read about all of Goligoski's f-ups on this message board.

[Mongoose87]

Like I've said before:

- We'll be fine without Whitney for a few months. We were fine with out Fleury, Crosby, and a few other guys last year and we can do it again. Besides, this is the defenseman who was place on the fourth line wing near the end of the season for poor play.

I'd like to point out that, arguably, Whitney was more of a hindrance than a help last year, so, we might actually look better without him.

I can't wait to read about all of Goligoski's f-ups on this message board.

I was all for Whitney the year before last. He was plain bad last season. I'm not an advocate of trading him, without big, long-term returns. But, he sucked!

[Idoit40fans]

The team going out there this year is far, far better than the team that placed second in the conference last year.

[Ulffy]

Um.. I suppose Marc-Andre Fluery = Johan Holmqvist/Karri Ramo/Mike Smith?

Whitney didn't have much of an impact at all until late in the playoffs. And Crosby, Malkin, etc. will be a year better and hungrier than ever.

Plus... they're YOUNG. I have a feeling a lot of them, Letang and Staal in particular, will step it up.

[DelPen]

I find it hilarious that these people will ignore the fact that this was one of the best teams in the NHL even without Crosby, Hossa, Fluery, Eaton and Roberts in the lineup for a large part of the year.

Whitney was a non facotr much of the year and the hurt Whitney will not be missed but when he comes back he will make an above avergae squad that much better.

And while Hossa is a great player, Satan is just as gifted when it comes to scoring (although the defense sisn;t even close but that's what amde Hossa great) but we need the goals. Are we missing a middle-weitgh fighter to replace Malone? Yes but should we really want our #2 LW getting into fights all the time? Let Ryan Sone go out and fight the Downie's of the NHL after Matt Cooke runs the Simon Gagne's if Sid or Geno get a cheap shot.

The Pens are still the best in the East and they were the best before the got Hossa. Hossa just made them the 2nd best team in the NHL instead of #4.

[pens#1]

i would be more than happy to bet my mortgage that the Pens will make the playoffs easily this season

[meow]

I cannot give a columnist credit when his information is incorrect. Damn Whitney and his injured knee!

[pensfan20]

I think the league right now is so competitive that picking playoff and non-playoff teams before the season starts is alittle silly.

I'll go out on a limb and say the Leafs and Islanders dont make the playoffs... you heard it here first folks..

[Henry Hank]

Last year the Pens were the trendy darkhorse pick before the season. Now that they've experienced success, they're the trendy pick to disappoint. The media is worthless. These people just want to be noticed so they say things like this because it's outside the norm. The talking heads don't get noticed by saying logical things. They get noticed by saying outlandish things that get people fired up. See this thread.

[penny lane]

Recent history shows teams that play in June do have a ruff time getting it going again for the next year. Our penguins are maturing in their hockey worldview; they know regular season is the tuneup for the real season. But, the pens also know what a tremendous advantage it is to be at home to start a series.

The Pens, like Henry Hank said, is the team writers/media like to build up and tear down weekly. Fun to poke at Flower, Sid and Evgeni because they can be that good...but they like somebody showing their weaknesses too.

IF anyone can spit in the face of worn NHL cliches~ it is this group of penguins.