The Pittsburgh Penguins Challenges Heading into a Rebuild
Following the 4 Nations break in the NHL season, the Penguins returned to the ice in a back-to-back weekend facing off against the Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers. Pittsburgh would lose both games by scores of 8-3 and 5-3. There are several key issues facing the Penguins organization right now including their aging core. The issue at the forefront right now is goaltending.
Pittsburgh signed goalie Tristan Jarry to a five-year deal last offseason and he has not been good enough. Jarry has spent the majority of this season with the minor league team the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins. Jarry has a .884 save percentage and a 3.31 goals-against average putting him near the bottom of NHL goalies. Alex Nedeljkovic, Pittsburgh’s backup hasn’t been great either with only slightly better stats than Jarry. Nedeljkovic has a .895 save percentage and a 3.06 goals-against average also putting him at the bottom in the NHL. Joel Blomqvist has been brought up to serve as Nedeljkovic’s backup while Jarry is in Wilkes-Barre. Blomqvist in his rookie season has also been struggling in the NHL with nearly the same stats as Nedeljkovic.
The Penguins organization is hoping that Blomqvist will be the long-term solution as he was an AHL all-star last season. Goaltending is at the forefront of issues for the Penguins. Next would be defensive play, along with the goaltending being rough, the defensemen aren’t doing much to help their goalies out. Erik Karlsson has been targeted a lot by Penguins fans as his play has not transitioned to Pittsburgh. After winning the Norris Trophy with the San Jose Sharks, Karlsson was brought to Pittsburgh to try and help the Penguins win another Stanley Cup before the core retires. Karlsson has just 40 points this year and only 56 the year prior. In his last season with San Jose, Karlsson had 101 points. The defense has not been joining in to help the offense and is often giving up multiple odd-man rushes each game.
The offense hasn’t been great recently for the Penguins however, their powerplay has been one bright spot for them this season. Sidney Crosby continues to be an elite player and often has to carry the team to victory. Offensive players such as Rickard Rakell are having career-best seasons however, the team struggles to get a win. With the trade deadline less than two weeks away, Pittsburgh will most likely sell players to gain draft picks and younger talent.
