Questions before 2009-10 Part 1: The level of Great Expectations

by Hooks Orpik on Sep 7, 2009 9:30 AM EDT in News

Even though we're still celebrating the Stanley Cup that we seemingly won just the other day, training camps are almost back in session and everyone's chomping at the bit to get some hockey action. So every day this week, we'll look at a question that should worry us. Hey, the Pens might have won the Cup, but it's our job as fans to worry, right?

#1 How will that "Hangover" word and all the games played affect the Pens?

As noted, the Penguins have compiled a crapload of games over the past two seasons. Two straight Stanley Cup Final bids will do that. Will all the miles on the boys add up and catch up to them this year? When you're on the top of the mountain, there's only one way to go.

The 14 other teams in the Eastern Conference will have Pittsburgh again in their targets. They're the champions and the two time EC champs. Quite simply, Pittsburgh will be the measuring stick by which every other team gives their maximum effort to see where they compare when the champs come in to town.

Which brings me to the question of the day: what would you consider a successful season for the 2009-10 Pittsburgh Penguins? Obviously with all the achievements in the past the team has championship potential. But can they fall short and we still be satisfied? I don't think it has to be Stanley Cup or bust -- the core of this team is young and under contract for years to come. Everyone wants another Cup, but we all know it takes a magical mix of luck, skill and health that doesn't happen every year.

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Not only do we have to worry about every team vying for Pittsburgh’s title this year but we also have to stand patiently by and listen to how many other teams are modeling themselves after the Penguins. It’s flattering when you hear your used as the epitome of success. Especially when you think back on a season like 05/06 and the whopping 58 points.

It’s just funny to think the team’s worst points effort since then was this past season when they won the Cup.

58pts in 05/06
105 pts in 06/07 (first round elimination to Senators)
102 pts in 07/08 (Loss in Finals to Wings)
99 pts in 08/09 (Cup)

I’m not saying they can afford to go out there and “take it easy” in terms of trying to either recover from a hangover or pace themselves for a repeat, but this past season is also a clear indicator that getting hot at the right time is more beneficial than staying consistent all season long. cough Sharks cough

Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.

by FrankD on Sep 7, 2009 3:33 PM EDT reply actions

conference finals

to me id be ok with getting to the conference finals and if we fall short of the cup im ok with that. we have the core to be good for a long long time and i hope that we can get another cup this year.

by guns dont kill people pittsburgh does on Sep 7, 2009 9:59 PM EDT reply actions

I agree, this is a team that ought to have a good chance at making a deep run every year….Sure you have to have the luck (like limited injuries) and get some good bounces along the way.

With talents among the likes of Crosby, Malkin, Staal and Fleury locked in with contracts for at least the next 4 seasons, and all still growing exponentially year after year, there’s always that fighting chance once they get there. Like this past year when they were out of the playoffs in February and skate the Cup in June.

Once you get a head of steam and get in the playoffs anything can happen. If a couple bounces didn’t work out and maybe the Flyers would have won Round 1. If Ovechkin scores on the early breakaway, maybe the Caps don’t lay an egg in Game 7 and ride that goal into the Conference finals…And on and on and on.

The bar is set really high for Pittsburgh after these past two playoff runs. At the end of the season only a handful of teams end up winning multiple playoff series. If you do that, you’ve had a good year, but if you’re trying to be great we all know there’s only one satisfactory result.

Pensburgh.com -- it's like the Max Talbot of blogs*

*not just because we only work for 12 minutes a night

by Hooks Orpik on Sep 7, 2009 10:17 PM EDT up reply actions

I respectfully disagree

Only another championship will do if I were to deem the upcoming season a success. That doesn’t mean that anything less is a dismal failure that should result in heads rolling.

This team is built to win now with a young core under contract for the next 4 to 5 years. Well then what? Does any Penguin fan TRULY believe that Sid, Geno, and Stall will play their entire career’s together?

Sid is a lock to stay, but Geno will either leave for more money or to have “his own team”. Geno maybe a better player than Crosby but that perception and the money that follows will not happen in Pittsburgh. Or, if Geno stays there is no heavenly way the Pens can afford to keep Stall who, sorry to say this because I LOVE his game, is not worth 4.5 million a year, like Scuds is not worth the nearly 4 million a year he is getting form LA.

Let us also not forget that the Pens have some big time free agents coming up. They are not deemed “core players” but that doesn’t mean they are worthless or easy to replace. Some names worth noting, Guerrin, Fedetanko, Letang, and some guy named Gonchar. All of those guys aren’t staying beyond this year. Letang has the best shot but the others are getting older and are expensive.

I see a Cup run again this year, followed by a couple of leaner years followed by a final year of Crosby, Malkin, and Stall together before some hard choices have to be made.

Life is about one simple choice, get busy living or get busy dying

by Dr Tre on Sep 8, 2009 10:45 AM EDT reply actions

Crosby, Malkin, and Stall together before some hard choices have to be made.

I really see that panning out along the lines of the Messier, Gretzky, Coffey breakup in Edmonton. I know the Pens are constantly compared to that Edmonton squad, but given the salary cap and how much a guy like Staal will be valued when he’s 25/26 it will really be difficult to hold onto the three of them.

Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.

by FrankD on Sep 8, 2009 2:14 PM EDT up reply actions

i think winning our division, and be seed 1 or 2 in the east is something that i expect, and would deem that a very successful season. I think regular season goals and post season goals are very different. becasue like said before its about getting hot in the playoffs. Now saying that i would also expect the pens to get to the conference championships. If they win their division, get either the 1 or 2 seed and get to the conference championships, i would be happy with their season. This is not saying that thats what i hope happens or that i would be TOTALLY satisfied with, but i think those are reasonable goals for a team with this much talent. anything less then that and i would be disappointed. But us pittsburgh fans have been very fortunate this past year, and it is very tough to win the cup back to back, but out of the past cup champions in the past, i think this team has one of the best chances of repeating.

by PensRock1 on Sep 8, 2009 11:14 AM EDT reply actions

Cup or Bust!

I agree with the above that not winning the Cup, does not equal failure. Obviously it is a very difficult task to accomplish with about a dozen teams with a realistic shot to go on a run and win it all. Add to the obvious fact that you’ve got to get some luck and stay relatively injury free. There are a bunch of great teams that didn’t win the Cup in fact the all-time best Pens team (1993) didn’t get it done. :( Having said all that, not winning it all would be a disappointment in today’s salary cap age you have to snag them when you can get them, the Pens should be better than last season just based on progression from their players, no guarantee of that. Get ’em when you can! You never know what the landscape will look like in a couple years…GO PENS!

by Dutch71 on Sep 8, 2009 1:40 PM EDT reply actions