#3: Pittsburgh Penguins
Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
The Pittsburgh Penguins are coming off a disappointing year. They had Stanley Cup aspirations, but thanks to injuries, they were knocked out of the first round of the playoffs by the New York Rangers. What did the Penguins do? Pretty much what the Washington Capitals did, except they pretty much mortgaged their future to do it. They traded for Toronto Maple Leafs forward Phil Kessel. That gives the Penguins arguably the best top two forward lines in the NHL. They have Chris Kunitz, Patric Hornqvist, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kessel and David Perron. To me, that sounds like death. Good luck stopping those first two forward lines.
The Penguins are a very talented team. However, they have an issue. They currently have 16 players under contract (I’ll include one of their cheap backup goalies). That’s at least four more players, more likely five or six. They will have less than $6,000,000 to get those players.
They also have Kris Letang, who can single handedly carry their defense. If Olli Maata is healthy, he is very good on the blue line, as is Ian Cole. Derrick Pouliot is very good as well. That’s a cheap top two defensive pairings that could be pretty darn good. However, it all falls apart if Letang, who has a history of concussions, can’t stay healthy.
Next: #2: Washington Capitals