Time to see who made the grade and who did not
A couple of days ago, I sat down with my notepad and red pen and scribbled down preliminary player grades for my report card for the Penguins season.
I walked away from my workspace for a few minutes. Upon returning, I saw that my 3-year-old had snatched my pen and used it to draw a gigantic E on my report card. Was she practicing the spelling of her name? Or was she still fuming after the loss to the Montreal Canadiens, the latest playoff letdown?
These playoffs were obviously important when analyzing performance. But there is a danger in overreacting to a four-game sample while attempting to assess how the long, strange 2019-20 season went for each particular Penguins player.
At least that was the thinking when I sat down this week to hand out grades to the 27 players who suited up in at least eight games for the Penguins in this lost season. That four-game final exam, which the team bombed, factored into overall marks for the season. But it shouldn’t completely tank a player’s grade, Evelyn.
Also, please note each player grade is relative to expectations. We shouldn’t grade Sidney Crosby on the same curve as Sam Lafferty or Kris Letang on the same one as John Marino. Keep that in mind as you turn inside to check out their final grades.
Forwards
Anthony Angello • C/RW Regular season grade ...................... C– 2019-20 overall grade ..................... C– Analysis: Rookie scored once in eight games, playing sparingly when in the lineup. Did not suit up in the playoffs. At 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds, he must play with more physicality and better process the game mentally to become a regular.
Zach Aston-Reese • LW Regular season grade ........................ B 2019-20 overall grade ....................... C Analysis: Embraced his role as a checking-line grinder and had his best NHL season before getting hurt again. Back for the playoffs, ZAR surprisingly showed little energy, took a bad penalty and cost the Penguins with blown assignments. Still a good bottom-six player in there somewhere, but running out of chances.
Nick Bjugstad • C Regular season grade ..................... INC 2019-20 overall grade .................... INC Analysis: He had more surgeries (two) than goals (one), making it difficult to fairly evaluate his season, especially since he may never have been healthy.
Teddy Blueger • C Regular season grade ........................ B 2019-20 overall grade ....................... B Analysis: Made strides throughout his first full season and centered one of the NHL’s peskiest checking lines. Needs to improve at faceoffs. One of two to play every game. Nine goals and 22 points in 69 games aren’t bad but probably needs to show more pop offensively to be the third-line center in 2020-21.
Sidney Crosby • C Regular season grade ........................ B 2019-20 overall grade ..................... C+ Analysis: Sidelined three months due to injury. Had 11 goals and 30 points in 24 games upon returning. But his overall play dipped compared to 2018-19, when he was the Hart Trophy runner-up. His minus-8 rating was by far the worst of his career. Scored two big goals in the playoffs but couldn’t carry the club.
Jake Guentzel • LW Regular season grade ........................ A 2019-20 overall grade ....................... A Analysis: Guentzel had 20 goals and 43 points when he crashed into the boards in December. Expected to miss the rest of the season following shoulder surgery, he got a second chance due to the pandemic. Yeah, he squandered chances against the Canadiens. But given he probably wasn’t 100%, we’ll give him a pass.
Patric Hornqvist • RW Regular season grade ........................ B 2019-20 overall grade ....................... B Analysis: Bounced back after a tough 2018-19 season to produce 17 goals and 32 points in 52 games, despite often playing in the bottom-six. We won’t dock him for his quiet postseason. He can’t control how the coaches deploy him.
Sam Lafferty • C/RW Regular season grade ...................... C+ 2019-20 overall grade ....................... C Analysis: Rookie was in over his head in his only playoff appearance. But during the regular season, the Hollidaysburg native did some good things, finishing with 13 points in 50 games. With plus size and speed, Lafferty has a chance to become a bottom-six regular, assuming he has not already reached his ceiling.
Evgeni Malkin • C Regular season grade ....................... A– 2019-20 overall grade ....................... B Analysis: He was the team MVP in the regular season, playing with more passion than he did a season ago. Based on points per game, Geno was one of the NHL’s top offensive players. However, he disappointed again in the playoffs, failing to tally a single point at 5-on-5. His overall grade takes a big dip as a result.
Patrick Marleau • LW Regular season grade ........................ C 2019-20 overall grade ....................... D Analysis: Veteran brought very little on the ice during his brief stint here. Deadline add did not record a playoff point and was a minus-4 on disastrous third line.
Jared McCann • C/LW Regular season grade ...................... B– 2019-20 overall grade ..................... C– Analysis: Tale of two seasons here. Had 14 goals in first 44 games then none in final 25, including playoffs. Made a healthy scratch for Game 3 of the Canadiens series. Penguins say they like him at center. But with his speed and one of the top wristers on the team, the restricted free agent is better off on the wing.
Evan Rodrigues • C/RW Regular season grade ...................... C+ 2019-20 overall grade ..................... C+ Analysis: Showed some promise after coming over from Buffalo but was not given an opportunity in the playoffs. Restricted free agent deserves a longer look.
Bryan Rust • RW Regular season grade ........................ A 2019-20 overall grade ....................... A Analysis: The subject of trade speculation
CONTINUED FROM PAGE B-1 this time a year ago, Rust had a career year. Led the Penguins with 27 goals, nine on the power play, while displaying so much more poise with the puck. Remained a valuable penalty-killer, too.
Conor Sheary • RW Regular season grade ........................ C 2019-20 overall grade .................... D+ Analysis: Deadline acquisition gave hope that he could be a top-line solution with four points in eight regular-season games. But he couldn’t finish in the playoffs, failed to make an impact with his wheels and brought little else. An unrestricted free agent, Sheary won’t be back unless he accepts a bargainbin deal.
Dominik Simon • LW/RW Regular season grade ...................... C– 2019-20 overall grade ..................... C– Analysis: Had 22 points in 64 games while getting lots of time on one of the top two lines. Was a minus-9, though, before missing the playoffs due to injury. Team tried him at center for a few games, but that experiment was unsuccessful. Simon is another restricted free agent. Curious to see if they keep him around.
Brandon Tanev • RW Regular season grade ....................... A– 2019-20 overall grade ..................... B+ Analysis: Long-term signing was ripped by some but was worth the money in Year 1. Not only was he a bottom-six spark plug and a good penalty killer, he scored a few clutch goals during the regular season. Was a mild disappointment in the playoffs. Not as noticeable and had awful turnover on series-winning goal.
Jason Zucker • LW Regular season grade ........................ B 2019-20 overall grade ....................... B Analysis: Had eight goals and six assists in 19 games, including playoffs, after big trade in early February. Probably wasn’t completely comfortable in stopand-start first few months in town, but his speed and competitiveness impressed.
Defensemen
Brian Dumoulin • LD Regular season grade ....................... B 2019-20 overall grade ....................... B Analysis: Was arguably the team’s best all-around blue liner when he went down in late November. Sidelined three months and looked a little rusty upon returning. Rough Game 1 in Canadiens series but stabilized and was fine in final three.
Jack Johnson • LD Regular season grade ........................ D 2019-20 overall grade ........................ F Analysis: Weakest link along the Pittsburgh blue line but was not as problematic, at least during the regular season, when appropriately played on the third pairing. Penguins like him as a penalty killer, but he really hurt them at 5-on-5 during the Canadiens series. Dumping his $3.25 million salary will be challenging.
Kris Letang • RD Regular season grade ....................... B 2019-20 overall grade .................... B– Analysis: Letang, with 44 points, was again an All-Star, though his selection came after Guentzel went down. Malkin and Rust were arguably more deserving. Still, a solid season, especially when you consider partner Dumoulin missed a big chunk of it. Quiet playoffs for Letang, both in a good way and a bad way.
John Marino • RD Regular season grade ..................... A+ 2019-20 overall grade .................... A+ Analysis: Acquired from Edmonton last summer for only a sixth-round pick, rookie surprisingly made the team out of camp, bumped veterans out of the lineup then climbed into the second pairing. Has good size, skating and puck skills but above all else is strikingly poised. Team now sees him as a future top-pair guy.
Marcus Pettersson • LD Regular season grade ....................... B 2019-20 overall grade ...................... B Analysis: Counted on to play a top-four role. Had ups and downs but in totality it was a solid second season in Pittsburgh for the 24-year-old. Skated in every game and quietly had 22 points and a plus-9 rating. Not a problem in the playoffs.
Juuso Riikola • LD Regular season grade ....................... C 2019-20 overall grade ...................... C Analysis: Clearly not trusted by the coaching staff. Was prone to major mental lapses but advanced statistics paint a positive picture of his 5-on-5 impact. Got in 36 games, including a few at forward, while the team battled injuries. Hardly played down the stretch and was a healthy scratch during the playoffs.
Chad Ruhwedel • RD Regular season grade ..................... B– 2019-20 overall grade .................... B– Analysis: Entered the season as their eighth or ninth defensemen but ended up skating in 41 games. Played pretty well, too, with six points and a plus-4 rating. Should have gotten a chance in Canadiens series but was a healthy scratch.
Justin Schultz • RD Regular season grade ....................... D 2019-20 overall grade ...................... F Analysis: Caliber of play has plummeted since he got votes for the Norris Trophy in 2017 while helping Penguins win the Stanley Cup. Injuries the past two seasons were certainly a factor as skating, puck skills, confidence all deteriorated. After a pathetic playoff performance, past Cup hero is unlikely to be resigned.
Goaltenders
Tristan Jarry • G Regular season grade .................... B+ 2019-20 overall grade ................... B+ Analysis: One of the stories of the season for the Penguins, Jarry broke through in his fifth year as a pro. First-time AllStar, NHL’s hottest goalie in December and set a team record for longest shutout streak. But the 25-year-old cooled off in 2020, going 7-7-1 with a .901 save percentage in last 15 regularseason starts.
Matt Murray • G Regular season grade ....................... D 2019-20 overall grade ...................... D Analysis: Another inconsistent regular season. That’s three in a row. Lost his job to Jarry in December and didn’t exactly seize it back, though he did perform better in the season’s second half. Playoffs were a microcosm of his season — one good start, one bad and one decent. Restricted free agent could be a goner.