USA TODAY International Edition
Penguins could have wings worthy of Crosby, Malkin
Kessel, Plotnikov, Dupuis give team many options
One truth about the Pittsburgh Penguins is that they have never had enough premium wingers to play with their elite centers, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
But there’s a chance that could change this season with the acquisition of Phil Kessel, the signing of Kontinental Hockey League veteran Sergei Plotnikov and the return of Pascal Dupuis from a blood clot.
“Obviously the guys who are still there believe we can win,” Crosby said last week during the NHL/ NHL Players Association media tour in Toronto. “So for ( Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford) to send the message, by adding some guys, showing he believed in the core, I think it means a lot.”
Last season, the Penguins had three centers generate 20 or more goals while only one winger, Patric Hornqvist, managed to net 20.
Kessel, with spellbinding speed and a dynamic scoring touch, seems like a perfect fit for either Crosby or Malkin. He is a gamebreaker.
“Those guys are not easy to find,” Crosby said.
It’s believed Kessel has the potential to be a 50- goal player if he ends up with Crosby, but he could flank Malkin, too. Would he score 50?
“I’ll try,” Malkin said during the media tour. “Sid is the best player in the NHL. … Maybe we will play together on the power play.”
Wingers David Perron, Chris Kunitz, Hornqvist, Kessel and Dupuis have all had NHL seasons in which they scored 25 or more goals. Plotnikov, 25, had 15 goals in 56 games last season playing for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl.
In 2014, he finished third among all scorers ( six goals, six assists in 10 games) to help Russia win a gold medal in the world championships. It would seem as if he has the potential to be a 20goal scorer at the NHL level.
“He’s been in Pittsburgh for a couple of weeks,” Crosby said. “He’s a lot bigger ( 6- 2, 200) than I thought. He’s a big guy who will probably be able to use his body pretty well. His shot is really good. You can tell those things right away: his size and shot.”
This offseason the Penguins also signed center- wing Eric Fehr, who has scored as many as 21 goals in a season, and traded for center- wing Nick Bonino, who has 37 goals over the past two seasons.
The Penguins’ possibilities for wingers for Crosby and Malkin are vast. They could play Crosby with Dupuis and Kessel, and Malkin could center a line with Kunitz and Hornqvist. Bonino and Fehr could play together on the third line with Plotnikov.
Perron is also a scoring- line forward. Beau Bennett, an intriguing player who hasn’t lived up to his potential, is another option. Matt Cullen is a capable fourth- liner. Because of their improved depth up front, the Penguins won’t have to ice a traditional checking line.
Even better news is that Crosby is entering his 11th season without any signs of the concussion issues that plagued him earlier in his career. He has missed seven games over the past two seasons and volunteered to play for Canada in the world championships. He had 11 points in nine games to help Canada win the gold medal.
Crosby, 28, said of playing for his country, “( It) doesn’t ever get old. You still remember the first time you put on the jersey and what it means to you.”
The gold medal helped ease the sting of being eliminated in the first round of the NHL playoffs by the New York Rangers in five games.
“I was able to end the season on a positive ( note),” Crosby said.