Midseason Grades: Penguins At The Halfway Point

After Wednesday's 8-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Pittsburgh Penguins reached the halfway point of their season.

For them, 41 games in the books added up to an impressive 26-12-3 record that was good for 55 points, first in the Atlantic Division and first overall in the Eastern Conference.

While it's hard to consider the Penguins as anything other than one of the elite clubs in the National Hockey League right now, their team performance has been a bit streaky during the season's first half. 

After about 15 games, they were playing .500 hockey.  They followed that up by going on a 12-game winning streak.  Since then, they've eased off the pedal and again are at a .500 clip in the last 12 or so contests.

Still, through the season's first half, they are one of the 3 best defensive clubs in the game, and also score per contest in the top 7.   That's a strong combination.

So now that we know how the team grades out, what about individual player grades?

Similar to what I've been doing for the last several years at the mid-point of the season, you'll find below my individual player grades for this year's group of Pittsbugh Penguins.

The list will not include a grade for players who have only been with the club for a handful of contests -- like Dustin Jeffrey, for example -- or guys who have been on the shelf most of the season (Jordan Staal, that means you).

It will, however, give a grade for those who have been around most of the year so far, and will do so based on actual performance when compared to expected performance going into the season.

The list will be in order from those who are at the top of the class, to those that have a lot of work to do.

So, without further adieu, let's lead off with our Valedectorian, shall we?

SIDNEY CROSBY - A+ : I can't say anything about Sid that hasn't already been said.  He's played the best hockey of his career this year in what former linemate Bill Guerin has called "an assault on the league".  Even owner Mario Lemieux couldn't stop gushing over him in advance of the Winter Classic: "For him to go out there and do the things he does every night, every shift, its incredible.  What's he's doing now is much more impressive than what I did years ago."  Those are compliments that a 25-game scoring streak -- the longest in the NHL in 18 seasons -- and an average of two points per game during the stretch will get you.

KRIS LETANG - A :  Like Crosby, Letang is having a career year.  Fresh from the constraints of having Sergei Gonchar be the top dog on the blueline, Letang has blossomed and fully realized his potential this season.  With 36 points in 41 games and a +21 rating, Tanger has been one of the best blueliners in the game in the season's first half.  His selection to the All-Star team as a WRITE-IN candidate and talk about him being a Norris Trophy contender says everything about how well he's played.

MARC-ANDRE FLEURY - A :  I must admit, there was a point earlier this season when I was really starting to be concerned about Fleury, but to be honest, I and everyone else had fair reason to be.  To be sure, however, after a 1-6 record and personal numbers that would embarass even a backup goaltender, Fleury has bounced back to post some of the best statistics of his career.  At the halfway point, he was 18-9-1 with a GAA hovering around 2.25 and a save %-age around .920.  He also had a stretch where he didn't allow more than 2 goals for 10 straight games.  The Penguins will need him to be at that level down the stretch this season -- and, more importantly -- in the post-season.

BRENT JOHNSON - A- :  While we're talking about goaltending, it's time Johnson got his props.  He saved the Penguins' bacon and kept them competitive early in the season while Fleury was trying to get his act together and, even after coming back down to earth the last 3 or 4 outings, still posts strong numbers with an 8-3-2 record, a 2.04 GAA, and a .927 save %-age.  The key for Johnson is keeping things simple and using his big frame to take up the net.  When he's in the zone, he's doing that.

CHRIS KUNITZ - B+ :  Kunitz is probably playing his best hockey as a Pittsburgh Penguin this season.  He's stayed relatively healthy and is on pace for just under 30 goals.  Meanwhile, he's continuing to do what he always does, which is bang bodies on the forecheck, go to the front of the net, and create space for that #87 guy on his line.  If Kunitz continues to do all of that in the 2nd half of the year and playoffs, he will finally start justifying his 3.75 million annual salary.

BROOKS ORPIK - B+ :  I'm not sure I've ever given Orpik a grade below a "B", and that's a testament to how good he is at what he does.  He's one of the best hitters in the game on the blueline, and offers a needed edge to the Penguins' that most other members of that rearguard corps don't offer.  On top of that, he skates better than most defenseman in the game, and is fast developing into one of the league's better leaders.   The Penguins have gotten all of that -- and more -- from #44 this season so far.

ALEX GOLIGOSKI - B+ :  GoGo flies under the radar locally and nationally because he plays on the Pens' third blueline pairing and has a boatload of talented and pricey two-way defensemen in front of him, but his performance this season shouldn't go overlooked.  His plus/minus is on par with Letang's as one of the top figures in the game, and he has 7 goals and 23 points at the mid-point.  More importantly, he's added a good deal of consistency to his play this year, which has been missing in the past.  He'll need to keep that up because the organ-I-zation has a boatload of top prospects on the blueline trying to push him out the door.

MATT COOKE - B+ :  Cooke was one of the few veterans who Pens' GM Ray Shero was willing to give a 3-year contract to, and Cooke has repaid him kindly by showing that his excellent performance last year can be duplicated.  Cooke is on pace for near 20 goals and 40 points again, all the while displaying the typical grittiness night in and night out that personifies his game.  He's well-respected in the locker-room, too.

CHRIS CONNER - B :  When Conner got called up to the Penguins in November, the team went on a tear.  While it's going too far to suggest he was a big reason why, it also would be folly to overlook his contribution to the third line during that period.  For an undersized guy, he's acquitted himself well, scoring about 10 points in just over 25 games.  He's got fair hands, great speed, and works well on the forecheck, and those are the reasons why he's had so much success this year thusfar.  It will be interesting to see what role he maintains with the club in the season's second half.

DERYK ENGELLAND - B:  Engelland rise through the Penguins' system over the years has been relatively nondescript.  This year, however, he took a big leap -- both figuratively and literally over teammate Ben Lovejoy -- to get most of the games as the team's 6th defenseman on the blueline.  In doing so, he's shown himself to be one of the league's toughest fighters, scoring KO's over respected heavyweights Colton Orr and Jody Shelly.  More importantly, he's demonstrated that he can play a steady, defensive game and not be overwhelmed in his own zone.

PASCAL DUPUIS - B- :  Duper has played pretty much the way everyone expected him to this season, which is to say, chip in 15-20 goals (which is the pace he's on), use his speed, and be solid defensively.  In my opinion, though, Pascal has been even better than he typically is in his own zone and on the backcheck, which is why I've given him a bit of a higher grade.  He's an important piece to Pittsburgh's puzzle.

PAUL MARTIN - B- :  Martin started off the season like gangbusters, with 7 points in his first 7 games, before tailing off and adding only 11 more in the next 34 contests.  Still, he's a steady, reliable, two-way defender on Pittsburgh's second pair.  While the first half of his first term in a 5-year deal with the Penguins should be considered a success so far, he can give the Pens more in the 2nd half.

TYLER KENNEDY - B- :  Going into training camp this year, Kennedy -- despite his history with the team -- was on the bubble and being pushed for a roster spot by guys like Dustin Jeffrey and Eric Tangradi after a subpar 2009/2010 season.  Well, TK has bounced back as a reliable contributor who has chipped in enough offensively to be on a pace for near 40 points.  There are still parts of his game to work on, but he seems to solidified himself as a regular again after an above-average first half of the season.

MARK LETESTU - B- :  After building on a strong pre-season, center Mark Letestu was another guy that started off the year like gangbusters, and in doing so, made the Penguins  look like they had unearthed a potential offensive impact player out of nowhere.  After a hot start, however, Letestu has settled into giving the team more of what the Penguins reasonably expected from him after being in their system for several years -- strong and smart 2-way play with occasional offensive upside.  I'm still very intrigued by what Letestu could do with a permanent gig in the top 6, but Pittsburgh is probably better off relying on him to make them a deeper team on the third line.

ZYBNEK MICHALEK - C+ :  The big "Z" had a rough start to his first year as a Penguin after being forced to sit out almost 10 games with a shoulder injury.  Since that time, he's combined with Paul Martin to stabilize Pittsburgh's 2nd pairing and, with his ability to suck up shots like a Hoover vacuum cleaner, is a huge reason why the team's penalty killing outfit is one of the best in the game.  Still, Michalek can improve his play at even strength in the 2nd half, and needs to if he wants to end the year without the current 'minus' rating he has.  I'm anxious to see -- and value -- him after the post-season.

EVGENI MALKIN - C+ : After winning the Conn Smythe Trophy and Art Ross Trophy as playoff MVP and regular season scoring leader, respectively, following the 2008/2009 seaosn, Malkin had a down year last season.  I and many others thought that was an aberration, but surprisingly, Malkin's struggles have continued this year.  Geno has battled a little bit of a knee injury in the season's first half, but still has performed below expectations as a guy not even putting up a point per game this.  Malkin has incredible talent -- some of the best in the game -- and the Penguins need him on all cylinders if they are going to do any damage in the post-season this year.  If he continues to struggle the rest of the year, there's going to be more and more talk about trading him because of his $8.7 million dollar salary.

CRAIG ADAMS - C+ : For a 4th liner, it's hard to get Adams out of the lineup.  That's probably because he's physical, smart and kills penalties so well.  Adams just needs to keep doing what he's doing.  Not only will that keep the coaching staff happy, it will keep me happy.  And we know how important that is.

MAX TALBOT - C  : It's going to be an interesting remainder of the season for the Penguins' biggest character and most important locker room presence, Max Talbot.  After injuries cut short his season last year just months removed from scoring both Pittsburgh goals in game 7 of the 2008/2009 Stanley Cup Final, Talbot has bounced back to retain a regular place in the lineup this year and be mostly injury-free.  Still, with only 11 points in the season's first half, Talbot is capable of more.  The playoffs will probably tell this season's tale for him.

BEN LOVEJOY - C : Lovejoy went into the year expected to lock down the team's 6th spot on the blueline, then went out and lost the job to teammate Deryk Engelland.  When he did get in the lineup during the team's first 30 games, he was average.  Lately, he's played better, though, and is getting into the lineup more.  The key for Lovejoy is to play within his limitations and not do too much.

MIKE RUPP - C- :  Rupper adds so much to the team in the physical department that it's hard to grade him here.  He's continued to be strong in the corners, on the wall and on the forecheck, so I have no problems with him in those areas.  But where Rupp is capable of more is on the scoresheet.  He has better hands than most people think, as his double-digit goal totals last year prove.  While even I admit that Rupp probably overachieved in that department last season, I think he's underachieving in that area through the first half. 

ERIC GODARD - C- : Godard still does what he does when he is in the lineup, which is stir up the opposition and drop the mits.  The emergence of Deryk Engelland, however, has led to Godard getting only 13 games this year so far.  This is the final year of Godard's contract, so if he isn't moved at the trade deadline, I would expect that he'll have to find a new place of employment next season.

HILARY DUFF'S HUSBAND (A.K.A. MIKE COMRIE) - D : Comrie may have had the best training camp of anyone on the team.  He was slick offensively and looked like he'd become the best free-agent bargain in the NHL this season.  Then games started to count and Comrie looked below average.  He tallied only 5 points (and no goals) in 16 games and when he went out of the lineup, Pittsburgh went on its long winning streak.  As that streak ended, it was revealed that Comrie was going to have surgery for a hip problem that had plagued him since the 2nd game of the season.  After going under the knife, he's out until April, and at this point, it's hard to imagine him having an important role in the post-season when he returns.  But hey, I'm sure he's getting taken care of at home in the meantime. 


That's all boys and girls.  I'll have a recap tomorrow of the nationally-televised showdown between the Penguins and Boston Bruins tonight (7:30 PM EST, VERSUS) at the Bird House.   If the Penguins have had trouble scoring goals lately without their Captain, it's not going to get any easier tonight against one of the best netminders in the league, Bruins' goalie Tim Thomas.

Let's Go Pens!