Pittsburgh Penguins Offseason Analysis - Centers



 The second part of my Pens offseason Analysis focuses on the Centers.  Most would think this would be the bread and butter of the Penguins roster...do I agree?  Read to find out:

Current Centers on Roster:
Sidney Crosby / Evgeni Malkin / Brandon Sutter / Dustin Jeffrey / Tyler Kennedy / Cal O'Reilly

Players Lost:
Jordan Staal

Analysis:
Looking at this group at first glance and some would say you see the 2 best centers in the NHL, but if you look a bit harder you might see that there is a concern with depth now that Jordan Staal refused a 10 yr contract with the Penguins to go play in North Carolina with his brother.  The 'experts' say that Brandon Sutter is just as good as Jordan Staal, but I'll hold my judgement until I see him play in the black n' gold.  Crosby and Malkin are undeniable when they are healthy, but there are still some questions and concerns.  Crosby has had a great offseason training the way he is accustomed, and Evgeni Malkin is enjoying all of his major individual accomplishments that he garnished last season.  Nonetheless, Crosby needs to improve on his faceoffs from last season and being a steady scoring threat.  He was on that track before the Winter Classic collision derailed his season, and Evgeni Malkin needs to learn how to play at his elite level when Crosby is playing, not just when he is out of the lineup.  Malkin's statistics drop dramatically when Sid is in the lineup with Geno.  That needs to stop for them to be a dominant group.  Look back at the 91-92 Stanley Cup teams and you will see that Mario had no problem playing on the same team with Jagr.  They co-existed and that is how they were dominant.  With Staal leaving they will have to find that 3rd line center that can win faceoffs, kill penalties, and mark up the opponent's #1 center defensively.  Sutter will most likely take that roll, but those are hard skates to fill.  Jeffrey, Kennedy (who often times plays winger as well as center), and O'Reilly (if he makes the roster) need to step up their scoring if this team wants the depth at the center position it desperately desires.  All in all, this is the one position in this team that doesn't need much work due to the fact that the top 3 centers can carry this team if need be.

Grade:  A