Questions the Pittsburgh Penguins Need To Address

Goaltending Consistency is a Key Issue for the Pens This Year

So the NHL Lockout is over, and finally the article can begin where I am not talking about disgruntled fans, idiotic owners, or selfish and greedy players.  No more Bettman and Fehr = Dumb and Dumber topics.  No, now we can get down to business of preparing ourselves for a 48 game schedule that should begin a little more than a week from me writing this article.  When it comes to the Pittsburgh Penguins, even with Las Vegas odds putting them at 8-1 favorites to win the Stanley Cup (best odds in the NHL), there are alot of questions that need to be answered from a team that is beaming with offensive talent.  Here are the top 3 questions the Penguins face heading into this pre-season:

#1 - Better Blue Line Play....Please?! - It was last season when the Penguins lost to the New York Islanders by the score of 7-2 (or a lopsided score like that) that I started to see some serious cracks in the Penguins defensive armour.  When the lockout ended I was so pumped that I took out the old '08-'09 Stanley Cup Champions DVD and put it in.  Watching the likes of Hal Gill, Rob Scuderi, Brooks Orpik, Sergai Gonchar, and Dan Eaton man the blue line made me wonder what happened to the Penguins defense?  The Penguins are much more talented offensively now, but defensively the blue liners leave something to be desired.  Of the aforementioned players, only Orpik remains on the team.  Sure Kris Letang is an amazing athlete and is able to create offense from the defensive position.  Ben Lovejoy is still learning and Paul Martin is Paul Martin.  The young defensemen that are in the minors are very similar to Kris Letang...offensive defensemen.  The Penguins won a cup with guys that couldn't move the puck more than just dumping it out of the zone or dishing it out to the forwards.  The Penguins were embarassed defensively by the Flyers in last year's playoffs...if the blue line picks up where it left off this could be a looooong 48 games for everyone involved.  Coach Bylsma remember that the Penguins have some of the finest offensive players in the NHL...let the defensemen play defense and leave the scoring to the likes of Crosby, Malkin, and Neal.

#2 - Hot and Cold Goaltending - Last season Marc Andre-Fleury had a tremendous regular season.  He played the majority of the year, and that could have something to do with his playoff failures.  Fleury has a flair for the dramatic, making the saves that no one thinks he can, but he also has a flair for letting in the soft goal and forcing his team to play from behind too often.  Some say that the lack of playing time for goaltender Brent "Johnny" Johnson was due to the fact that the coaching staff didn't have faith he could win games while in goal.  Although he hasn't officially been released, the Penguins acquired Tomas Vokoun from the Washington Capitals.  I liked this move alot as Vokoun has starting experience and has shown he can be more than capable of spelling Fleury, and stepping in if Fleury has a horrible stretch (which he has from time to time).  If the Penguins goalies can stay around a 2.0 GPG (goals per game) average, they should be able to win most games with their offense, but the key to this situation is CONSISTENCY for the Penguins...something they've lacked at the goalie position...it seems like since Tom Barrasso was in between the pipes.

#3 - Can Sid Get A Winger Already?? - I have watched Sidney Crosby play since he first came into the NHL.  He is an amazing talent and has the ability to make others around him ALOT better than what they truly are.  However, the Penguins inability to find him a winger that can consistently produce still boggles my mind.  Crosby has made guys like Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis look like all-stars just by them being on his line, but could you imagine if he was playing with the likes of James Neal?  Neal was brought in to be paired up with Sid, but with Sid's ongoing health issues Neal formed one of the finest lines in the NHL with himself, Evgeni Malkin, and Chris Kunitz.  There is no breaking up that line, but who does that leave to play with the greatest player in the world?  Tyler Kennedy?  Give me a break, TK has speed and hustles to the very end but he struggles to finish scoring chances.  Pascal Dupuis?  I do think Dupuis will be flanking Sid and has shown the ability to understand what Crosby is thinking even when no one else does.  There is still a spot available on the 9 and 87 line...Joe Vitale? Hahaha! The Penguins have a gaping hole on the Crosby line that needs filled for them to be a formidable contender for the Stanley Cup year in and out.

I have no doubt that the Penguins can score on ANY opponent, but at the same time they need to show the ability to keep opponents off of the scoreboard if they want to contend.  Did I miss a topic that you think should be added?  Mention me on Twitter, or leave a comment in the comment section below.