Pens Must Have Crosby

There has been some talk around Pittsburgh lately about the Penguins Stanley Cup chances without the return of Sidney Crosby. I have two words for those people: Get Real.

Sorry folks, I do not mean to burst any bubbles but if Sidney Crosby is unable to return from the post-concussion syndromes that are plaguing him, the Penguins have about as much chance to win the Stanley Cup as Charlie Sheen does of becoming our next president. Since Crosby’s last game on January 5th, the Penguins have averaged 2.26 goals per game. That would be the second worst average in the league over the full season putting the Penguins in the company of cellar dwellers Ottawa and New Jersey. What’s worse is that number drops to 2.13 goals per game in the games the Penguins have played without Crosby and Malkin. You can’t win many games, let alone 16 in the Stanley Cup playoffs, without being able to put the puck behind the opposing goalie at least once in a while.

It is true that the Penguins have been dealing with other injuries as well, including those to forwards Chris Kunitz and Mark Letestu, and have added Alexei Kovalev and James Neal to beef up the scoring, but the four of them on their best days cannot replace the production lost without Crosby in the line-up. Let’s face it, with an injured Malkin the Penguins needed everyone else to remain healthy, get Crosby back and bring in the players that GM Ray Shero did at the trade deadline to have any shot at a Cup run. Just having two of those three things happen isn’t enough. The Penguins’ three wins in their last eleven games, all in overtime or a shootout, should be evidence enough that the Penguins don’t have what it takes to make a serious run without their captain.

But if you need more evidence, take a quick look at pretty much all of the past Stanley Cup champions and you will find one thing in common – star power. Whether it was Marian Hossa and Jonathan Toews last year, Teemu Selanne, Chris Pronger, Eric Staal, and the host of Red Wings stars before that, pretty much all of your former Stanley Cup champions featured superstars in their line-up. Even the New Jersey Devils Stanley Cup teams that were powered by Martin Brodeur and their defensive system featured offensive stars such as Patrik Elias and Jason Arnott, among others. Penguins fans should know this all too well after witnessing Crosby and Malkin combine for 67 points during the Stanley Cup run two years ago and the host of stars on the early 90’s Cup teams.

The importance of having star players cannot be understated. Unfortunately for the Penguins, the list of star players on their roster is quite small without Crosby and Malkin on the ice. Could the Penguins steal a first round series without Crosby? Sure. It would take a great defensive effort and Marc-Andre Fleury standing on his head to get it done, but winning four out of seven games is doable. Winning 16 games during the most grueling postseason in professional sports without a reliable scoring threat and go-to player? Not going to happen. Penguins’ fans should continue to cross their fingers for Crosby’s return if they want to have any real shot at a second title in three years.