With the turning of the calendar from August to September, anticipation is ramping up for NHL training camps opening on Sept. 18. Players are starting to return and get settled before the work begins. The buzz surrounding each team grows stronger with each passing day. It's almost time to get your hockey on.
Over the last few weeks, we've been taking a look at the Columbus Blue Jackets opponents in the Metropolitan Division. Which teams have added pieces to make their organization stronger? Have some teams been satisfied with the status quo? Where will they end up in the divisional pecking order when April rolls around? It's time to look at the Blue Jackets' closest neighbor.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Since they last won the Stanley Cup, the Penguins have returned to the playoffs each year, but have not been able to replicate the magic of that 2008-09 season. In each of the five seasons since, they have finished no worse than second in their division, yet always being eliminated by a lower-seeded opponent.
After topping the Metropolitan Division last year with a record of 51-24-7 (109 points), they struggled to get past Columbus in six games. They were eliminated by the New York Rangers in seven games of the Conference Semifinals after leading that series 3-1. Change was afoot in Pittsburgh and it didn't take long for the axe to fall.
On May 16, general manager Ray Shero paid the price when he was fired. Head coach Dan Bylsma was left hanging in the wind, wondering when or if the axe would fall on him. The wait lasted 22 days. The Penguins hired former GM of the Carolina Hurricanes Jim Rutherford to be their new general manager on June 6, and he immediately fired Bylsma.
After being snubbed by Willie Desjardins, who took the head coaching position in Vancouver, Rutherford hired Mike Johnston, former GM and coach of the WHL's Portland Winterhawks, as the Penguins new head coach June 25.
The winds of change did not stop there. Rutherford created a stir by trading former 40-goal scorer James Neal to the Nashville Predators for Patrick Hornqvist and Nick Spaling. Every Penguin that became an unrestricted free agent July 1 left, with the only exception being center Marcel Goc.
Defensemen Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen left the Penguins on July 1, both signing with the Washington Capitals. Center Jussi Jokinen also left, signing with the Florida Panthers. To be sure, these are all losses for Pittsburgh.
To counter that exodus, the Penguins signed defenseman Christian Ehrhoff to a one-year deal after he was bought-out by the Buffalo Sabres. They also signed right winger Steve Downie to a one-year deal, adding some grit and a bit of offense to their bottom six forwards. Restricted free agent center Brandon Sutter signed a two-year, $6.6M deal on Aug. 5.
COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
Regarding all of the changes that occurred this summer, Sutter told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Shelly Anderson, "A change in the way we do things is probably good. Sometimes, you just need a change. That's what happened this summer."
With new leadership in place and a definite retooling of their roster, the Penguins are hoping to reverse the trend of the last five seasons. Their core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is still there, although they are now playing with many new pieces.
Uncertainty surrounds this Penguins team as they prepare the opening of training camp. Injuries plagued the team last year. Can they stay healthy for the entire season? Seen as a lock for the top divisional position in recent years, this very well may be the year that they will be in the position of being the hunter instead of the hunted. Chasing is not something they are used to.
For all of the questions surrounding the upheaval in Pittsburgh, they are still a team to be wary of. Look for them to vie for one of the top three spots in the Metropolitan Division when the regular season draws to a close next April. But don't count on them being the "top dog" in the Metro this year.
