Penguins Roller Coaster Season Continues

Story by Yinzer Crazy Contributor Kuljit Parmar

From what we as fans have witnessed with the Pittsburgh Penguins, we can certainly deduce that the ups and downs likely won't end anytime soon. There is a possible solution at play:

They need to improve the lineup.

But there are other problems bothering the Penguins as of late, as the team is calling up players from the Wilkes-Barre Penguins farm team, but need to provide adequate need minutes for these players.

The main reason is to prime these players in the meantime to help improve the depth for the Penguins line-up as well as improve their stock. Their strong play could help catch the eyes of the other GMs in the league if there is a potential package to be made in acquiring key pieces for the team.

However, the coach is playing his cards in a manner that should prove to be successful for the Pens roster and gameplay on-ice, due to the track record of coach Mike Sulivan and his team, but also on a more interesting note GM Ron Hextall’s theory of change.

To touch base more on the potential changes for the Pens roster, putting together a package for a player such as the Vancouver Canucks Bo Horvat would certainly take up quite a few players, which may help free up cap space, depending on what the Pens management is looking to acquire for the playoffs.

Not to mention, the sacrifices the Pens may need to make in order to regain momentum by trading away fan favorites.

Most importantly, the main question here is when the trigger will be pulled and what are the options for the Penguins team in general as we wait to see the results of these trades.

The need for a defenceman is also a common theme I have stressed due to the nagging history of injuries the team is facing this year, but also to magnify the stance of the defensive unit with a broader term to “playing it safe”.

When the team is healthy without an injury to any of the players, they can be as dominant and effective as the next red-hot teams in the NHL.

The trades the fans are demanding and the media is stressing, outline the core need for improvements to maintain a successful playoff run and hopefully raise the Stanley Cup in Pittsburgh before Sidney Crosby and Geno Malkin retire.

Thus setting up the next step for the Pittsburgh Penguins era.

In my opinion, though, I do strongly believe that there are quite a few players, if not Bo Horvat that can fill the void without going the distance but the question would be; Is it enough?

This is the mightiest test for management and the coaching staff as they are forced to do battle with an unhealthy team at the moment, but the positive still remains that out of 5 games the Penguins can win 3 contests, and work hard during these tough times.

My faith in the Yinzer Kingdom has not faltered and we encourage the Pittsburgh Penguins to continue to play with heart!

Special shout out to Kris Letang and his family.