So the Pittsburgh Penguins have hired Mike Johnston as their new head coach. I was hoping they’d get Ulfie, but this might be better. He’s saying some good things, and it sounds to me like he’d be a good fit for them. The addition of Rick Tocchet should help their “grit” issues. We will see what happens. The Pens will have a great regular season, but the true test will come in the playoffs. I think anything less than the finals (or possibly the cup itself) will be considered a failure.
The next huge issue for them is their roster. They have a lot of money tied up in a very small group of players. Crosby, Malkin, and Letang and a few others have big contracts and no-trade clauses. Jussi Jokkinen and Matt Niskanen are almost certainly going to walk as the Penguins are going to have trouble coming up with enough to pay them. Which is a shame as Jussi looked great in the playoffs and I was hoping they’d find a way to keep him. I don’t think they’re going to have much money to make a splash in free agency. I think the Pens will pick up a mix of older veterans a little past their prime and newbies who’ve barely played.
I think they needed a change, but with their hands tied on the salary cap, I don’t think they’ll be able to get that far in the playoffs. They will as always, have a great regular season, and they’ll do better in the playoffs than they did the past few years, but I doubt they will make it to the finals. Of course I could be wrong and am hoping that I am. Maybe they just needed a change in coaching staff and a few more pieces to the puzzle to get back to the Stanley Cup.
Anyone else have any opinions on all this?