Dobber's offseason fantasy hockey grades – Pittsburgh Penguins

For the last 14 years (12 with The Hockey News) Dobber has reviewed each team from a fantasy-hockey standpoint and graded them.

This year, due to Dobber’s battle with cancer, he recruited Cam Robinson (of Frozen Pool Forensics fame) to pinch hit. The 15th annual review will appear here on DobberHockey throughout the summer. This is not a review of the likely performance on the ice or in the standings, but in the realm of fantasy hockey.

Enjoy!

Gone – Marc-Andre Fleury, Matt Cullen, Nick Bonino, Chris Kunitz, Ron Hainsey, Mark Streit, Kevin Prter, Cameron Gaunce, David Warsofsky, Trevor Daley, Oskar Sunqvist

Incoming – Antti Niemi, Ryan Reaves, Gregg McKegg, Jarred Tinordi, Adam Johnson, Kevin Czuczman, Chris Summers, Zach Trotman, Casey DeSmith, Matt Hunwick

Impact of changes – As is the case with many Stanley Cup Champions, the inevitable roster turnover happens when cap implications come into play. That said, with the talent that has vacated the Steel City this offseason, it’s a bit unnerving that the marquee incoming players are Antti Niemi and Ryan Reaves. The luxury of having two very capable number one net minders is over, but management surely hopes that Niemi can find his bearings after a dreadful stint in Dallas and can spell off Matt Murray for 25 or so contests. The centre ice position was hit the hardest with Cullen and Bonino leaving the bottom six pivot positions wide open. Jay McClement earns himself a pro tryout and could sneak a contract for that fourth line, but that isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement. Sacrificing a first-round pick and prospect for Ryan Reaves will forever be a head-scratcher, but expect the pugilistic winger to see roughly 10 minutes a night and fill the PIM section of the scoresheet with aplomb. There will be holes to fill in this lineup, something the Penguins have done a masterful job with in the past, but do they have the young defenders to come in and take over where veterans like Streit, Daley and Hainsey left off?

Ready for full-time – Jake Guentzel did more than cement his spot on the roster last season, but he did so in just 40 regular season games and another 25 playoff contests. All in, the dynamic forward produced 29 goals and 54 points in those 65 games – good for a 68-point pace over a full campaign. Turns out riding shotgun with Sidney Crosby isn’t such a bad gig. The 22-year-old has made a habit of filling the scoresheet and doing so in a very efficient manner. He was a sharpshooter in college and in his 44 career AHL contests, he recorded 23 goals on an 18.1 shooting percentage. Makes his 19.8 percent mark in the NHL potentially not so unsustainable. Guentzel played a lot of centre moving up so he could find himself anchoring a third line with Phil Kessel, but from the looks of the chemistry between him and Crosby, it’s unlikely they’re split with much regularity. He may even find himself getting looks on the top man-advantage unit – a needed element to see him reach his very high ceiling. Read more on Guentzel here.

Carter Rowney is likely the biggest benefactor from the evacuation of talent down the middle. The 28-year-old has taken the hard road to the NHL, suiting up for four years in the NCAA before plying his trade in the ECHL, AHL and stints in the NHL for the past four campaigns. He should have every opportunity to snag a bottom six position on this team. Read more on Rowney here.

Derrick Pouliot has come a long way from the lofty and well-regarded eighth overall pick in 2012. The smooth-skating, offensive defender has struggled to find consistency amongst the NHL ranks and is bordering on that dangerous label of a ‘bust’. Defensemen inherently take longer to develop so the door is certainly not closed on the 23-year-old but this upcoming season will be quite telling. Even with a decimated blue line during last spring’s playoff run, Pouliot didn’t manage to work his way into any action and has seen his games played totals drop in each of the past three campaign. 2017-18 will be the first year he is eligible for waivers, so if the former Portland Winterhawk star doesn’t impress in camp, he could be off to another franchise. Luckily for him, there are jobs available, it’s just a matter of if he’s ready to snatch one. Read more on Pouliot here.

Fantasy Outlook – It doesn’t get much better than Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin running your top six; well maybe if Geno would stay healthy through the fantasy playoffs, but that’s probably too much to ask. This team is the reigning two-time Cup champions and are the reason for many others winning their own leagues. 2017-18 should be no different as they boast several players capable of driving play on your squad. They score a ton of goals – leading the league with 3.39 per contest last season and boasting the fourth most efficient power play. Crosby decided it was time to win another Richard Trophy but don’t be surprised if he slides back into the 35-goal range and ups his assist rate back into the 50’s. Guentzel and Conor Sheary will hope to never leave his hip pick and witness more incredible even-strength points-per-60 rates. Oh, and Phil Kessel will chip in 65-70 on line three. Talk about a privileged roster. On defense, the team should have a healthy Kris Letang back (at least for now) who can produce top-three defender numbers and Justin Schultz ready to supplement him if the time comes. Matt Murray gets the reins after never playing more than 49 NHL games in a season so there could conceivably be some hiccups but he’s an elite net minder, one who is just on the border of entering that top tier with the other two ‘goalie gods’. If there is a weakness, it’s down the middle, but that shouldn’t hold you back from loading up on the black and yellow.

Fantasy Grade: A+ (Last year: A)