Sporting News had them at 6th in the Division. 12 of the 15 NHL.com writers and editors predicted them to miss the playoffs. Congrats to Nicholas K. Cotsonika for being the only one to predict them winning the division. Out of 20 Sportsnet NHL experts, none of them predicted the Penguins to win the division. Out of 41 people who voted on the Athletic, 1 of them picked Pittsburgh to win the Division. To say the least, they overperformed to people's expectations. I had high expectations for this roster and they still managed to surpass those. We’ll get into their playoff matchup against the Islanders later, but for right now we’re going to go over all of the Penguins who have played at least 10 games on the season.
So, let’s get into the grades. These grades are adjusted for my expectations for these players. For example, if someone on the 1st line has an A+ and someone on the 4th line also has an A+, I don’t think that they’re playing at the same level of hockey.
Drew O’Connor — LW
10 Games, 1 Assist
Grade: N/A
I know, I know, it’s player grades and I’m not even giving the first player a grade. But I don’t feel right giving a college player that should’ve had a year in the AHL first before getting a shot at the NHL. In the AHL, O’Connor has 6 goals and 17 points in 18 games. That production on a mediocre AHL team is very encouraging to me, and I think he has a future spot in the middle 6 on the Penguins. His role isn’t to be a 4th liner, his role is to be an offensive guy, and he’s getting that role in the AHL.
Anthony Angello — RW/LW
19 Games, 2 Goals and 2 Assists
Grade: B
Angello is a very good 4th liner. He can also score. He doesn’t have a spot right now on the Penguins when healthy, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he was one of the first call-ups for this team if they need a forward. He’s a good skater, he hits, he’s solid defensively, and I really enjoy watching him play. He has 10 points in 10 games in the AHL, and I think that is very promising. I really like watching him play, and he has been better than what I wanted from him this season.
Sam Lafferty — LW/RW
34 Games, 6 Assists
Grade: F
I don’t know what else you can give Lafferty. I love his game. He’s a very fast, hard-hitting, gritty 4th liner. I don’t understand why he lost his offence this season. Last year he seemed like he had this offensive potential, and all of a sudden, poof. Gone. I can’t believe he went 34 games without scoring, especially with all of the scoring chances he has had. I think he’s earned a role in the AHL next season instead of the main lineup.
Frederik Gaudreau — C/RW
19 Games, 2 Goals and 8 Assists
Grade: A
It’s hard to not give him an A+. I thought that he was out of the lineup when the team got healthy, so when I saw him as the 3rd line RW in rushes I was shocked. Well, his chemistry with Jeff Carter is already amazing, he has 5 assists in his last 3 games. He seems confident on that line, and I say he stays there to start the playoffs, even if Rodrigues and Tanev are healthy.
Colton Sceviour — RW/LW
46 Games, 5 Goals and 5 Assists
Grade: C+
Sceviour’s season this year was possibly the most Colton Sceviour season ever. He has been excellent defensively at even strength, and his penalty-killing ability has gotten better throughout the year. Like Angello, the ideal situation is him not being on the opening night lineup in Game 1. But, I think that he isn’t far off if the Penguins get banged up. I like him a lot as a depth guy, and he impressed me this season.
Mark Jankowski — C
45 Games, 4 Goals and 7 Assists
Grade: D
What a letdown. He shows up and gets 3 points in his first two games as a Penguin, and then his next point on a goalie was 28 games later. 28. That’s unbelievable. He also ended his season with 8 straight games without a point. He had 1 good 8 game stretch, in which he had 7 points. Besides that, he has been very underwhelming, and he hasn't been as good defensively as I thought he was going to be. He doesn’t bring anything to the team, and I think he’s better off as a depth guy.
Jeff Carter — C
14 Games, 9 Goals and 2 Assists
Grade: A+
I don’t think anyone can say that they expected this out of Carter. At first, I thought it was a bad move, then after some thought and video, I thought that he could be a solid fit as this team's #3 centre. He has been more than a solid fit, and he looks hungry. Watch out for a great playoffs from the grizzled vet. I don’t expect any more 4 goal games, but hey, it wouldn’t hurt. His penalty-killing ability is better than I thought it would be, and he has been elite at the faceoff circle.
Evan Rodrigues — RW/LW
35 Games, 7 Goals and 7 Assists
Grade: C+
He was better than I thought he would be. Early in the season, I didn’t think much of Rodrigues, but once he got the chance to play in the bottom 6 he looked much better. He can’t keep up with Sid or Geno, but he isn’t an incompetent player because of that. He’s a very good depth guy who won’t be in the lineup for Game 1, but is right there at the top of the list if someone goes down. Knock on wood. I like his work ethic, and I really hope Hextall considers resigning him in the offseason.
Zach Aston-Reese — LW
45 Games, 9 Goals and 6 Assists
Grade: A
ZAR was as dominant defensively as he ever has been this season. The best part about that is that this season he faced some of the toughest competition of his career. He had a stint on the 2nd line and was on the 3rd line for the majority of the season. Going into the playoffs the fan favourite ZAR-Blueger-Tanev line is back together on the 4th line, and I expect them to be used as the Penguins shutdown line. ZAR just had the best offensive season of his career where he didn’t play with Sidney Crosby, and I can’t wait to see him keep progressing for years to come in a Penguins uniform.
Brandon Tanev — RW/LW
32 Games, 7 Goals and 9 Assists
Grade: A
I never expected Tanev to score at a half a point pace for the Penguins but here we are. He had a fantastic season, but it was cut short to injury. He’s the 2nd best penalty killer on the team, so getting him back for the playoffs is a fantastic help. He brings a lot of speed and physicality, but I just hope he comes back fully healthy. He has been out for over a month now, so I suspect he is. He is the sheriff after all.
Jason Zucker — LW/RW
38 Games, 9 Goals and 9 Assists
Grade: C
I’m a big fan of Jason Zucker, how could you not be? He puts his all into every shift, and you see the energy he brings to the team. This season hasn’t gone his way, however. He did pick his game up late in the season, however, and I expect him to keep that going into the playoffs. Zucker was an analytical darling in Minnesota for a long time, and I think he has just taken his time to fit in with any centre not named Sidney Crosby. I really hope he stays on this team for next season, but with the expansion draft coming up and the Penguins more than likely giving up a pick to keep a lot of important players on the roster, I see him being a guy that Seattle has the option to take.
Teddy Blueger — C
43 Games, 7 Goals and 15 Assists
Grade: A
Yes, the entire 4th line gets an A. They all deserve it. Sheahan, Brassard, Bjugstad, Blueger. Blueger was the best 3rd line centre the Penguins have had since Nick Bonino in 2017. Now, Jeff Carter may have taken that title now, but Blueger is fantastic. He’s a great shutdown centre, and this season he played fantastic offensively. His hockey IQ is through the roof, and watch out for him in the playoffs. Either he’ll be helping ZAR and Tanev dominate other team's 4th lines or they’ll be shutting down the opposing team's top lines.
Evgeni Malkin — C
33 Games, 8 Goals and 20 Assists
Grade: B-
Malkin did not have a Malkin-type season, but we know why. He said himself that he didn’t get to do any training during the stoppage in Russia, so he came into the season out of shape. Once he got used to things midway through his season, he looked very good. He got injured for a while, so when he came back we weren’t sure how he would perform. Well, he came back playing just as good as he was before the injury. I think he is about to have a monstrous playoffs, but we’ll just have to wait and see.
Kasperi Kapanen — RW
40 Games, 11 Goals and 19 Assists
Grade: B+
He impressed me. He looked very good while he was playing with Malkin early in the season, and their chemistry picked right back up after he came back. Shortly after Malkin's injury, Kapanen looked lost for a few games, and then he got injured. When Kapanen came back, he looked really, really good without Malkin. Now they’re together again, and I think they’re going to ride their chemistry into the playoffs.
Jared McCann — LW/C
43 Games, 14 Goals and 18 Assists
Grade: A+
People were talking about McCann being the player the Penguins lost to Seattle in the expansion draft before this season. Now, absolutely not. He is electric. He brings speed, fantastic puck handling, and the best wrist shot on the team. He reignited the powerplay in Malkin's absence, and McCann’s two-way game isn’t anything to scoff at either. This is the best 3rd line the Penguins have had in a long time, and it wouldn’t be anywhere near as good if McCann wasn’t there with them.
Bryan Rust — RW
56 Games, 22 Goals and 20 Assists
Grade: A
My expectations for Rust have grown since last season, which is the only reason why he isn’t an A+. He has solidified himself as a true goal scorer in this league with a lot of work ethic. He has improved his defensive game going into this season and has looked like an even better play driver. He’s the real deal. I think his ability to be plugged anywhere into anywhere in the top 6 is something you need with a contending team.
Jake Guentzel — LW
56 Games, 23 Goals and 34 Assists
Grade: A+
Marchand, Huberdeau, Panarin. Then Guentzel. That’s the top 4 LW’s this season by points. You wouldn’t guess it by how little he gets talked about. He always performs in the playoffs. He has 25 goals in 45 career playoff games, and I think he’ll have a great playoffs. Maybe the numbers won’t be there against the stingy Islanders, but he’ll still be just as good. I didn’t think he would have another PPG season this year after his shoulder surgery in the middle of last season, but after shaking off the rust he has looked fantastic.
Sidney Crosby — C
55 games, 24 Goals and 28 Assists
Grade: A
He had around a 5 game stretch where he didn’t look Crosby-like. If it wasn’t for that he would be an A+. He looks ready for the playoffs, however, and I can’t wait to see him against the Islanders. He’s doing to kill them, right? You should know Sid by now. He isn’t going to be happy at all, and unless Pulock and Pelech completely shut him down I wouldn’t put it past him to be on another level in this series.
Chad Ruhwedel — D
17 Games, 2 Assists
Grade: B
He has been Chad Ruhwedel. A very good stay-at-home defenceman who does nothing more than that. I like him as a #7 guy, but at this point, with the Penguins defenders, he may be #9. I like him as a Penguin, but I hope they won’t need him in the playoffs.
Pierre-Olivier Joseph — D
16 Games, 1 Goal and 4 Assists
Grade: B+
His first 7 games, absolutely amazing. I didn’t expect him to play one game in a Penguins uniform this season, so that was enough. 5 points and a fantastic overall game in 7 games from a 21-year-old. He has also been lighting up the AHL. His next 9 games weren’t as pretty, as he didn’t get any points and looked like a defensive liability, but I think that he gets a shot next season if Matheson or Pettersson go to Seattle in the offseason. I like the kid, and I’m hyped to see him more in a Pens uniform.
Marcus Pettersson — D
47 Games, 2 Goals and 7 Assists
Grade: C+
He got much better as the season went on, but he still has had a disappointing season in my eyes. I’m normally a big fan of his, so I have a feeling that this is just an off-season. If he goes into the playoffs playing as he did in the last 10 or so games of the season, that makes the penguins just that much better. He’ll need to be at his best in his own end against the Islanders or else they’ll be quick to make him pay for it.
John Marino — D
52 Games, 3 Goals and 10 Assists
Grade: B
I didn’t expect a sophomore slump from Marino, but when I realized why his play wasn’t as good I didn’t expect him to bounce back as well as he did so fast. He still had a very good season, so I’m not going to talk anything bad about Marino. He is going to be a huge part of the Penguin's possible success against the Islanders if he plays as well defensively as we all know he can. If he can play 20 minutes a night and make as few mistakes as he did last season, the Islanders will be stumped with him on the ice.
Brian Dumoulin — D
41 Games, 4 Goals and 10 Assists
Grade: A+
29–9–3. That’s the Penguins record with Brian Dumoulin in the lineup. They’re 8–7–0 without him. If you think that that’s a coincidence you’re probably quite silly. This team is so much better with Dumoulin because of how good he makes Letang. Letang is at his best when Dumoulin is in the lineup, and the Penguins can only be at their best when Letang is at his best. Dumoulin’s offensive ability has also been solid this season, and hopefully, he can bring this success into the playoffs.
Mike Matheson — D
44 Games, 5 Goals and 11 Assists
Grade: B
I didn’t expect Matheson to do this on the Penguins. His offensive ability hasn’t changed much, but it’s in his own end where he has been much better. He and Cody Ceci somehow became a great pairing for this team besides their terrible seasons last year. Despite missing the Penguin's last 4 games of the season, Matheson looks like he’ll be healthy and good to go for the playoffs. After seeing how Mark Friedman played next to Cody Ceci, they’ll need him.
Cody Ceci — D
53 Games, 4 Goals and 13 Assists
Grade: A
Ceci is having a very good season. People were comparing him to Jack Johnson when he was in Toronto, and I honestly seen it. So when he replaced Jack Johnson going into this season I thought that Penguins fans would be going over the same pain as the past 2 seasons. However, Ceci has been a pleasant surprise, and I would say that he has even been quite good. Imagine how good a 3rd pairing defenceman can be if he doesn’t get played top-pairing minutes? Who woulda guessed?
Kris Letang — D
55 Games, 7 Goals and 38 Assists
Grade: A-
Letang quietly tied Hedman for 3rd in defensive scoring this season. Offensively he has been very very good, but his defensive game is obviously starting to deteriorate. He was never an elite defender, but him getting worse is still concerning. As long as Dumo is at his side, I don’t see him going on a full decline anytime soon. They’ll need him to clean up his defensive act against the Islanders, however. He was terrible in the 2019 series, so if he manages to turn the puck over less and be harder in front of his net I think it can make all of the difference.
Casey DeSmith — G
11–7–0 record, 0.912% Save%, 2 Shutouts
Grade: A
DeSmith came into this season as a question mark. He didn’t play great in the AHL last season, so I wasn’t feeling great about him being Jarry's backup. He has performed very well, and I trust him as the backup of this team.
Tristan Jarry — G
25–9–3 Record, 0.909% Save%, 2 Shutouts
Grade: B+
I thought that Jarry did a fine job in his first season as the starter. Besides a few wacky games where he just seemed lost, I thought he was solid. He benefits a lot from player slower, more low-event teams. He was able to shutout the Bruins and the Capitals in the Penguins' last 8 games, which tells me he’s getting hot heading into the playoffs. He has been consistently good against the Islanders this season, so hopefully, he keeps that up in round 1.