Pittsburgh Penguins: First Half in Review

Ty Conklin?

The idea that much-maligned goaltender Ty Conklin would have compiled a 9-0-1 record for the Pittsburgh Penguins would have made many scoff at the start of the season.  The last major headline involving Conklin from last year was his mistake in Game One of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals that cost the Edmonton Oilers the win.

So when Pittsburgh signed him as a free agent last summer, not much was made of the signing.  For a team who needed to shore up the goaltending and defense, it was a signing that made no sense.

So far, it appears as though Conklin is proving the critics wrong.  His play is a big reason why the Penguins are knocking at the Devils' door atop the Atlantic Division.

But one would be foolish to think Conklin can maintain this pace as a number one goaltender into the playoffs.  History has not been kind to this much traveled goaltender.

Don't get me wrong; Conklin has been a pleasant surprise and could continue to surprise all the way to the Stanley Cup.  But with Marc-Andre Fleury due back from injury, his status as number one could be on shaky ground. 

Or could it?

When Fleury returns, it poses an interesting dilemma for coach Michel Therrien.  If Conklin continues his winning ways, would it be feasible to put in a goaltender who has been shaky at best before his injury, and now has been inactive for almost two months?  Or does Therrien leave Conklin in until he falters?  It's an interesting position to be in.  Regardless, Pittsburgh's goaltending will need a shakeup if Fleury returns to his traditionally streaky ways once he returns.  Neither Dany Sabourin or Conklin are long-term playoff goaltenders.  Their best is Fleury, and if he cannot find his rhythm, the Pens could be in a lot of trouble.

Many have jumped over Sidney Crosby for not running away with the scoring title this year.  While Crosby is currently sitting third in league scoring, he is still only two points behind Vincent Lecavalier for the lead.  Lecavalier is having an amazing season, finally showing why he is a No. 1 draft pick.  Instead of detracting from Crosby, let's give full credit to Lecavalier for giving us yet another amazing superstar to watch in this league.  Crosby is still putting up amazing numbers for a player who doesn't have top-notch wingers to play with.  With Evgeni Malkin on his line, Crosby has a linemate who can finish what he starts, and vice versa.  Unfortunately for the Pens, the two stars have developed into the only real scoring threats on the Penguins, and when they are on the same line, Pittsburgh becomes easier to contain.  Ray Shero needs to find both Crosby and Malkin a winger that could give Pittsburgh two solid scoring lines, making it harder to defend the Penguins.  Their lack of secondary scoring was exposed in last year's playoffs against Ottawa, as was their weak defense.  Shero needs to find linemates to complement his two gem centers.

When Pittsburgh last had playoff success, they had one Ulf Samuelsson on their blueline.  While I don't condone Samuelsson's cheapshots and dirty play, it was obvious the Penguins had a presence on the blue line that put some fear into opposing players.  Samuelsson's tough play and his borderline hits had some opposing teams afraid to go near him, uncertain on if they would need a stretcher to remove them from the ice surface.  It is a presence the Pens are lacking this season, as the likes of Ryan Whitney, Sergei Gonchar, Rob Scudari and Darryl Sydor are not likely to strike fear into the hearts of opposing forwards.  The Pens have a reputation for weak defense, which is something Shero needs to address going into the trade deadline if the Pens are to have any hope of playoff success.

The Mats Sundin trade rumors continue to abound, with names like Jordan Staal and Angelo Esposito being thrown around as trade bait.  While Staal may not fetch a name like Sundin, he could net a nice return on defense.  Trading Staal may not sound like a decent idea now, but come salary cap time, trading one of their young bucks for defensive help may help them sign their key free agents...Crosby, Malkin, and Fleury.  Staal hasn't exactly torn up the league this year, but his upside potential could net a handsome return for a team that desperately needs help on defense.