NHL Playoffs 2012: Pittsburgh Penguins Left to Wonder What Could Have Been

"What a waste of talent."

That's probably the phrase that comes to mind when looking at what happened to the Pittsburgh Penguins this season.

After losing to the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, the Penguins started their summer vacation much earlier than they wanted to.

This team was supposed to run the gauntlet and win the Stanley Cup. They were the consensus favorite heading into the playoffs with Sidney Crosby finally healthy, Evgeni Malkin on fire and the rest of the Penguins ready to do some damage. 

Instead, after one of the most exciting playoff series in recent memory, the Penguins are left to wonder what could have been.

What could have happened if the Penguins had held on to their 3-0 lead in Game 1?

Or what about their two goal lead in Game 2, which they relinquished?

What if Marc-Andre Fleury hadn't looked like Jean-Sebastien Aubin for most of the series?

One must even think about what could have been, had Sidney Crosby played more than 22 games during the regular season. The Penguins could have easily won one more game had Crosby played the whole season.

Had they won one more game, they would've finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference, and they would've matched up against the Ottawa Senators rather than the Flyers.

Meanwhile, the New York Rangers would have played the Flyers and one of those two teams would've been knocked out in the first round. The Penguins firepower would've been too much for the Senators, as they would build momentum going into the second round.

A lot could've been different.

Even then, the Penguins had what it took to beat the Flyers and they failed to do so.

They scored 10 goals in Game 4. They had the potential to score at will. The offense was never the problem. They scored at least three goals in five of the six games in the series. Generally, when a team scores three goals in a game, a solid goaltending effort should be enough to secure the victory.

The issue for the Penguins was the defense and the goaltending. They had it during the season, and lost it during the most inopportune time in late April. 

Paul Martin was a ghost. He was later injured and didn't play for the second half of the series. One has to wonder if the Penguins will attempt to trade him to look for a new defenseman over the summer. 

The team signed Martin to be the next dominant shutdown defenseman after Hal Gill and Rob Scuderi left for free agency. Instead, he had a lackluster season, and this was evidenced by the high frequency of goals the Penguins allowed in the playoffs. 

The team also didn't back-check well throughout the series and turned the puck over incessantly in the neutral zone. This led to odd-man rushes which the Flyers, with their high-octane offense, easily capitalized on and crushed Marc-Andre Fleury's confidence and the Penguins composure.

The Penguins are left with a bitter taste in their mouth for the third consecutive year. A series everyone they should've won that they gave away.

Let's give the Flyers their due credit, but at the same time it must be mentioned that the Penguins should have been able to win the series. 

Luckily for the Pens, they have most of their team coming back next year. Adding a veteran Stanley Cup winner to be the elder statesmen of the team is a priority they must address during free agency. The Penguins didn't have a Mike Rupp, Bill Guerin, Gary Roberts or Mark Recchi this season.

A guy like that would've given the Penguins some composure in the locker room, especially during Game 3, when all hell broke loose in Philadelphia.

That being said, next season may be the last year the Penguins have a legitimate chance to be Stanley Cup favorites. Sidney Crosby and Jordan Staal's contracts expire next summer. Even if they do sign extensions, it's going to be awfully difficult for the Pens to retain Crosby, Staal and Malkin because of the salary cap.

That is, unless they take a pay cut.

Don't forget that Marc-Andre Fleury and Kris Letang have yet to sign extensions. 

Ray Shero is going to be a busy man for the next 16 months.

But until then, the Steel City will wonder what could have been...