The Stanley Cup Final is in full swing, and the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers are the last two teams standing. The Pittsburgh Penguins missed the postseason for the second year in a row but will be looking to return to the playoffs next year. There are a few key areas where the Penguins are still lacking, and they could take some notes from the top four teams in the NHL this season.
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars played the Oilers in the Western Conference Finals and lost 4-2. Dallas has one of the deepest teams in the league, and all four lines can score goals. During their playoff run, it wasn’t just the top six who produced; everyone contributed to the scoreboard.
The Penguins have been struggling with this area for a while. They have to strengthen their bottom six this summer because depth scoring is essential for consistent success. Dallas also plays a solid system and has a good chunk of youth in its lineup. Pittsburgh would be wise to follow their example.
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers faced the Panthers in the Eastern Conference Finals and lost 4-2. Pittsburgh could take a few notes from their Metro division rival, but the biggest one is probably goaltending. Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin posted a .912 save percentage (SV%) this season. He has made more playoff saves than any goalie in the NHL since 2021, with 1,157. His ability to read and follow the play as it unfolds, combined with his edgework, makes him one of the most elite goaltenders in the NHL.
The Penguins’ starting goaltender had a decent year this season, but it was nowhere near elite. Tristan Jarry signed a five-year contract last summer with an average annual value of $5.375 million. He posted a .903 SV% this season and struggled with consistency throughout the year. Unfortunately, he continued what seems to be a career trend of getting increasingly worse as the season went on.
Backup goalie Alex Nedeljkovic was a nice surprise for Pittsburgh this year. He posted a .902 SV% and made 13 consecutive starts to end the season. The Penguins had more faith in their second-string goalie at the end of the year than they did in their starter, who makes $5 million. That speaks volumes.
Nedeljkovic is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, and general manager Kyle Dubas may still be interested in keeping him around. One thing is for sure: the Penguins will not be successful if they can’t get good goaltending. It will be interesting to see how their goalie situation plays out through the summer.
Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers are losing to the Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final, 3-0. One area where Edmonton has excelled this season is the power play. During the regular season, they ranked fourth in the NHL on the power play and went into the Final at 37.3%. A couple of interesting things about their power play is that they tend to keep the top unit on the ice for the full two minutes, and once the puck enters the offensive zone, it pretty much stays there. The players don’t have trouble with zone entries; everyone does their job. The Penguins’ power play ranked 30th this season and looked like a circus all year. With all their talent on special teams, there is no reason they should have struggled so much. Dubas must figure out a way to correct that this summer.
Florida Panthers
The Panthers have made it back to the Finals for the second year and are well in command of their destiny. Obviously, Florida does many things right, but one thing they have that the Penguins don’t is pesky players. They make opposing players mad with their in-your-face style of play and easily throw other teams off their game.
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Michael Bunting, who joined Pittsburgh this season, is the only player on the roster who plays that game. Max Domi and Tyler Bertuzzi are two very good examples of the type of player Pittsburgh needs more of. Domi and Bertuzzi will become free agents on July 1, and adding just one of them to the lineup could make a huge difference.
Summer of Change
Next year could be the last opportunity for the Penguins to go on a deep run with their core. There is no question that they have the talent, but it seems like they have been unable to make all the pieces fit together. If they have a productive offseason, they could definitely contend next year.
