Looking at who is trending up and trending down among the Penguins
Another non-game day presented the opportunity to consider how some individual storylines are moving along for the Penguins at the moment. With that, in no specific order here are some stocks that have risen in the recent past and some others that have leveled off and moved in the other direction.
Tristan Jarry - There was always some evidence that Jarry’s bad start to the season (which, let’s remember was only three games) had a lot to do with incredibly and unbelievably poor defense in front of him. Regardless of the causes of the issues or his mindset during the tough times, there’s no debating the numbers Jarry is putting up lately by winning his last four starts an putting up a .914 save% and 2.74 GAA along the way. That’s not going to win a Vezina but it is solid and much-needed support for his team. A month or two ago, who would have guessed?
Bryan Rust — In the last six games Rust has four goals and three assists. The Pens are still a team devoid of talented wingers, they badly need that type of production from their best one. Pittsburgh needs Rust to be among the best players on the ice most nights, and recently he’s been just that. Unsurprisingly, the team has been winning a lot recently.
Philip Tomasino - Following up on the note above about winger balance and skill, Tomasino got off to an encouraging start with the Pens (3G+1A in five games) before suffering an injury. Considering Nashville basically gave up on their former first round pick, Tomasino has made the most of his second chance in a new location. His skills on the puck are very real. Hopefully his injury isn’t severe and he’s able to keep rolling.
Blake Lizotte — Some smart team should trade for Lizotte right now (or at least before the deadline). Lizotte has matched Rust with 4G+3A in the last six games. He’s defensively responsible, a good skater, competes hard and has the knack for making good things happen when he’s on the ice that looks far more than a fluke. NHL teams crave center depth, Lizotte provides it in a major way. His play has been a revelation and breath of fresh air for the Penguins. So many of their recent free agents have missed the mark that it’s really nice to see one thriving.
Owen Pickering — As it’s said, the defense position is a game of mistakes. As a rookie, Pickering hasn’t made very many in his first eight NHL games. At 20, he’s had a very interesting career so far; there’s the first round pedigree that comes with the attention his 6’5” frame brings and the way he can get around the ice. Pickering’s junior career was good but only OK. Ditto his training camp and early start in AHL Wilkes-Barre, nice enough but not terribly suggestive of a player on the verge of fitting in at the NHL level. However, the past few weeks he’s looked every bit the part of a viable NHL defender, he just set a career-high in ice time last game and the Pens can’t wait to see more.
Matt Nieto — Nieto has no points in nine games this season since returning from surgery on each knee in the last year. He’s been on ice for exactly zero 5v5 goals for to 5 against. His expected goals goals percentage of 36.95% is by far worst on the team. Ostensibly, Nieto is on the team to provide them with a hard working, PK, bottom line player but he’s bringing almost nothing to the table. The only question left is how much longer will coaching and management give him to prove he is still a viable NHL player? Nieto’s been a healthy scratch lately, his runway might be running out. Unfortunately for him, he’s done little to merit a spot in the NHL at this point.
Jack St. Ivany — Sent to the AHL after becoming No. 8 on the team’s defensive depth chart, St. Ivany got hurt down in Wilkes over the weekend and was labeled as “week-to-week”. So don’t be expecting to see him back in the NHL soon, and he wasn’t finding a ton of traction or making a huge impact even when he was there. St. Ivany had a decent run at the tail end of last year, and was rewarded with a three-year contract, but could be bound for more of a fringe role than solidifying a long-term NHL role.
Drew O’Connor — O’Connor is now in a drought of 23 games without a goal. In many ways he’s doing what the team wants and is still in a featured role but my man just can’t put the puck in the net. It will be interesting to see if that affects his perceived trade value around the league, how much will teams shy away or devalue a player who isn’t scoring?
Jesse Puljujarvi — Although he played his first game on Saturday since Nov. 23rd, Puljujarvi has failed to become entrenched with the Penguins lately. He scored goals in back-to-back games on Nov 16-19, but then had two shaky games on Nov 22-23 and has barely been seen since. The team went on a long winning streak without him without missing a beat or his presence in the lineup at all. Puljujarvi has done well at times this season (perhaps more than some on the team can say) but his place on the team with the decision makers has always been on shaky ground for the dreaded Sullivan-ism of what kind of “impact” he can consistently bring.
Ryan Graves — Like Puljujarvi, Graves finally got into the lineup on Saturday after being a healthy scratch since Nov 23. After a bad first season in Pittsburgh, Graves has clearly failed to make any headway this year or offer the smallest glimpses of hope that he has improved within the way the team wants him to play. As a result, the team barely plays him when he’s dressed and in only the most sheltered and limited of roles possible. It’s going to be a long 4+ seasons to go on his contract at this rate.
