The Pittsburgh Penguins are by far the most talented and complete team in the NHL right now. With the return of Sidney Crosby it's almost not fair. What general manager Ray Shero has done in his short career with the Pens has been fantastic for the most part.
Shero and the Pen's management team have done a great job with the roster considering the salary cap and the amount of talent the Pens have had to work with over the years. The best thing about Shero is the fact that he realizes what the Penguins strengths are and what is important in building a good hockey team long-term.
The Pens have all of the basics covered. Franchise goalie in Marc-Andre Fleury: signed to a long-term deal. A franchise goalie can keep even the worst franchises a float for many years. Put a good team in front of a goalie in front of him and you have a perennial Stanley Cup contender, which the Pens generally have been.
Aside from Fleury, the Pens are spoiled at the center position with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jordan Staal.Having three different centers like those guys create such mismatches for opposing teams it's really not fair.
With Malkin having the year he's having, opposing teams are concentrating on his line more, sending out their best checking line against his. That sets up the Pens beautifully because then they can send out Jordan Staal's line against the opposing team's top line, which sets up Sidney Crosby's line against the leftovers. Pick your poison.
All this talk about trading Crosby, Malkin, and/or Staal is foolish. Keep doing what works. Keep these three freaks of nature as long as possible and play them on three different lines as much as possible because it's just too hard to defend on a nightly basis.
Having strength and depth at the center position is a strength that can't be undervalued. In Shero we trust.
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