Are the Pittsburgh Penguins Poised For a Repeat?

Predictions are starting to pop up all over the internet (including my own) and one thing that a lot of people are wondering is whether the Pittsburgh Penguins can make it to the Stanley Cup Finals for a third year in a row.  Honestly, I wouldn’t bet against them because I think that, despite the fact that some changes have been made to the roster, the core players are still there and head coach Dan Bylsma has proven that someone can emerge from obscurity and lead a team to victory.

image: Zuma Press

The truth is that back during the 2008-2009 season, I was really worried when they gave Michel Therrien the boot with 25 games left and put Bylsma behind the bench.  I hadn’t heard of him before and I wondered if this was the equivalent of playoff suicide but they went on to post a 18-3-4 record down the stretch and defied a lot of odds to go head-to-head with the Detroit Red Wings.

They ended up losing, of course, but I think that the loss was important.  I think that this team of young players needed to gain experience and overcome the serious disappointment that comes along with coming so close but walking away empty-handed.

I know some people still call Sidney Crosby a whiner but I don’t see a baby anymore when I look at him.  I think he’s earned his captaincy.  Yeah, he’s not perfect and still does the occasional douche move but who doesn’t, really?  Crosby is an incredible player and, more importantly, he got drafted to a seriously crappy team and helped turn things around.  He’s not like the Dany Heatley and Marian Hossas of the world who jump ship when their team is struggling and his dedication to the Penguins has earned my respect.

When you look at the fact that he and Evgeni Malkin have clearly formed an incredible alliance and definitely work well together, it’s hard to believe that, barring injury, this team won’t do well again next season.  I do think they might regret not fighting to keep Rob Scuderi but I could be wrong.

What do you think?  With Crosby, Malkin, Jordan Staal and goalie, Marc-André Fleury, I think they could easily win their division again as long as everyone stays healthy.  If they do manage to win the Cup again, they will be the first team to celebrate back-to-back wins since the Red Wings did it in 1997 and 1998.