DK: The Penguins' real relevance now ... is reading ahead
A couple nights earlier across the state in Sunrise, the Penguins slammed the Stanley Cup champs' collective backs against the wall.
On this night, they surrendered at the first sign of duress and wound up slaughtered by the Lightning, 6-1, here at Amalie Arena.
A couple nights earlier, Tristan Jarry extended one of the more encouraging stretches of his NHL career with another slew of excellent saves.
On this night ...
... uh, all that. He'd be pulled after four goals on seven shots.
A couple nights earlier, Ryan Graves was benched for half the second period for being scorched to the inside to concede a way-too-easy goal.
On this night ...
OK, so that specific script tends to stay the same, huh?
All of that, and somehow so much more, is what still attaches real relevance to the rest of this season, which now has nine games to go. Because answers, good and bad, can be had in these settings that can't be simulated in any other way.
The two central figures in this one, for instance, are the two I've cited.
Jarry's been terrific since return from second AHL exile of the season. Through five starts, he'd been 4-1 with a .934 save percentage, and no small ratio of those stops were sizzlers. Entirely unlike what'd been seen previously. And even here tonight, the only real dud was Anthony Cirelli's short-sider under the blocker for the Lightning's third goal. One followed an extended Tampa Bay shift when Rickard Rakell's shaft was snapped blocking a shot, and another was booted behind Jarry by Rakell.
"Just my luck," Rakell would tell me of those mishaps.
Fine. Whatever. Honestly, and I'd thought about this on the drive across Alligator Alley yesterday, both the Penguins and Jarry might be best served if he'd run into some real adversity before season's end.
Well, hello, adversity.
And let's see how -- or if -- he bounces back. As athletes tend to attest, it's easy to experience confidence once already confident. It's a heck of a lot harder once it takes a hit.
I'm betting on him, and I can't believe I'm saying that after all that's happened these past few months. There's for-real been something different about him, on and off the ice.
Graves ... yeah, no.
Sorry, but the imagination can strain to extreme to try to find this whoever player was over these four years in Denver and Newark ...
ESPN
... and come up completely empty. In this game, he had the Penguins' worst possession metrics, on the ice for six shot attempts by Pittsburgh, 14 by Tampa Bay. In the previous game, he was on for two of Florida's three regulation goals. And for the season, it's been barely better at times, but not often.
Between those two, of course, they're constant reminders of Kyle Dubas' most vexing contracts in his Pittsburgh tenure. Jarry's still got three full years left on his five-year, $26,875,000 contract, and Graves has four full years left on his six-year, $27 million contract. Those are killers. They're cap crushers, accounting for 11.4% of the team total.
Something's got to change, in one direction or the other. Either one or both breaks through into at least acceptable NHL-level play, or one or both need to be sent out. Could be a trade. Could be a buyout. Could be a bit of both, where it's a trade where money's eaten.
That's what this game's for. That's what all these games, predominantly, are for.
Can either convincingly salvage that cap space?
Can recent young-ish acquisitions like Conor Timmins, who I've really liked, and Connor Dewar, who I've mostly liked but who looked lost all night here, compete toward spots?
Can the forwards whip up enough offense from fringy top-six types like Phil Tomasino or Emil Bemstrom to make them worthwhile?
Can Joona Koppanen skate with enough authority to make that 6-foot-5 frame and firm forechecking sustain an impact?
Can Vladislav Kolyachonok look like more than a scouting-combine freak from shift to shift?
Oh, and while I'm at it, do the Penguins dare not bring back Boko Imama after what he's brought, including in one stirring scene here?
Kyle Dubas was on hand to watch, back from a scouting trip to Sweden. Saw him after the game. I can guarantee his eyes were wide open the entire time.
I'll guarantee this, too:
PENGUINS
Guarantee this: That won't be the opening-night lineup. Or even close. There are already players in Wilkes-Barre who've been left there with an aim of contending for the AHL's Calder Cup championship, not because they haven't earned promotions, certainly not because they're being blocked, but so they can win together and, ideally, arrive together.
Putting that into real terms: Insert Sergei Murashov ahead of Jarry, or Owen Pickering ahead of Graves, or any number of others in that spirit.
Eyes wide open.
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THE ASYLUM
Dejan Kovacevic
4:49 am - 03.26.2025Tampa, Fla.DK: The Penguins' real relevance now ... is reading ahead
A couple nights earlier across the state in Sunrise, the Penguins slammed the Stanley Cup champs' collective backs against the wall.
On this night, they surrendered at the first sign of duress and wound up slaughtered by the Lightning, 6-1, here at Amalie Arena.
A couple nights earlier, Tristan Jarry extended one of the more encouraging stretches of his NHL career with another slew of excellent saves.
On this night ...
... uh, all that. He'd be pulled after four goals on seven shots.
A couple nights earlier, Ryan Graves was benched for half the second period for being scorched to the inside to concede a way-too-easy goal.
On this night ...
OK, so that specific script tends to stay the same, huh?
All of that, and somehow so much more, is what still attaches real relevance to the rest of this season, which now has nine games to go. Because answers, good and bad, can be had in these settings that can't be simulated in any other way.
The two central figures in this one, for instance, are the two I've cited.
Jarry's been terrific since return from second AHL exile of the season. Through five starts, he'd been 4-1 with a .934 save percentage, and no small ratio of those stops were sizzlers. Entirely unlike what'd been seen previously. And even here tonight, the only real dud was Anthony Cirelli's short-sider under the blocker for the Lightning's third goal. One followed an extended Tampa Bay shift when Rickard Rakell's shaft was snapped blocking a shot, and another was booted behind Jarry by Rakell.
"Just my luck," Rakell would tell me of those mishaps.
Fine. Whatever. Honestly, and I'd thought about this on the drive across Alligator Alley yesterday, both the Penguins and Jarry might be best served if he'd run into some real adversity before season's end.
Well, hello, adversity.
And let's see how -- or if -- he bounces back. As athletes tend to attest, it's easy to experience confidence once already confident. It's a heck of a lot harder once it takes a hit.
I'm betting on him, and I can't believe I'm saying that after all that's happened these past few months. There's for-real been something different about him, on and off the ice.
Graves ... yeah, no.
Sorry, but the imagination can strain to extreme to try to find this whoever player was over these four years in Denver and Newark ...
ESPN
... and come up completely empty. In this game, he had the Penguins' worst possession metrics, on the ice for six shot attempts by Pittsburgh, 14 by Tampa Bay. In the previous game, he was on for two of Florida's three regulation goals. And for the season, it's been barely better at times, but not often.
Between those two, of course, they're constant reminders of Kyle Dubas' most vexing contracts in his Pittsburgh tenure. Jarry's still got three full years left on his five-year, $26,875,000 contract, and Graves has four full years left on his six-year, $27 million contract. Those are killers. They're cap crushers, accounting for 11.4% of the team total.
Something's got to change, in one direction or the other. Either one or both breaks through into at least acceptable NHL-level play, or one or both need to be sent out. Could be a trade. Could be a buyout. Could be a bit of both, where it's a trade where money's eaten.
That's what this game's for. That's what all these games, predominantly, are for.
Can either convincingly salvage that cap space?
Can recent young-ish acquisitions like Conor Timmins, who I've really liked, and Connor Dewar, who I've mostly liked but who looked lost all night here, compete toward spots?
Can the forwards whip up enough offense from fringy top-six types like Phil Tomasino or Emil Bemstrom to make them worthwhile?
Can Joona Koppanen skate with enough authority to make that 6-foot-5 frame and firm forechecking sustain an impact?
Can Vladislav Kolyachonok look like more than a scouting-combine freak from shift to shift?
Oh, and while I'm at it, do the Penguins dare not bring back Boko Imama after what he's brought, including in one stirring scene here?
Kyle Dubas was on hand to watch, back from a scouting trip to Sweden. Saw him after the game. I can guarantee his eyes were wide open the entire time.
I'll guarantee this, too:
PENGUINS
Guarantee this: That won't be the opening-night lineup. Or even close. There are already players in Wilkes-Barre who've been left there with an aim of contending for the AHL's Calder Cup championship, not because they haven't earned promotions, certainly not because they're being blocked, but so they can win together and, ideally, arrive together.
Putting that into real terms: Insert Sergei Murashov ahead of Jarry, or Owen Pickering ahead of Graves, or any number of others in that spirit.
Eyes wide open.
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
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