With the NHL targeting July 13 for the start of full-squad training camps in Phase 3 of its return-to-play plan, Penguins beat reporters Matt Vensel and Mike DeFabo are counting down the days until Penguins Camp Part Deux by examining some of the key questions that will be waiting when the team hits the ice:
Trying to define and quantify the Penguins “championship window” was a popular pastime when the club opened training camp in September.
At 32, Sid is hardly a kid anymore — even if he is still very much in his prime. And he’s not the only Penguin on the other side of 30. Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Patric Hornqvist and Jack Johnson are all 33.
At the trade deadline, the Penguins increased their median age even more and added another graying beard to the bench in 40-year-old Patrick Marleau, who has been in the NHL for as long (22 seasons) as rookie defenseman John Marino has been on this earth.
“They’re older, but they’re certainly not old,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said before the season. “That’s a big difference.”
Now, as the Penguins prepare for their second training camp of the season, no one knows exactly what to expect when teams jump directly into high-stakes hockey. But with the Penguins, there’s an added variable: What impact will the layoff have on a veteran-laden group?
In theory, there are two ways to look at it. On one hand, a team with younger, fresher legs might be better equipped to bounce directly into postseason competition after sitting on their couch for four months watching “Tiger King.” Old legs could take a little longer to restart. That’s the way the majority of people are thinking and talking.
On the other hand, there’s an argument to be made that the layoff could actually help the Penguins and their veteran core. Crosby, who’ll turn 33 on Aug. 7, played through a sports hernia for the early part of the season and then had to rehab from the most significant in-season surgery of his career. He was healthy enough to play, but was he ever really 100%? The extra time off should help him get closer to that, if not all the way there.
Malkin, who missed the first month of the season with an injury of his own, carried the club through November and December. Yet, when the Penguins made a number of moves on deadline day, general manager Jim Rutherford said he thought the stars were a bit overtaxed. A couple months to rest tired legs and mend the natural nicks and bruises that come with hockey could pay off. It’s also worth noting that his teammates marvel at the way Malkin can step onto the ice and look close to midseason form while everyone else is still breaking in new equipment. He’s a natural. That won’t change due to the layoff.
It certainly helps the Penguins that the NHL is giving teams plenty of time to ramp back up. Yes, the training camp will be brief — about two weeks. But players have been in Pittsburgh skating as a part of Phase 2 of the NHL’s return-to-play plan since June 8. By the time the NHL drops the puck for the qualifying round, the Penguins will have been on the ice for about seven weeks.
Finally, while so much focus has been on the physical toll of the layoff, the mental side shouldn’t be overlooked. The Penguins core acknowledged at the beginning of the season they only have so many chances to hoist the Cup again. No one knows for sure how the pause will affect them physically but expect a focused group when the puck finally drops.
“These guys have been through a lot in their careers,” Sullivan said. “Because of that, they have the benefit of perspective. I think it serves them well in uncertain times like this. I know in the discussions I’ve had with our guys — and in particular our leadership group — these guys look at what’s in front of us as a great opportunity. They’re trying to do everything in their power to make themselves ready and prepare themselves for that opportunity.”
Mike DeFabo: mdefabo@post-gazette.com and Twitter @MikeDeFabo.
First Published: July 9, 2020, 2:02 p.m.
