Collectively, the Penguins failed to live up to great expectations in 2018-19. Despite a roster that was built to contend, they took another step backward in what's become a disturbing trend. Last year, they were eliminated in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. This spring, they were swept out of the first-round by the upstart Islanders.
Individually, the Penguins fared little better. Though there were a few pleasant surprises, to be sure, the players who were supposed to carry the Penguins simply didn't. Only a handful of players either met or exceeded expectations.
Below are my grades for the 2018-19 Penguins. Note that grades are based on expectation for the individual player:
1-Casey DeSmith
The number: 3 (shutouts this season, a career high). The skinny: The backup goalie was a catalyst to the Penguins' turnaround in December. Between Nov. 21 and Jan. 10, DeSmith had a .930 save percentage, .876 high-danger. But after signing a three-year contract extension on Jan. 11, his HDSV percentage dropped to .793. DeSmith's a solid No. 2, but not much more. The grade: B
2-Chad Ruhwedel
The number: 31 (straight games that Ruhwedel was a healthy scratch). The skinny: Save for a five-game AHL conditioning stint, Ruhwedel was in the press box for every game between Nov. 21 and Feb. 11. He then suffered a shoulder injury on Feb. 26 and never returned to the lineup. He appeared in just 18 games, his fewest as a Penguin, and was a minus-9. Ruhwedel is a pending unrestricted free agent and will likely be moving on. The grade: C-minus
3-Olli Maatta
The number: 46.4 (Corsi For percentage after having a 51.7 in 2017-18). The skinny: Maatta was a healthy scratch for the third game of the season and then for the final three games of the playoffs. Though he's just 24, he appeared to be a step slower and injury once again bit as he missed six weeks this winter with a shoulder injury. Judging by Maatta's words and demeanor during this week's locker clean-out, I'd expect he will be playing elsewhere next season. The grade: C
4-Justin Schultz
The number: 53 (games missed with a fractured left leg). The skinny: Schultz's season never quite got back on track after the Oct. 13 injury. For the first time in his Penguins career, his Corsi For was sub-50 percent though his points per game was a solid .45. Schultz should be back to form with a full off-season to strengthen his leg. The grade: B
5-Zach Trotman
The number: 1,124 (days between points in the NHL). The skinny: Trotman was a feel-good story after spending the past two seasons almost exclusively in the minors. With massive injuries along the blueline in late February, Trotman filled in capably as the Penguins played their best defensive hockey in large part to the 28-year-old's work. The grade: B
7-Matt Cullen
The number: 1,516 (games played, second-most by an American). The skinny: The 42-year-old was brought back for one more season to provide leadership. On the ice, however, Cullen started to show his age with a .28 points per game average and a mediocre 50.0 percent face-off win percentage. If he does return, it would seem more likely to be in a coaching capacity. The grade: C
8-Brian Dumoulin
The number: plus-31 (the NHL's fifth-best rating). The skinny: Dumoulin continues to be one of the league's best complementary D-men. In addition to his plus-minus, he also posted career-highs in assists (20) and points (23). He suffered a knee injury late in the regular-season but returned for the start of the playoffs wearing a brace. The severity of Dumoulin's torn PCL is not yet known. If it requires surgery, he could miss the start of 2019-20. The grade: A-minus
10-Garrett Wilson
The number: 2 (fights this season). The skinny: A mainstay on the fourth line over the final half of the season, Wilson played a physical brand of hockey and was an energy player. He is what he is offensively, recording two goals and six assists. Wilson's a pending UFA and the organization has liked what its seen. It will be interesting though to see if he returns. The grade: C-plus
12-Dominik Simon
The number: 55.7 (Corsi For percentage, a team-high). The skinny: Simon is a strong, two-way player that sees the ice extremely well and drives possession as his CF percentage suggests. The knock, obviously, is that Simon doesn't score enough. He had eight goals on a 6.6 shooting percentage, lowest among all forwards. The grade: B
17-Bryan Rust
The number: 21 (games between Rust's first and second goals). The skinny: Rust was guilty of gripping the stick a little tight after signing a four-year, $14 million contract last summer. But after breaking out with a Dec. 12 hat trick in Chicago, Rust finished with a career-high 18 markers. With a better start, he could have had 25-plus. His speed alone continues to make Rust a valuable asset. The grade: B
19-Jared McCann
The number: .34 (goals per game average in just 32 contests with the Penguins). The skinny: The 22-year-old was a revelation following his Feb. 1 trade from the Panthers. Not only did he fill the net with his heavy shot, but he played with speed and a bit of an edge. McCann can play in all situations and should become one of the building blocks for the future. The grade: A-minus
27-Nick Bjugstad
The number: 59.62 (Corsi For percentage in playoffs, best among Pittsburgh centers). The skinny: Bjugstad had long held a reputation of being a big guy who doesn't play physical. That's not completely accurate. Bjugstad, who has a deceptively hard shot, uses his size to protect pucks but also averaged 4.0 hits per game in the playoffs, tops among all Penguins forwards. He's also embraced the third-line center role which has been the weakest link in the lineup since 2017. The grade: B-plus
28-Marcus Pettersson
The number: 58.73 (goals-for percentage). The skinny: It says here that acquiring Pettersson from Anaheim was Jim Rutherford's best trade this season. Like another more famous Swedish defenseman, Pettersson doesn't do any one thing particularly great (or flashy), but he does everything well. Moreover, at just 22, there's plenty of room to grow. The grade: A-minus
30-Matt Murray
The number: .855 (high-danger save percentage post-Dec. 15). The skinny: Murray won four of his first five starts but then nosedived, losing six straight starts. The oft-injured goalie then missed nearly a month with a lower-body injury but returned with a vengeance. Murray's HDSV percentage after Dec. 15 ranked only behind Sergei Bobrovsky and Robin Lehner. A long-term contract extension could be in the works for one of the NHL's best goaltenders. The grade: A
35-Tristan Jarry
The number: 2 (games in which he appeared). The skinny: After a promising 2017-18 when he led all rookies in wins, Jarry fell off the radar. He lost his backup job and is blocked from the NHL in Pittsburgh after DeSmith received his extension. Look for Jarry to be moved over the summer. The grade: Incomplete
44-Erik Gudbranson
The number: Plus-7 (Gudbranson's rating in 19 games with the Penguins). The skinny: The defenseman came to Pittsburgh with a league-worst, minus-27 rating, and a reputation as being big and slow. Instead, he was quite a surprise. In addition to his physical play, Gudbranson had a 54.67 Corsi For percentage, tops among all Penguins defensemen. The grade: B-plus
46-Zach Aston-Reese
The number: 25 (games lost due to injury). The skinny: When healthy, Aston-Reese has shown he can produce in a top-six role and can be a physical contributor when playing in the bottom-six. Unfortunately for him, the 24-year-old has had little luck with injuries. Next year will be a big one for Aston-Reese, who will be an RFA this summer. The grade: C-plus
53-Teddy Blueger
The number: 0 (offensive zone starts in the playoffs). The skinny: After finally reaching the NHL in late January, Blueger showed a decent scoring touch with six goals in 28 games. He was used up and down the lineup, including second-line center at one point, but he projects as a potential replacement for Cullen as the fourth-line center. The grade: C-plus
58-Kris Letang
The number: 25:58 (ice time, third-most in NHL). The skinny: Letang had an outstanding bounce-back season and should garner a few Norris Trophy votes. Despite missing 17 games to an upper-body injury suffered while sticking up for Dumoulin in the Stadium Series game, Letang still ranked fifth among all NHL defensemen in goals (16) and eighth in points (56). Unfortunately for the Penguins, Letang's swashbuckling ways got the better of him in the playoffs. However, it should be noted that Letang's 76 giveaways this season were only the third-most on the Penguins. The grade: A
59-Jake Guentzel
The number: 6 (power-play goals). The skinny: Guentzel joined Chris Kunitz as the only non-center to lead the Penguins in goals in 15 years. He also became the first winger to score 40 in a season since James Neal in 2011-12. And he did it all by scoring just a half-dozen on the power play. In his second full season, Guentzel blossomed into a consistent scoring threat and the perfect complement to Sidney Crosby. The grade: A-plus
71-Evgeni Malkin
The number: 84 (Giveaways, most on the team). The skinny: After finishing fourth in the Art Ross race in 2017-18, Malkin plummeted to 49th. Though he still managed 72 points, despite missing 13 games to injury and one to suspension, the underlying numbers for Malkin were not good. In addition to his giveaways, he was a career-worst (by far) minus-25 and he had a very pedestrian 50.08 Corsi For percentage. The grade: B-minus
72-Patric Hornqvist
The number: 12 (even-strength goals) The skinny: Hornqvist simply had the year from hell. He posted the lowest goals, assists and points totals (.54 points per game) of his career over a full season. That's to say nothing of his 50.4 Corsi For percentage. The 32-year-old missed 13 games due to injury, including his third and fourth documented concussions since the start of the 2016-17 season. After returning Jan. 19, he scored just three goals, only one of them coming at even-strength. That's an ominous sign for a rugged forward that is still owed $21.2 million over the next four seasons. The grade: C
73-Jack Johnson
The number: 2.8 (hits per game, tops on the Penguins). The skinny: Johnson was a polarizing figure from the moment he signed a five-year, $16.25 million contract last July 1. After a less-than-impressive start, the veteran proved his value as a physical presence on the back end, including 1.7 blocks per game. As expected, Johnson's advanced metrics were underwater with 43.40 goals-for and 47.25 high-danger chances for percentages. The grade: B-minus
81-Phil Kessel
The number: 10 (game-winning goals, a team high). The skinny: Kessel's offensive numbers were down from 2017-18 but actually better than his previous two Cup-winning seasons in Pittsburgh. However, Kessel's game never passed the eye test. Between Jan. 30 and April 2, he had three goals, none of them at even-strength. He also had 78 giveaways -- half of which seemed to have led to short-handed goals against -- compared to just 33 takeaways. Kessel is the poster child for what ails the Penguins: He's not hard to play against. It is expected that Rutherford will try to deal the 31-year-old. The grade: C
87-Sidney Crosby
The number: 43 (shots blocked, his most in a decade). The skinny: Crosby has always been considered one of the game's best 200-foot players, but the 31-year-old took it to the next level this season. He evolved into a more defensive player, including playing on the penalty-kill, while still putting up the sixth 100-point season of his illustrious career. Crosby carried the Penguins for large stretches, including their 13-3-3 March, and helped make a 40-goal scorer of Guentzel. He should garner serious Hart Trophy consideration. The grade: A-plus
