We are officially 11 games into the Penguins season. Sidney Crosby only has 6 points. The team hasn’t looked great outside of a couple of performances. They need their captain to get back to putting up offense.
I will never criticize the captain, and that’s not what I’m doing here. Crosby needs help. Sid has always been a facilitator more than a goal scorer. It’s why guys like Rakell work with him, because he can really fire the pill. However, Rakell has looked lost for the early part of the season. Rickard Rakell’s play doesn’t currently warrant first-line minutes.
Bryan Rust is injured, which makes demoting Rakell more difficult, but it needs to be done. Nick Robertson took a bad penalty and committed a turnover early in the season and was immediately removed from the first line. If every forward was treated this way, every guy would be demoted to the fourth line.
Robertson also has 6 goals so far this year despite the demotion. He needs to be playing higher in the lineup. His speed would be a welcome addition to Sid’s line right now. Give the kid another chance. He’s proven he deserves the opportunity.
Rakell can handle center duties on the third line, or play wing. Sid can get Robertson, and they can try Kindel with them when he’s cleared to come back. Kindel would ideally play center, but I also think his play deserves a promotion from the bottom six (and rotating cast of wingers).
Rakell centers the third line with McGroarty and Kuzmenko. Malkin gets Lapierre/Novak and Koivunen/Chinakhov. That’s a balanced spread, and it also maximizes the opportunity for Sid to find his form.
Sid’s skating hasn’t dipped. His hockey sense will stay with him until he’s 90. There’s nothing that visually explains his dip in production. The power play is a contributing factor to the drop in production, but that’s for a different conversation.
It’s beyond time to try something new to get Sid going. It’s also beyond time to stop keeping Rakell in his typical spot because of past performance.
What do you think they should do with 87’s line?
