Something encouraging to think about as we look towards the 2015-16 Pittsburgh Penguins season. In my estimation there is a better than 50% chance that Chris Kunitz puts up legitimate top six goal scoring numbers again next year.Kunitz's 2015-16 season was defined by a horrific goal scoring drought where he only scored three goals in the last 38 games of the season* and nine goals in his 58 games after December 20th**Playoffs included*Considering he was playing with Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin that just isn't going to cut it.There were two major ailments that came into play for Kunitz in 2014-15. The first was a fractured foot which put him out of action from November 29-December 20.The second ailment was an iron deficiency which wasn't caught until January of 2015.It is likely that both ailments had a negative impact on his ability to score goals for the team.His shooting percentage in 2014-15 was his lowest since his first full year with the club in 2009-10. In that 2009-10 season Kunitz missed 32 games to injury.Chris Kunitz has a career shooting percentage of 13.0% which is way above average and considering he is a veteran of 733 NHL games played we can assume from the sample size that his above average shooting percentage is a skill for himAfter his foot fracture in 2014-15 he shot 7.3% which is about a 46% decrease in shot effectiveness. You may ask "what does a foot have to do with shooting?" If you can't get to the good spots on the ice faster you miss out on good chances. There isn't a lot of time and space in the modern NHL.The good news for Kunitz were his underlying numbers. He led all Pittsburgh players in raw possession with a 5v5 Fenwick For percentage of 56.4% in 2014-15.He had great shot generation/shot suppression numbers no matter who had played with in 2014-15This is a good sign. The possession stuff is more repeatable and can predict future success better than shooting percentage can. Chris Kunitz may not have scored goals at the rate he was accustomed to in 2014-15, but he was not the liability that people thought he was on the ice. A liability is somebody who always plays in their own end. The pucks weren't going in for Kunitz but those same pucks were rarely in his defensive zone.A clean bill of health entering 2015-16 will go a long way in Kunitz's ability to regain that scoring touch. Getting a fresh start on a new season can only help on the mental side of things as well. There is no doubt that the lack of goal scoring can be taxing on a player's mental state who is used to scoring more often.We know that Crosby had good to great success at times with Patric Hornqvist and David Perron. That would be an effective line once again in 2015-16. If Kunitz is able to bounce back that would provide the team with a Kunitz-Malkin-Kessel combo which could mimic the tremendous success that Kunitz-Malkin-Neal had in 2011-12. That was the year Evgeni Malkin won the Hart Trophy and Art Ross. It is no surprise it was the same year Malkin had his best linemates.Thanks for reading!Follow me on twitter Follow @GunnerStaal