Welcome back to Puck Drop: NHL Preview 2013-14, where our hockey department gives you a detailed look at each team from around the NHL leading to the start of his hockey season. Check back often as new teams are added to our Puck Drop page. Today we take a look at the 2013-14 Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Past

When the Pittsburgh Penguins added grit, leadership and talent towards the end of the 2012-13 post season, many believed that they were the favorites to go all the way. With arguably the two best players in the league, it seemed too good to be true. Sadly, it was.

Jarome Iginla, Brendan Morrow and Douglas Murray were all added to the Penguins line-up in order to make an impact and strong push towards the Stanley Cup. A long playoff run wasn’t enough for General Manager Ray Shero; it was the Cup or bust.

After a battle against the New York Islanders that saw the Penguins winning in six games, they made short work of the Ottawa Senators in the second round, defeating them in a short five-game series. Unfortunately, it was the Boston Bruins who turned out to be their Kryptonite as the Penguins were swept in the Conference Finals. In four games, the highest scoring team in the NHL were only able to muster up two goals.

The Off-season

The main focus for Shero was to keep his initial core in tact. With Captain Sidney Crosby locked up until 2025, it was Evgeni Malkin’s turn to cash in as he signed an eight-year, $76-million contract extension, avoiding the UFA market next summer. Kris Letang also received an abundance of wealth, signing an eight-year, $58 million contract extension. Playing with Sid the Kid, Chris Kunitz received his own when he agreed to a three-year, $11.55 million contract extension. Finally, Pascal Dupuis re-signed with Pittsburgh, agreeing on a four-year, $15 million contract.

With all four locked up until at least the next four years (barring any trade) the Penguins find themselves just a pinch north of $1 million over the salary cap. Ray Shero has made it very clear that as long as the stars are around, he can find players within the organization to surround his core with. Before training camp starts up, don’t be surprised if Shero orchestrates a trade or two to bring his team within the cap.

In the UFA market, the Penguins welcomed back defenseman Rob Scuderi, who accepted a four-year, $13.5 million contract. The 34-year-old led the LA Kings in blocked shots and shorthanded minutes, while averaging 21:47 minutes per game. Penguins fans remember him from the Penguins Stanley Cup victory in 2009.

Shero has also made it public knowledge on more than one occasion that Marc-Andre Fleury is the number one goaltender in Pittsburgh, despite another lackluster performance in the 2012-13 post-season where he was eventually replaced by veteran back-up, Tomas Vokoun. One has to believe that if he continues to slip during the season, Vokoun will get another chance to prove himself and take over the number one spot. His performance last year definitely helped his status, possibly upgrading from back-up to the 1B goaltender this year.

What to look for

After last year’s debacle in the post-season, Shero not only added some mobility to his defensive core, he also added some experience behind the bench to help out their defense. Welcome Jacques Martin, who after getting the boot from the Montreal Canadiens two seasons ago spent last year without a job. Martin adds a very long list of experience and will help the Penguins play more of a sound two way game. While he has no specific role on the bench, Martin will offer his input to head coach Dan Bylsma.

The defensive unit as a whole will need to continue improving. For one, Paul Martin, the highest paid defenseman on the team as mind-boggling as that may sound, will need to keep his form from last year’s shortened season if he wants to avoid any backlash from the Penguins faithful. Brooks Orpik, along with Scuderi, will be your stay at home defenders to allow Letang to roam around freely and play with the puck. To complete their backend, Matt Niskanen, Simon Despres and Derek Engelland fill in the remaining holes. Should Shero feel the need to clear up some space, look for Niskanen to be placed on the block.

Sidney Crosby will continue his ways of turning his linemates into pure gold. You could fill up a plate of spaghetti and meatballs and the Italian dish would likely be a 30 goal scorer. One aspect Crosby will need to grow in is his maturity. During the post-season last year, Crosby became somewhat unhinged, losing his cool a few times and becoming rather undisciplined. The young captain will need to keep his emotions in check if the Penguins want to return to the Cup finals this year.

Who to look out for

If there is one player on the Penguins you may want to keep your eye on, it’s Chris Kunitz. After signing a rather odd contract extension (odd considering Shero was virtually bidding against nobody else), Kunitz will have to find a way to live up to his contract, an inflated number thanks in large to his star linemate Sidney Crosby.

If chemistry starts to run dry between Kunitz and Crosby, Bylsma can always rely on Kunitz re-working his magic with Malkin. The luxury of having Kunitz around is that either one of Malkin or Crosby know they will have a winger on one of their sides who they can rely on and work well with.

The chemistry between Sid and Kunitz has been such a story, it may earn Kunitz a spot on Team Canada’s roster in Sochi for the Winter Olympics in 2014. Think about that for one moment. Chris Kunitz, should he make the team, would be considered one of the best 13 forwards from Canada at this moment. Surely there are names out there that would be more appealing to Canadian fans but because he and Crosby have such magic together, he may find himself not only with Canada but on a top line with Crosby.

The problem going into this season is that Kunitz will start his four year extension at the age of 34. The same age as Scuderi but the difference is the style. While Scuderi is a more stay at home kind of guy that is good defensively, Kunitz is a tenacious, gritty and pesky forward that does not shy away from corners. Given his age, the body tends to break down and if he should continue to play his style and get hurt, it would put a damper on the Penguins line-up.

One has to think though, if Bryan Bickell managed to earn himself $4 million dollars a year for becoming a playoff hero at $3.85 million a year, Kunitz’s contract doesn’t look so bad after all.

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Main photo credit: Thebeev via photopin cc