Penguins’ dreadful power play, numbers to be retired, Crosby, Malkin and more: Mailbag, Part 2

Good afternoon, everyone. Sorry for the delay, but here is Part 2 of the November mailbag (Part 1 is here).

I’d love to go a day without discussing the Penguins’ power play, but it has given me no other choice. Away we go.

Are there any internal rumblings of a change or unhappiness with the power play setup? Players, coaches, front office? I’m glad I’ve seen some system changes by Pens this season, but PP still looks out of sorts most of the time. — @MikeyFitzPGH

It’s the story of the day, Mikey. There’s no getting around it.

But to answer your question, no, there aren’t any rumblings in terms of players being displeased with coaches or coaches being displeased with players. Nothing of the sort. Sure, everyone is frustrated by the power play, but I don’t sense any finger-pointing at all. They’re very much on the same page. It’s just not working.

The Penguins sit at 12.5 percent on the power play. Only six teams are worse. (Washington is last in the league at 6 percent … wow.)

It’s not just that the power play has been awful. It’s also sapped the Penguins of momentum, and, in recent games, they’re allowing a preposterous amount of short-handed chances, which I assure you troubles the head coach even more than the power play struggling to score.

If they don’t fix it, they aren’t making the playoffs. It’s that simple. Everyone has theories on how to improve it. To me, it’s more about mentality than personnel or alignment. Watch the best power plays. They’re ravenous to score. They have a shoot-first mentality. There is almost a greed associated with it. The Penguins are so polite, so pass-first on the power play. It’s painful to watch. I’m of the belief that some urgency and some selfishness would go a long way.

Fast forward 10 years from now: What numbers are hanging up in the rafters of PPG Paints Arena? — @alecander95

Far more than you think.

Currently, Michel Brière’s No. 21 and Mario Lemieux’s No. 66 hang from the rafters. We know Jaromír Jágr’s No. 68 soon will join them.

Ten years from now?

My prediction is that Sidney Crosby’s No. 87, Evgeni Malkin’s No. 71, Marc-André Fleury’s No. 29 and Kris Letang’s No. 58 will join them at that point.

I also expect a couple of other numbers from the early ’90s to be represented by then.

Josh, is Geno the most underrated player of the cap era? — @mackravitz

I don’t think there’s any question. The answer is a resounding yes.

Malkin wasn’t even deemed one of the 100 greatest players in history by a group of “experts” in 2017. He’s 18th all-time in NHL points per game. Those numbers actually increase when Crosby is out of the lineup.

He’s one of the great big-game players of all time. He has three Stanley Cup rings, a Conn Smythe Trophy, a Hart Trophy and two Art Ross trophies. He put up these numbers while blowing out his knee twice.

I’d argue it wasn’t just the era of Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. Malkin might be No. 3 in that group — he is — but he was closer to them than anyone else in his era.

Are there any trade rumblings around the Penguins currently? Seems like a RHD and an additional depth winger would go a long way — @samfrisby3

No, there aren’t. You’ll all know immediately if there are. I think GM Kyle Dubas is well aware of the Penguins’ current deficiencies and would probably like to make a move. It’s just not a good climate for trades right now. Eventually, that will change.

What are they going to do with P.O Joseph? — @witty10

Speaking of trades, I have to think he’s an excellent candidate to be traded soon.

He’s got talent but has played poorly this season. A fresh start elsewhere makes sense for Joseph and for the Penguins.

Why does Sully never change up lines? i.e. Try to balance top 3 lines for scoring? — @JamMasterJim 

Well, changing lines and going for more balance on the top three lines are two different things.

You can argue that the Penguins should deploy a more balanced lineup, perhaps moving Bryan Rust or Rickard Rakell to a third-line role to spread the wealth. That comes with pros and cons.

I wouldn’t say, however, that Sullivan hasn’t made changes this year. He put Rakell on the third line. He sent people to Wilkes-Barre. He removed Letang and Rakell from the power play. He also removed Rust from the power play.

This is the most we’ve seen him tinker this early in the season. You can disagree with the decisions he’s made. I wouldn’t accuse him of standing pat.

Josh, I have Sid as #4 on the top all time NHL players list behind Gretzky, Lemieux and Orr. He’s my favorite player so it pains me to say it – but I can’t see him overtaking any of the big three. Do you think it’s possible and if so what would need to happen? — @armpittornado

It’s impossible to say. This is a totally subjective thing. I agree with your top three, though I think it’s fair to rank any of those three as No. 1.

And I have Sid No. 4 on my personal list, too. He’s never going to catch Gretzky’s numbers and he’s never going to wow onlookers with his sheer talent the way Mario and Orr did.

So, I think the only way Sid moves into that pantheon in the eyes of many is by winning more championships. If he wins one more Cup? I suspect it would make a big impression on many people.

Is there a path for Crosby to get to 2,000 points? — @OldDustyTraiI

Of course there is. He’s at 1,526 and isn’t showing any notable signs of aging. Now, it will happen at some point. I think we’re seeing it with Ovechkin this season. But if Sid can stay healthy and play another five or six years, it’s in play. Do we think he would prefer 1,987, though? I kind of do.

When you enter the locker room, is the media given a list of questions that are off-limits? What’s one question you didn’t ask (either by choice or other) that you wish you did? — @biggez99

Nope, it doesn’t work that way at all. Sometimes certain players are off-limits. (Marcus Pettersson got hurt at the end of the game in Buffalo, so the team didn’t want him speaking because he was still in the medical process, for instance.)

But no. We can ask what we want. Sometimes common sense goes a long way in this regard. I often forget to ask something and remember what it was about 20 seconds after leaving the locker room, but nothing that keeps me up at night.

Hey Josh. If you were a hockey coach instead of a beat writer, what would be your coaching philosophy? — @GlennKaplan13

All goals, all the time. To hell with defense.

I grew up watching the Penguins of the late ’80s and early ’90s. It’s the kind of hockey I prefer.

I’d be fired very quickly, but it would have been an entertaining coaching stint, by God.

What is one phone app that you’re embarrassed you have? (Candy Crush, McDonald’s app, etc.) If not applicable, what’s one guilty pleasure of yours in life? — @KMarker14

Oh man, confessional time.

I have the Hallmark TV app on my phone because I like the Hallmark Christmas movies. Go ahead and laugh, but plenty of you enjoy them, too. I can’t be a macho sports person all the time. Everyone is so friendly and good-looking in them, and the holiday images are nice. Happy ending is guaranteed. It’s pleasant TV. Heck, I just saw one with Dolly Parton guest-starring!

Guilty pleasures? There have been many. Bet the over on how many.

Why cannot sports media in general stay out of politics/social issues? I follow sports media guys for sports coverage not for their holier-than-thou take on politics or social issues. — @PITsportsfanXX

In the words of Lily Braden, “I didn’t do it.”

I don’t have a problem with sportswriters talking politics online. Everyone else does it, so I don’t think we should be prohibited. It’s a personal choice for me to avoid those topics, partially because I’m not a real political person, but also … well, what you said.

Where does Thanksgiving land on your holiday power rankings? — @BLucas_PGH

1. Christmas2. Thanksgiving3. Fourth of July4. Memorial Day5. Labor Day6. Halloween7. Easter (I don’t like ham)8. New Year’s Eve (not much of a drinker)9. St. Patrick’s Day (I’m part Irish, but it’s kind of lame)10. Every other holiday⇓⇓⇓⇓

1,000. Valentine’s Day

It’s not that I’m not a romantic at heart. Come on, I like Hallmark movies. But Valentine’s Day cripples a lot of people who are alone and costs a lot of unnecessary money for those who aren’t. It’s a repulsive holiday.

How does a sportswriter from Pittsburgh obtain 100,000+ followers? — @whoisjohngalti

How does a random person on Twitter make my ego swell so much? That’s the real question. Thanks pal!

Honestly, it’s a very simple formula.

• I have been covering the Penguins for a long time, and they have a huge fan base.• I’m almost always nice to people (if I’ve ever snapped on you, chances are you were antagonizing me, you’re a Browns fan, or I was in a bad mood … if it was my mood and I was taking out my life issues on you, I’m so sorry).• I don’t write things that aren’t true.• Many along the way — Rob Rossi, Dejan Kovacevic, you name it — pumped me up a ton in 2011 and 2012, and that really helped my exposure.

• I don’t have an online persona. I am who I am. When you meet me at a game, I’m the same person who just tweeted something. People can see through phonies.

Oh, and also, Pittsburgh is just an incredible sports town. That’s still the biggest thing. Many of us have many followers.

Peters Township now an athletic force in the WPIAL, thoughts? — @DavidWhipkey5

Good question to finish with, my friend. So good to see my alma mater win the WPIAL championship. Two wins away from the state title. Never thought I’d see the day.

On to Nashville for me. Thanks for reading, hopefully your Thanksgiving was good and maybe the Penguins will even score a power-play goal at some point.