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A look back at 2011-12 historical cards |
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The Penguins 2011-12 season certainly did not lack intrigue. Sidney Crosby came back from his long recovery from his concussion/neck injury only to leave for an extended amount of time again. In Sid’s absence Evgeni Malkin combined with Chris Kunitz and James Neal to put together an MVP season to keep the team afloat. Eventually, Crosby would return to the lineup before the playoffs and in my opinion the Penguins had the best roster of this time period. It was Jordan Staal’s last year with the team and after his departure the team would struggle to find a 3C replacement for a number of years.
The season ended prematurely when the Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Penguins in the first round. It was an electric series with a lot of drama, but at the heart of it the goaltending was just not good enough. Marc-Andre Fleury had an .834 save percentage in the series and the team could not dig themselves out of that hole.
It is a rare occurrence for Evgeni Malkin to play with the team’s two best wingers. In Sidney Crosby’s absence Malkin did just that for an entire season. He made the most of this opportunity by winning his second Art Ross Trophy and more importantly his lone Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP. Additionally, he was the recipient of the Ted Lindsay Award as the player’s MVP. With Malkin playing at this level and Sidney Crosby playing at a high level upon his return this season deserved better.
Jordan Staal’s swan song with the Penguins was his high water mark offensively. Helping fill the void as a top six center Staal finished with 25 goals and 50 points this season. He would never again have as many goals or points in a single season for the rest of his career (he’s still playing, but unlikely to hit those marks now). Staal would grow as a shutdown center in his years with Carolina, but for his last season in Pittsburgh he provided the offensive punch his team needed given the circumstances. The Penguins tried to keep Staal around, but the allure to play with his older brother in Carolina won out. The Penguins did well to acquire Brian Dumoulin and the 8th overall pick in their trade of Staal. Unfortunately, they spun their tires with Brandon Sutter and wasted the 8th overall pick.
Chris Kunitz is most known for being one of Sidney Crosby’s most trustworthy wingers. For some, Kunitz is only known as the guy who played with Crosby. The fact is that while he did benefit greatly by playing with one of the best players of all-time, he is also an excellent player in his own right. In 2011-12 he took his talents to the Malkin line and fit right in. The things he does well translate to whomever he is playing with. This success even predates the Penguins and is a reason Pittsburgh wanted to trade for him in the first place. He was a top six winger with the Ducks (Kunitz-McDonald-Selanne) when they won the Stanley Cup in 2007. No matter what team and what center Kunitz made it work in the top six and 2011-12 is a great example.
James Neal had a career year in 2011-12. His 40 goals and 81 points would be personal bests. Neal’s quick release and ability to find soft spots worked perfectly with Malkin and Kunitz’s ability to create time and space. He helped comprise one of the very best lines in hockey for the 2011-12 season. The trio had a 59.46 xGF% which led to many many many goals.
One of the Penguins depth signings in 2011-12 was a 37 year old Steve Sullivan. Sullivan made a career out of being in that 60-70 point per season range. Even though this was Sullivan’s second to last season he still brought some offensive zip. He finished the year with 17 goals and 48 points in 79 games. It was a successful signing and one that helped fill out the roster.
Paul Martin continued to be one of the Penguins best defenders. This year he really took a positive step forward in his offensive contributions. It was a real pleasure watching him play during this time period.
Thanks for reading!
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