The Pittsburgh Penguins are no man’s land. They are just a few points out of last place in the Metropolitan Division, yet are still somehow a couple of points out of a wild card spot.
After getting embarrassed in front of their hometown fans on Monday, Nov. 11, against the Dallas Stars, general manager Kyle Dubas made the first of what could be many moves, trading Lars Eller to the Washington Capitals.
The Penguins will have to adjust their roster to stay in contention. If and when those players eventually leave Pittsburgh, they will join an ever-growing list of NHLers who once skated with the club.
Looking across the league in early November, here’s the best lineup of former Penguins players and how they’d rank on this season’s team.
Goalie – Casey DeSmith (Dallas Stars)
Casey DeSmith is having a resurgence with the Stars, earning a 2-2-0 record in five games with a 1.79 GAA and .910 SV%, which would be tops among current Penguins goalies.
With Pittsburgh, he was 58-44-15 with a 2.81 GAA and .912 SV% over five seasons.
Defenseman – Mike Matheson (Montreal Canadiens)
Mike Matheson played two seasons in Pittsburgh and has been with the Montreal Canadiens for the last three. Last year, the blueliner played all 82 games and scored 11 goals and 62 points.
This year, he’s collected ten assists in 16 contests and is the fourth-leading scorer on his team without a single goal. On the Penguins, Matheson would be tied with Erik Karlsson, who has two goals and eight assists.
Defenseman – Ian Cole (Utah Hockey Club)
Considering the number of former Penguins defensemen playing outside the NHL, Ian Cole is one of the few still in the league and makes this lineup based on his six points in 16 games with the Utah Hockey Club.
As a member of the last two Stanley Cup wins in Pittsburgh, Cole would rank among the top ten scorers in this season’s lineup and be one of three skates with a positive plus/minus rating at plus-3.
Right Wing – Stefan Noesen (New Jersey Devils)
Stefan Noesen is on pace to have his best season while skating with the New Jersey Devils. He’s got seven goals and 14 points in 19 contests. Over the past two seasons, he’s averaged 36 points and is now on pace for 30 goals and 60 points.
Even though Noesen would rank below Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby in points,…