Five Pittsburgh Penguins Who Will Benefit Most From Olympic Break
By Matt Gajtka
Jan 7, 2014; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Pittsburgh Penguins forward
Craig Adams(27) during the third period against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena. The Pittsburgh Penguins won 5-4 in a shoot out. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
4. Craig Adams
We go from the Penguins’ second-youngest player in Bennett to their oldest skater in Adams, who at 36 has certainly had better seasons than the one he’s currently putting together.
Obviously it’s not about scoring for the defensive-minded Adams – he has eight points in 58 games – but his play has been a bit off after signing a one-year deal with the Penguins last summer. Adams’ 58.2 percent deployment rate on the penalty kill is the highest on the team, and since Pittsburgh maintains the best PK success rate in the NHL, you have to give Adams his share of credit for that. But he’s starting to look slow compared to the rest of the team.
Looking at the possession numbers, Adams is about seven percent worse than the Penguins’ team Corsi while playing against the second-weakest competition among regulars. Yes, Adams also starts most of his shifts in the defensive zone, which puts him at a disadvantage offensively, but he looks like he could use a boost for another run at the Stanley Cup.
Unlike Adams, the 27-year-old Niskanen is in the prime of his athletic career – and it shows. The Minnesota-born defenseman is playing the most minutes since his breakout sophomore 2008-09 season in Dallas, and he’s one point from matching his career high of 35 set five years ago. (Also, while plus-minus isn’t very indicative of a player’s effectiveness, it bears mentioning Niskanen leads the league at plus-29.)
With the caveat that he plays against weaker competition than Brooks Orpik, Paul Martin, Kris Letang and Rob Scuderi, Niskanen has nonetheless been the Penguins’ best puck-possession defenseman. The team sees about a seven-percent increase in shot attempts with Niskanen on the ice than they do otherwise.
Still, just because Niskanen is doing well doesn’t mean he couldn’t use some time away from the rink. With Letang out indefinitely due to stroke complications, it stands to reason that Niskanen will continue to get upwards of 20 minutes per game. He’s going to need all the energy he can find to maintain his current level of play.