 The young Pittsburgh Penguins have had their parade after winning the team's third Stanley Cup. Now it is time to accept the passing of the torch and start the season in defense of their crown. With owner Mario Lemieux and former star Jaromir Jagr always being prominent in Penguins history, it is captain Sidney Crosby and fellow superstar Evgeni Malkin who have now taken over as the faces of the franchise. It is this new Penguins dynamic duo which many people compare to another legendary pair, Gretzky and Messier, and with all the implications pointing to the Penguins being on the verge of becoming the NHL's first real dynasty since the Oilers of the 80s. Can the Penguins hoist the Lord Stanley Cup again and continue to deserve such lofty comparisons? With two of the three best players in the world, you can expect scoring from the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Crosby and Malkin are always going to both be legitimate threats to win the Art Ross Trophy; both are previous winners, and both surpassed the 100-point mark last season. Crosby is typically categorized as the playmaker, while Malkin is the goal scorer, but both had goal totals in the mid-30s last year, and overall their production is fairly similar; both have the potential to score 40 or more goals and jump into the 120-point range this season. Keep in mind, at the ripe old age of 24, Malkin is the older of the two, and are really just reaching their peak. Not that the tandem of Crosby and Malkin are not enough, they are not the only ones to make the Penguin offense so potent. Center Jordan Staal is one of the best young players in hockey, providing the Penguins with unrivaled depth down the middle. Add to that, wingers Bill Guerin, Chris Kunitz, Ruslan Fedotenko, and Tyler Kennedy, who are all expected to provide a solid increase in scoring for a variety of reasons, and the return of Stanley Cup hero Max Talbot when he returns from injury this winter, and there is nothing but depth with this talented group of forwards. The Penguins' defense was often overlooked because of their potent firepower on offense, however winning the Stanley Cup changes all of that. The Penguins display a great balance of physicality and solid puck movement on the blue line. Sergei Gonchar, Kris Letang, and Alex Goligoski, are exceptional at moving the puck, and anchoring the defense every time the puck is dropped. In goal, there are now far fewer questions surrounding former #1 overall pick, Marc-Andre Fleury, after he was prominent in leading the Penguins to a Stanley Cup. However, after hoisting the Cup and now being considered for the Olympics, expect a strong season out of Fleury this year, as he has really proven to be one of the best goalies in the world. Backup Brent Johnson is a strong second option, capable of providing solid relief in his first season in Pittsburgh. The truth is that the Penguins have the ideal personnel for the new NHL; their forwards are fast and talented, allowing their offense to set up and wear out opponents. Do not expect a lack of motivation from Pittsburgh this season or be surprised if they end up battling for a second consecutive Stanley Cup. The scariest thing may be that Crosby, Malkin, and Staal, are all just hitting their prime, and may still be getting better. With that being the case, the Mellon Arena is going to be rocking all season long, and Pittsburgh Penguins tickets will be the hottest tickets in town!
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