We all know Sidney Crosby is one of the best to ever take the ice. But just how good has the Penguins center been when you look at the stats? We answer that question and more with today's Penguins analysis:
• Jake and Sid connection: For Jake Guentzel, it pays to be on Sidney Crosby's wing. Guentzel nearly doubled his goal total from 2017-18 (22) to 2018-19 (40), and the Penguins were nearly unstoppable when those two skated together this past season. When Guentzel and Crosby were on the same line during five-on-five play, Pittsburgh generated 55.1 percent of total shots, 56.9 percent of scoring chances and 66.7 percent of goals, according to Natural Stat Trick. When Guentzel skated at even strength without Sid, the Penguins had 41.5 percent of total shots, 43.8 percent of scoring chances and 31.6 percent of goals. Guentzel's scoring surge wasn't solely the product of playing with Crosby, but it surely didn't hurt.
• Sid through 31: While the NHL is tracking younger and Crosby is no longer a kid -- top overall NHL draft pick Jack Hughes was five years old when Sid debuted -- the Penguins captain just notched the sixth 100-point season of his career and his first since 2013-14. And, when you adjust for the era in which Crosby has played, you can easily make the case that he's among the best offensive talents we have ever seen through his age-31 season. Hockey Reference tracks a stat called adjusted points, which scales a player's point total to reflect the overall offensive environment at the time that he skated. For example, Crosby has 1,216 actual points during his career, but 1,334 adjusted points (a reflection of how he played during some low-scoring seasons). With those 1,334 adjusted points, Sid trails only Wayne Gretzky (1,850) and Jaromir Jagr (1,403) in adjusted points through age 31. Crosby beat out Mario Lemieux (1,290 adjusted points through age 31), though Mario posted that total in nearly two fewer seasons' worth of games (745, compared to 943 for Crosby).
• Blueger's value: With Matt Cullen officially retiring, Teddy Blueger looks poised to center a bottom six line for the Penguins in 2019-20. He should be an upgrade. Blueger, a 24-year-old Latvian selected in the second round of the 2012 draft, had nearly a point per game with Wilkes-Barre Scranton last season (39 in 45 contests) and then posted 0.36 per game during his first taste of the NHL (Cullen averaged 0.28 in 2018-19). Cullen, though highly respected for his leadership, was one of the game's worst skaters in terms of driving puck possession for his team. With Cullen on the ice during five-on-five play, the Penguins generated -8.2 percent fewer shots compared to when he was on the bench. Blueger was much closer to average (-2.2) at even strength last year, and comes with more offensive upside.
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