First of a two-part series
Evaluate the Penguins on the basis of their performance during their qualifying-round loss to Montreal -- a result that still seems as surreal as when it became official last Friday -- and their course of action before the start of next season is obvious.
Trade or waive all players who participated in the series. Or even watched it.
Fire everyone below Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle on the corporate food chain. And don't rule out dumping those two, as well.
Finally, see if Hamilton and or Kansas City still would be interested in having the franchise relocate to their city.
There.
Problem solved.
Trouble is, their utter unraveling as the Canadiens series progressed -- and make no mistake, the lack of urgency with which the Penguins performed was more troubling than any blown save, missed coverage or blatant giveaway -- came after a regular season during which they not only coped with what seemed like relentless adversity, but overcame it.
Almost seemed to feed off it, at times.
For Mike Sullivan and his players to find a way to squeeze a 40-23-6 record out of a group that lost 302 man-games because of injury and illness -- roughly 301 of which seemed to affect prominent personnel -- was an incredible feat, and established Sullivan as a legitimate candidate to be NHL Coach of the Year and his team a serious, if dark-horse, threat to earn the franchise's sixth Stanley Cup.
And then the qualifying round arrived, and the only club in the 24-team postseason field that didn't have a winning record during the regular season brought the Penguins' season to an abrupt, stunning and, presumably, thoroughly disheartening conclusion.
Compared to the way the Penguins crashed and burned during the first week of August, the Hindenburg executed a textbook landing.
The stain the loss to Montreal left on the franchise's legacy is permanent. It might fade a bit over time, but it will never go away entirely.
Nor should it, because it can be an enduring reminder to all involved just how quickly any situation, no matter how promising, can deteriorate.
But while the past can't be changed, the future remains still somewhat pliable.
Oh, if Jim Rutherford reaches the perfectly logical conclusion that major changes to the Penguins' personnel are necessary, it won't be easy, thanks to things such as no-trade clauses and a stagnant salary-cap ceiling of $81.5 million.
What he has to figure out first is whether to put more credence in how his team played during the regular season, or whether to have his decisions shaped by the more recent, but much smaller, sample of the Montreal series.
With that in mind, here are thumbnail assessments of the forwards currently on the Penguins' major-league roster or who could turn up there next season:
Anthony Angello -- He's a restricted free agent, but assuming he's re-signed, Angello's size and willingness to play a physical game could earn him a bottom-six job.
Zach Aston-Reese -- With a cap hit of just $1 million, Aston-Reese isn't a strain on the budget, but neither has he performed to expectations as a pro. Maybe it's his frequent injuries. Or perhaps he simply has been overrated since leaving Northeastern.
Nick Bjugstad -- Great size, pretty fair skills, lackluster production. Some guys just never put it all together. So far, Bjugstad is one of them.
Teddy Blueger -- He's still learning, but has established his credentials as a solid bottom-six center.
Sidney Crosby -- Remains as driven as he's ever been. It's a little troubling that that attitude wasn't contagious against the Canadiens.
Jake Guentzel -- His goal-scoring abilities are unquestioned, but the long recovery from shoulder surgery seemed to affect him more against the Canadiens than most anticipated.
Patric Hornqvist -- While he knows no way to play other than all-out, at age 33, all of those hard miles on him are beginning to show.
Adam Johnson -- Despite possessing the kind of speed the Penguins value, he's had modest success at this level, and that probably won't change unless he gets physically stronger.
Sam Lafferty -- Looked like a potential impact player early in the season, but is probably most suited to a blue-collar role, at least at this stage of his career.
Nathan Legare -- Although he's coming of a solid season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, he'd have to have an extraordinary training camp to grab a roster spot going into next season.
Evgeni Malkin -- Put together a terrific bounce-back regular season, then went through four games of almost nonstop frustration against Montreal. His past 10 months were a nice microcosm of how his team fared.
Patrick Marleau -- His brief time with the Penguins will barely merit a mention in the Hockey Hall of Fame induction speech he likely will deliver in a few years.
Jared McCann -- After looking as if he had all the qualities to be the long-term answer in the middle of the third line, McCann failed to score in his final 22 regular-season games and played his way out of the lineup for Game 3 against Montreal. He's a restricted free agent, and that disappointing season will cost him some money.
Samuel Poulin -- It's telling that the Penguins didn't include him on their postseason roster. He's quite capable of earning a place in the NHL next season, but rushing him before h'e ready -- and possibly retarding his development in the process -- would be a mistake.
Evan Rodrigues -- Did enough during his brief time here after being acquired from Buffalo to merit a contract to replace the one that's expiring. He's not a difference-maker, but should have been used at some point in the Canadiens series.
Bryan Rust -- Guys who can produce at a 30-goal pace and kill penalties well aren't easy to find, and Rust fits nicely into that niche.
Conor Sheary -- Bringing him back from the Sabres to see if he could recreate the success he had a few years ago with Crosby and Guentzel was a worthy experiment. It didn't happen, though, and he should be allowed to walk as an unrestricted free agent.
Dominik Simon -- A large segment of the fan base bemoans his failure to be a reliable goal-scorer, but he can play up and down the lineup and be used on either wing. That kind of versatility has value.
Brandon Tanev -- The Penguins needed his energy, speed and willingness to play the body, so he can be effective as long as he's not regularly deployed above the bottom two lines.
Jason Zucker -- Rutherford paid a big price to get him from Minnesota, but the early return on that investment has been solid. His offensive output should rise as he gets more comfortable with this team.
Next: Defensemen and goalies
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