Throughout the past decade depth down the middle has been the formula for success in the NHL, and the Pittsburgh Penguins are no exception. In 2009 it was Jordan Staal coming into his own in his third NHL season, leading the way for the bottom six with Matt Cooke and Tyler Kennedy on his wings. In 2016 and 2017 it was Nick Bonino who topped the blocked shots list and more than pulled his share on the scoreboard. For the 2020 playoffs and moving forward that role will be played by Jared McCann, who solidifies the Penguins center depth heading into an unprecedented 24 team playoff later this summer.
At the time of his acquisition from the Florida Panthers 15 months ago, McCann was thought to be a sweetener in a deal that brought in 6’ 6” Centerman Nick Bjugstad to fill that very same role. McCann was initially set to be a utility winger, which he has done during his time in Pittsburgh as well. However, injuries have caused Bjugstad to miss all but 13 games this season, leaving his third-line center job vacant. As he has done since his arrival, McCann stepped in and found a home in that role, essentially rendering Bjugstad useless to a fully healthy Pittsburgh team. While Penguins Head Coach Mike Sullivan does like how McCann plays when he is on the top line with Sidney Crosby, the return of All-Star winger Jake Guentzel, paired with the acquisition of Jason Zucker from Minnesota, filled up an already crowded top six. Thus, it seems as if McCann may be in the 3C spot to stay, which is exactly where he should be.
For the Penguins to win the Stanley Cup they need big performances from Crosby, Malkin, Letang, and whoever is in net, but they also need a solidified third-line center. We already mentioned Staal and Bonino earlier, but even from a non-Pittsburgh standpoint, how far would the 2018 Washington Capitals have gone if it wasn’t for Lars Eller? If depth down the middle is the lock, then Jared McCann is the key for the Pittsburgh Penguins en route to a sixth Stanley Cup title, and their third one in five seasons.
McCann possesses all of the necessary traits needed to spearhead the Penguins bottom six. His balanced style of play translated well to different types of wingers making him the deal centerman for guys like Patric Hornqvist, Evan Rodrigues, and Patrick Marleau. Pair his line with the established fourth line of Zach Aston-Reese, Brandon Tanev, and Teddy Blueger and the Penguins will boast one of the toughest bottom sixes to play against in the playoffs. His abilities both on the powerplay, as well as the penalty kill, also add to his importance to the team as well as his value to Sullivan.
While he may not be the analytics darling that say Dominik Simon is, Jared McCann’s possession numbers fall around the league average markers. His Corsi for percentage sits at 50.6% which is roughly league average, but sits 22ndon the Penguins. His Fenwick for percentage is also around the league average at 51.3%, yet he sits just 19thon the Penguins in that category. Comparing his numbers to the two previous third-line centers to help the Penguins to a Stanley Cup, Jared McCann’s season ranks higher than both Jordan Staal in 2009 and Nick Bonino in 2017. McCann only trails Bonino’s 2016 season by roughly one percentage point in both categories. So while he has not lit the analytics world on fire he has provided a higher level of puck possession than both of his predecessors.
If I were to describe Jared McCann’s season this year in one word it would be inconsistent. Just over halfway through the season McCann was on pace to surpass his career-high in goals, and collect the first 20-plus goal season of his young career. In his first 44 games, he had already collected 14 goals and added 14 assists. After that January game, he ran into a 22-game scoring drought that would lead the entire way up to the league pause in mid-March. He was able to collect seven assists during that time which helped him tie his career-high points mark at the time of the NHL work stoppage. The Penguins are going to need the Jared McCann of the first half of the season if they want to have a chance at once again raising the Stanley Cup later this summer. If his scoring drought continues into the Penguins play-in series against the Montreal Canadiens, the Penguins will have a tough time running a gauntlet of Montreal, Philadelphia, and possibly Boston, and that just to get to the conference finals.
If McCann can come out of his scoring drought at the outset of the 2020 NHL Playoffs the Pens will sit in a very familiar position with four talented and sound centers flanked by skilled and speedy wingers. This formula worked in 2016 and 2017, and will work again in 2020 leading the Penguins on a deep playoff run.
With a defined role for the first time since coming to Pittsburgh, Jared McCann will spearhead the Pittsburgh Penguins bottom-six attack going into this modified playoff season. That positional stability, as well as a bolstered group of wingers due to the teams’ best forward depth since 2016 should get McCann off the scoring snide once play resumes. If he can do that the Pens have a good shot at reaching the pinnacle of the hockey world once again.
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