How Well is Burke Following His Own Philosophy

Team: 2021-22 Pittsburgh Penguins

Initial Creation Date: Sep. 13, 2021

Published: Sep. 13, 2021

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

Firstly, I am fully aware that Ron Hextall is the GM and not Brian Burke. However, I would be completely shocked if Burke has absolutely nothing to do with the way the current roster is constructed. Both of them have obviously not been in the job for very long, so they haven't yet had the ability too fully make the roster their own. With that being said, I am going to compare the current players in the lineup to what Brian Burke has for his ideal lineup in his book.

First Line: One guy with size.
1LW: Top skill, size (even if not a black-and-blue player), ability to finish.
1C: Top skill, Foot speed, first power-play unit, 65 points or better, leader.
1RW: Sniper, Foot speed, green light to score, first power-play unit.
Summary: This line pretty much follows exactly what Burke wants from his first line in the book, although I would say it is reversed with the sniper in Guentzel playing on the left. It is a little undersized in Rust not being big in stature, but he plays much bigger than what he is. This line also has Sidney Crosby, doesn't get much better than that. I don't think he can do much more here, it is almost perfect.

Second Line: Two guys with size.
2LW: Size (even if skilled), secondary scoring, second power-play unit.
2C: Second skill level, responsible defensively, face-off skill.
2RW: Size (with some bite), scoring ability, second power-play unit.
Summary: Just like the first line, this line pretty much follows the template and goes above. Malkin has never been known for his defensive responsibilities, or his face-off ability, but he is pretty much on par with the best in the game in every other aspect of the game, although he has slowed down a bit. I think that has had to do with injuries unfortunately. Kapanen fits the description to a tee, and so does Zucker, although he might be a little undersized and didn't have the greatest first full season as a Penguin from an offensive perspective.

Third Line: Size, fighter disciples.
3LW: Must be smart, above average skating, ability to move, shootout skill.
3C: Penalty killer, face-off guy, high hockey IQ, foot speed a must, workaholic, right-handed shot.
3RW: Size, Second fighter, middleweight, skilled and smart enough to shut people down, penalty killer.
Summary: This line is literally that description. Crazy lol. Not sure if Heinen is any good at shootouts, maybe someone can let me know in the comments.

Fourth Line: Grit, fighter disciples.
4LW: Penalty killer, responsible, hard to play against, last minute of each period.
4C: Size, face-off skill, shot blocker, shutdown role, agitator.
4RW: Fighter and can play, penalty killer, speed, last minute of each period.
Summary: I don't think you could find a better fit for the 4LW and 4C for what Burke wants. Rodrigues fits the description as well. The only knock on him is that he isn't really a fighter, although he has one fight in his NHL career, against his teammate Kapanen lol.

Summary for forward group: The forward group is pretty much exactly what he would want from his book, starts to make me think that Burke might have more influence on this team than his title president of hockey operations will let on.

First Defence Pair: Skill.
1LD: Can move puck, or lug it out of trouble, top-end foot speed, high hockey IQ.
1RD: Size, play against top line, hard shot, can shut people down and move the puck, right-handed shot.
Summary: In Pittsburgh's case, this inverted with Letting on the right and Dumolin on the left. The concept matches the both players almost to complete perfection. He has to love his first pair.

Second Defence Pair: Size.
2LD: Skill, second power-play unit, good decision-maker, eliminate/pin (even if no hard finish), some penalty killing.
2RD: Smart, mobile, finish and pin/eliminate, some bite, penalty killer, right-hand shot.
Summary: Here is where I see Pittsburgh having some potential issues. Obviously Marino fits the description nicely, but Pettersson and Matheson leave a little bit too be desired. I think Matheson can be what Burke wants here, and they are kind of stuck with him with that contract. His main issue is his decision making. He has all the attributes in my mind to be a 2nd pairing defenseman, but his decision making leaves a lot to be desired. Pettersson's underlying numbers look really solid I must say, and as someone that doesn't watch all Pittsburghs games, I am not sure why he is the 5th most used defenseman. I am sure some Penguins fans can fill me in. He could fill that 2nd pairing role in my mind without the power play ability as it doesn't look like he has the ability to quarter back a power play in the NHL. It feels a little bit odd paying a player that much for playing 3rd pairing minutes.

Third Defence Pair: Big size, one fighter.
3LD: Penalty Killer, hard minutes against bottom-six forwards, third fighter.
3RD: Size, hard to play against, fights when needed, finish checks hard, penalty killer.
Summary: I don't think you can do much better than Petterson in a 3LD spot on your team. He must surely be one of the best 3rd pairing defenseman in the league. Friedman and Ruhwedel leave a little bit too be desired in my opinion. I like Ruhwedel as a 7th defenseman, and maybe Friedman can become a solid NHL defenseman. Maybe someone can fill me in on Friedman to help me build a better understanding of him as a player.

Summary for defence group: I definitely think that the defense is weaker than the forward group when everyone is healthy. I think there are better 2nd pairing options in the league than Matheson, but I understand that they are stuck with that contract. I wonder if Hextall/Burke will make any moves during the season to improve.

Goaltenders.
Starter: Play 60-65 games, battles, elite athlete, great mechanics.
Backup: Great work ethic in practice, push the starter, makes shooters better, survive with low workload, popular.
Summary: I think Pittsburgh made the right decision in moving on from Murray and rolling with Jarry. He didn't have the best of seasons and disappointed in the playoffs, but I think he will come good with time, maybe already starting this season. If not, Pittsburgh is going to have to find a new #1 goalie. By looking at DeSmith's numbers, he seems to be a reliable backup, I don't know how he is personally, but I would imagine he fits the back-up description.