Penguins have the assets to upgrade their roster to an "A"

Monday’s 5-4 Penguin win over Buffalo was televised on Versus. During the second period, the network interviewed Pens GM Ray Shero. He was asked to give his team a grade on the ‘09-’10 season so far. After waffling for a moment or two, Shero eventually blurted out… “I guess about a ‘B’ would be fair.”

Wow. Shero must be a pretty hard grader. Glad I didn’t have him for a teacher. His curve would’ve been tough to deal with. At the time of this post (2/2/10) the Penguins had 71 points. Only four teams in the league (WSH, SJ, NJ, & CHI) had more. Pittsburgh was also sitting second in the Atlantic division, and fourth in the conference.

Then again, I’m sure most Penguin fans know where Shero is coming from. They are the defending Stanley Cup champs. Most of the roster is back and finally healthy.

Yet the club has had a pair of five game losing streaks. And with the power play woes of the team and some lagging defense of late, the general consensus of Pittsburgh’s hockey community seems to be that the Pens still have more to offer.

Perhaps the club’s recent stretch of play which has seen four victories in six tried raises Pittsburgh’s season grade to a B+. But even B+ doesn’t win Stanley Cups.

With that being said, assume another significant trade at the deadline by Shero. Before the team left for it’s recent Western Canadian road trip, defenseman Brooks Orpik predicted, “The answers are going to come from within this room. There’s not going to be another coaching change. There isn’t going to be another huge trade or anything.”

Orpik may be right. Clearly Dan Byslma won’t be going the way of Michel Therrien. And I wouldn’t expect Pittsburgh to land a major component again such as a Marian Hossa. They probably won’t even pull down the multiple flurry of trades that they have in year’s past (like grabbing both Georges Laraque and Gary Roberts in ‘07 and acquiring Chris Kunitz, Craig Adams, and Bill Guerin in ‘09).

But if the reigning Stanley Cup GM is only grading his team as a “B”, on February 1st… then expect at least one trade by March 3rd.

Luckily for the Penguins they have two positions of strength from which they can deal.