Staal Infection Hurts Pens More than It Does Him

"If I didn't have my good looks, skills, and millions of dollars, I'd be scared s(&!less right about now."

Say what you want about Pittsburgh Penguin Jordan Staal: that he’s overrated, that he’s underrated, that, following his arrest at brother Eric’s bachelor party in 2007, he should choose his family better, etc., etc.... he is still as tough as they come.

Case in point would be his performance in last year’s playoffs, when he suffered a season-ending severed tendon on his foot in game one of his team’s second-round series against the Montreal Canadiens only to return two (2!) games later. Admittedly, his being 6’4”, they’re at least several feet from where the injury was sustained, but, still, that right there is balls.

Further proof comes in the form of his iron-man streak, which, in four NHL seasons, had never been broken until last spring’s injury. His regular-season consecutive-games-played streak, despite being on very thin ice, still remains intact however at 327 games. That will be snapped when the season starts, as he is likely to miss at least its first three weeks recovering from a staph infection originating where tendon was repaired.

Never mind the pain factor. What’s most impressive about his surprising return to action last May is how the mere thought of somehow causing additional, irreparable damage in a subsequent game would send most others cowering into a small corner of the dressing room, contemplating just how many millions of dollars and sex appeal they would lose as a result of a career-ending injury. In Staal’s case, it would be a lot, just for the simple reason that he is the real deal.

His point totals may not reflect his talent level, as he has averaged just over a half-point per game over his career. That is due to his playing third fiddle to arguably the two best centers in the game in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. As a defense-first center, and a Selke Trophy-nominated one at that, his point totals are not exactly meant to be indicative of his offensive capabilities. That he has scored 49 points in each of the past two seasons is just that, however. As a third-liner he nets more points than most second-liners, which is about as impressive as the Pens winning the Stanley Cup with Marc-Andre Fleury in nets... and even the one flower that manages to wilt every spring gets his hot streaks sometimes.

What’s most disappointing was that this was the year that the Pens were coming to their senses, and realizing that Malkin and Crosby couldn’t do it themselves. Staal was meant to become the team’s number-two center, with Malkin moving to his wing. As such, he clearly would have been given ample opportunity to increase upon those aforementioned point totals.

 

"I know my English isn't perfect, but, dude, when I said you'd finally be getting a chance to score..."

And to those Pens fans hoping for another miraculous recovery and seeing Staal in the Pens’ line-up when they open the season on October 7 against the Philadelphia Flyers, consider that this infection has been particularly pesky and infected tissue has had to be removed on several occasions already. Needless to say, like that one annoying unwanted girlfriend you can never get out of your life, there is no way Staal would risk keeping the infection around any longer than he needs to. It only interprets neglect as playing hard to get. The only way to finally be rid of it is to give it a taste of its own medicine, smother it with attention, get it to pack its bags - inordinate amounts of ugly-looking shoes making a mess of your closet and all - and get it to leave on its own. Or so I’ve been told.

The bottom line is Staal’s going to bite the bullet, bring an end to his iron-man streak, and it is all for the better in the long term, especially as the long term would pertain to the Penguins.

Without Staal, the team is weaker for sure. With the recent signing of forward Mike Comrie, they may not even be a playoff team... he’s that bad. While the defensive-corps additions of Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek do help, much more is needed for the Penguins to be able to regain their strut – or march, if you want to be cute. The team’s goaltending is inconsistent to be very kind, and their forward lines are made up of three – now two superstars and a bunch of third-liners (or fifth-liners in Comrie’s case). There is no middle ground, especially with Bill Guerin not being brought back.

Staal will return eventually, but until then look for the Penguins to stumble out of the gate and struggle to earn home-ice advantage in the playoffs the rest of the season. They’re the ones that are overrated, not Staal.