Ex-Penguins Update: Thirty-Three and a Third Edition
It’s been a while since I posted an Ex-Penguins Update. With a little time to kill between games and no obvious story lines to pursue, I thought I’d compile one. Since NHL teams are roughly a third of the way through the season, give or take, I’ll call it the Thirty-Three and a Third Edition. Stats are updated for games played through December 11.
I’ll start at the top and work my way down. Leading the pack of expatriates is San Jose center Mikael Granlund. Yes, that Mikael Granlund, the one was excoriated by Penguin media sites and blogs (like PP) before being shipped to the Sharks in the Erik Karlsson blockbuster.
Granny isn’t very big or fast, shortcomings that undermined him here. But he’s a smart, crafty player who sees the ice well and distributes the puck extremely well, to the tune of 10 goals and 30 points in 29 games. Maybe not a “coveted player” as former GM Ron Hextall once described him. But a good one.
While Granlund’s lofty perch may come as a surprise, the runner-up probably won’t.