2015-2016 Pittsburgh Penguins Superlatives

It is that time of the year. The playoffs are on their way and the Penguins will be entering them for a tenth consecutive year, the fifth longest active streak in U.S sports. With this article, I will award six superlatives: MVP, Nicest Goal, Biggest Surprise, Best Trade, Rookie of the Year, and Best Stat, to whom I believe deserve them. And we begin…

Penguins’ MVP: Marc-Andre Fleury

Sorry Sid, I love you beyond words, but Marc-Andre Fleury is the Penguins MVP this season. The Flower’s play has been consistent all season long. He is 35-17-6 with a .921 SV%, 2.29 GAA, and 5 shutouts. Assuming he does not play another game this regular season due to his concussion, he will will have posted career highs in both SV% and GAA. He proves year-after-year that he is blooming into ‘The Flower’ and had been the rock early in the season when the Penguins simply couldn’t score. I choose Marc-Andre Fleury to be this seasons MVP.

Honorable Mention: Sidney Crosby

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Nicest Goal: Malkin spin-o-Rama vs. Oilers

This is without a doubt the best goal scored all season for the Penguins. Geno was one on one with an Edmonton defender as he spun around and roofed a backhander over the goaltender. It was something you thought you'd only ever see in a video game, only 10x cooler. He made two people look very silly and simultaneously at that. That nasty snipe earns the top spot. Honorable Mention: Sidney Crosby’s deking through the defenseman and then falling to bang one home against Anaheim.

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Biggest Surprise: Matt Cullen

Matt Cullen is unreal. Where was this production at for the previous five years? He has been a free agency steal for the Penguins and proved that age is just a number. The 39 (!!) year old Cullen has posted 14 goals and 16 assists totaling 30 points for the fourth line center. He has played every game this season for the Penguins, only Patric Hornqvist and Phil Kessel are the other ironmen. He has played with a broad range of players this season. From centering Phil Kessel and Evgeni Malkin, to playing with Sergei Plotnikov (LOL) and mentoring all the WBS players that have come up this season, he’s been a blessing for the team. Honorable Mention: Brian Dumoulin

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Best Trade: David Perron and Adam Clendening to the Ducks for Carl Hagelin

This trade, in my opinion, is the best of the GMJR era. David Perron had some gifted hands that seemed to fade as his time in Pittsburgh went on and he wasn’t able to keep up with the likes of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. The Penguins dealt him, and Adam Clendening, for one of the fastest skaters in the NHL currently in Carl Hagelin. Hagelin is close to a point per game productor in a Pens uniform and it has been a blessing watching him play with Nick Bonino and Phil Kessel and they’re playing at their highest peaks they have all season long. Honorable Mention: Rob Scuderi to the Blackhawks for Trevor Daley.

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Rookie of the Year: Tom Kuhnhackl

This one was hard. You couldn’t pick out one of these guys who hasn’t come up and performed well enough to deserve a spot in an already crowded lineup. But I will say, I have a soft spot for Tom Kuhnhackl. I doubted him at the beginning of his tenure with the big club. I regret ever having any negativity toward him in any fashion. He can score you a big goal. (Who can forget his first one of his career on that sweet backhand?) He willingly throws his body in front of a shot. He is a second goalie out there with his penalty killing prowess. I give Kuhnhackl Penguins rookie of the year. Honorable Mention: Bryan Rust

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Best Statistic: Undefeated When Leading After 2 Periods

Not one other NHL team can say they have a winning percentage of 1.000 (38-0-0) when leading after two periods of play. That in itself needs no explanation because the Penguins have been very clutch at closing out games. The NHL hasn’t seen a team this good in the second period in years and that’s not unexpected. They lead the NHL in second period goals. That will be vital going into the playoffs.