Eating Crow: 2023-24 Points Predictions
Back in October, I took a stab at guessing what kind of stats the skaters for the Pittsburgh Penguins would put up. You can read that article here, if you’d like. Here’s one thing about me: I love being right. I’ll make meaningless predictions just for the mere possibility of being able to say “I called it!” When I’m wrong, I don’t mind cutting myself a slice of humble pie.
So, let’s get into it. Feel free to let me have it in the comment section.
Sidney Crosby
Preseason Prediction: 37-66-103 Season Stats: 42-52-94
I was off here. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect Crosby to only put up 23 points on the power play, nor did I expect said power play to be among the worst in the league. But, never fear, this is far from my worst miss.
Evgeni Malkin
Preseason Prediction: 30-49-79 Season Stats: 27-40-67
I’ll admit it, I was overconfident when it came to Malkin. Through the first ten games, it looked like my gamble was going to pay off. He and newly acquired winger Reilly Smith were buzzing. And then, they weren’t. It was as quick and easy as flipping a switch. Important note: Geno went 9-10-19 in the 21 games after acquiring Michael Bunting.
Bryan Rust
Preseason Prediction: 27-35-62 Season Stats: 28-28-56
So, I shot a bit too high here. But considering that Rust only played 62 games… I don’t think I did too bad. And, speaking of, it’s insane that he hit a career high in goals at age 31 while missing 20 games.
Rickard Rakell
Preseason Prediction: 24-32-56 Season Stats: 15-22-37
I missed on this one. Badly. Never in my wildest dreams did I think Rakell would have fallen off a cliff the way he did. He had two different goalless droughts of at least 15 games, and it took him 20 games to score his first.
Reilly Smith
Preseason Prediction: 29-26-55 Season Stats: 13-27-40
Through his first 10 games as a Penguin, Smith went 6-5-11. He scored seven goals, and recorded all of 29 points in his next 66. Can we all pretend these predictions are like baseball, where if you only fail seven times out of ten, you’re considered a success? Please?
Drew O’Connor
Preseason Prediction: 12-21-33 Season Stats: 16-17-33
You know the saying “right answer, wrong solution”? Well… I’ll take it.
Lars Eller
Preseason Prediction: 11-18-29 Season Stats: 15-16-31
I’ve been eating crow all season about not initially loving the Eller signing. It seems only fitting that I end the year in the same way. He was great.
Jansen Harkins
Preseason Prediction: 7-11-18 Season Stats: 0-4-4
…Check, please!
Matt Nieto
Preseason Prediction: 8-11-19 Season Stats: 1-3-4
Okay. This one looks bad. But really, how was I to predict his season ending in November? What an unlucky guy. It feels wrong to critique a guy that only played 22 games.
Noel Acciari
Preseason Prediction: 12-11-23 Season Stats: 4-3-7
Acciari was another unfortunate soul this season, missing 27 games due to various injuries. But, oh well, a miss is a miss. And I missed.
Jeff Carter
Preseason Prediction: 10-16-26 Season Stats: 11-4-15
Carter didn’t break 20 points. He did, however, reach double-digit goals for the 19th straight season, which only 25 players in NHL history have accomplished. Happy trails, Carts. Enjoy retirement.
Kris Letang
Preseason Prediction: 13-41-54 Season Stats: 10-41-51
C’mon. I was off by three goals. Can I consider this one a win? Please?
Erik Karlsson
Preseason Prediction: 11-57-68 Season Stats: 11-45-56
Yeah, alright. Again, I truly did not expect the power play to be bottom three in the league. Last year, Karlsson had 27 points on the power play; this year, he had 17. At least I nailed his goal total…?
Ryan Graves
Preseason Prediction: 6-21-27 Season Stats: 3-11-14
What do Kyle Dubas and I have in common? I’ll let you figure that one out.
Marcus Pettersson
Preseason Prediction: 4-22-26 Season Stats: 4-26-30
I’ve missed badly on some on these. I’m going to go ahead and pat myself on the back for this one. Congrats on a great year, Pettersson!
PO Joseph
Preseason Prediction: 5-19-24 Season Stats: 2-9-11
I really did think this season would be Joseph’s breakout year. That’s all I have to say about that.
Chad Ruhwedel
Preseason Prediction: 1-5-6 Season Stats: 1-3-4
I know, I know. Ruhwedel was sent to the New York Rangers at the trade deadline. But he put up those numbers in his 47 games with Pittsburgh, and all things considered, I didn’t do too badly here. Really, I just wanted to end this article on a high note. Sue me.
