At first blush, saying someone has what it takes to succeed beside Sidney Crosby doesn’t amount to much of an endorsement. The real statement would be the opposite, in which case you’d have to wonder what kind of future such a hapless player has in hockey.
Still, after Lee Stempniak collected his first points as a Pittsburgh Penguin Monday night, it’s worth examining the specifics of just how riding shotgun with Sid can work for the guy acquired from the Calgary Flames before last week’s trade deadline. Doing that requires a comparison between Stempniak and the player he’s replaced on Pittsburgh’s top line, Pascal Dupuis.
When Dupuis was lost to a torn ACL in December, it created a void beside Crosby and left winger Chris Kunitz. With right winger James Neal locked in on the second line next to Evgeni Malkin, the Pens were likely hoping someone could rise up the depth chart and bond with Crosby. But, if the last two Olympics have taught us anything, it’s that lining up with Crosby isn’t as plug-and-play as one might believe. And with all due respect to the talents Brian Gibbons, Penguins GM Ray Shero may have suspected all along he’d have to go outside the organization for a-Sid-stance.
Enter Stempniak, whose skill set and career resume are very similar to Dupuis’. If not for the exceptional circumstance of playing with Crosby, both wingers’ natural habitats would be on second or third lines, where either could be counted on for a conscientious two-way effort. Dupuis’ best season outside Pittsburgh came in 2002-03, when he was a 23-year-old NHL sophomore netting 48 points for the Minnesota Wild. Stempniak’s career year also came in his second big-league season as a 23-year-old, when he bagged 52 points in 2006-07 for St. Louis.
Dupuis, who was never drafted and signed as a free agent with the Wild in 2000, is a left-hand shot who patrols the right side. Stempniak, a Blues fifth-rounder in 2003, is a righty on his natural flank. While Dupuis has a couple inches—and nearly four years—on the 31-year-old Stempniak, the latter has a still-stout five-foot-eleven frame and weighs just under 200 lbs. Dupuis, who also came to Pittsburgh via a deadline deal six years ago, is a little better defensively, but Stempniak is no slouch. For the most part, the Buffalo native has skated for losing outfits, the exception being the 100 games he played for Phoenix Coyotes teams that made the playoffs, in which case Stempniak had a plus-14 rating that contrasts his career minus-40 mark.
While in Phoenix, Stempniak toiled for Dave Tippett, a coach who demands accountability everywhere on the ice. Dupuis cut his teeth under Jacques Lemaire in Minnesota, which—if you are paying attention at all—will do for your defensive game what playing with Crosby will do for you point totals. Benefiting from that kind of tutelage makes both players prime candidates to thrive in a role where they need to be a touch more responsible than their thoroughbred linemates.
As for clicking offensively with Crosby, Dupuis’ career season came during last year’s lockout-shortened campaign, when he scored at roughly a 65-point pace. Stempniak, with 27- and 28-goal seasons to his credit, is capable of producing at the same rate beside the word’s elite player.
As is the case with many deadline acquisitions, Stempniak deserves a grace period to acclimate to his new surroundings. The mere fact you’re sinking into a spot beside Crosby likely takes some time to wrap your brain around. But based on the overlap between himself and the man he’s replacing, Stempniak has a strong chance to thrive on the starboard side beside hockey’s megastar.