How about a three-headed monster?

How about a three-headed monster?
There will be plenty of analysis and discussion between now and October about which Penguins superstar will get new teammate Phil Kessel on his line. Both Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby need a finisher and Kessel should score 40 with either one.
He’s that good.
So, maybe it really doesn’t make much difference where Penguins’ coach Mike Johnston decides to put him. After watching Kessel’s highlights on Youtube, I tried to imagine what it would be like trying to stop a line made up of all three.
I know. That’s not going to happen, at least not on a regular basis. NHL teams just don’t make a habit of putting all their offense in one basket, but, if I were Johnston, I would spend a lot of time in training camp working the three of them together.
I’d like to see them get more than a little time together in exhibition games.
How would you like to be a defenseman trying to pick which of the three to focus on if they came into your zone with speed?
There are all kinds of suggestions out there for increasing scoring in the NHL. Enlarge the nets. Shrink the equipment, outlaw blocking shots, enforce the rules, none of which will happen any time soon. So, how about thinking outside the box and making a habit out of playing the Big 3 on the same line?
It doesn’t have to be permanent, but it doesn’t have to be rare, either.
Forget all the legitimate, time-tested reasons for not doing it.
Find out how the opponent reacts to starting the game with the prospect of containing Crosby, Malkin and Kessel.
Everybody complains about the NHL becoming a defense-first, system-oriented game. When a team wins 6-5, you can count on the players spending more time apologizing for the five they gave up than celebrating the six they scored.
“Scoring six tonight was great, but we can’t count on doing that every game.”
There haven’t been five teams in NHL history who have had three offensive talents as explosive as the three the Penguins have now. You know what Crosby and Malkin can do one-on-one. Kessel is quick with great hands and a shot that may be better than both.
The Penguins have tried the two-headed monster of Malkin and Crosby with limited success, but that has usually been when the Penguins were behind and looking for a spark. And, two world-class offensive weapons are much easier to deal with than three.
How about a spark on the opening face-off?
Make opponents prove early on that they can keep the Big 3 from scoring. Especially at home when the last line change creates major mismatches.
Instead of focusing on the problems that playing them together on the same line might create for their other line combinations, the Penguins should focus on the problems it would create for their opponents.
The Penguins have the ability to present a combination of speed, skill and scoring ability that no other team has.
They should make their opponents prove that they can stop it.
I’ll bet they can’t.
— Former Penguins defenseman Paul Martin wrote a nice farewell to Penguins fans at The Players’ Tribune. He thanked the fans and said this of Sidney Crosby, “Certain guys can only handle so much attention before it becomes a burden, but I have never seen Sid be anything but courteous or humble despite all the demands on his time.” He also said he has never, “Seen such a talented person work so hard.”
— The NFL is putting on the full court press in San Diego. The Chargers include this line in all of their job postings, “Willing to relocate to the Los Angeles area if necessary.” Just making sure the soon to be corrupted San Diego politicians will cave and make the taxpayers pay for their new stadium.
— Just in case you thought Sylvester Stallone had exhausted every possible story line with the “Rocky” franchise, coming soon to a theater near you, “Creed,” the story of the son of the late Apollo Creed. Rocky Balboa may not be all that bright, but Sly Stallone knows how to make a buck.
— There has been some concern about Phil Kessel’s weight for as long as he’s been in the NHL. If he scores 40 goals, the Penguins can lay out a buffet for him behind the bench every night.
— I can think of two players with weight and suspected attitude problems who helped Pittsburgh teams win championships. Bill Madlock, who came from the Giants in 1979, without whom they would not have won a World Series, and Jerome Bettis, who was traded to the Steelers from the Rams in 1996.
— Phil Kessel is two months younger than Sidney Crosby. He hasn’t missed a game since 2010 and he’s never played fewer than 70 games in a non-lockout season.