Q: At 9-2, it's hard to nit-pick, but Chris Kunitz needs to start contributing. He had many chances early in the New Jersey game, but couldn't convert. How much longer does the coaching staff stay with him before looking at other options for Sidney Crosby's left wing?
Joe Berret, Springfield, Va.
MOLINARI: Coach Dan Bylsma and his staff could change course at any time, of course, but current indications are that replacing Kunitz isn't getting serious consideration, even though he has no goals and just five assists in 11 games this season.
The fact that there really aren't many other viable options available for Crosby's left side might have something to do with that, but it's also true that, aside from his limited offensive production, Kunitz has earned good reviews from the coaching staff for his forechecking, hard work, physical play, etc. He's doing a lot of things that contribute to the success of his line and his team, even if they aren't reflected on his personal stat sheet.
That said, the Penguins couldn't have envisioned Kunitz going into this kind of protracted goal-scoring drought -- he has one in his past 40 regular-season and playoff games -- when they acquired him and Eric Tangradi from Anaheim for Ryan Whitney in February. He has scored 19, 25, 21 and 23 during the past four seasons, most of which he spent with the Ducks.
Being 9-2 obviously lessens the urgency to plug another player into the spot Kunitz has filled for most of his time here, even if the Penguins had someone who could do so. However, when they hit some sort of significant slump, which just about every team does at some point, it might be a lot more difficult for Bylsma to keep lines that aren't producing to expectations intact.
Of course, unless management determines that Tangradi or Luca Caputi is ready for steady work on a prominent line at this level, which is a lot to expect at this stage of their development, the Penguins don't really have anyone in the organization with the potential to be a consistent scorer who could move in alongside Crosby and Bill Guerin.
The bottom line is, there's no reason to think Kunitz will lose his job because of his goal-scoring struggles, especially if he continues to execute all the other aspects of it well.
Read more:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09299/10 ... z0V4zx90Ip 
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