Three questions facing Pittsburgh Penguins

NHL.com is providing in-depth analysis for each of its 31 teams throughout August. Today, three important questions facing the Pittsburgh Penguins.

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1. Will Phil Kessel bounce back?

After an NHL career-high 92 points (34 goals, 58 assists), Kessel fell off in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The 30-year-old forward had nine points (one goal, eight assists) in 12 postseason games after scoring 45 points (18 goals, 27 assists) in 49 games in the 2016 and 2017 playoffs.
Despite Kessel playing every regular-season game for an eighth consecutive season, general manager Jim Rutherford said Kessel dealt with injuries throughout the season.
"To his credit, he played through those during the regular season," Rutherford said, "but his playoffs were not what it has been the past couple of years. ... I know that some of those things that he dealt with caught up with him."
Coach Mike Sullivan described the injuries as nothing significant. The Penguins need him to return to form after having a long offseason to recover.

2. Which Kris Letang will show up?

When healthy, Letang is one of the more dangerous offensive defensemen in the NHL. Last season, though, he often became a defensive liability, committing frequent turnovers which led to odd-man rushes or breakaways for the opposition.
Letang's performance can be attributed to coming back from neck surgery that kept him out of the 2017 playoffs.
To describe Letang's season as lackluster when he had 51 points (nine goals, 42 assists) in 79 games showcases how talented he is. He and his teammates expect more production and, more importantly, more consistency this season.
"I thought it would have been easier to come back," the 31-year-old said. "At the end of the day, it's not the result I wanted. I'll go back, train harder and get back better."

3. Can Matt Murray stay healthy?

In his first season as Pittsburgh's clear No. 1 goaltender, the 24-year-old played 49 games and was 27-16-3 with a 2.92 goals-against average and .907 save percentage. At times, he displayed the calm demeanor and steady presence that helped him win the Stanley Cup twice as a rookie, in 2016 and 2017.
That was when he was able to take the ice.
Murray's first three NHL seasons were riddled with injuries. That wasn't as much of a problem in 2016-17, when Marc-Andre Fleury was the backup. But with Fleury long out of the picture, entering his second season with the Vegas Golden Knights, Pittsburgh needs a healthy Murray to win another championship. Either Tristan Jarry or Casey DeSmith will be the backup.