© Ben Jackson/NHLI

As part of NHL.com’s 32 in 32 series, we will identify key EDGE stats for each team to preview the 2024-25 season. Today, we look at the impact of three advanced metrics for the Pittsburgh Penguins:

1. Forward Sidney Crosby was tied for seventh in the NHL in high-danger goals (23) last season and was in the 97th percentile in high-danger shots on goal (90).

Crosby, who ranks second among active NHL players in career points per game (1.25), behind Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers (1.52), and has won the Stanley Cup three times with the Penguins (2009, 2016, 2017), still is at the top of his individual game. Crosby also ranked among the NHL leaders in total skating distance (267.22 miles; 94th percentile).

However, for the first time in Crosby’s tenure, Pittsburgh has failed to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs in successive seasons. Moreover, the 37-year-old could become an unrestricted free agent after this season, posing this as a potential decisive season for his supporting team.

2. Defenseman Erik Karlsson ranked seventh among NHL defensemen in 20-plus mile per hour speed bursts (116) last season, while Crosby was among the League leaders in this category (181; 93rd percentile).

Despite a significant decline in points last season (56), following his trade to Pittsburgh from his Norris Trophy-winning season with the San Jose Sharks in 2022-23 (101), Karlsson was still a standout performer in the EDGE stats with his new team. He was among the top performers in the League in categories like top shot speed (101.54 mph; ranking in the 98th percentile), total skating distance (278.94 miles; in the 97th percentile), and top skating speed (23.20 mph; in the 90th percentile).

Karlsson finished with more points than teammate Kris Letang (51), with both defensemen playing all 82 games. But Karlsson has a higher ceiling in long-range goals (five; ranked outside top 10 defensemen) considering he finished fourth in long-range shots on goal (116), behind Evan Bouchard of the Oilers (136), Rasmus Dahlin of the Buffalo Sabres (132) and MacKenzie Weegar of the Calgary Flames (124). He led the NHL in long-range goals (10) in 2022-23. Letang tied for ninth among all players with six long-range goals last season and had 90 long-range shots on goal.

3. Forward Michael Bunting ranked among the League leaders in offensive zone time percentage at all strengths (47.8 percent; 97th percentile) last season.

Bunting was outstanding for the Penguins after being acquired in a trade from the Carolina Hurricanes on March 7 with 19 points (six goals, 13 assists) in 21 games playing in a top-six role. Bunting has a chance to stick on a line with Crosby or another high-scoring center in Evgeni Malkin this season with Pittsburgh not making any significant offseason additions to shake up its forward group.

Bunting’s combined usage rate last season showed he adjusted well to leaving the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he frequently played on a line with elite goal scorer Auston Matthews. Bunting thrived around the net with 70 high-danger shots on goal (89th percentile) and 14 high-danger goals (85th percentile) last season.

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More: NHL EDGE stats leaders