Mark Madden: With Erik Karlsson on board, the Penguins need to dominate on the power play

Erik Karlsson will impact the Penguins in every phase of hockey — including chances allowed. Yo, Tristan Jarry … buckle up.

But Karlsson will profoundly change the power play.

Despite loads of talent, the Penguins’ power play has been a disorganized mess: 14th in the NHL last season with a conversion rate of 21.7%, 19th the year before at 20.2.

The short-form explanation is that it doesn’t know what it’s doing. It has generational talents like Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin. But none of them has the pure power-play instincts of, say, Mario Lemieux or Sergei Gonchar. They don’t have the mind for it. They don’t have decision-making and vision specific to the power play.

Karlsson does.

He’s one of the best point men in recent NHL history, though it was hard to tell last season with San Jose. The Sharks’ power play finished 25th at 18.4%. Karlsson was a diamond tossed in a heap of excrement.

Since Karlsson entered the NHL in 2009-10, he has more power-play points than any defenseman.

Karlsson is everything you want in a point man: He’s an organizer, a reset point. He sees the second pass after the first pass. He can shoot. He gets pucks to the net. He makes the proper decisions. He’s excellent on zone entries. He elevates the entire unit.

Yet Karlsson offers no guarantees. He’s one player out of five.

Assistant coach Todd Reirden will continue to think he’s in charge of the power play. But it’s always been up to the players.

Karlsson needs to take charge. His will be done. Karlsson may be the new kid in town, but he’s got more power-play acumen than the incumbent superstars combined. He’s done better, knows better, and he’s in the quarterback spot.

The fans always want the power play to shoot more. That’s incorrect. Don’t shoot haphazardly. This isn’t Carolina.

The key is shooting when appropriate. You want to string passes together. But the Penguins too often overpass on the PP by way of seeking that back-door tap-in.

The Penguins’ power play needs to finish top five in the NHL.

It’s not going to outdo Edmonton’s savagery with the man advantage. But it’s got to excel, and on a nightly basis. Consistency, not streaks. Seize momentum when you don’t score. That has to happen all the time. It hasn’t happened nearly as much as it should.

All this is non-negotiable. It’s a big reason why the Penguins got Karlsson.

So who should play where?

Karlsson up top. That’s a given.

After that, it’s going to be Letang on the left half-wall, Malkin on the right half-wall, Crosby and (when he’s healthy) Jake Guentzel underneath. Rickard Rakell, Bryan Rust or Reilly Smith figure to deputize for Guentzel while he’s injured.

That’s not how I’d do it.

I’d put Crosby on one of the half-walls to take advantage of his playmaking. Between Crosby and Karlsson, the power play would have two of the NHL’s most creative players in playmaking spots where they could easily interact. See things a pass beyond.

But that’s not going to happen. Malkin wants to play the right half-wall. Letang was likely promised the left half-wall prior to the acquisition of Karlsson. Malkin and Letang are good at those jobs, and Letang is valuable for gaining the zone.

But Crosby, despite his touch around the net and his puck retrieval, is largely wasted underneath. He doesn’t touch the puck enough. Not that stats are a concern, but not playing a half-wall costs him eight to 10 points per year. The puck rotates through those spots.

The Penguins need to dominate on the power play. That has to bridge other gaps. The power play has to win games. As mentioned, it’s non-negotiable.