Confirmed with Link: Penguins Agree To Terms With Matt Cullen (1 year | $800k)

[Ogrezilla]

Cole and Dumoulin aren't exactly small guys. Cole is 225 lbs, Dumoulin is 220 lbs. Though I have said 100 times that a more physical D is one thing we could use. Hopefully Andersen is good enough to make it, and hopefully Dumoulin can develop that side of his game a bit more. Despres wasn't very physical at first either.

As for who steps up when things get nasty, I really honestly couldn't care less. Because guys like Stewart don't stop things from getting nasty anymore. That's not where our injuries come from. That is simply not something I am worried about. Guys like Rinaldo and Doan aren't going to stop making dirty hits regardless of who else is playing. Eric Goddard with a glock pointed at Rinaldo or Doan doesn't stop Letang from getting hurt.

 

[Sam Spade]

Who steps up when things get a little nasty? And as much as people may wish otherwise, games do get nasty.

Also, who takes care of business in the other end? Who on D is gonna hold up going into corners, who's going to clear our net? Letang and Maata are our two best D. One has a hx of concussions, the other a hx of shoulder injuries. I don't want either one of them being overly physical.

Was going to be pretty much my exact response.

I don't want Letang or Maata initiating or receiving hits as both appear to be made of glass.

And usually when the game gets nasty Malkin is the man. It makes me love him but at the same time it makes me wish there was someone else to do the dirty work.

 

[Terrapin]

Eh. Over Kunitz or Dupuis? Maybe, just because they are old. Both were much much better than Stewart 2 years ago, but at this point maybe. Cullen is a center who can win faceoffs, so I don't know why you even included him. And Bennett really isn't comparable. He's about 100X more talented than Stewart, so its a matter of him staying healthy and putting it together. Chris Stewart isn't very good though.

And I brought up Lucic because the guy I quoted directly brought up Lucic.

They are both old, and Dupuis is coming off a serious knee injury and a life-threatening condition. He's one of my favorites though, so I hope he can produce. Kunitz is a mutt who shows up a few games a year.

Bennett really isn't comparable because he has done absolutely squat in his NHL career. Maybe he does put it all together this year. My money's on him following in the footsteps of other Pittsburgh golden boy legends; Tangradi and Caputi.

 

[Shady Machine]

Was going to be pretty much my exact response.

I don't want Letang or Maata initiating or receiving hits as both appear to be made of glass.

And usually when the game gets nasty Malkin is the man. It makes me love him but at the same time it makes me wish there was someone else to do the dirty work.

Uh there is no one you can sign that will prevent defensemen from receiving hits. Not sure what your point is there.

 

[Ogrezilla]

They are both old, and Dupuis is coming off a serious knee injury and a life-threatening condition. He's one of my favorites though, so I hope he can produce. Kunitz is a mutt who shows up a few games a year.

I don't disagree about either. I said as such when Stewart was still available. Dupuis is simply unmovable until he shows he's healthy, and I have definitely wanted Kunitz moved too. I wouldn't have been upset to add Stewart, but I wouldn't have been too excited for him either. I think Plotnikov can do most anything he can. You seem to have absolutely no faith him him though.

Bennett really isn't comparable because he has done absolutely squat in his NHL career. Maybe he does put it all together this year. My money's on him following in the footsteps of other Pittsburgh golden boy legends; Tangradi and Caputi.

But Bennett, when healthy, has absolutely been an effective hockey player. Those two never were.

 

[Terrapin]

Cole and Dumoulin aren't exactly small guys. Cole is 225 lbs, Dumoulin is 220 lbs. Though I have said 100 times that a more physical D is one thing we could use. Hopefully Andersen is good enough to make it, and hopefully Dumoulin can develop that side of his game a bit more. Despres wasn't very physical at first either.

As for who steps up when things get nasty, I really honestly couldn't care less. Because guys like Stewart don't stop things from getting nasty anymore. That's not where our injuries come from. That is simply not something I am worried about. Guys like Rinaldo and Doan aren't going to stop making dirty hits regardless of who else is playing. Eric Goddard with a glock pointed at Rinaldo or Doan doesn't stop Letang from getting hurt.

You may be right. But we also know that the refs don't stop that stuff either. And neither does our PP, even when it's clicking above 4%. I personally would rather not see Sid, Geno, Letang, Phil, or any of our top guys even giving a 2nd thought to the Rinaldos of the league. But they will have no choice this year.

 

[Ogrezilla]

You may be right. But we also know that the refs don't stop that stuff either. And neither does our PP, even when it's clicking above 4%. I personally would rather not see Sid, Geno, Letang, Phil, or any of our top guys even giving a 2nd thought to the Rinaldos of the league. But they will have no choice this year.

The player you want doesn't exist. The Rinaldo's of the league do not care about getting a punch or two and then falling down. Hell, they put their own team on the powerplay half the time by doing it.

 

[Terrapin]

I don't disagree about either. I said as such when Stewart was still available. Dupuis is simply unmovable until he shows he's healthy, and I have definitely wanted Kunitz moved too. I wouldn't have been upset to add Stewart, but I wouldn't have been too excited for him either. I think Plotnikov can do most anything he can. You seem to have absolutely no faith him him though.



But Bennett, when healthy, has absolutely been an effective hockey player. Those two never were.

I just don't know anything about him outside of a few youtube clips. hope he can

 

[Shady Machine]

You may be right. But we also know that the refs don't stop that stuff either. And neither does our PP, even when it's clicking above 4%. I personally would rather not see Sid, Geno, Letang, Phil, or any of our top guys even giving a 2nd thought to the Rinaldos of the league. But they will have no choice this year.

How will they have no choice this year? If no one can prevent Rinaldo from taking runs at players, how would a heavy weight help? You can't seem to answer that question. Until you can, signing a fighter is irrelevant.

Also, as I said earlier, if you want a guy that will agitate and stick up for teammates, just put Farnham in the lineup. He will gladly take punches from Rinaldo.

 

[Ogrezilla]

I just don't know anything about him outside of a few youtube clips. hope he can

He might not do a lot of fighting, but I'll be shocked if he's not good physically. I really want Sundqvist to keep a spot too. I'm hoping he plays while Fehr is out and does well enough that if we do get healthy, we move someone like Kunitz or sit Cullen or someone other than Sundqvist. I want effective physical play on the team. I want effective size. That's what I expect from Plotnikov, Sundqvist and Fehr. But I don't care much about fighting or whatnot.

 

[Sam Spade]

Uh there is no one you can sign that will prevent defensemen from receiving hits. Not sure what your point is there.

My point is if they are being targeted, and any good coach will and should target them as part of their gameplan, then it would be great if the first guy that effectively came to their defense wasn't a top five center in the world.

 

[Ogrezilla]

My point is if they are being targeted, and any good coach will and should target them as part of their gameplan, then it would be great if the first guy that effectively came to their defense wasn't a top five center in the world.

How do you come to their defense? I mean, what can you do about it? There isn't a player in the world who could have done anything to prevent Rinaldo or Doan from hurting Letang last year. Short of knocking him out of the league, there isn't anyone who could have retaliated in a way that will prevent him from continuing to be a dirt bag.

 

[Shady Machine]

My point is if they are being targeted, and any good coach will and should target them as part of their gameplan, then it would be great if the first guy that effectively came to their defense wasn't a top five center in the world.

I mean that's fine, but does it really matter who sticks up for Letang after he's concussed? If you think it does then put Farnham in the lineup. He will literally do anything for his team.

 

[Giant Yankee Pens]

For those saying this blocks a young guy: Fehr is out for at least October. Sundqvist/Wilson takes his spot. Bennett and Dupuis are nowhere near locks to be healthy even through camp. That could open up another 1 or 2 spots for young guys. If they stick, Cullen is a good 13th forward if somehow we are fully healthy.

For those saying we have no tough guys to step up. Observe. This is who will provide that:

If someone runs Malkin:

http://m.youtube.com/results?q=sergei plotnikov fight&sm=1

Or

A punk like Nystrom trys something? Cole:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WK2VltdBviM

Or, my personal favorite. If we need a change up for a tough rivalry game. Dress your 13th forward:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ivLQRd6Xzbk

Not counting Fehr or even Kunitz and Hornqvist who get under the goalies and defense skin. We don't need to bring in any more "grit" guys.

 

[billybudd]

Terrapin's not nearly as far out on a limb as he's being made to be.

That said, it's not entirely implausible that this copycat league will copycat its way to a cleaner variation of hockey due to a combination of the particulars of the finalists and how angry NBC was about this year's slog-hockey ratings.

For me, I'm at least glad that we're getting away from the midget brigade. Guy like Fehr isn't going to fight you, but with his frame, he's an awful lot tougher to bully than all those Gibbonses and Ebbetts. Plotnikov's a big 6'2, Bonino's more solid than Sutter (not that that's saying much), Dumoulin has a larger frame than Martin, Cole's not tall, but he's bulky and not soft (etc).

Team's not quite built how I would have, but on paper it's a large improvement everywhere except D, in almost every way over what we've been icing since 2013.

 

[Terrapin]

How will they have no choice this year? If no one can prevent Rinaldo from taking runs at players, how would a heavy weight help? You can't seem to answer that question. Until you can, signing a fighter is irrelevant.

Also, as I said earlier, if you want a guy that will agitate and stick up for teammates, just put Farnham in the lineup. He will gladly take punches from Rinaldo.

I never said a heavyweight or a fighter wouldn't help. You must have me mixed up with someone else. I said it's debatable.

 

[Shady Machine]

I never said a heavyweight or a fighter wouldn't help. You must have me mixed up with someone else. I said it's debatable.

You said it's debatable but then said wondered who would stick up for our stars. Honestly I am having trouble following your point. We all want the Penguins to be tougher to play against. I would love to have a Tom Wilson on our 4th line but those guys aren't available very often. What the Penguins did is focus on finding good hockey players this off season and they have succeeded. They also replaced most of the midgets and scrawny guys with players with size (Plots, Sundqvist, Fehr, Bonino bigger than Sutter, Etc). It wasn't a perfect off season, but they have done about as good as one could expect. The issue I have with your opinion is that you have unrealistic expectations of what JR could have accomplished. I also don't see tough guys as deterrents for the crazies in the league. I want bigger and tougher hockey players because they are difficult to defend against, not because they will protect Crosby from getting elbowed in the melon by Rinaldo.

 

[Terrapin]

You said it's debatable but then said wondered who would stick up for our stars. Honestly I am having trouble following your point. We all want the Penguins to be tougher to play against. I would love to have a Tom Wilson on our 4th line but those guys aren't available very often. What the Penguins did is focus on finding good hockey players this off season and they have succeeded. They also replaced most of the midgets and scrawny guys with players with size (Plots, Sundqvist, Fehr, Bonino bigger than Sutter, Etc). It wasn't a perfect off season, but they have done about as good as one could expect. The issue I have with your opinion is that you have unrealistic expectations of what JR could have accomplished. I also don't see tough guys as deterrents for the crazies in the league. I want bigger and tougher hockey players because they are difficult to defend against, not because they will protect Crosby from getting elbowed in the melon by Rinaldo.

I don't understand what you're having trouble following. Maybe bullet points will help?

1. The league is physical
2. We are not
3. Teams know they can get under our stars skin by roughing them up
4. Our stars our injury prone, and don't need involved in scrums, battles, fights, etc
5. We have nobody to engage in that stuff so our stars won't have to
6. We will again be accused of whiners, because guys like Sid will be begging for penalties in order to offset any shenanigans
7. The majority of the board will once again complain about the refs, the league, bad luck, hockey gods, etc etc.

 

[Shady Machine]

I don't understand what you're having trouble following. Maybe bullet points will help?

1. The league is physical
2. We are not
3. Teams know they can get under our stars skin by roughing them up
4. Our stars our injury prone, and don't need involved in scrums, battles, fights, etc
5. We have nobody to engage in that stuff so our stars won't have to
6. We will again be accused of whiners, because guys like Sid will be begging for penalties in order to offset any shenanigans
7. The majority of the board will once again complain about the refs, the league, bad luck, hockey gods, etc etc.

That was very helpful thank you. I still fail to see how bringing in tougher players makes our stars less injury prone. You also overestimate how physical other successful teams are like the Lightning, Blackhawks, Rangers. There is not one blueprint to build a team. That said, I agree it would be ideal to have some bigger tougher players that are good at hockey. They aren't easy to find.

 

[Ogrezilla]

1. The league is physical

Some of it is. The best team recently isn't.

2. We are not

We're not overly soft either. Not overly aggressive, but we only have two guys I would say avoid physical play in Bonino and Kessel. We are no softer than Chicago certainly.

3. Teams know they can get under our stars skin by roughing them up

Our stars need to get better at this, because no matter who we add, people will rough up our stars. Every star in the league gets extra attention physically. Ovi does, Backstrom does, Kane does, Toews does, Subban does, Letang does, Stamkos does. They all do.

4. Our stars our injury prone, and don't need involved in scrums, battles, fights, etc

These are completely unrelated. Our stars have never been hurt due to involvement in any of these things. Not once. They get hurt during play by cheap shots or by hockey plays gone wrong. Again, there isn't a player in the world who would prevent these things from happening. You can't point to a single injury Sid or Geno has ever sustained that could have been prevented by another player on our team being tougher.

5. We have nobody to engage in that stuff so our stars won't have to

Then we should stop engaging in that stuff. Its a perfectly viable option. Detroit's been doing it for years.

6. We will again be accused of whiners, because guys like Sid will be begging for penalties in order to offset any shenanigans

Who the hell cares?

7. The majority of the board will once again complain about the refs, the league, bad luck, hockey gods, etc etc.

Okay.

 

[AjaxTelamon]

I dunno, I'd be more concerned about toughness if we were in the Pacific. Vancouver has more reason to be concerned than we do, since they picked up a guy that gets dominated physically playing in the East, and now he has to go up against Getzlaf, Kesler, Kopitar, Lucic, etc etc.

The identity JR and co. are clearly going for is skill and possession stats. Which is a good match for our stars and our coach/system.

I'm just happy what we're doing shows some kind of overall direction, despite a somewhat mismatched group of forwards.

 

[Speaking Moistly]

I think choosing how to build your team and then building it that way is the way to go. You want to be physical? Fine. You want to be fast? Fine. You want to be skilled? Fine. You want to be huge? Fine. Offensive/defensive? Fine. Do that and do any combination, but good luck trying to have a team that's everything.

You just need an actual identity and not a hodgepodge of random players in a system that most of them don't fit with demands they can't do.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

I don't understand what you're having trouble following. Maybe bullet points will help?

1. The league is physical
2. We are not
3. Teams know they can get under our stars skin by roughing them up
4. Our stars our injury prone, and don't need involved in scrums, battles, fights, etc
5. We have nobody to engage in that stuff so our stars won't have to
6. We will again be accused of whiners, because guys like Sid will be begging for penalties in order to offset any shenanigans
7. The majority of the board will once again complain about the refs, the league, bad luck, hockey gods, etc etc.

Toughness should be a consideration for all the reasons you give, but it shouldn't be our A#1 priority. The Pens have addressed a lot of other more important issues this summer, which is getting glossed over in the never-ending quest for truculence.

As for Stewart, he was a good target to take a flier on when our top 6 was a mess. Now? We have more than enough top 6 options and Stewart would more than likely be relegated to a bottom 6 role he's ill-suited for.

For the record, Sundqvist and Plotnikov weren't ones to let things go in their leagues. You may recognize #29 as the guy being held back by multiple refs while going after a guy:

...or #16, the guy throwing haymakers coming out of his scrum:



Granted, the SEL and KHL aren't the NHL and I've said as much about expecting these guys to be the last word in filling those roles here. But given our other upgrades, I think it's reasonable to give them a shot while staying open to the idea of grit improvements if they don't work out.

It's a capped league, and you can't have definitive answers for everything to start the year. I'd much rather have skilled depth with unproven toughness than tough depth with unproven skill.

 

[eXile59]

They are both old, and Dupuis is coming off a serious knee injury and a life-threatening condition. He's one of my favorites though, so I hope he can produce. Kunitz is a mutt who shows up a few games a year.

Bennett really isn't comparable because he has done absolutely squat in his NHL career. Maybe he does put it all together this year. My money's on him following in the footsteps of other Pittsburgh golden boy legends; Tangradi and Caputi.

Bennett has already put more points in his career than both Caputi and Tangradi. They aren't even comparable.

Bennett will at the very least be a 30 point player.

 

[Jacob]

I was just re-watching one of the preseason games I found on my DVR and I loved how Sundqvist used his size. The name of his game is havoc. He's borderline reckless. I don't expect him to fight much, if ever, but the day he makes the NHL he'll make this team a lot tougher to handle.