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

[Jules Winnfield]

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.

I saw a lot of Bobby Holik in his offensive game. Definitely has potential to be a big pest based on how he uses his body and goes to the net.

 

[EVGENIMERLIN]

I saw a lot of Bobby Holik in his offensive game. Definitely has potential to be a big pest based on how he uses his body and goes to the net.

He's got decent hands too. He scored a sweet WJC goal on a break away beating Vasilevsky and as we saw in training camp he can bury the garbage lying around the front of the net. He's an ideal bottom 6 guy for this team.

He said at the Development camp he hadn't skated all summer because of his hamstring, but was expect to get on the ice soon so hopefully he'll have a month plus of skating at training camp.

 

[Freeptop]

I'm not sure. I may literally not be able to see the posts, but I haven't seen any recently.

I think the only problem with this signing, if there is any, is that his age prevents him from being demoted (and saving money) if he's not playing well, right? I think that's the rule? So he's basically guaranteed to be the Pens' 12th/13th all year.

That's not a problem, since Cullen's only on a one-year deal:

Here's the part of the CBA that deals with the cap hit of an over-35 player (CBA pages 263-264): Section 50.5(d)(i)(B)(5):

All Player Salary and Bonuses earned in a League Year by a
Player who is in the second or later year of a multi-year SPC
which was signed when the Player was age 35 or older
(as of June 30 prior to the League Year in which the SPC is
to be effective), but which Player is not on the Club's
Active Roster, Injured Reserve, Injured Non-Roster or
Non-Roster, and regardless of whether, or where, the
Player is playing, except to the extent the Player is playing
under his SPC in the minor leagues, in which case only the
Player Salary and Bonuses in excess of $100,000 shall
count towards the calculation of Averaged Club Salary

(emphasis mine)
http://cdn.agilitycms.com/nhlpacom/PDF/NHL_NHLPA_2013_CBA.pdf

So they can send him down and not take a cap hit, if necessary.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

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.

We were all praying he'd make the team last year after those pre-season auditions. He just couldn't outperform Adams.

Granted, it'd probably have helped Sundqvist to know that the evaluation categories included "number of courses taken at Harvard" and "Brunei citizenship", but thems the breaks.

 

[66-30-33]

I think Terrapin wants Pens to be built like the Bruins of old. Toughness is good, but we are a skill team rather then a team that relies on toughness.

 

[Terrapin]

I think Terrapin wants Pens to be built like the Bruins of old. Toughness is good, but we are a skill team rather then a team that relies on toughness.

Not really. I'd like us to be built like we were in 08, 09, 10. You know, when we were actually successful? We could beat teams any way they wanted to play. We had scoring, speed, toughness, etc. Perfectly balanced. Why that model wasn't continued should be an episode of Unsolved Mysteries.

 

[Pete Gas]

It's a salary cap league, not every team is gonna be the same year after year

 

[Shady Machine]

Not really. I'd like us to be built like we were in 08, 09, 10. You know, when we were actually successful? We could beat teams any way they wanted to play. We had scoring, speed, toughness, etc. Perfectly balanced. Why that model wasn't continued should be an episode of Unsolved Mysteries.

Yeah that '09 team was so tough. Remember that hulking 4th line of Satan, Adams, Dupuis?

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Yeah that '09 team was so tough. Remember that hulking 4th line of Satan, Adams, Dupuis?

Yeah. Kunitz, Guerin, Cooke, and Orpik were the toughest players on that team, considering Godard didn't play a single playoff game.

Not exactly a Murderer's Row of heavyweights. That said, they're probably still tougher than we are now.

 

[Pete Gas]

I remember Jay McKee in 2010 scaring off everyone with his intimidating presence

 

[Ogrezilla]

Yeah. Kunitz, Guerin, Cooke, and Orpik were the toughest players on that team, considering Godard didn't play a single playoff game.

Not exactly a Murderer's Row of heavyweights. That said, they're probably still tougher than we are now.

With Fehr, Plotnikov and Sundqvist added in, I'm not sure.

 

[Zen Arcade]

I'd like a blend of skill and toughness.

Hopefully Sundqvist and Plotnikov work out and maybe McNeill is ready next season. They can also continue to take fliers on players with size in the late rounds of the draft.

 

[Ogrezilla]

I'd like a blend of skill and toughness.

Hopefully Sundqvist and Plotnikov work out and maybe McNeill is ready next season. They can also continue to take fliers on players with size in the late rounds of the draft.

Anderssen too hopefully. And hopefully Cole and/or Dumoulin add some aggressiveness, even if just around the net.

 

[BHD]

The '09 team was 'tough' in the physiological sense moreso than the physical. However, I don't see that with the current group, even with all the new players brought in.

 

[Shady Machine]

Yeah. Kunitz, Guerin, Cooke, and Orpik were the toughest players on that team, considering Godard didn't play a single playoff game.

Not exactly a Murderer's Row of heavyweights. That said, they're probably still tougher than we are now.

For sure. I don't disagree that team was tougher, but only marginally so. If Sundqvist, Plots, Dumo, Cole can all use their size effectively, I think they will be fine physically.

 

[tom_servo]

I trust that puck possession is more than the equivalent of toughness (...although they're not mutually exclusive, they often are in 'value' contracts). Deep teams don't get intimidated.

I know we're in the bottom half of toughness leaguewide, but I've never seen the Pens "out-toughed" in the playoffs.

Frankly, I think team speed could be as big a concern.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

With Fehr, Plotnikov and Sundqvist added in, I'm not sure.

For sure. I don't disagree that team was tougher, but only marginally so. If Sundqvist, Plots, Dumo, Cole can all use their size effectively, I think they will be fine physically.

I'm fine going into the year seeing what these guys can do on that front. But there's a lot of "ifs" involved, so it may be something we'll have to address before the playoffs.

 

[Ogrezilla]

I'm fine going into the year seeing what these guys can do on that front. But there's a lot of "ifs" involved, so it may be something we'll have to address before the playoffs.

On D, maybe. At F, I really don't think so. I just don't think its all that big a deal.

 

[Coach Travis]

Not really. I'd like us to be built like we were in 08, 09, 10. You know, when we were actually successful? We could beat teams any way they wanted to play. We had scoring, speed, toughness, etc. Perfectly balanced. Why that model wasn't continued should be an episode of Unsolved Mysteries.

We also had some VERY good players on ELCs those years. We weren't a very tough team. Who was tough? Guerin? Fedotenko? Satan? Sykora? And the team that we went toe-to-toe with in the Detroit Red Wings were soff as baby ****.

 

[Terrapin]

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



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.


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.

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.

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

Who the hell cares?

Okay.

We also had some VERY good players on ELCs those years. We weren't a very tough team. Who was tough? Guerin? Fedotenko? Satan? Sykora? And the team that we went toe-to-toe with in the Detroit Red Wings were soff as baby ****.

07/08:
Laraque
Ruutu
Roberts
Malone
Talbot

08/09:
Godard
Cooke
Gill
Guerin
Talbot

09/10
Godard
Rupp
Engelland
Cooke
Talbot

10/11
Godard
Rupp
Engelland
Asham
Cooke
Talbot

Plus those years we had Orpik in his prime.

To compare any of those teams physicality to the current roster is laughable.

 

[Son Goku]

We also had some VERY good players on ELCs those years. We weren't a very tough team. Who was tough? Guerin? Fedotenko? Satan? Sykora? And the team that we went toe-to-toe with in the Detroit Red Wings were soff as baby ****.

Looking back at those years how the **** did we make it to back to back finals?

 

[Tasty Biscuits]

Sid and Geno were very, very, very good.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

08/09:
Godard
Cooke
Gill
Guerin
Talbot

This was the most successful year of the Crosby/Malkin era.

Godard didn't play a single playoff game, and none of the rest of those mentioned are particularly convincing. You've gotta be grasping at straws something fierce to include Talbot as a "tough" guy. He's so tough that his defining fight moment is getting his ass handed to him by Dan Carcillo.

 

[Ogrezilla]

07/08:
Laraque
Ruutu
Roberts
Malone
Talbot

08/09:
Godard
Cooke
Gill
Guerin
Talbot

09/10
Godard
Rupp
Engelland
Cooke
Talbot

10/11
Godard
Rupp
Engelland
Asham
Cooke
Talbot

Plus those years we had Orpik in his prime.

To compare any of those teams physicality to the current roster is laughable.

If Talbot and Gill count as tough, so do Sundqvist, Plotnikov, Cole and Dumoulin. And in all that time, Godard played exactly 0 minutes of playoff time for us. Laraque was only tough if someone signed off on his gentleman's agreement to fight; he was useless as a real enforcer.

We're missing a guy like Orpik, sure. I'm not too worried about that. I'm more worried about dealing with guys in the crease, which isn't something Orpik was ever especially good at. I'm sure Cole and Dumoulin can do as well as he did at that. I'm fine with less big open ice hits from D if it means we have smarter players who are better with the puck.

We don't have a real agitator like Cooke or Ruutu. Can't argue that. I'm also not sure if that bothers me. I'd be happy to see Farnham get some games if we think we need a guy to do that.

Asham was fine, but I'd rather have Plotnikov or Sundqvist. They'll fight less, but they're almost certainly going to be better hockey players.

You make it seem like we have a team full of guys who will avoid checks like the plague, play on the perimeter, avoid the boards and never crash the net. Its simply not the case. Bonino and Kessel are soft. That's it for forwards. Not many guys are overtly aggressive in terms of hits, but they will all get their noses dirty on the walls and in the crease. On D, Lovejoy and Maatta are on the softer end. Pouliot needs to add size, but he doesn't play soft.

 

[clefty]

07/08:
Laraque
Ruutu
Roberts
Malone
Talbot

08/09:
Godard
Cooke
Gill
Guerin
Talbot

09/10
Godard
Rupp
Engelland
Cooke
Talbot

10/11
Godard
Rupp
Engelland
Asham
Cooke
Talbot

Plus those years we had Orpik in his prime.

To compare any of those teams physicality to the current roster is laughable.

The 'toughest' group on this list lost in the first round. The least tough won it all.