Post-Game Talk: Pens 2, Sens 0 - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Firing MJ

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Bonino hasn't played wing consistently. Most of his ventures to wing have been called "experiments."

Rutherford said Bonino's strongest position is center and that they would prefer to slot him in there.

Both Bonino and Fehr are better centers.

I see.

Well... ONE of them better suck it up then, I guess.

 

[billybudd]

Yep.

I still wonder how much of that is from the fact that we didn't draft him, and thus didn't have that same excitement over him like we did with Harrington, Pouliot, Maatta and Despres? We had Despres who we all mostly liked then the shiny new pennies and then Dumo who was seen as someone who wouldn't even crack the top 6.

Punished as an example of Shero hoarding defensemen when we needed wings. Despres was drafted before that strategy became comical. Pouliot and Harrington were playing in WJCs. Maatta made the team practically immediately.

NCAA is lower visibility than the WJC or even the Memorial Cup, so that Dumoulin was pushing for Bakers as the best player on a champion was a tree falling in the forest for nobody to hear.

 

[Boocock]

Nah. He went down to bring up Rust, leaving them with 7 D. Bennett to IR and we're back to 8 D again.

Think about how annoying it would be to run a practice with 3.5 defensive pairs.

Erixon was recalled today after Beau went on IR

 

[billybudd]

Erixon was recalled today after Beau went on IR

That was my point.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Punished as an example of Shero hoarding defensemen when we needed wings. Despres was drafted before that strategy became comical. Pouliot and Harrington were playing in WJCs. Maatta made the team practically immediately.

NCAA is lower visibility than the WJC or even the Memorial Cup, so that Dumoulin was pushing for Bakers as the best player on a champion was a tree falling in the forest for nobody to hear.

Heh... there is probably some truth to that.

I admit that I (and I figure most) had had it up to the eyeballs with college players by the end of Shero's tenure. Not a fair bias, really... but present, nonetheless.

Dumo was a tough sale on me personally because I admit that I hardly watch WB/S. If ever. And the only times I had watched him in the NHL he was... pretty damned rough. Not Harrington rough. But rough.

 

[IcedCapp]

you guys are idiots.

Bonino and Fehr will both be at center.


No way Sid lasts that long

 

[billybudd]

Heh... there is probably some truth to that.

I admit that I (and I figure most) had had it up to the eyeballs with college players by the end of Shero's tenure. Not a fair bias, really... but present, nonetheless.

Dumo was a tough sale on me personally because I admit that I hardly watch WB/S. If ever. And the only times I had watched him in the NHL he was... pretty damned rough. Not Harrington rough. But rough.

I'll be in the same boat if Jake Guentzel ever makes anything out of himself, though I'm not really losing sleep over the unlikely possibility that he's ever half the player Duclair is.

 

[drpepper]

I see.

Well... ONE of them better suck it up then, I guess.

It depends on where things end up.

Johnston could play Crosby, Malkin, Bonino and Fehr as centers moving Cullen to wing - truly rolling four lines.

The Kunitz issue and whether he stays with Crosby is another wrinkle. Plotnikov and Bennett could cement themselves as viable alternatives. If none of Kunitz, Plotnikov or Bennett are tried or can play well then Fehr and Bonino might need to lump it.

 

[drpepper]

you guys are idiots.

Bonino and Fehr will both be at center.


No way Sid lasts that long

So the prediction is that Crosby's getting injured?

 

[IcedCapp]

So the prediction is that Crosby's getting injured?

when Dionne Warwick says the sun is rising in the morning, do you call it a prediction?!

 

[JTG]

So I was at the game - this picture was taken with 6 mins left in the 3rd. Gotta beat that traffic.

The whistle right before this picture was taken, almost everyone stood up and began walking up the stairs. It was unbelievable.

 

[IcedCapp]

i think you could have taken the same picture in the 1st

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I'll be in the same boat if Jake Guentzel ever makes anything out of himself, though I'm not really losing sleep over the unlikely possibility that he's ever half the player Duclair is.

Dude... the likelihood of Jake Guentzel ever living up to being drafted... much less in the third round... is less than that of Crosby, Malkin and Letang all finishing the season with 72+ games a piece. I don't think you have much to "worry" about, there. Especially compared to Duclair. Though I know that's not the point you were really making. Just having some fun.

*sigh*

The THIRD ****ing round, billy!

What the hell was the matter with Ray Shero?

It depends on where things end up.

Johnston could play Crosby, Malkin, Bonino and Fehr as centers moving Cullen to wing - truly rolling four lines.

The Kunitz issue and whether he stays with Crosby is another wrinkle. Plotnikov and Bennett could cement themselves as viable alternatives. If none of Kunitz, Plotnikov or Bennett are tried or can play well then Fehr and Bonino might need to lump it.

That sounds about right. I guess Cullen could move off to wing but I really like him as 4C. He is comfortable and happy playing that role and looks good doing it. I'd ideally like both Fehr and Conino to get more minutes.

 

[DanielPlainview]

So I was at the game - this picture was taken with 6 mins left in the 3rd. Gotta beat that traffic.

The whistle right before this picture was taken, almost everyone stood up and began walking up the stairs. It was unbelievable.

Just curious, what's the transit situation to and from the arena?

 

[tom_servo]

So I was at the game - this picture was taken with 6 mins left in the 3rd. Gotta beat that traffic.

The whistle right before this picture was taken, almost everyone stood up and began walking up the stairs. It was unbelievable.

At that rate, it may be more wise to wait until the end of the game to let traffic dissipate.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

At that rate, it may be more wise to wait until the end of the game to let traffic dissipate.

HA! Was thinking the same thing -- "This is getting to the point of being self-defeating."

I've actually never had a chance to go but CEC seems like a pretty uninspiring place to take in a game. And that's probably at least a small reason I've not made a point in going. Well... that and tickets are very expensive for an increasingly uneven product.

I'm sure I'm not unique in thinking that.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

So who is the odd man out at center then? Bonino? Didn't he say he preferred center as well?

The guy who doesn't perform I guess...

HA! Was thinking the same thing -- "This is getting to the point of being self-defeating."

I've actually never had a chance to go but CEC seems like a pretty uninspiring place to take in a game. And that's probably at least a small reason I've not made a point in going. Well... that and tickets are very expensive for an increasingly uneven product.

I'm sure I'm not unique in thinking that.

I'll be going to the Leafs game tom. I'll look around and see how bad it is. I don't recall it ever looking as empty as those seats showed in the pic above when I have been there.

It is like a morgue in there IMHO. Lots of long bouts of quiet. Can hear the puck hitting sticks and it's pretty brutal.

 

[mpp9]

Get drunk before the game. That's what I do.

 

[madinsomniac]

when Dionne Warwick says the sun is rising in the morning, do you call it a prediction?!

but then what ever will we do when we trade Malkin for all that and a bag of chips at the deadline? "Panicking"

 

[madinsomniac]

Just curious, what's the transit situation to and from the arena?

Pittsburgh Public Transit has long been the punchline to a very unfunny joke

 

[Jacob]

Just curious, what's the transit situation to and from the arena?

Uhh public transit? This is America.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I'll be going to the Leafs game tom. I'll look around and see how bad it is. I don't recall it ever looking as empty as those seats showed in the pic above when I have been there.

It is like a morgue in there IMHO. Lots of long bouts of quiet. Can hear the puck hitting sticks and it's pretty brutal.

Not exactly the environment for a hockey game, I guess. I'm not much of a heckler or loud, in general. But I like hearing the crowd, ya know? It was nice to at least hear a "Lets Go Pens" chant start up briefly after a particularly good shift by Malkin on both ends of the ice, last night.

Get drunk before the game. That's what I do.

Well... yeah.

I feel like this really should be heeded by more people at the actual games, though. Not that I'm necessarily advocating mass drunken irresponsibility. Though, I mean... good times. But as a guy who occasionally has to get up and perform in front of people... a well-lubricated, half-rowdy crowd DOES make a big difference to the performers.

 

[cygnus47]

Here's all I'll say, 100% serious:

Don't try to think of the specific injury. You don't know, and you don't have enough information to guess.

Instead. Think of why an injury would occur on day X, be evaluated on day X, and then need to be reevaluated on day X+1.

Pretty specific reasoning. From there, you can narrow things down a bit.

You're such a tease!

Sounds like pretty much any soft tissue injury.

 

[bambamcam4ever]

In a perfect world, Despres is a #3, but on one of the best teams in the West, who had a TON of defensive depth, he was a top pairing guy last post-season. He got big minutes, big responsibility, and looked great.

He wouldn't magically fix all of the woes on our blueline, but we'd be a Hell of a lot closer to being a legitimate Cup contender with him. We'd probably be one trade for another 2nd pairing guy away from being a Cup favorite.

Maatta - Letang
XXXX/Dumoulin - Despres
Dumoulin/XXXX - Cole

That's a Hell of a blueline, assuming we managed to land a legit 2nd pairing guy.

I see this myth repeated a lot about Despres being on the 1st pairing but Lindholm-Beauchemin was the Ducks' first pair by pretty much any measure.

 

[Ogrezilla]

you know what I need to see? An MS Paint drawing of Sprong's goal face