Post-Game Talk: Pens 4, Sabres 3 - Scudjoy Saves the Day

[Fordy]

what other team in the league would be playing bennett on the fourth line at this point? who wouldn't have bumped him up? it's just this one i'm pretty sure

 

[rintinw]

Man, just realized Geno has points in half of the goals we scored so far this year...

And then there is P.Kane who has 13 points in 20 Chicago goals. It's very strange start of the season.

 

[WheresRamziAbid]

I would LOVE to see just one reporter ask MJ why he refuses to play Sprong in situations when the game is on the line and why he incessantly refers to him as a "junior player" given that his own GM has said the kid has done enough to stick.

It won't happen, but it would be interesting to see if he responded to it.

He already answered that.

He said that by "juniors player" he basically meant young player that has some habits that need ironed out because they can get away with in juniors etc but wont fly in the NHL

 

[Jacob]

He's not playing in offensive situations and he's not playing with offensively skilled players. Sprong needs to go back to the Q unless we're trying to develop him into the next Kevin Porter.

 

[Saints11]

what other team in the league would be playing bennett on the fourth line at this point? who wouldn't have bumped him up? it's just this one i'm pretty sure

Wait there isn't another coach who would try to plot out back to back games, seriously. In DC, BB was just coming back so he started on the 4th line, played mostly on the 3rd line, then, scored. So as many speculated if Beau might possibly be paired with Sid or Geno; our junior coach used the "he started the Caps game on the 4th line, so he should start the game on the 4th again.

This idiot sets coaching back years. Of all the HC's the Pens have had, I cannot remember any 1 who was as bad as this guy.

 

[thecore]

He's not playing in offensive situations and he's not playing with offensively skilled players. Sprong needs to go back to the Q unless we're trying to develop him into the next Kevin Porter.

This is a good point. There are potential long term downsides to playing Sprong in a defensive role all year. Look at Couturier with
Philly. I expected him to be a better version of Mike Richards, and he's only regressed.

 

[HandshakeLine]

Yeah it blows my mind how Dupers is being used. We aren't letting him get back into the NHL feel. He's just immediately put w/ Sid. That's a bit unfair to #9. How is his brain supposed to operate after being off 2 years that quickly? We have skilled players ready for that shot. Let Dupers play 7-9 minutes until he's got his legs under him.

Dupuis' return to hockey is one of the worse things that has happened to the Pens this year on the ice, but probably is such a good human interest story to the casual fan that the Pens are gonna ride it into the ground until it ends badly for us or for Dupuis.

I'm a cynical *******, I know. But realistically, Dupuis out would force the coaching staff to utilize our young players better. Why can't we just give him a front office job like Gonchar?

 

[Scandale du Jour]

He's not playing in offensive situations and he's not playing with offensively skilled players. Sprong needs to go back to the Q unless we're trying to develop him into the next Kevin Porter.

Not saying Sprong is as talented as these guys, but Lecavalier and Thornton both played limited minutes on fourth lines as 18-year-olds and they turned out just fine. We are not hurting his offensive development by having him playing on the fourth line as an 18-year-old.

Sprong needs to learn the game at the pro level. Sending him to the Q makes even less sense than playing him 5 minutes a night, IMO. 12-14 minutes a night with Bonino and Fehr would be optimal.

 

[mpp9]

I feel like as long as MJ is actually coaching the kid, he should stay. He may not have big numbers, but Im fine with him learning defense at this level in a bottom six role. But for his own sanity, he should be seeing shifts with our best players when he's playing well.

The problem will become if MJ has more interest in winning games than any at all in developing Sprong.

 

[Asuna]

I'm a cynical *******, I know. But realistically, Dupuis out would force the coaching staff to utilize our young players better. Why can't we just give him a front office job like Gonchar?

Oh they will....in two years.

 

[thecore]

Dupuis' return to hockey is one of the worse things that has happened to the Pens this year on the ice, but probably is such a good human interest story to the casual fan that the Pens are gonna ride it into the ground until it ends badly for us or for Dupuis.

I'm a cynical *******, I know. But realistically, Dupuis out would force the coaching staff to utilize our young players better. Why can't we just give him a front office job like Gonchar?

Dupuis is actually really helping Crsoby right now. Only Sprong could potentially fill that role better. Bennett is not fast enough to get through the neutral zone with that line and is much better at RW.

 

[HandshakeLine]

Oh they will....in two years.

Senior Vice President of Overstaying Your Welcome

 

[HandshakeLine]

The problem will become if MJ has more interest in winning games than any at all in developing Sprong.

The two are not mutually exclusive. The thing is, the coach has to be willing and/or able to evaluate talent effectively to know when Sprong should move up and when he is best served working on his 2-way game on the 4th line.

Different era, I know, but the way Jágr was handled his first season (playing on the third, moving up for special teams and as the season progressed) should be a model for Sprong.

 

[Captain Hook]

Dupuis is actually really helping Crsoby right now. Only Sprong could potentially fill that role better. Bennett is not fast enough to get through the neutral zone with that line and is much better at RW.

Yeah, I don't mind Dupuis. At least he plays hard and consequently is useful somewhere in the lineup. Kunitz is the one that drives me crazy. He pretty much just goes through the motions to collect a paycheck right now.

 

[DesertPenguin]

Senior Vice President of Overstaying Your Welcome

Let's not put Dupuis in the same boat as Kunitz and Scuderi. Sure he's older and probably overpaid, but he can still play the game at this level. The same cannot be said for the other two.

 

[Asuna]

Senior Vice President of Overstaying Your Welcome

Hey I agree. He needs to go. He's been effective for 3 games. Big deal. I don't expect that to hold up throughout the season.

 

[Shady Machine]

He already answered that.

He said that by "juniors player" he basically meant young player that has some habits that need ironed out because they can get away with in juniors etc but wont fly in the NHL

Did you buy that explanation?

 

[radapex]

Did you buy that explanation?

I did, because it was the exact same thing he said in the quote where he initial used the term "junior player". It's like people blacked out with rage and didn't see the rest of the paragraph.

 

[HandshakeLine]

Let's not put Dupuis in the same boat as Kunitz and Scuderi. Sure he's older and probably overpaid, but he can still play the game at this level. The same cannot be said for the other two.

Yeah, I don't mind Dupuis. At least he plays hard and consequently is useful somewhere in the lineup. Kunitz is the one that drives me crazy. He pretty much just goes through the motions to collect a paycheck right now.

Which is exactly why he should be going, and that's not even taking into consideration his health concerns. You can still move Dupuis, maybe, and as is, he's just a crutch. Kunitz and Scuderi should also be moved, but realistically, all three need to go and soon.

Eventually, you have to give up your water wings and learn how to swim, you know what I mean? This franchise is in love with the idea of holding onto players for WAY too long. And don't even get me started on our love for reclamation projects.

 

[WheresRamziAbid]

Did you buy that explanation?

I don't see why not. IIRC he wasn't asked about sending him back or not just commenting on his play.

Not to mention it does make sense that Sprong or any young player will have things in their game that will be effective against lesser competition that need to be fixed when they hit the pros. Again IIRC that was one of the reasons that Dumo passed Harrington early last year on the call up depth chart. Harrington had some puck retrieval habits that were working in the A but they didn't want him to carry over to the NHL level.

Either way I would highly doubt any different answer if he was asked again.

 

[Shady Machine]

I did, because it was the exact same thing he said in the quote where he initial used the term "junior player". It's like people blacked out with rage and didn't see the rest of the paragraph.

I listened to the interviews. I don't necessarily think he meant to belittle Sprong, but I do think calling him a junior player was intentional. At the time at least, he didn't think he was an NHL player. He would have said young player or teenager if he meant otherwise.

 

[Still Apps]

Which is exactly why he should be going, and that's not even taking into consideration his health concerns. You can still move Dupuis, maybe, and as is, he's just a crutch. Kunitz and Scuderi should also be moved, but realistically, all three need to go and soon.

Eventually, you have to give up your water wings and learn how to swim, you know what I mean? This franchise is in love with the idea of holding onto players for WAY too long. And don't even get me started on our love for reclamation projects.

Yeah, sure Dupuis shouldn't be in the top 6 and he's 36 years old but to lump him with Kunitz and Scuderi is ludicrous. He's not useless. Like Cullen Dupuis can still skate. He can be effective and actually make his linemates better. After losing most of the past two seasons via injury/illness he's going to need some time to get his game back to 100% (we've seen Maatta having to deal with this). Yes, this organization has continually coddled and senselessly tenured old and useless players (hello Craig Adams) beyond the limits of tolerance but it's unfair to say Dupuis is one of them.

 

[Shady Machine]

I don't see why not. IIRC he wasn't asked about sending him back or not just commenting on his play.

Not to mention it does make sense that Sprong or any young player will have things in their game that will be effective against lesser competition that need to be fixed when they hit the pros. Again IIRC that was one of the reasons that Dumo passed Harrington early last year on the call up depth chart. Harrington had some puck retrieval habits that were working in the A but they didn't want him to carry over to the NHL level.

Either way I would highly doubt any different answer if he was asked again.

I can guarantee you MJ won't use the term 'junior player' again if he's asked about Sprong.

 

[Winger for Hire]

Wait a second... Bennett was playing on the 4th line last night?!?!

(I missed the game, sorry if it was covered already)

 

[Sabretooth]

what other team in the league would be playing bennett on the fourth line at this point? who wouldn't have bumped him up? it's just this one i'm pretty sure

Sorry guys, I've been told recently that Bennett is a soft winger with average skills who sucks, whose lack of ability is self-evident and really doesn't require any modicum of insight. So I'm not sure he'd even have a place on the sabres roster, let alone above the 4th line


Enjoyed the game last night, congrats on the win even if it maybe wasn't a quality win. I thought Crosby looked awake and dangerous last night in a way he hasn't since the Florida game, so maybe things are looking up?

It's the first penguins/sabres game I haven't been able to attend in a few years. My wife is the Pens fan and I'm the Sabres fan, so as a result I've watched the pens as much as the sabres over the years and have co-opted them as a team I root for when not playing the sabres.

p.s. I've always been a fan of Bennett. Rooting for him to truly arrive/break out this year. I thought he was the best forward on the ice in the Canadiens game and glad to see it carry over to another strong game against the Capitals after returning from the injury. Stay healthy, Beau!