The struggles of Crosby, Kunitz, Hornqvist, and Perron

[66-30-33]

/s = sarcasm

Oh right.

 

[Jules Winnfield]

Any recent interview with Sid? I'd like to hear what he has to say.

Sidbot is going to tow the same lines.

"We just need to work hard and the puck will go in for sure."

"We're getting our chances and the puck isn't going in for sure."

"We just have to keep going to the net and make things happen for sure."

"What kind of coffee do you like? Would you like some Timbits with this? For sure."

 

[Boocock]

I hate to say it, but Dupuis can't come back soon enough. If that's the one guy you'll move Kunitz off Crosby's line for, so be it. At least he won't move to the PP, and he'll actually give a crap and do the right thing for Sid and Kessel. That's better than an Olympic athlete "sniper" looking to pad his stats and wear the A. What leadership.

 

[canadianguy77]

Maybe Sid and Kessel will get going if they put an actual live body on line one instead of the lifeless corpse of Chris Kunitz. Unfortunately the Pens organization just can't admit Kunitz and Scuds are both done. I guess they don't want to believe that since they still have to pay them each over 3 million per this year and next.

Wouldn't surprise me. But taking 12 million less in the sale of the team to account for their salaries is much more palatable than the buyer thinking Sidney Crosby is finished as a top 5 player in the world. At least I would think so.

 

[ThatSaid]

"Mike Johnston this." "Bylsma that." Look, without defense, and good breakout passing, you're not going to score, and you're not going to win. Its one of two things:

1. GM addressing perceived weakness by creating real weakness. (winger depth for defensive depth.)

2. Locker room/leadership issues.

No idea why anybody would jump over competition to come and coach in Pittsburgh anymore. This team kills coaches.

 

[Til the End of Time]

this is just embarrassing for sid at this point. dude is supposed to be a generational player in the prime of his career. yet he just had arguably the worst season of his professional career and is now off to his worst start yet.

he was the youngest player to ever win the art ross yet he's going to finish his career with a grand total of two scoring titles. to think how promising his career started, living up to all the hype, and now all he does is disappoint. how mightily he has fallen.

i really think sid had the talent to be one of the top five greatest players of all time. injuries and playing for this crummy organization have really, really hindered him.

he is absolutely a shell of his former self.

 

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Put Perron-Hornqvist with Sid, and Plotnikov-Kessel with Geno.

Sid and Kessel aren't working. Sid looks like complete shit, and while his luck isn't doing him any favors (insane cross-crease saves against, about 10 broken sticks so far), he's playing like garbage offensively.

 

[skillhockey]

Sid looked bit better last night but still seems unable to throw a pass past one guy. there woulda been several prime chances if he did. Kessel or kunitz were open but d blocked all.

 

[plaidchuck]

Sorry dude.. love him but no way he was going to be top five all time, points or otherwise. It's just not possible.

 

[cassius]

The list of guys playing better hockey than Sid is probably is very extensive... for one, the rookies McDavid and Eichel are performing much better than him. Very depressing.

 

[FDBluth]

IMO, it seems to be something psychological. Sometimes it seems when things aren't going his way, he sort of gives up and mentally checks out.

Also, he seems to have lost some of his shiftiness. But it's weird, because every once in a while he'll have a play are two that are reminiscent of 20-year-old Sid, but then he'll have long stretches of just looking ordinary.

 

[Ogrezilla]

if he keeps playing like last night, the points will come. It wasn't peak Crosby certainly, but he was a hell of a lot better than he'd been the first 4 games.

 

[eXile59]

It's surely not Kunitz or Scuderi.

Yes the entire team is struggling to score because of two incompetent players. Not the guy telling them how and who to play with.

 

[AquaticBirdman]

It's too bad no one ever bothered to keep a log of the amount of threads that have been created on this board whenever Sid went into a funk.

 

[Ogrezilla]

Yes the entire team is struggling to score because of two incompetent players. Not the guy telling them how and who to play with.

Yep, the issues will be far from fixed even if we make the perfect line-up changes. This is a systemic issue with a personnel cherry on top.

 

[SwordofStMichael]

Is it probable Crosby is injured?
Did he take any noticeable hits or falls during the preseason?
Did he miss any practices?

 

[Jacob]

Is it probable Crosby is injured?
Did he take any noticeable hits or falls during the preseason?
Did he miss any practices?

Doesn't look like it. His skating is normal and he's winning 52% of his faceoffs so the wrist must be fine.

 

[Boocock]

EDIT: f***! Nevermind...

 

[radapex]

EDIT: f***! Nevermind...

Kunitz-Crosby-Dupuis
Hornqvist-Malkin-Kessel
Perron-Bonino-Sprong

confirmed?

 

[#66]

Sorry dude.. love him but no way he was going to be top five all time, points or otherwise. It's just not possible.

Its not about points... Its how hes perceived. Adjusted stats over partial season only get you so far. He has to dominate for an extended period and he just hasnt... Neither have the Pens.

The Pens have been absolutely blessed and they screwed it up. I blame the Pens more than Crosby himself but he should have taken a stance to have this team change to be built around him as opposed to mid 90's thinking and a GM thats only midset is to build your standard run of the mill team. Talking Shero not Rutherford.

 

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

That's one way to get Sid out of his funk, give him a corpse and a guy who hasn't played a stretch of meaningful hockey without significant injury or illness in 2 years.

The Penguins' way™.

 

[Boocock]

That's one way to get Sid out of his funk, give him a corpse and a guy who hasn't played a stretch of meaningful hockey without significant injury or illness in 2 years.

The Penguins' wayâ„¢.

I really hope they just put Plotnikov on his line instead. It literally cannot be worse than what we have right now.

 

[radapex]

I really hope they just put Plotnikov on his line instead. It literally cannot be worse than what we have right now.

They may start some game with Plotnikov on Crosby's line, but that'll only last until half way through the first when Plotnikov inexplicably gets benched for a reason nobody can figured out.

 

[Til the End of Time]

Sorry dude.. love him but no way he was going to be top five all time, points or otherwise. It's just not possible.

his first three-four years in this league were unheard of... on par with all time greats like gretzky and lemieux. hundred points as a rookie, youngest scoring title, mvp in his second year, two runs to the finals with amazing playoff point totals with the cup in his fourth year... thats a truly amazing start a a career. he was never going to match lemieux in points but i had hoped he could become a two way beast while still leading the league in scoring by a wide margin, and win 3-4 cups. imo that could have put him on par with lemieux.

he didnt quite have the talent of lemieux but he had a drive/competitiveness that few prospects could ever match.... now injuries have taken their toll and he's lost that competitive edge. people forget just how great sid was imo.

 

[Til the End of Time]

at this stage (three-four years after his original concussions), the acute effects of a concussion such as headaches, inability to focus, vertigo, etc have stopped. the inflammation in his brain has largely subsided. but now is when he the long term effects of chronic traumatic encephlopathy might be setting in. in many, perhaps most cases of concussions/tbi/cte the true effects arent felt for several years sometimes even decades. at this stage sid, there is scarring in the brain that leads to impairment in visuospatial functioning (a recent paper found that visual working memory in athletes is impaired following tbi), executive functioning (decision-making), mood, personality, and behavior, etc. these effects are very subtle at first but can become more pronounced with time.

this stuff about his soft tissue injury/vertebral fracture injury causing all his symptoms is hogwash. thats was reported by one guy who ran with it, and pens fans have clung to it because it sounds better than sid having a concussion. his symptoms werent even consistent with the reported injury. no one on the previous or present medical staff ever said that and i have spoken to the docs on the previous medical staff and they agreed unequivocally that sid had one maybe two standard concussions.