Speculation: Toughness to Pittsburgh

[Empoleon8771]

There have been a few interviews with Hextall and Burke and they appear to have a very common message: they want to address the team toughness of the Penguins if they get the chance. It's not that surprising, JR left the team as a pretty small and speedy forward group with a bunch of small and speedy puck movers on defense, so they do need to balance it out somewhat. But they have been adamant about this in quite a few articles:

Pittsburgh Steelers, Penguins, Pirates News, Live Coverage | DK Pittsburgh Sports
Penguins Hextall Says He’d Like to Add Toughness, But… | PHN+
Joe Starkey: For better or worse, the Penguins are about to get tougher

Both Hextall and Burke have been pretty adamant about this, so I think this is a safe bet. It would almost definitely be a forward, because they're absolutely jammed packed on defense right now (sadly my dream of Oleksiak coming back won't happen). So who do you think they could end up targeting? A few names that make sense to me:

-Brown, connection to Hextall
-Bennett, connection to Burke (IIRC Burke absolutely loves Bennett)
-Laughton, connection to Hextall (I can't imagine Philly trades him here but he would definitely fit)

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[themelkman]

Kurtis Gabriel can be had for literally anything.

 

[Filthy Dangles]

Kurtis Gabriel can be had for literally anything.

He might be a good fit with Wheeling

 

[jgimp]

Can I interest you in a slightly used former 1st rounder Nathan “BooLoo” Bealieu?

 

[DRAGO 18]

Deslauriers for a 5th or 6th (whatever scraps that JR left us with) seems reasonable

 

[Tripod]

I am sure Hextall will grab Morin once Hagg comes back healthy and we try and "sneak" Morin back thru waivers.

Then he will go on to punish the Flyers physically for the next 5-7 years.

 

[cwede]

Brendan Smith for Jon Gruden

 

[Yatzhee]

Matt Irwin, Buffalo Sabres.

 

[Bond]

You should really overpay for Bennett. Burkie loves truculence, first and your most medicore RW prospect lol

 

[KingTech]

MacDermid might be able to play forward. He sure has hell can't play defense. There is a Hextall connection there

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Will they try to get Ryan Reaves again?

 

[Empoleon8771]

I am sure Hextall will grab Morin once Hagg comes back healthy and we try and "sneak" Morin back thru waivers.

Then he will go on to punish the Flyers physically for the next 5-7 years.

I actually thought Hagg made some sense too, but I don't see that working with how jammed the Penguins are on defense. And that doesn't even touch on the trading between the two teams aspect.

Will they try to get Ryan Reaves again?

Vegas won't trade him so it's a moot point.

Matt Irwin, Buffalo Sabres.

Brendan Smith for Jon Gruden

Tough means tough, not "ass at hockey".

A tough player is usually ass at hockey, but not everyone who is ass at hockey is tough

 

[Tripod]

I actually thought Hagg made some sense too, but I don't see that working with how jammed the Penguins are on defense. And that doesn't even touch on the trading between the two teams aspect.



Vegas won't trade him so it's a moot point.





Tough means tough, not "ass at hockey".

A tough player is usually ass at hockey, but not everyone who is ass at hockey is tough

The last part rules oh Hagg then.

 

[Empoleon8771]

The last part rules oh Hagg then.

Hey I think Hagg sucks too, but he's actually tough

Guys who are known for their toughness are almost always bad players (outside of a select few players like Tom Wilson), but being a bad player doesn't mean they're tough. Brendan Smith's just a bad player.

 

[itwasaforwardpass]

Sounds like they need a Rasmus Ristolainen

 

[Tripod]

Hey I think Hagg sucks too, but he's actually tough

Guys who are known for their toughness are almost always bad players (outside of a select few players like Tom Wilson), but being a bad player doesn't mean they're tough. Brendan Smith's just a bad player.

He really isn't. He got beat up my Kotkaniemi.

He hits...usually it's after the player passes the puck so it's not worth anything. But coaches like him.

 

[Empoleon8771]

He really isn't. He got beat up my Kotkaniemi.

He hits...usually it's after the player passes the puck so it's not worth anything. But coaches like him.

Ah, so he's modern day Jack Johnson then. Gotcha

Sounds like they need a Rasmus Ristolainen

And speaking of Jack Johnson clones, although Risto is more like a 2010 Jack Johnson.

 

[itwasaforwardpass]

Ah, so he's modern day Jack Johnson then. Gotcha



And speaking of Jack Johnson clones, although Risto is more like a 2010 Jack Johnson.

Hey Cody Ceci turned into a decent player in Pittsburgh. It could happen with Risto

 

[bernmeister]

Brendan Smith for Jon Gruden

or for a pick

 

[Yatzhee]

I actually thought Hagg made some sense too, but I don't see that working with how jammed the Penguins are on defense. And that doesn't even touch on the trading between the two teams aspect.



Vegas won't trade him so it's a moot point.





Tough means tough, not "ass at hockey".

A tough player is usually ass at hockey, but not everyone who is ass at hockey is tough

lol
hey, I've read your posts, let us Sabres fans try and move some of our, (clears throat), movable parts?lol

 

[molon labe]

Hey I think Hagg sucks too, but he's actually tough

Guys who are known for their toughness are almost always bad players (outside of a select few players like Tom Wilson), but being a bad player doesn't mean they're tough. Brendan Smith's just a bad player.

Radulov, Getzlaf, Backes, Lee, Tkachuk... I mean those dudes aren't/weren't ass at hockey and I'd consider them pretty tough. Pretty much every player in the 90s... hell some of the players in the 2000-2015 timeframe could take/give hits without laying on the ice like soccer players. I get the need for speed but damn you have to have a guy or few who makes the opposition sweat the pucks in the corner and can get nasty if necessary.

Not getting my hopes up here...but have been beating the big / power forward drum for so long - just hope it happens before it doesn't matter. Played with Geno and whomever his partner is and you've got the most obvious piece the Pens have missed in years. Once Kunitz went downhill we pretty much stuck with the high upside small forward model.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Hey Cody Ceci turned into a decent player in Pittsburgh. It could happen with Risto

Not really related to this specific thread, but I think Ristolainen is at least an intriguing player. The Ceci comparison is a good one because he had a similar issue, being played way over his head and getting caved because of it.

He doesn't make sense for Pittsburgh, but if you pair him with a good DFD and have him on a well structured team, I think he could be a really good piece for a team's 2nd pair. Ristolainen would do really well on a team like the Islanders IMO.

Radulov, Getzlaf, Backes, Lee, Tkachuk... I mean those dudes aren't/weren't ass at hockey and I'd consider them pretty tough. Pretty much every player in the 90s... hell some of the players in the 2000-2015 timeframe could take/give hits without laying on the ice like soccer players. I get the need for speed but damn you have to have a guy or few who makes the opposition sweat the pucks in the corner and can get nasty if necessary.

Not getting my hopes up here...but have been beating the big / power forward drum for so long - just hope it happens before it doesn't matter. Played with Geno and whomever his partner is and you've got the most obvious piece the Pens have missed in years. Once Kunitz went downhill we pretty much stuck with the high upside small forward model.

Getzlaf and Radulov don't fit here, but even if they did, you could name at least a dozen terrible tough guys for every 1 good tough guy.

 

[likash]

This screams like RealGoodbransen coming back to the Penguins.

 

[themelkman]

He might be a good fit with Wheeling

You asked for toughness

 

[SpeakingOfTheDevils]

Sam Bennett will be a Penguin. Book it.