WBS Penguins 2017-18 Season Thread: Pens out in first round, black aces are up

[Allie Kitsune]

Not unless Kessel finally has to sit out.

There's only room for one PP winger whose attitude gives Sully a headache.

 

[SHOOTANDSCORE]

Not to be a pain in the ass but it would be nice if there was more WBS discussion and less of the constant bitching about Sprong. Maybe we could use a separate thread dedicated to Sprong?

 

[Jacob]

Seems like Charlotte is going to be a tough 1st round opponent, no? Similar record to the baby Pens, and Carolina sucks so they get NHL reinforcements.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Lol do you watch WBS games or no?

I catch the odd game when I can, but I never get to see enough of them to form a strong enough opinion. Like here in Canada I have had the luxury of seeing CHL games more, but back home, I could watch AHL games easier, of course you can find ways online.

But I've seen enough.

 

[AverageJoeFan]

Seems like Charlotte is going to be a tough 1st round opponent, no? Similar record to the baby Pens, and Carolina sucks so they get NHL reinforcements.

Yeah, it will be if they do. Otherwise, I do think WBS would win, but we'll see...

Not to be a pain in the ass but it would be nice if there was more WBS discussion and less of the constant *****ing about Sprong. Maybe we could use a separate thread dedicated to Sprong?

The Sprong bitch thread? HAHA. Now there are several of us who are fanboys, so is what it is. I do think we have some discussion about some of the other top guys like Pedan, Prow, Dea, Blue, and prospects as well. We just tend to get stuck on Sprong because he is the "high potential" guy.

 

[chethejet]

Carolina sent a number of players to them for the playoffs. WB will play a team that has NHL caliber players who played for the Canes last year. Tough match up here. Outside of Sprong, no one else looks to be a high end talent right now. Pedan may emerge to be a 5 or 6 but not much in the immediate pipeline. I am hopeful the recent college signees and the wingers in europe and the juniors can surprise. But the Pens don't have many openings to be filled so there is time to develop young players.

 

[Coastal Kev]

I believe firmly that keeping Sprong in the minors will prevent the Pens from winning a cup this year. If he played 82 with Sid, our line combos would all be much better and we would have had a wing to trade to sure up any areas of concern.

200 pushups everyday- want some?

 

[The Old Master]

I believe firmly that keeping Sprong in the minors will prevent the Pens from winning a cup this year. If he played 82 with Sid, our line combos would all be much better and we would have had a wing to trade to sure up any areas of concern.

200 pushups everyday- want some?

sprong does have some short comings playing with sid. but he would fit perfectly with geno

 

[Coastal Kev]

sprong does have some short comings playing with sid. but he would fit perfectly with geno

I also note he would star on the LW as well! Top 6 Sprong would have answered so many questions this year, and those chickens will come home to roost.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

200 pushups everyday- want some?

Are you handing out pushups?

 

[The Old Master]

sprong does have some short comings playing with sid. but he would fit perfectly with geno

in sully's defense (and I can't believe I'm saying this) playing with Geno would not force him to work on the things that would make him a better player....it just doesn't help us now.

 

[Peat]

in sully's defense (and I can't believe I'm saying this) playing with Geno would not force him to work on the things that would make him a better player....it just doesn't help us now.

There's also the pretty significant issue that we have 3 RWs who can fit with Geno, all of whom deserve to be in the top 9, two of which have been lights out with him recently.

The only hole for a RW on our roster right now is with Sid or on the 4th line.

 

[The Old Master]

There's also the pretty significant issue that we have 3 RWs who can fit with Geno, all of whom deserve to be in the top 9, two of which have been lights out with him recently.

The only hole for a RW on our roster right now is with Sid or on the 4th line.

yes, and each one brings something deferent ... playing sprong with geno lets you move other players around to not only fill those spots but also improve them.

 

[Clatartar]

There's also the pretty significant issue that we have 3 RWs who can fit with Geno, all of whom deserve to be in the top 9, two of which have been lights out with him recently.

The only hole for a RW on our roster right now is with Sid or on the 4th line.

Rust is an elite 4th liner, Phil needs to be with Brassard, Hornqvist is made for Sid (especially after long breaks from each other)....
I'm curious as to how this current crop of Baby Pens works out for the pens. With Sid, G, Brassard and Sheahan down the center, everybody gets relegated to winger duty. We're set on the right side with Horny, Phil, Rust and Sprong. Jake will be here long term, Zar is building himself a case, Hagelin walks after his contract is up and I think Sheary gets lost to the numbers game so what do we really have coming up the pipe as lw 3rd wheels?
DiPauli? Blueger?

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Rust is an elite 4th liner, Phil needs to be with Brassard, Hornqvist is made for Sid (especially after long breaks from each other)....
I'm curious as to how this current crop of Baby Pens works out for the pens. With Sid, G, Brassard and Sheahan down the center, everybody gets relegated to winger duty. We're set on the right side with Horny, Phil, Rust and Sprong. Jake will be here long term, Zar is building himself a case, Hagelin walks after his contract is up and I think Sheary gets lost to the numbers game so what do we really have coming up the pipe as lw 3rd wheels?
DiPauli? Blueger?

Bellerive is probably the best bet.

 

[Peat]

My bet would be Adam Johnson. Quick, skillful, defensively responsible enough for the PK. Hasn't happened for him this year in WBS the way I'd have liked and maybe he'll never have the frame for the NHL, but he ticks the most boxes. Di Pauli sounds like he'll max out at Archibald 2.0. Blueger I think ends up at 4C or out of the organisation after Brassard's contract expires.


Well. I'm lying. My bet for LW 3rd wheel if Sprong sticks next year is Rust. He's been far too good to stick permanently on the 4th line.

edit: re Sprong's fit on the team now/in future with regards to Geno/Sid

I personally ain't a fan of giving Geno a lesser option than what he has to make the 4th line stronger for the play-offs and my perception is he would be a lesser option than the 3 guys we can stick on Geno's line. I'm not a fan of doing it with Sid either, but the RW chemistry with him has been sufficiently ho-hum that maybe Sprong would be the better option.

But long term - long term Sid with Horny isn't happening every game. Long term Rust isn't seeing much 4th line (although he can and will see top 9 LW). And a bunch of other stuff. I shouldn't totally rule it out, but there's a far bigger opening for a young guy on Sid's line than there is Geno's - and judging from the org's comments, that's how they see it too. They've repeatedly talked about what Sprong needs to do to play with Sid.

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

Ohlund is also a guy to keep an eye on. Drozg and Bjorkqvist as well but further away.

 

[FreeBobbyFarnham]

 

[SHOOTANDSCORE]

So, what's the word on Quinney? His numbers show a pretty good rookie season but how has he looked?

He's only 22, so I wonder if he earns an NHL deal or if this log jam works against him. Playing C works in his favor.

 

[The Old Master]

I personally ain't a fan of giving Geno a lesser option than what he has to make the 4th line stronger for the play-offs and my perception is he would be a lesser option than the 3 guys we can stick on Geno's line.

your starting out with a false narrative......giving Geno exactly what he wants in a winger would not be a lesser option. it would simply be putting both players in a position to do what they do best .

 

[WDYT]

I can't believe there is still some much fixation on Sprong. This was one of the highest scoring teams in the league, with the most productive PP in the franchise's history, who has been blowing out the Flyers in this playoff series. Why in the world can't they let 20-21 year old Sprong develop in his only opportunity to play in the AHL when they clearly haven't been lacking from his scoring ability? They're trying to set him up to have a good NHL career, as best as possible after they wasted his entry level contract and waiver exemption.

 

[The Old Master]

I can't believe there is still some much fixation on Sprong. This was one of the highest scoring teams in the league, with the most productive PP in the franchise's history, who has been blowing out the Flyers in this playoff series. Why in the world can't they let 20-21 year old Sprong develop in his only opportunity to play in the AHL when they clearly haven't been lacking from his scoring ability? They're trying to set him up to have a good NHL career, as best as possible after they wasted his entry level contract and waiver exemption.

same reason you always try to cheat a little on the faceoffs, tape and protoe an elbow pad, give a little face wash ect. anything that would give you an edge, real or imagined.

 

[WDYT]

same reason you always try to cheat a little on the faceoffs, tape and protoe an elbow pad, give a little face wash ect. anything that would give you an edge, real or imagined.

I think that's fine. What I don't get is the obsession that they're ruining him or doing wrong by him, when we all know full well that if they had kept Sprong up all year and he didn't do well, and then went on to not develop into a good player (both distinct possibilities)- we'd be hearing all about how the Pens rushed his development and blew it with him.

It just seems so obviously reasonable for a powerhouse offensive team to let a very young, offensively talented prospect work on other aspects of his game in the AHL, in his only opportunity to get development time in the AHL, rather than play him on the fourth line in the NHL.

Not that there aren't opposing viewpoints on the issue, but it strikes me as strange that some are perceiving this as a complete injustice. Sprong is different from other young players that have come up in recent years, who were 22-23 and had full professional seasons under their belts or entire college careers. He was 20 for most of the season. Why is it so crazy to think he could benefit from development time before he's locked into an NHL roster spot?

 

[The Old Master]

I think that's fine. What I don't get is the obsession that they're ruining him or doing wrong by him, when we all know full well that if they had kept Sprong up all year and he didn't do well, and then went on to not develop into a good player (both distinct possibilities)- we'd be hearing all about how the Pens rushed his development and blew it with him.

It just seems so obviously reasonable for a powerhouse offensive team to let a very young, offensively talented prospect work on other aspects of his game in the AHL, in his only opportunity to get development time in the AHL, rather than play him on the fourth line in the NHL.

Not that there aren't opposing viewpoints on the issue, but it strikes me as strange that some are perceiving this as a complete injustice. Sprong is different from other young players that have come up in recent years, who were 22-23 and had full professional seasons under their belts or entire college careers. He was 20 for most of the season. Why is it so crazy to think he could benefit from development time before he's locked into an NHL roster spot?

we may not be hurting sprong, but we may be hurting the team..... by not looking at any or all the ways we might be better.

 

[WDYT]

For a team that is having no trouble scoring, I find it hard to believe not playing Sprong is going to hurt them. If they lost a series, it's not going to be because they didn't have Sprong. If Crosby, Malkin, Kessel, Brassard, Hornqvist, Guentzel, Sheary, etc is not enough scoring depth, an unproven 20-year-old with four goals in 26 career NHL games is highly unlikely to be the difference between winning and losing.