Post-Game Talk: “Okay campers, rise, and shine, and don't forget your booties 'cause it's cold out there…“

[ronduguayshair]

It is on either him or the coaching. Yes you want to win puck battles and retain possession, but if you end up completely jumbled on the other end of it you won't be able to create a chance of any value.

You think you can coach #71? Please.

 

[ronduguayshair]

I've already given you enough attention. Run along now.

Who are your coaching options to replace Sullivan? Or do you not have a plan that backs up your thought.

 

[Pittsburgh1776]

Who are your coaching options to replace Sullivan? Or do you not have a plan that backs up your thought.

I don't have a replacement in mind. That's the front office's job. But I can say that four years of first round exits should result in his canning. Let's hope it doesn't happen and he manages to capture some of the creativity that he had in 2016, 2017. He loses this round he has won one series in five years. He needs to be gone if this happens.

 

[mpp9]

Went to the game. Mack is something else to watch live. Hoping to get to see McDavid this year.


As for the Pens. They’re just not as good as a few teams in the league. Is what it is.

 

[ronduguayshair]

Went to the game. Mack is something else to watch live. Hoping to get to see McDavid this year.


As for the Pens. They’re just not as good as a few teams in the league. Is what it is.

It was obvious how much better he and sid are to everyone on the ice. Much like sid but bigger.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I feel like these kind of games just show the Penguins aren't as good as the truly top contending teams anymore.

They're still a good team of course, but they're no longer a legitimate cup threat. They're like the 2013 or so Red Wings at this point. They should be getting around 100 points in a season and should make a playoff spot, but they'll likely lose in the 1st or 2nd round going forward. The only way to make this not the case is by making Crosby, Malkin and Letang 6 years younger.

 

[Ryder71]

Went to the game. Mack is something else to watch live. Hoping to get to see McDavid this year.


As for the Pens. They’re just not as good as a few teams in the league. Is what it is.

I've been saying this all season, finally some of you are coming around. If our core was a few years younger thIings might be different, but they're not. Glad you guys are FINALLY accepting it.

 

[Ryder71]

I don't have a replacement in mind. That's the front office's job. But I can say that four years of first round exits should result in his canning. Let's hope it doesn't happen and he manages to capture some of the creativity that he had in 2016, 2017. He loses this round he has won one series in five years. He needs to be gone if this happens.

Yep, he's coaching for his job. IF they lose in the 1st round they have no choice but to fire the mother! You can't lose five consecutive playoff series and keep your job. Not in da burgh! If however by chance they win a round, you give him another year.

 

[mpp9]

I've been saying this all season, finally some of you are coming around. If our core was a few years younger thIings might be different, but they're not. Glad you guys are FINALLY accepting it.

I was in favor of a retool the past couple years. I won’t discount the possibility the big guns can turn back the clock and make a run, but it certainly shouldn’t be the expectation.

 

[KrisLetAngry]

We played well in the first.

We lost the recipe for 90% of the 2nd and 3rd.

Every game I watch lowers my expectations.

 

[Zirakzigil]

Didn’t watch the game, listened to it in the radio, needed a break yesterday.


Was happy with the play in the 1st, not in the rest. Just was blah the rest of the game.

 

[Phil68]

Malkin is still playing center in the offensive zone. He just hasn't been taking faceoffs, and that's because Carter is better.

Carter was 15-3 in the circle last night.

How big of a difference does it make cause we wont with Malkin 3 cups the way he is. Like come on yo He is a scrub player

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

I don't have a replacement in mind. That's the front office's job. But I can say that four years of first round exits should result in his canning. Let's hope it doesn't happen and he manages to capture some of the creativity that he had in 2016, 2017. He loses this round he has won one series in five years. He needs to be gone if this happens.

Don't engage. The board was so much less cluttered with that person's posts.

It's like a record on repeat:

"Keyboard expert"
"Season Ticket holder"
"Sully and Sid are infallible"
"Geno is obviously your favorite player"

 

[SEALBound]

I got news for you guys...Sullivan isn't going anywhere. The front office loves this guy and thinks he will be the perfect coach to go through a rebuild with. And they're right.

Unfortunately, there's a limit to what Sullivan can accomplish. I don't think putting Rust on Geno's line mid way through the game yesterday suddenly turns the tide in our favor. We're going up against a deep Avs team that has star players in their prime. As Emp said, this is like 2013 Penguins vs 2013 RedWings. We were in our prime, they were past their prime. Still good players though.

That said, there's not a lot of supporting cast members that we are going to be able to get to turn the tide either. Those types of players needed are found in the early draft. We don't need a "better Kapanen". We need a Landeskog or Rantanen. We don't need a "Better Pettersson", we need a Byram or Makar.

We knew these days would be coming eventually. It's why in 2016 and 2017 I kept telling everyone to quit whining and enjoy the moment. Those of us who knew, knew.

Right now, we are grasping for straws as a deflection from the truth. But not all is lost...we stayed with them very well in two games. I liked our game against a lot of the top teams. It's the playoffs and anything can happen. Just enjoy the remaining years with Sid and Geno. They have been a true blessing. Ones we may NEVER get again.

 

[Andy99]

I got news for you guys...Sullivan isn't going anywhere. The front office loves this guy and thinks he will be the perfect coach to go through a rebuild with. And they're right.

Unfortunately, there's a limit to what Sullivan can accomplish. I don't think putting Rust on Geno's line mid way through the game yesterday suddenly turns the tide in our favor. We're going up against a deep Avs team that has star players in their prime. As Emp said, this is like 2013 Penguins vs 2013 RedWings. We were in our prime, they were past their prime. Still good players though.

That said, there's not a lot of supporting cast members that we are going to be able to get to turn the tide either. Those types of players needed are found in the early draft. We don't need a "better Kapanen". We need a Landeskog or Rantanen. We don't need a "Better Pettersson", we need a Byram or Makar.

We knew these days would be coming eventually. It's why in 2016 and 2017 I kept telling everyone to quit whining and enjoy the moment. Those of us who knew, knew.

Right now, we are grasping for straws as a deflection from the truth. But not all is lost...we stayed with them very well in two games. I liked our game against a lot of the top teams. It's the playoffs and anything can happen. Just enjoy the remaining years with Sid and Geno. They have been a true blessing. Ones we may NEVER get again.

There’s a limit to what he can accomplish sure, but he can do more. He doesn’t reach for it and make adjustments much on the fly. That’s terrible for a PO coach, although I’m sure is great for a rebuilding roster. We need more from him now, plain and simple

 

[SEALBound]

There’s a limit to what he can accomplish sure, but he can do more. He doesn’t reach for it and make adjustments much on the fly. That’s terrible for a PO coach, although I’m sure is great for a rebuilding roster. We need more from him now, plain and simple

Yeah, and it's odd because that is how he won back-to-back Cups, was on track for a 3rd and got the big contract. He IS a good coach...he just needs to coach good.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

I feel like these kind of games just show the Penguins aren't as good as the truly top contending teams anymore.

They're still a good team of course, but they're no longer a legitimate cup threat. They're like the 2013 or so Red Wings at this point. They should be getting around 100 points in a season and should make a playoff spot, but they'll likely lose in the 1st or 2nd round going forward. The only way to make this not the case is by making Crosby, Malkin and Letang 6 years younger.

Or by lucking out in the draft and having young guys who can pick up a lot of the slack for Malkin/Crosby/Letang not being 25 years old any longer.

That's the problem with the current NHL roster and our farm system as a whole. We have a bunch of "depth" guys who can plug in on the bottom six or as half decent third wheels in the top six, but we don't have an abundance of higher-end skill to take some of the pressure off of our aging core.

That's why I'm not the least bit high on our prospect pool. Sure, we may have some guys that can be plugged into the lineup to replace what players like E-Rod, McGinn, or ZAR provide. Or we have guys who may be able to take Pettersson or Ruhwedel's spot on the blueline. But we have zero in the way of anything that could even remotely plug into our top six and hope for 25+ goals from or plug into our blueline and hope for a top pairing replacement for Letang's role.

 

[Ugene Magic]

I feel like these kind of games just show the Penguins aren't as good as the truly top contending teams anymore.

They're still a good team of course, but they're no longer a legitimate cup threat. They're like the 2013 or so Red Wings at this point. They should be getting around 100 points in a season and should make a playoff spot, but they'll likely lose in the 1st or 2nd round going forward. The only way to make this not the case is by making Crosby, Malkin and Letang 6 years younger.

The top contending teams spent assets to create their depth, and the Pens are trying to be frugal. You can't keep adding fringe top players and think it's enough.

Teams are just not going to be scared of Carter, Rakell and that type of player. Though, these two have been a great add, it's just falling short of what'll allow Sid and Geno's lines to just dominate. At which point, I'm gonna bypass Geno and create a 3rd line the makings of a 2nd line and use Geno as the buffer with like , Heinen and Zucker and post up a 3rd line of Rakell, Carter and Rust.

What I'm saying is, this team needs to have something more for teams to have to account for. That doesn't mean they can't use guys with Geno for a shift here or there and really mess with other teams. It comes down to who's feeling it on a game by game basis. That's an in-game adjustment. The Pens need to get to the slot/crease and cause havoc. Stop with all this perimeter play and get your noses dirty. I think you have that in Jake, Rust and Rakell and Carter, but you need Carter a center at 3c. So pick your poison. Stack 2 lines or make 3 teams will have to account for.

I'd ideally, would bring up Puustinen with his speed and try Nylander over Zohorna/Angello.

 

[Empoleon8771]

The top contending teams spent assets to create their depth, and the Pens are trying to be frugal. You can't keep adding fringe top players and think it's enough.

Teams are just not going to be scared of Carter, Rakell and that type of player. Though, these two have been a great add, it's just falling short of what'll allow Sid and Geno's lines to just dominate. At which point, I'm gonna bypass Geno and create a 3rd line the makings of a 2nd line and use Geno as the buffer with like , Heinen and Zucker and post up a 3rd line of Rakell, Carter and Rust.

What I'm saying is, this team needs to have something more for teams to have to account for. That doesn't mean they can't use guys with Geno for a shift here or there and really mess with other teams. It comes down to who's feeling it on a game by game basis. That's an in-game adjustment. The Pens need to get to the slot/crease and cause havoc. Stop with all this perimeter play and get your noses dirty. I think you have that in Jake, Rust and Rakell and Carter, but you need Carter a center at 3c. So pick your poison. Stack 2 lines or make 3 teams will have to account for.

I'd ideally, would bring up Puustinen with his speed and try Nylander over Zohorna/Angello.

Yeah, this is blatantly false. The only player that even kinda fits this is Kadri on Colorado.

The top contending teams have internally developed superstars like MacKinnon, Rantanen, Makar, Kucherov and Point. They're "top contending teams" right now because their core is at the peak of their abilities. The Penguins core isn't there anymore.

If the cores of Tampa and Colorado were in their mid-30s, they'd be in the same exact spot as the Penguins are today. Those teams haven't done any sort of magical teambuilding that the Penguins haven't done, they just still have elite cores who can turn a good supporting cast into a cup contender.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Yeah, this is blatantly false. The only player that even kinda fits this is Kadri on Colorado.

The top contending teams have internally developed superstars like MacKinnon, Rantanen, Makar, Kucherov and Point. They're "top contending teams" right now because their core is at the peak of their abilities. The Penguins core isn't there anymore.

If the cores of Tampa and Colorado were in their mid-30s, they'd be in the same exact spot as the Penguins are today. Those teams haven't done any sort of magical teambuilding that the Penguins haven't done, they just still have elite cores who can turn a good supporting cast into a cup contender.

Eh, he's sort of right with regards to Colorado. Keep in mind he's talking about the depth, and Colorado's added Kadri and Burakovsky to their forward group to give them legitimate secondary scoring, and on defense they added both Girard and Toews. Those two defender additions are a big part of what makes that D-corps so outstanding.

 

[DesertedPenguin]

How big of a difference does it make cause we wont with Malkin 3 cups the way he is. Like come on yo He is a scrub player

Malkin's role hasn't changed at all. He's always been weak on faceoffs, the Penguins have often had other players take faceoffs on his line. And the moment the faceoff is over, Malkin is playing in the offensive zone and defensive zone the same way he has the entire time under Sullivan.

You're making a big deal out of nothing. Malkin is a center. He's treated as a center in Sullivan's system. Nothing has changed other than some faceoffs, and that will change again with Zucker back and Carter on the third line.

 

[NeedleInTheHay]

How about we let Colorado get out of the second round for the first time in 20 years before we declare them the next pens?

 

[DesertedPenguin]

I got news for you guys...Sullivan isn't going anywhere. The front office loves this guy and thinks he will be the perfect coach to go through a rebuild with. And they're right.

Unfortunately, there's a limit to what Sullivan can accomplish. I don't think putting Rust on Geno's line mid way through the game yesterday suddenly turns the tide in our favor. We're going up against a deep Avs team that has star players in their prime. As Emp said, this is like 2013 Penguins vs 2013 RedWings. We were in our prime, they were past their prime. Still good players though.

That said, there's not a lot of supporting cast members that we are going to be able to get to turn the tide either. Those types of players needed are found in the early draft. We don't need a "better Kapanen". We need a Landeskog or Rantanen. We don't need a "Better Pettersson", we need a Byram or Makar.

We knew these days would be coming eventually. It's why in 2016 and 2017 I kept telling everyone to quit whining and enjoy the moment. Those of us who knew, knew.

Right now, we are grasping for straws as a deflection from the truth. But not all is lost...we stayed with them very well in two games. I liked our game against a lot of the top teams. It's the playoffs and anything can happen. Just enjoy the remaining years with Sid and Geno. They have been a true blessing. Ones we may NEVER get again.

Sullivan's steady hand is why the management team likes him. It frustrates fans because they want to see change.

Change the lines. Change the pairings. Change the system. That didn't work? Change the coach.

The reality is a team's success largely comes down to the players. Yes, Sullivan came in during the 2015-16 season and changed the mindset, but his critics gloss over how much the roster changed mid-year, too. Hagelin, Schultz and Daley came in from outside after Sullivan was promoted. Rust had made appearances but was promoted for good after Sullivan came on board. Sheary and Kuhnhackl were promoted after Sullivan arrived.

All six players were fixtures in the playoff lineup. They were the right fit for the team.

The same thing happened the next year - the Penguins had the ability to add a veteran stabilizing force in Ron Hainsey and critical offensive support by promoting Jake Guentzel.

What the Penguins need now cannot be fixed internally. They're still good. They're still competitive. But to be elite, they need to adjust the make-up of the team and that is going to take time because of the cap. This notion that they could make one or two trades and be fixed is ludicrous. The prospects aren't good enough to do what Rust, Sheary, and Guentzel did.

The presence of Radim Zohorna or Valtteri Puustinen will not drastically change this team's fortunes. Neither will playing Rust with Malkin and Zucker with Crosby. The issues are a lot deeper than that.

Just enjoy the fact that they'll be playing in the playoffs and that weird stuff can happen in the postseason.

 

[Pittsburgh1776]

I got news for you guys...Sullivan isn't going anywhere. The front office loves this guy and thinks he will be the perfect coach to go through a rebuild with. And they're right.

Unfortunately, there's a limit to what Sullivan can accomplish. I don't think putting Rust on Geno's line mid way through the game yesterday suddenly turns the tide in our favor. We're going up against a deep Avs team that has star players in their prime. As Emp said, this is like 2013 Penguins vs 2013 RedWings. We were in our prime, they were past their prime. Still good players though.

That said, there's not a lot of supporting cast members that we are going to be able to get to turn the tide either. Those types of players needed are found in the early draft. We don't need a "better Kapanen". We need a Landeskog or Rantanen. We don't need a "Better Pettersson", we need a Byram or Makar.

We knew these days would be coming eventually. It's why in 2016 and 2017 I kept telling everyone to quit whining and enjoy the moment. Those of us who knew, knew.

Right now, we are grasping for straws as a deflection from the truth. But not all is lost...we stayed with them very well in two games. I liked our game against a lot of the top teams. It's the playoffs and anything can happen. Just enjoy the remaining years with Sid and Geno. They have been a true blessing. Ones we may NEVER get again.

I'm not going to enjoy the remaining years as much when there are likely better lineups that haven't been used and other options that haven't been tried, and when we keep going back to the same stale combo that hasn't worked in three years. How am I supposed to just sit back and enjoy that? Am I saying we're going to win the Cup with different lines? Yeah, no. But isn't it better to go out with everything you've got having tried everything to see what is truly best? It feels like we're quietly shutting the door on this era, going out into the good night meekly, from a tactics and lineup standpoint. That doesn't sit well with me. Yes I'm going to enjoy watching this core and this team as they close out their careers, but if there's no pressure for this coach to make better decisions what's the point of a front office? They realize he's won one series in four years right?

 

[ronduguayshair]

Don't engage. The board was so much less cluttered with that person's posts.

It's like a record on repeat:

"Keyboard expert"
"Season Ticket holder"
"Sully and Sid are infallible"
"Geno is obviously your favorite player"

I mean my posting is no different than people always trashing Sullivan, complaining about Erod or making excuses for #71. It’s just the opposite side of opinion and therefore it’s “trolling”.

That’s a pretty wide and lazy brush to paint someone with.