Waived: Brian Strait (Claimed by NY Islanders)

[MtlPenFan]

He can skate well for a big man. He is not Despres though.

He is good in transition, lateral skating, his crossovers from a standstill off the boards when defending are sound. No holes there to pick on.

He has the wheels to join the rush or come late and make himself an option. He is far from being offensively Pejorative Slured. People will be a little surprised with his offensive game.

If he ever plays though, he may be too afraid to show that side of his game for fear of getting trapped and DB benching him.

I found Strait to be a much better skater, which is why I was so bullish on him. ****ing hate that he's gone.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Crosby and Malkin are a blessing and a curse. They are fun to watch, but they mask problems that should of been corrected by now.

It's scary how true this is, even among a few in the fanbase. Some are convinced this roster is a Cup contender, largely because when those two are on their game, they can make any team look dangerous.

Fans will see what they see, but I'm more worried that the organization has fallen into this trap. They're the ones that are paid to realize it's not the case.

 

[MtlPenFan]

It's scary how true this is, even among a few in the fanbase. Some are convinced this roster is a Cup contender, largely because when those two are on their game, they can make any team look dangerous.

Fans will see what they see, but I'm more worried that the organization has fallen into this trap. They're the ones that are paid to realize it's not the case.

It's just the fans? Just listen to the media gush every ******* time, whether it's local or National.

I swear, I listen to Madden, Rossi, Dejan, TSN, and when they preface everything with "With all that talent..." it makes me want to punt a newborn.

****ing sheep, but in the end, at least they don't have a direct influence on the front office. What the front office's excuse is for being so star struck, I've been trying to figure out for years.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I agree with all of that.

What always gets me, personally, is when pundits (particularly locally) pull out the "quality depth" card. WHAT DEPTH? The kind that you can find on the waiver wire on a good day, you mean? Yeah... really impressive.

You mean all of that awesome defensive depth? Is that why Lovejoy is playing as much as he is? Or are guys that are still at least a year or two away actually considered viable depth on an NHL roster?

You mean the complimentary scoring forwards? The ones that don't exist anywhere in the organization?

That's the biggest myth of the Penguins organization. "Quality depth."

Well... that and they're "well coached" because Disco has a Jack Adams.

 

[IcedCapp]

I agree with all of that.

What always gets me, personally, is when pundits (particularly locally) pull out the "quality depth" card. WHAT DEPTH? The kind that you can find on the waiver wire on a good day, you mean? Yeah... really impressive.

You mean all of that awesome defensive depth? Is that why Lovejoy is playing as much as he is? Or are guys that are still at least a year or two away actually considered viable depth on an NHL roster?

You mean the complimentary scoring forwards? The ones that don't exist anywhere in the organization?

That's the biggest myth of the Penguins organization. "Quality depth."

Well... that and they're "well coached" because Disco has a Jack Adams.

I hate to be... well, like this, but here's how this works:

Newspapers are dying. They don't have a working business model and they will (slowly but surely) eventually be extinct. The only advantage Newspapers have over free outlets (ie, blogs) is that they have daily access to the teams personnel and management.

The majority of fans want to hear those quotes, want to see a Crosby interview, want to know what Bylsma and Shero are thinking, etc... even if 99.9% of what they say are meaningless, tired cliches.

The easiest way to keep that access is to sell what the front office is pushing.

Look at the Pittsburgh media on twitter today: if you even say "hey, this seems off" they seem (I haven't tweeted at any of them personally) to respond with some snide, sarcastic comment as if the organization is beyond question.

It sucks, but... not much you can do about it.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

****ing sheep, but in the end, at least they don't have a direct influence on the front office. What the front office's excuse is for being so star struck, I've been trying to figure out for years.

As contradictory as this may make me sound, I might be able to live with the organization ignoring the forward depth problem, if it focused on building the defense into a powerhouse defensive club. But we're not even that. We're suspect defensively AND we have no talent up front other than the 3 obvious guys.

I mean, what IS our identity? What exactly are they trying to build here? Questionable scoring depth, question marks on defense, and a questionable goalie. Other than "we've got Sid and Geno", what's the club's strengths that the organization is building versus the other contenders?

 

[gordie]

It's just the fans? Just listen to the media gush every ******* time, whether it's local or National.

I swear, I listen to Madden, Rossi, Dejan, TSN, and when they preface everything with "With all that talent..." it makes me want to punt a newborn.

****ing sheep, but in the end, at least they don't have a direct influence on the front office. What the front office's excuse is for being so star struck, I've been trying to figure out for years.

There is top end talent here, some of the best in the league. Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Neal and Fleury and Vokoun I still believe is one of the best goaltending tandems in the league. The problem is the supporting cast is either made up of young kids, clear cut minor leaguers or spare parts that have seen better days.

 

[Ragamuffin Gunner]

Glad we kept Lovejoy over this bum.

 

[Riptide]

sounds like exactly what the penguins need. every game that goes by and he isn't playing makes me angry.

Especially after the game that Engelland and Lovejoy had lastnight. I really really hope to see Bort in the game tomorrow.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Oh, I hear ya IcedCapp. I know how that game works. It's just frustrating. Particularly when other fans start parroting it back to you when you dare bring up the fact that it's a completely bogus assertion.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

Yup, he looks great out there, what a freakin surprise. I'm dying to know what Shero/Bylsma see in Lovejoy because Strait is definitely going to be an NHLer for a while.

 

[td_ice]

Glad we kept Lovejoy over this bum.

That is my problem. I really liked Strait, but I would never state that he will ever be anything more than a 5th or 6th dmen. But I would rather have him here, with the chance to reach that bottom pairing potential, than Lovejoy.

 

[MrBurghundy]

As contradictory as this may make me sound, I might be able to live with the organization ignoring the forward depth problem, if it focused on building the defense into a powerhouse defensive club. But we're not even that. We're suspect defensively AND we have no talent up front other than the 3 obvious guys.

I mean, what IS our identity? What exactly are they trying to build here? Questionable scoring depth, question marks on defense, and a questionable goalie. Other than "we've got Sid and Geno", what's the club's strengths that the organization is building versus the other contenders?

None.

They just have to worry about "playing their game" no matter what the other team is doing. Just ignore the fact that most of the other teams have built their lineups to shut ours down.

 

[Riptide]

There is top end talent here, some of the best in the league. Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Neal and Fleury and Vokoun I still believe is one of the best goaltending tandems in the league. The problem is the supporting cast is either made up of young kids, clear cut minor leaguers or spare parts that have seen better days.

Other than Lovejoy, I think the vast majority of the lineup is NHL caliber... even if 1/3rd of the forwards would only be 4th line talent on another team, they're still NHL talent. The only question mark would be Tangradi, however he's young, and if we ever want him to turn into something, we need to keep him here and give him a chance.

 

[Riptide]

That is my problem. I really liked Strait, but I would never state that he will ever be anything more than a 5th or 6th dmen. But I would rather have him here, with the chance to reach that bottom pairing potential, than Lovejoy.

He's looked pretty good playing top 4 minutes in Long Island. Has averaged over 20 min a night the last 3 games, and his icetime has gone up almost every game. 21:00, 21:44, 18:20, 16:16, 17:04, 15:48.

No he likely wouldn't make our top 4 due to the established guys ahead of him... Who knows what he would have looked like paired with Letang now that Nisky is out (he's proven he can play those minutes in that supporting role with Striet). But there's nothing saying that he wouldn't be just as good as Lovejoy or Engelland on the 3rd pairing.

 

[Gooch]

Brian Strait to Shelley Anderson in the Post-Gazette:

"Any call-up I had the last couple of years, I was playing sparingly -- 12 minutes, 10 minutes," he said. "I'm getting a good opportunity here.

"It's nice when you have a coaching staff that shows trust in you. It was a different situation the last couple of years, only playing for 10 minutes and not knowing if I was going to go back out for another shift after I made a mistake."

-----

I know, easy to say what with the Islanders not having nearly as many established NHL D-men. But still.

Well damn, there you have it. In words from a horses mouth basically exactly what most of us have been accusing the coaching staff of. Nothing will be done about this though, nothing will change. Our coaching staff sucks but it was the GM who foolishly put him on waivers over Lovejoy and not Bylsma so the blame needs to be spread around.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Well damn, there you have it. In words from a horses mouth basically exactly what most of us have been accusing the coaching staff of. Nothing will be done about this though, nothing will change. Our coaching staff sucks but it was the GM who foolishly put him on waivers over Lovejoy and not Bylsma so the blame needs to be spread around.

Well... unless Shero wanted to hold on to Bort/Strait and send Despres down but was convinced otherwise by his coach. Who he has obviously placed quite a bit of faith in.

Shero isn't much of a meddler. I can absolutely see him going with what his coach recommends when it comes to personnel decisions. At least... most personnel decisions.

 

[MrBurghundy]

Well... unless Shero wanted to hold on to Bort/Strait and send Despres down but was convinced otherwise by his coach. Who he has obviously placed quite a bit of faith in.

Shero isn't much of a meddler. I can absolutely see him going with what his coach recommends when it comes to personnel decisions. At least... most personnel decisions.

Shero's the boss, not the other way around.

 

[Gooch]

Whats real frustrating is the inevitable end of Bylsma eventually getting fired and maybe shero too. We'll have to endure a long stretch though of even worse hockey to make that happen. If the team eeks out a few wins, it will only delay it even more. This stage of watching the team play is the single most unenjoyable time for that reason you can't fully root for them to win because you're in essence rooting for them to be bad longer. Another problem is the assortment of crap assistant coaches on the staff that will likely be given the "interim" tag and lazily hired on as the head coach after a half-assed coaching search yields nothing. I am being overly negative probably but I have seen little from this team to show me otherwise.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Shero's the boss, not the other way around.

Oh, I couldn't agree more. And that's absolutely the way it should be.

I just don't know that that's the way it actually goes down.

 

[MrBurghundy]

I seriously wonder what this team would be like if we had gotten Chiarelli instead of Shero back when both were being considered as Patrick's replacement. We would likely at least have Seguin right now to play with either Crosby or Malkin, but we also wouldn't have had Staal to help us win a Cup... Or maybe we would have, I dunno. It just seems like those two GM's have different philosophies.

 

[Gooch]

Well... unless Shero wanted to hold on to Bort/Strait and send Despres down but was convinced otherwise by his coach. Who he has obviously placed quite a bit of faith in.

Shero isn't much of a meddler. I can absolutely see him going with what his coach recommends when it comes to personnel decisions. At least... most personnel decisions.

Shero's the boss, not the other way around.

Yeah this isnt the NFL, the GM's are making the personnel decisions and the buck stops with them. I don't get why so many are willing to give Ray Shero a pass for the failures of this team. He inherited basically all the good players from the previous GM he either used those chips to make some ok trades, some good trades and some downright awful trades. His drafting has been absolutely horrendous and as discussed in other threads the player development since he has been GM has been just as abysmal as the drafting. Those two things he has direct control over. His asset management has been extremely lackluster, he opts to trade away picks on mediocre players. He wastes early draft picks on players with bottom 6/bottom pairing upside. He continuously ignores talented players who are available via trades, waivers, or free agency due to them not being a grinder style of player. Since he's been GM the same topic of conversation has always existed "when are we going to get Sid a proper winger" Ray has done nothing to address this. Sid has had Pascal Dupuis and Kunitz bolted to his hips for years now and it appears like Shero's perfectly comfortable with that.

I honestly am struggling to find the positives with what Shero has done. The Neal trade was fantastic but it used an asset from the previous GM to make it happen. Ryan Whitney trade to me wouldve been good had Tangradi not been messed up by the player development and coaching staff. The Staal trade couldve been good had the draft pick been used on the proper top of the board player who happened to be a forward instead of reaching for yet another undersized skating dman who'll probably just be lost on waivers or buried in the pressbox 4 years from now anyways. People love the Hossa trade, I hated it. I guess when you have a GM who can't hit the broadside of a barn with his draft picks and player development the 1st rounder he surrendered doesnt matter as much.

He's routinely lauded as if he's some miraculous GM like Ken Holland or something. As has been pointed out by many others having guys like Crosby and Malkin on the roster can mask a lot of deficiencies and right now the coach is getting a well deserved amount of blame for those deficiencies but the GM deserves every bit as much as that heaping.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Let me be very clear right now that I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, letting Shero off the hook for anything. Outside of the Neal trade (which everyone knew was a massive hosing at the time), he hasn't impressed me for a while.

I find it very difficult to believe that anyone could take an honest look at this team's drafting and development and say that they are well satisfied. And the team's persisting deficiencies (all of them) are just as much the GM's fault as they are the coaching staff's. Perhaps moreso.

I still have some faith in Shero. But he needs to get off his ass, stop pouting about losing his one-and-only last year, get Nashville and their wallpaper-paste-excitement-and-matching-results system/philosophy off his mind and channel some of that early-tenure magic.

 

[Zen Arcade]

Well... unless Shero wanted to hold on to Bort/Strait and send Despres down but was convinced otherwise by his coach. Who he has obviously placed quite a bit of faith in.

Shero isn't much of a meddler. I can absolutely see him going with what his coach recommends when it comes to personnel decisions. At least... most personnel decisions.

I'm not sure what to make of it, because Despres' play in WBS in no way could've forced their hand.

He was at best the 4th best defenseman on a lot of nights (after Bortuzzo, Strait and Dumoulin). There was no reason to shoehorn him onto the pro roster and then use him sparingly on the 3rd pairing or not use him at all.

Bortuzzo brings some of the elements the team is lacking, and I really hope he gets a good look, but I'm not holding my breath.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Yeah. I know Despres has been playing well enough... but, well... let's tell it like it is -- he still has waiver options. And his play in the A didn't exactly, like you said, warrant a firm spot on the roster.

Strait, in every way (including asset management), would have made more sense. But I guess done is done. So whatever. It still doesn't make watching him put a world class player like Malkin on his wallet, calmly collect the puck and move it to his partner (on the top pairing) any easier, though.

As for Bort... yeah... I am both looking forward to and dreading watching him try to make his way. It could be ugly, on this team but I'm a big believer in his ability.