Pre-Game Talk: Bruins @ Penguins 12/18/15

[ibar726]

Sheary is undersized sure, but he's still willing to throw his body around and is at least capable of making an decent/good pass occassionally.
There is a reason he lead WBS in points/assists playing on their top line.
So yeah I don't think putting him with Sid is all that outrageous of a move TEMPORARILY considering the other options?

Plotnikov -> Star struck when placed with Malkin, likely same situation with Sid.
Perron -> Just had an awful game with Sid/Kunitz.
Sprong -> Defensive nightmare.
Porter -> Really?
Fehr -> Meh.
Bonino -> See Fehr.
Malkin -> Hasn't really been successful combo for last couple years.

I'm hoping they can gel a bit, which will leave Sully free to then start experimenting with finding a new RW to play with Sid assuming the likelihood that Kunitz continues to Kunitz.

(On a related note...does anyone want to create an exact definition for the verb to Kunitz, and then try to submit it to urbandictionary?)


Zatkoff over Murray at first made me mad, but then I remembered this is a back-to-back with a game tomorrow. So Murray was not going to start both games. So really it's better for Murray to start the 2nd game so that if he has a dominant performance (and JZ pulls a JZ this game) there is a stronger chance Murray will get the nod to carry momentum into Monday?

 

[MrBurghundy]

Sully has some balls if he's already scratching Sprong so soon after Rutherford said he wants to see the kid play.

Anyway, if he's indeed getting scratched for Kevin ****ing Porter, it's time to send the kid back. Stop stalling his development up here.

Sullivan is making a calculated risk that Rutherford won't fire another coach during the season.

If Sprong is sat for Kevin mother****ing Porter... What's even the point? Honestly. What the hell is their plain with him? Can somebody ask anybody on the Penguins what the ****ing plan with Sprong is?

 

[MrBurghundy]

For years we wanted a decent group of wingers for Sid. We got Hornqvist, Perron, and Kessel. Sid plays with Kunitz & Sheary. That's ridiculous.

And drafted another in Sprong that has shown some signs of offensive prowess when given a chance.

What the literal ****.

 

[brewski420]

Sullivan is making a calculated risk that Rutherford won't fire another coach during the season.

If Sprong is sat for Kevin mother****ing Porter... What's even the point? Honestly. What the hell is their plain with him? Can somebody ask anybody on the Penguins what the ****ing plan with Sprong is?

Doesn't his FA status extend a year if he plays less than 40 games? I can't figure any reason, just throwing things out there. Very confusing but then what's new.

 

[Penguinzilla*]

how about

malkin sid horn
plot bonino kessel
sheary fehr perron
kunitz cullen sprong

 

[MrBurghundy]

Doesn't his FA status extend a year if he plays less than 40 games? I can't figure any reason, just throwing things out there. Very confusing but then what's new.

I think it's 40 games on the roster, and this year counts toward him being an UFA earlier. Doesn't matter if he played them or not. So every game that goes by where he doesn't play, is quite literally a game wasted.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

I am not sure you can draw anything from him playing Sheary as he did.

With what I saw from the rest of the team his first two games it may have been just sending a message. ie, I will even put an AHL player in the top six if he works and you do not.

Or not.

Two games is too small a sample size to draw definitive conclusions.

 

[MrBurghundy]

I am not sure you can draw anything from him playing Sheary as he did.

With what I saw from the rest of the team his first two games it may have been just sending a message. ie, I will even put an AHL player in the top six if he works and you do not.

Or not.

Two games is too small a sample size to draw definitive conclusions.

While that's true, you can only make a first impression once. Every game is so incredibly important from an accountability standpoint. Hell every shift is incredibly important.

Sheary is being moved to his off-wing to accommodate Kunitz still being stapled to Crosby's hip.

 

[Shady Machine]

Sullivan is making a calculated risk that Rutherford won't fire another coach during the season.

If Sprong is sat for Kevin mother****ing Porter... What's even the point? Honestly. What the hell is their plain with him? Can somebody ask anybody on the Penguins what the ****ing plan with Sprong is?

They won't. Even JB excuses it. I don't even think he's wrong in why the coach doesn't want to play him a lot but then for the 100th time, send him back to juniors.

 

[MrBurghundy]

They won't. Even JB excuses it. I don't even think he's wrong in why the coach doesn't want to play him a lot but then for the 100th time, send him back to juniors.

Seriously. They are literally doing everything in their power to **** up his development. I feel confident in saying no other team in the NHL would be doing this right now with a highly touted prospect.

 

[SEALBound]

Let's trade for J Staal and get Tangradi back here and run Tangradi-Staal-Malkin.

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

"Give young players meaningful opportunities!"
*coach gives a 23 year old who has been very good in the AHL an opportunity in the top six*
"Not THAT young player, not THAT opportunity. ONLY WHAT I WANT ONLY WHEN I WANT IT."

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Sure would be nice if one of our myriad line change experiments could include Kunitz getting the **** off the top line.

Sprong never should have been kept up. He's not ready and a full NHL season was not going to get him ready.

The only qualitative differences between Porter and Sprong at the moment is that Porter is better defensively and Sprong is more likely to hit the post on a wrister from five steps inside the blue line.

Sprong had been our most prolific goals per 60 scorer prior to being healthy scratched, and 6 minutes a game including getting nailed to the bench every 3rd period isn't going to reveal anything about his readiness one way or the other.

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

You can't use GF/60 as a meaningful stat and complain about small sample sizes in the same sentence.

 

[Speaking Moistly]

I think it's 40 games on the roster, and this year counts toward him being an UFA earlier. Doesn't matter if he played them or not. So every game that goes by where he doesn't play, is quite literally a game wasted.

The 10 games played mark was for a year into his ELC, the 40 games on the roster eats a year of him being a RFA. idk, maybe Guerin thinks he's being clever and is keeping Sprong under 40 games played.

****ing play Sprong (really play, like, you know, consistently in 3 periods and seeing some top 6 shifts) or send him back to Juniors now. You also damn well know that as soon as he's sent back the wingers are all going to get malaria or something. Passed by Sheary and ****ing Porter.

I like Sheary well enough, but for god's sake the difference in how they're handling this.

Let's trade for J Staal and get Tangradi back here and run Tangradi-Staal-Malkin.

Pouliot + Sprong + Jarry for Staal and some old defenseman.

 

[cygnus47]

Ah I get it now, they're doing this to humble Sprong and fix his off-ice issues /s

 

[clefty]

"Give young players meaningful opportunities!"
*coach gives a 23 year old who has been very good in the AHL an opportunity in the top six*
"Not THAT young player, not THAT opportunity. ONLY WHAT I WANT ONLY WHEN I WANT IT."

In the offseason it was all, "maybe Sheary can be our Tyler Johnson".

This is a weird place.

 

[Terrapin]

Can we all kick in some cash and buy this team from these ****ing idiots already? What do we need, $600 million or so? I'm in for $100.

 

[Penguinator]

Can we all kick in some cash and buy this team from these ****ing idiots already? What do we need, $600 million or so? I'm in for $100.

I'm in for 100$ too if you lend it to me.

 

[eXile59]

Let's trade for J Staal and get Tangradi back here and run Tangradi-Staal-Malkin.

Staalingrad. Could have been an awesome line name. Tangradi is almost a PPG player in the AHL. Let's make it happen.

 

[MrBurghundy]

"Give young players meaningful opportunities!"
*coach gives a 23 year old who has been very good in the AHL an opportunity in the top six*
"Not THAT young player, not THAT opportunity. ONLY WHAT I WANT ONLY WHEN I WANT IT."

That is literally not even remotely close to the argument we are making. Congratulations.

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

That is literally not even remotely close to the argument we are making. Congratulations.

It's a brilliant summation of the entire substance of the anti-Sheary crowd's complaints, thanks. I shouldn't have to explain to you that they do not necessarily overlap with people who are disappointed with the handling of Sprong. I don't know which group you fit into, though, so take it as you will.

 

[MrBurghundy]

It's a brilliant summation of the entire substance of the anti-Sheary crowd's complaints, thanks. I shouldn't have to explain to you that they do not necessarily overlap with people who are disappointed with the handling of Sprong. I don't know which group you fit into, though, so take it as you will.

Are people mad that Sheary is being given a chance? I think it's more about Sprong than it is about Sheary. I hope he plays well. I don't have much faith in that happening though.

 

[Jacob]

The handling of Sprong has been a disaster and it's on JR. He should've sent him back to the Q in October before he hit 9 games.

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

The handling of Sprong has been a disaster and it's on JR. He should've sent him back to the Q in October before he hit 9 games.

From JR's comments around the time of Johnston's firing it seems like the entire situation is, somewhat like the Despres trade, attributable to the Pens having too many cooks.