Can we call the Penguins era a disappointment?

[canadianguy77]

Career-wise there is definitely no argument for Malkin over Ovechkin and really there isn't for Crosby either.

Yes there is. Crosby is clearly the better player.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Yes there is. Crosby is clearly the better player.

Ehh. Not really. You say clearly like it's obvious but Crosby was only clearly better the years he only played partial seasons. Ovechkin was clearly better the few years before that and was better this year. Unless you're one of those ppg = the truth types.

 

[Andrei79]

Ehh. Not really. You say clearly like it's obvious but Crosby was only clearly better the years he only played partial seasons. Ovechkin was clearly better the few years before that and was better this year. Unless you're one of those ppg = the truth types.

I don't think "clearly" is the right word or has ever been. Barely, maybe.

Mostly they've been neck and neck their whole career.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Crosby is my favorite player and my personal greatest of all-time along with Gretzky, Orr, Bobby Hull, Gordie Howe and many others, but what they need on this team is pure snipers on Crosby and Malkin's lines then they would be great, and it would take a ton of stress off of both of them

First of all, welcome to HF

Now, there is no doubt the Pens could win again if they made adjustments such as bringing a goalscorer to play with Crosby and Malkin just like when they had Neal.

But don't get your hopes up too quickly, JR is the Pens' GM. He's a fool, he is more likely to ruin the team than to make it better.

 

[Mr Positive]

this was supposed to be a decade of dominance. 2009 was not supposed to be their peak.

There's no shortage of excuses in Pittsburgh over the years though. At this point it's getting tired. The Pens simply do not deserve to be mentioned alongside the great teams of the league anymore. So yeah, they are a huge disappointment

 

[PensBandwagonerNo272*]

Ehh. Not really. You say clearly like it's obvious but Crosby was only clearly better the years he only played partial seasons. Ovechkin was clearly better the few years before that and was better this year. Unless you're one of those ppg = the truth types.

flavor of the week

Welcome to HF

 

[Cmoneyflyguy]

I'd say yes because they had some REALLY good teams since 09 but seemed to not have IT.
Couldn't put it together.
Mentally weak, IMO

 

[MikeK]

Real hard to answer that. The parity in the league today is amazing. 20 years ago PITT would have won 3-4 cups in a row and be considered a dynasty. They still won a cup and that's a lot more than most teams have done.

 

[ChiHawk21]

no way..they won a cup.

The blackhawks and kings are at the peak of the franchise and they both only have 1 more cup then the pens. so much parity.

 

[Church of Toews*]

no way..they won a cup.

The blackhawks and kings are at the peak of the franchise and they both only have 1 more cup then the pens. so much parity.

With 2 generational players and the fact that they had a center group of Crosby-Malkin-Staal for a solid set of time add in Letang and everyone on defense and a goalie drafted 1st overall that team on paper should have won more than they did. Even in 2013 when they assembled a cup or bust team they flamed out miserably against Boston when everyone had them going up against Chicago that year. I know injuries and the cap have been brutal but every other team suffered through those too. Chicago had to trade most of the team after 2010 the pens management should be disappointed with 1 cup win when you ice the 2 best in the game day in and day out just seems under whelming especially since if you told anyone in 2009 that pens wouldn't win a second cup by 2015 people would of looked at you like you had 3 heads

 

[Nathaniel Skywalker]

Ovechkin had a better year than crosby while getting outscored by crosby.

 

[Sleepy]

Yes. Definitely yes.

 

[Bennett Brauer]

why are people still using this injured D excuse?

I love how Maatta is all of a sudden this vital cog when he only played 20 games this year and didn't contribute much even when he was healthy. he's a kid. he's not a game changer. not yet anyway. maybe someday, but not now.

Ehrhoff has been a bust in Pittsburgh. he hasn't lived up to expectations. he just isn't that good anymore. like Edler his former D partner. he sucks now.

and Letang? have people forgotten that the Pens were really struggling before he even got hurt? in their last 10 games before his injury they scored 19 goals. 6 of those in a game against the Oilers. so basically 12 goals in 9 other games before he got hurt. scoring 2 or less in 7 of them. stop blaming injuries. they were struggling even with those players in the lineup.

You clearly don't know what you are talking about. Do you not understand the concept of hockey? Minutes played by defensemen? Puck moving by defensemen? All of these things matter in hockey. Maatta, Ehrhoff and Letang are 3 of their top minute eating, puck moving, goal scoring defensemen. With those 3 out of the lineup, lower tier defensemen are playing big minutes (like Ben Lovejoy) and nobody is getting the puck to the forwards as much as those 3 can. Also, consider the PP, Ehrhoff, Maatta and Letang are all good from the point, so is Pouliot WHO WAS ALSO OUT, we didn't have much in the way of a PMD or a PP QB, or a defenseman who can score goals.

Before the Penguins got hit with a freakish amount of injuries, they were 22-6-4 with one of the league's best power plays, then they lost Maatta for the year, then Dupuis for the year, then Comeau for a month, Hornqvist for a month, there was the mumps outbreak, then we lost Ehrhoff for the year, Letang for the year, it's a pretty simple concept, it's not an excuse, it's a fact. Take 3 of every team's top 4 defensemen off of their team and they won't do much better than the Pens did.

 

[joplin]

penguins era isn't exactly a dissapointment considering very poor drafting
beside crosby, malkin, fleury and a few other players they are basically an AHL team

 

[Horse McHindu]

I'm neutral to the Penguins, but the core of Crosby-malkin has as many Cups as the core of Staal-Brind'Amour, and they don't appear close to winning again soon. I don't think Crosby lacks leadership, but something is clearly amiss.

Whenever a core wins a Stanley Cup, it can never be considered a failure or a disappointment. However - yes, I do think the Penguins core ultimately underachieved when you consider the fact that they have both Crosby and Malkin.

I think the Pens' biggest problem is that too much of their cap was tied up with Crosby and Malkin, and this prevented the Pens in having true organizational depth. By contrast, when you look at teams like Chicago and Los Angeles prior to this season (especially Chicago), you can see why it was easy for them to have great depth when you consider what the cap hits of their top players were.

I also believe Marc Andre Fleury let the Pens down. Unless the team in front is an absolute world beater (and in the Pens' case, this never came to fruition after 2009 due to lack of organizational depth in key areas), like the 2010/2013 Blackhawks were and like the 2008 Wings were, your goaltender absolutely has to be elite.........and simply put, Fleury wasn't that guy.

 

[mrhockey193195]

Unless the Pens take a step forward in the next couple years, I think we'll look back at this 8-year stretch of the Penguins in a similar way that people look at the late-80s, early-90s Flames. Won a cup, which you can never trivialize, but so many "what ifs?" and potential to do even better than they did.

 

[Classicnamesup]

penguins era isn't exactly a dissapointment considering very poor drafting
beside crosby, malkin, fleury and a few other players they are basically an AHL team

That's actually why they are disappointing. They couldn't have been set up better and management (and goaltending, the players) squandered the chances they had to win multiple titles.

 

[bauer]

You clearly don't know what you are talking about. Do you not understand the concept of hockey? Minutes played by defensemen? Puck moving by defensemen? All of these things matter in hockey. Maatta, Ehrhoff and Letang are 3 of their top minute eating, puck moving, goal scoring defensemen. With those 3 out of the lineup, lower tier defensemen are playing big minutes (like Ben Lovejoy) and nobody is getting the puck to the forwards as much as those 3 can. Also, consider the PP, Ehrhoff, Maatta and Letang are all good from the point, so is Pouliot WHO WAS ALSO OUT, we didn't have much in the way of a PMD or a PP QB, or a defenseman who can score goals.

Before the Penguins got hit with a freakish amount of injuries, they were 22-6-4 with one of the league's best power plays, then they lost Maatta for the year, then Dupuis for the year, then Comeau for a month, Hornqvist for a month, there was the mumps outbreak, then we lost Ehrhoff for the year, Letang for the year, it's a pretty simple concept, it's not an excuse, it's a fact. Take 3 of every team's top 4 defensemen off of their team and they won't do much better than the Pens did.

you're really relying on Letang? who hasn't played a full season in 5 years. he's always hurt. get used to it. Maatta, a player in his 2nd year who hasn't proven anything yet. and then Ehrhoff, who just plain sucks now and probably won't even be back next year for your team. maybe you should be looking harder at your GM for putting together such an awful defense that can't be relied upon when needed. and I pointed out as well that the Pens were already struggling badly to score goals even WITH Letang in the lineup. it's just an excuse. even with those 3 in the lineup, you still lose vs the Rangers.

 

[DanZ]

Ovechkin had a better year than crosby while getting outscored by crosby.

You mean "out secondary assisted"

 

[Purity*]

Yes, it's definitely a disappointment.

2 generational talents on the same team should have definitely accomplished more. They are very lucky that Carolina took out NJD and Boston back in 2009 or else there was a very good chance they wouldn't have won the cup.

And then ever since then, they've been countered by hard-physical teams like Philly and Boston and did zero to address it.

 

[revolverjgw]

You mean "out secondary assisted"

Right, he just got all those assists randomly distributed him to him as a consequence of playing with his amazing wingers, and it has nothing to do with him actually being a great playmaker and going to corners to win puck battles instead of waiting for one-timers.

The opportunity for everybody to get those secondary assists is there if you're willing and able to go get them. If you're not getting them, there's a reason, and it's got nothing to do with luck or leeching off linemates or WHATEVER reason it is that Ovechkin fan seem to think.

 

[lawrence]

they still have a Stanley cup, at least that eases the pain a little.

 

[Kurtosis]

Example of where Chi maybe headed...
In a cap world you can't pay that much for 2 people.

Lazy comparison.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Right, he just got all those assists randomly distributed him to him as a consequence of playing with his amazing wingers, and it has nothing to do with him actually being a great playmaker and going to corners to win puck battles instead of waiting for one-timers.

The opportunity for everybody to get those secondary assists is there if you're willing and able to go get them. If you're not getting them, there's a reason, and it's got nothing to do with luck or leeching off linemates or WHATEVER reason it is that Ovechkin fan seem to think.

Poor ovechkin just doesn't have the ABILITY to pass to a guy who passes to a guy who scores.

 

[Nathaniel Skywalker]

Poor ovechkin just doesn't have the ABILITY to pass to a guy who passes to a guy who scores.

No ovechkin just doesn't have the ability to make plays. Just shoot. Overhyped kovalchuk