Post-Game Talk: Capitals 5, Penguins 3: And Now We Wait on the Mad Hatter

[mpp9]

Sid isn't right physically. Yes, I know, you get the bursts and him overpowering someone now and then, but it's pretty clear the core muscle surgery, as expected, isn't something he came back from at 100% old school Sid.

I think 90% of this team's issues can be attributed to the state of the defense. We're saddling our best D with JJ and the results are shit. That destroys our transition game. Petts and Schultz have been questionable at best. And now we're playing Ruh on his offside with a career AHLer.

Gotta fix that first and foremost. Dumoulin is going to take considerable time to get back to the level of play we're accustomed to. Marino is going to be wearing a cage when he returns, I believe. And he's already facing an uphill battle being a rookie heading into what we hope is a long postseason.

As long as the Pens are willing to scratch Schultz, JJ or Petts when we're back healthy, we should be going hard after a D who can help the transition game. Ideally, someone who can also score the odd goal because Lord knows Schultz ain't doing that.

 

[ChaosAgent]

That's not Zucker either.

It would be really stupid to suggest that maybe Bjugstad could take some of the grinding/defensive burden off of Sid at this point.

Extremely stupid.

And yettttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt

Here I am wanting to try it assuming no further forward acquisitions.

 

[KIRK]

I think 90% of this team's issues can be attributed to the state of the defense. We're saddling our best D with JJ and the results are shit. That destroys our transition game. Petts and Schultz have been questionable at best. And now we're playing Ruh on his offside with a career AHLer.

Gotta fix that first and foremost. Dumoulin is going to take considerable time to get back to the level of play we're accustomed to. Marino is going to be wearing a cage when he returns, I believe. And he's already facing an uphill battle being a rookie heading into what we hope is a long postseason.

As long as the Pens are willing to scratch Schultz, JJ or Petts when we're back healthy, we should be going hard after a D who can help the transition game. Ideally, someone who can also score the odd goal because Lord knows Schultz ain't doing that.

Preferably someone you can partner with Marino . . .

 

[rintinw]

I don't know, but there's no reason NOT to try it given how Geno-Horny is working.

They are working only because Hornqvist is scoring right now. When he stops scoring you are back at square one.

 

[KIRK]

It would be really stupid to suggest that maybe Bjugstad could take some of the grinding/defensive burden off of Sid at this point.

Extremely stupid.

And yettttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt

Here I am wanting to try it assuming no further forward acquisitions.

Just don't hold your breath, because you're going to be waiting for a long time.

 

[ChaosAgent]

who’s our fourth line center then?

Why are taking our goaltending as a strength and making it a major weakness for a playoff run?

that’s not how you win.

The original post identified a need sure but not a solution based on reality.

I don't care about fourth line center. Get someone for a 4th. Plug Lafferty in there. Bjugs is still hanging around.

Typically goaltending is strong or weak based on the quality of the starter and not the backup. Jarry is my starter. May work. May not. The team in front of the goalies is sinking right now and it simply has to be an option.

Though the offseason is perhaps a much better time to do it, and JR could mentally bank the assets from trading Murray later when he trades "anything that's not Poulin" now.

 

[LunaticFringe]

The sad thing is that Murray wants 9+ million per season too. No joke. His agent told pens gm he wants 9M for 5+ years.

If that contract is ever written ......

And you know this how?

In researching this absurd post I found an article, and in that article was this sentence, "Murray’s high-end skills are generally not in question unless you’re on Facebook or Twitter during a Penguins loss.". I think you can add HF Boards to that list.

 

[mpp9]

Preferably someone you can partner with Marino . . .

Wherever works for me. I'm just seeing a team that cannot create speed through the neutral zone against the opponents we're gonna be facing in the playoffs.

If JR decides not to do much tomorrow, then he better be fine saying at the end of the season that we were just too injured to make a run of it. Because the injuries aren't gonna stop as the level of hockey rises.

I would say the spectrum of what he's thinking about doing is Grand Canyon vast. And I don't believe anyone is off the table.

Sam Poulin looks like a real awesome player for the future, but he's gone if I can land another difference maker who can help the next few years.

 

[KIRK]

Wherever works for me. I'm just seeing a team that cannot create speed through the neutral zone against the opponents we're gonna be facing in the playoffs.

If JR decides not to do much tomorrow, then he better be fine saying at the end of the season that we were just too injured to make a run of it. Because the injuries aren't gonna stop as the level of hockey rises.

I would say the spectrum of what he's thinking about doing is Grand Canyon vast. And I don't believe anyone is off the table.

Sam Poulin looks like a real awesome player for the future, but he's gone if I can land another difference maker who can help the next few years.

JR has assets and cap space. He's capable of anything.

 

[SouthGeorge]

I don't blame the other Pens on the ice for that particular play because Pettersson literally skated the puck to where the only two Caps forwards were when he literally had two guys wide open on the right side. He had all the time in the world to either dump it in or move it to the right side, but instead he waited to pass until literally (yes, a third time) Backstrom/Wilson were on top of him. Nothing bad happens on that particular play if he doesn't decide to skate the puck into the forecheckers.

I don't blame the players. Its the scheme. Its stupid. No reason for him to have zero support up 1 in the 3rd.

 

[Andy99]

It would be really stupid to suggest that maybe Bjugstad could take some of the grinding/defensive burden off of Sid at this point.

Extremely stupid.

And yettttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt

Here I am wanting to try it assuming no further forward acquisitions.

Have you actually watched Bjug play lately? Grind would be furthest word I would use, as would gritty, hard, tough or stiff

 

[ronduguayshair]

I don't care about fourth line center. Get someone for a 4th. Plug Lafferty in there. Bjugs is still hanging around.

Typically goaltending is strong or weak based on the quality of the starter and not the backup. Jarry is my starter. May work. May not. The team in front of the goalies is sinking right now and it simply has to be an option.

Though the offseason is perhaps a much better time to do it, and JR could mentally bank the assets from trading Murray later when he trades "anything that's not Poulin" now.

yes it will happen in the off-season.

this teams season was handcuffed the moment #59 got hurt. We all know that.

The solution is in the locker room. The supporting players need to be better. Today Washington’s supporting players won the game for them.

I just hope people don’t expect some big trade or think it’s the right thing to do because some chronic poster says so. That would be so short cited. It’s a fantasy. Blaming management and coaching when concerning the pens is really lazy.

 

[ChaosAgent]

I would say the spectrum of what he's thinking about doing is Grand Canyon vast. And I don't believe anyone is off the table.

That's why I don't think some of the names we're throwing around are unrealistic.

I can't remember who earlier said that this team needs a "shoot the hostage" trade. A message-sender. I really liked that metaphor. Nice job, whoever you were.

I think about a third of the current roster is in play as we head into tomorrow. Not that a third will move of course. Just that I see JR going bigger than I did before this recent results skid (corresponding to the far more troubling quality skid since the start of 2020)

 

[ChaosAgent]

yes it will happen in the off-season.

this teams season was handcuffed the moment #59 got hurt. We all know that.

The solution is in the locker room. The supporting players need to be better. Today Washington’s supporting players won the game for them.

I just hope people don’t expect some big trade or think it’s the right thing to do because some chronic poster says so. That would be so short cited. It’s a fantasy. Blaming management and coaching when concerning the pens is really lazy.

The trade would be inspired in large part by shaking up the supporting player cast. And holding their feet to the fire a lot more.

I don't blame management or coaching for the recent downturn. They've both been excellent.

 

[HandshakeLine]

The trade would be inspired in large part by shaking up the supporting player cast. And holding their feet to the fire a lot more.

I don't blame management or coaching for the recent downturn. They've both been excellent.

Have we ever won a Cup without a fairly significant trade? I can't really think of any time that we didn't. (I stand corrected, 2016-2017 was pretty much uneventful.)

1990-91- Zalapski / Cullen for Sammuelsson, Francis
1991 - 92- Coffey for picks, Recchi+spare parts for Kjell Sammuelsson, Tocchet, Wregget
2008-2009 - Whitney for Kunitz + Tangradi, pick for Bill Guerin
2015-2016- Kapanen, Spaling, + junk for Kessel, Scuderi for Daley, Sutter for Bonino, pick for Schultz
2016-2017 Kristo for Hainsey?

 

[ronduguayshair]

The trade would be inspired in large part by shaking up the supporting player cast. And holding their feet to the fire a lot more.
.

I don’t understand hold feet to the fire. Sounds like you just want certain players out of the lineup.

you couldn’t hold the goaltenders’ feet to the fire if you trade one.

so what’s McCann getting you? A wing to replace Simon? A defenseman? What defense sits?

 

[HandshakeLine]

Have you actually watched Bjug play lately? Grind would be furthest word I would use, as would gritty, hard, tough or stiff

Has Bjug played lately? At all?

 

[ronduguayshair]

I think 90% of this team's issues can be attributed to the state of the defense. We're saddling our best D with JJ and the results are shit. That destroys our transition game. Petts and Schultz have been questionable at best. And now we're playing Ruh on his offside with a career AHLer.

Gotta fix that first and foremost. Dumoulin is going to take considerable time to get back to the level of play we're accustomed to. Marino is going to be wearing a cage when he returns, I believe. And he's already facing an uphill battle being a rookie heading into what we hope is a long postseason.

As long as the Pens are willing to scratch Schultz, JJ or Petts when we're back healthy, we should be going hard after a D who can help the transition game. Ideally, someone who can also score the odd goal because Lord knows Schultz ain't doing that.

Good post but as a coach I don’t think you can scratch any of those guys. I think u could lose your locker room or in Petterson’s case screw up his confidence. If you truly feel this way about the defense you trade Petterson and poulin for that difference maker you describe. That’s too much though.

I think you’re stuck with the top 4. You’ll probably see riikola moved for a vet 6-7.


Nobody wants Shultz. I hope I’m wrong.

 

[Flying Dego]

Have you actually watched Bjug play lately? Grind would be furthest word I would use, as would gritty, hard, tough or stiff

Maybe you forget, theres a reason his teammates call him 'the mad lad: big bad bjugstad'

Quite a lengthy nickname but his teammates say he is so commanding in the locker room and opponents beg for him to go easy on them in games.

 

[Pittsburgh1776]

Soooo...Sid isn’t right physically. Do we go all in with him, or do we stack Malkin’s line and treat him as 1A? This is a non-traditional team, and it’s a non-traditional year. It might be time to make a bold move, and play your best guy like you mean it. He might be able to carry you to a Cup. Just saying.

 

[HandshakeLine]

Maybe you forget, theres a reason his teammates call him 'the mad lad: big bad bjugstad'

Quite a lengthy nickname but his teammates say he is so commanding in the locker room and opponents beg for him to go easy on them in games.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Have we ever won a Cup without a fairly significant trade? I can't really think of any time that we didn't. (I stand corrected, 2016-2017 was pretty much uneventful.)

1990-91- Zalapski / Cullen for Sammuelsson, Francis
1991 - 92- Coffey for picks, Recchi+spare parts for Kjell Sammuelsson, Tocchet, Wregget
2008-2009 - Whitney for Kunitz + Tangradi, pick for Bill Guerin
2015-2016- Kapanen, Spaling, + junk for Kessel, Scuderi for Daley, Sutter for Bonino, pick for Schultz
2016-2017 Kristo for Hainsey?

You forgot 2019-2020 - Zucker for Addison, Galchenyuk and a 1st.

 

[Andy99]

Has Bjug played lately? At all?

He played ten shitty games in Oct-Nov...

 

[HandshakeLine]

He played ten shitty games in Oct-Nov...

That was ages ago, friendo.

 

[Andy99]

That was ages ago, friendo.

Lol...you think he’s gotten better sitting for 3 months? He’s definitely gonna light up the hockey world when he returns...I mean even Sid is still recovering and not back to 100% and his ceiling is way higher...