News Article: DEJAN KOVACEVIC: Did you like this year? Good, no changes this off-season.

[plaidchuck]

All the organization cares about is making the playoffs, nothing more. They'll make a tweak or two to try to ensure that, but it won't be close to what they need to put them over the top.

 

[Epic Neal Time]

Am I the only one who thinks this is a good thing?

 

[MtlPenFan]

Am I the only one who thinks this is a good thing?

Nope. Missing the playoffs would have been ideal.

 

[billybudd]

"No need to panic. We just need to acquire players there's no way to acquire without draft picks, which we don't have, and 5 years we aren't going to wait."

The D will take care of itself (if the Penguins let it), but he's handwaving a Sisyphean task at forward--getting younger, faster, more skilled and more energetic without already having those types of guys in the organization.

It's nice that Rust and Wilson had good first year seasons, but they're not anything more than stopgaps for NHL hockey. Neither is fast enough to be the size they are. Not for the NHL.

 

[Epic Neal Time]

Trading Kunitz + buying out Scuderi + infusing youth (Kapanen, Dumoulin, DP, Wilson, Rust) into the lineup + letting Martin, Ehrhoff, and some of the veteran forwards walk = no changes?

 

[Coastal Kev]

Are you ****ing kidding me? Here's how it's going to go next year.

Kunitz-Crosby-Dupuis will be back together. It'll be tried at first because hey, it's the Penguins, and you know what'll happen? They'll pick up a boatload of points because that's what happens in the regular season, and all we'll hear is "See, best line in hockey. Last year is different with a healthy Dupuis you stupids!" Then the playoffs will come around again.

You know what else will happen? This team will never, EVER admit a mistake, so Lovejoy will be a mainstay. They will NOT buy out Scuderi, because it'll look bad. So there's youre righty/lefty bottom pairing.

Remember, they will be skittish about the Maatta and Letang injuries and will want to keep at least ONE veteran around. Don't kid yourself.

And yes, the same braintrust that thought trading Despres for Lovejoy was a stroke of brilliance will still be running the show. Round and round we go.

YUP.

 

[Wolf Without a Howl]

Trading Kunitz + buying out Scuderi + infusing youth (Kapanen, Dumoulin, DP, Wilson, Rust) into the lineup + letting Martin, Ehrhoff, and some of the veteran forwards walk = no changes?

Don't forget Sundqvist. He was one of the last cuts this year, I'd be shocked if he doesn't make the team next year. It would be awesome if he showed enough at C to force their hand in trading Sutter, but if they play him on the wing with Geno I won't be mad either.

Kapanen will be given a shot, but I'd be willing to be the starts the year in WBS, or even Finland.

 

[Sh00terMcGavin]

"It's just a regular season game in November." "It's just a regular season game in January.".....

 

[Epic Neal Time]

Don't forget Sundqvist. He was one of the last cuts this year, I'd be shocked if he doesn't make the team next year. It would be awesome if he showed enough at C to force their hand in trading Sutter, but if they play him on the wing with Geno I won't be mad either.

Kapanen will be given a shot, but I'd be willing to be the starts the year in WBS, or even Finland.

Yeah, I don't know how he slipped my mind. Pretty good chance he is with the club next year.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

How, exactly, do the Pens expect to get "younger, faster, more skilled" without making major changes?

There's pretty much nothing in their pipeline other than Kapanen that projects to be a top six forward, and we've already seen the lack of skill on the current roster. So how does the club go about adding those elements, without making some significant changes?

Also, I'm more concerned with a lack of changes in the front office. I have zero faith in the people running this club. So to hear there won't be any changes just proves to me that next year and the year after that and the year after that is just going to be a repeat of this sorry mess, where the people in charge think trading Despres for Lovejoy is a good idea.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Trading Kunitz + buying out Scuderi + infusing youth (Kapanen, Dumoulin, DP, Wilson, Rust) into the lineup + letting Martin, Ehrhoff, and some of the veteran forwards walk = no changes?

You actually think this organization is contemplating those moves you suggest above? They don't think Kunitz or Scuderi are problems! Why would they move either guy when they think they're part of the solution?

 

[Tasty Biscuits]

Sutter has gotta go before the draft. Has to.

 

[SprootsMasterFlex]

Pens could get 3rd round draft picks for Shero and/or Bylsma if they get jobs this summer

https://twitter.com/Pensburgh/status/591276930512617472

 

[Coastal Kev]

Nvm........................................

 

[spcastlemagic]

Nope. Missing the playoffs would have been ideal.

Strange I've been enjoying watching playoff hockey games for the last week... does this make me weird

 

[billybudd]

There's pretty much nothing in their pipeline other than Kapanen that projects to be a top six forward, and we've already seen the lack of skill on the current roster. So how does the club go about adding those elements, without making some significant changes?

For the top six, you can do it. The promise of ice time next to an MVP countryman will probably get you Artemi Panarin. If you overbid everyone, you can get Chris Stewart. Trade or buyout Kunitz and now you're younger, faster and more skilled in your top six.

But there's no guarantee that makes you better. Both of those moves could blow up in your face big time. Both guys, despite being younger, faster and more skilled than what you got might also not help you whatsoever. Stewart is, on top of being lazy/inconsistent/streaky, a wretched defensive player and the KHL doesn't have a reputation for producing any other type.

The bigger problem, to me, is how you add cheap depth scoring. There's practically no method of doing that other than through the draft. Wilson-Archibald-Rust isn't an NHL line and never will be for any length of time. And they'll get hurt, so you would need more like them in the pipeline to take their place.

 

[cheesedanish87]

Tocchet is the one guy that i think needs to go, the PP has looked so bad this year.

But i don't know if Mario will be willing to fire his buddy.

I view this year the same way i view the year the pens lost to TB in the playoffs, its like a write off year because of the injuries.

 

[SprootsMasterFlex]

Nvm........................................

 

[PensBandwagonerNo272*]

Don't worry guys this slowing aging team will be better with another year added to the calender

 

[PensBandwagonerNo272*]

Strange I've been enjoying watching playoff hockey games for the last week... does this make me weird

I'm sure for the most part (except for the overdramatic frustrated few) we all enjoy seeing our team play playoff hockey, but I think the point was there would be no choice but to make changes if we hadn't made it.

 

[Snooki Stackhouse]

So they didn't have faith in Despres, so they traded him for a guy who brings nothing a Taylor Chorney doesn't? They can justify trading him, but I've yet to hear a valid excuse for getting somebody who isn't helping the team in any way.

 

[PensBandwagonerNo272*]

By the way guys, they can say that no one is going anywhere, but if someone like Malkin asked for a trade they would basically have to oblige.

 

[billybudd]

So they didn't have faith in Despres, so they traded him for a guy who brings nothing a Taylor Chorney doesn't? They can justify trading him, but I've yet to hear a valid excuse for getting somebody who isn't helping the team in any way.

They very likely thought they could reproduce the Fowler/Lovejoy pair, since there's a lot of overlap between Fowler and Pouliot. That's your rationale for acquiring Lovejoy.

Betting Despres on that happening just wasn't very smart.

 

[DesertPenguin]

Seriously guys, enough is enough. The response to every management decision can't be "But, Despres!".

I understand everyone is butt hurt about Despres. I wasn't happy about it either. It's time to move on and have some actual discussions. It's not like complaining about it will bring him back.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

For the top six, you can do it. The promise of ice time next to an MVP countryman will probably get you Artemi Panarin. If you overbid everyone, you can get Chris Stewart. Trade or buyout Kunitz and now you're younger, faster and more skilled in your top six.

But that's my point. Even in doing what you suggest above, it would require "changes" to the core (as the club sees the core). In order to bring in guys in free agency, they'd need to cut some of the dead weight. Are they willing to let Kunitz, Scuderi, etc. go in order to free up cap space to bring in better players? I'm not convinced they are.