News Article: Despres/Ebbett to WBS, Bennett to ECHL, Pouliot to WHL, Letang/Vokoun to IR

[cheesedanish87]

I don't know about everyone else, but I really like our D. As long as Orpik doesn't implode, we'll have a top end first and second pairing when Letang get back(arguably two first pairings) and a solid bottom pairing between Bort/Engelland/Despres/Nisky. Cap situation and salary complaints aside, it's a good situation to be in.

Last year Orpik talked about how he paced himself through the regular season, it wouldn't bother me if his regular season isn't great as long as he brings it in the playoffs, but you know there will be lots of people here wanting to replace Orpik with Despres if Orpik struggles during the season.

 

[Waffle Fries]

I still think there's a trade coming. It honestly wouldn't surprise me if it was a forward that was traded, either. It would be much more Shero-like to keep 8 dmen on the roster than 14 forwards.

I wouldn't be surprised if Jeffrey or Glass were sent out over the next couple days, followed by Kobasew being signed. Obviously Connor will be sent down and Beau will take that spot. Giving us 13 forwards.

I expect Maatta to be here until Letang comes back and/or he plays his 9 games. If Maatta looks over his head after the first couple games or Letang is out longer than 9, I think Despres will be called up to take over that spot.

If a forward is traded, I do think Despres will be recalled after Maatta leaves. Dan will probably rotate Despres and Bort until Shero finds a taker for Niskanen.

 

[AjaxTelamon]

I am not sure if turning the puck over every time you touch it or icing the puck at the worst possible times is all part of pacing oneself, but if so, I really hope Orpik gets some reduced minutes.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Yeah... the problem with Orpik's brand of "pacing himself" is that it instantly turns him into a absolute crap defenseman.

And a trade involving Glass on the horizon? I love where your head is at WF... don't ever change and lose that wide-eyed optimism, man.

 

[penguins2946*]

Let's just say that Maatta impresses greatly in the 9 games, as in good enough to be a top-4 D. Would you rather:

1. Keep Maatta up, have him on the 3rd pair with Bortuzzo and move Niskanen
2. Keep Maatta up, have him on the top pair with Letang and force Bortuzzo out of the lineup (3rd pair of Scuderi-Niskanen)
3. Demote Maatta, have a 3rd pair of Niskanen-Bortuzzo

Which of those 3 would you prefer? Honestly, I'd choose #2. Maatta and Letang would complement each other very well, and it gives us a legit 2nd pair as out bottom pair.

 

[Shady Machine]

Let's just say that Maatta impresses greatly in the 9 games, as in good enough to be a top-4 D. Would you rather:

1. Keep Maatta up, have him on the 3rd pair with Bortuzzo and move Niskanen
2. Keep Maatta up, have him on the top pair with Letang and force Bortuzzo out of the lineup
3. Demote Maatta, have a 3rd pair of Niskanen-Bortuzzo

Which of those 3 would you prefer?

Option 1 since option 2 is highly unlikely and not a smart move for his development or the team. Option 3 is likely what they do.

 

[Waffle Fries]

And a trade involving Glass on the horizon? I love where your head is at WF... don't ever change and lose that wide-eyed optimism, man.

It's possible. If a trade with a forward does happen, it will probably be Jeffrey, but you never know.

I honestly don't see the point in keeping either of them at the moment, Glass because he's useless and Jeffrey because we have no use for him.

 

[NMK11]

Let's just say that Maatta impresses greatly in the 9 games, as in good enough to be a top-4 D. Would you rather:

1. Keep Maatta up, have him on the 3rd pair with Bortuzzo and move Niskanen
2. Keep Maatta up, have him on the top pair with Letang and force Bortuzzo out of the lineup (3rd pair of Scuderi-Niskanen)
3. Demote Maatta, have a 3rd pair of Niskanen-Bortuzzo

Which of those 3 would you prefer? Honestly, I'd choose #2. Maatta and Letang would complement each other very well, and it gives us a legit 2nd pair as out bottom pair.

1. I'm all for giving young guys a try, but let's give someone who hasn't even spent time in the AHL more than 9 games to prove he's top-4 material. We have a solid top 4 as it is, and I'd rather move Niskanen than Bort solely for cap reasons.

 

[Shady Machine]

It's possible. If a trade with a forward does happen, it will probably be Jeffrey, but you never know.

I honestly don't see the point in keeping either of them at the moment, Glass because he's useless and Jeffrey because we have no use for him.

Jeffrey will be rotating 4th line center with Vitale. Supposedly, Martin likes Jeffrey a lot. If we sign Kobasew, I could see D'ags getting dumped before Jeffrey to be honest.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

It's possible. If a trade with a forward does happen, it will probably be Jeffrey, but you never know.

I honestly don't see the point in keeping either of them at the moment, Glass because he's useless and Jeffrey because we have no use for him.

Watch it be Jokinen, now.

But really, though... likely Jeffrey. Although HC-in-waiting Martin seems to like him a good bit. I just can't see Glass being sent packing. I feel like Disco wouldn't have been constantly finding excuses to bring up his contributions and potential line combinations involving him if he was on the outs.

 

[Waffle Fries]

Jeffrey will be rotating 4th line center with Vitale. Supposedly, Martin likes Jeffrey a lot. If we sign Kobasew, I could see D'ags getting dumped before Jeffrey to be honest.

I just don't see us dumping D'ags before he even plays a game. Honestly, I think it'd be better for Jeffrey if we traded him to a team where he'd get top 9 minutes.

And I'd also rather not rotate the center on the 4th line. Vitale should be an everyday player. It's ridiculous that he's not.

Watch it be Jokinen, now.

But really, though... likely Jeffrey. Although HC-in-waiting Martin seems to like him a good bit. I just can't see Glass being sent packing. I feel like Disco wouldn't have been constantly finding excuses to bring up his contributions and potential line combinations involving him if he was on the outs.

One can only hope that it's to trick other GMs into believing he's not a waste of space

 

[alcanalz]

Let's just say that Maatta impresses greatly in the 9 games, as in good enough to be a top-4 D. Would you rather:

1. Keep Maatta up, have him on the 3rd pair with Bortuzzo and move Niskanen
2. Keep Maatta up, have him on the top pair with Letang and force Bortuzzo out of the lineup (3rd pair of Scuderi-Niskanen)
3. Demote Maatta, have a 3rd pair of Niskanen-Bortuzzo

Which of those 3 would you prefer? Honestly, I'd choose #2. Maatta and Letang would complement each other very well, and it gives us a legit 2nd pair as out bottom pair.

I can't see any way Maatta impresses enough to be a top 4 D on a cup contending team like we are. Even if he looks better than half the D out there, there's no way they'd give him a spot. They would absolutely err on the side of experience, and I can't blame them.

 

[Shady Machine]

I just don't see us dumping D'ags before he even plays a game. Honestly, I think it'd be better for Jeffrey if we traded him to a team where he'd get top 9 minutes.

And I'd also rather not rotate the center on the 4th line. Vitale should be an everyday player. It's ridiculous that he's not.



One can only hope that it's to trick other GMs into believing he's not a waste of space

I agree Vitale should be an everyday 4th line player. I'm just telling you what I think they will do.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

One can only hope that it's to trick other GMs into believing he's not a waste of space

Hmmm... trying to pump up his trade value, huh? Everyone prepare yourselves for occasional Glass shifts in the top six and some powerplay time (preferably 5 on 3 so they can force-feed him a goal -- wouldn't be the first time).

But yeah... here's to hoping you are right. I kind of hate coming down so hard on any one player constantly... particularly a fourth liner. But Glass is the worst hockey player I've seen consistently getting ice time since the Dark Years. And there was a damned good excuse for it, back then.

As far as Jeffrey goes... I know everyone thinks he's terrible, for some reason but I'd like to see him get moved to a team that could actually use him to his fullest. I think he's being wasted, here.

 

[Waffle Fries]

I agree Vitale should be an everyday 4th line player. I'm just telling you what I think they will do.

I know. It's just frustrating.

As far as Jeffrey goes... I know everyone thinks he's terrible, for some reason but I'd like to see him get moved to a team that could actually use him to his fullest. I think he's being wasted, here.

I agree.

 

[gopens66]

Let's just say that Maatta impresses greatly in the 9 games, as in good enough to be a top-4 D. Would you rather:

1. Keep Maatta up, have him on the 3rd pair with Bortuzzo and move Niskanen
2. Keep Maatta up, have him on the top pair with Letang and force Bortuzzo out of the lineup (3rd pair of Scuderi-Niskanen)
3. Demote Maatta, have a 3rd pair of Niskanen-Bortuzzo

Which of those 3 would you prefer? Honestly, I'd choose #2. Maatta and Letang would complement each other very well, and it gives us a legit 2nd pair as out bottom pair.

I'm quite certain I don't want a rookie having to deal with and cover up for all of Letang's "brainfarts". Here's to Martin(coach) fixing Letang in that department.

 

[Darth Vitale]

All fat jokes aside, Maatta obviously had a better camp than Elmer.

If he plays at a consistent NHL level in his 9 games or whatever he gets, and doesn't make dumb mistakes, I say leave him up and let Elmer stew in the AHL until someone gets hurt. I think Maatta may be a pretty good defensive analog to Bennett... skilled enough and ready enough that once he gets his shot, he's going to impress consistently.

Maybe Elmer is one of those kids that needs to get angry before he starts taking a competitive attitude into the weight room, practice and games. I have a hunch Elmer's real problem is that he eases off the competitiveness throttle as soon as he starts to get comfortable (which is a maturity phase that often passes as an athlete gets older / wiser, sees people with lesser skill passing him up -- not that Maatta is lesser skill in this case, just talking generally).

 

[cheesedanish87]

All fat jokes aside, Maatta obviously had a better camp than Elmer.

If he plays at a consistent NHL level in his 9 games or whatever he gets, and doesn't make dumb mistakes, I say leave him up and let Elmer stew in the AHL until someone gets hurt. I think Maatta may be a pretty good defensive analog to Bennett... skilled enough and ready enough that once he gets his shot, he's going to impress consistently.

Maybe Elmer is one of those kids that needs to get angry before he starts taking a competitive attitude into the weight room, practice and games. I have a hunch Elmer's real problem is that he eases off the competitiveness throttle as soon as he starts to get comfortable (which is a maturity phase that often passes as an athlete gets older / wiser, sees people with lesser skill passing him up -- not that Maatta is lesser skill in this case, just talking generally).

Before camp i was hoping Despres was going to play a big role for the pens this year, but his play during training camp showed why DB doesn't seem to like Despres much, players who were trying to make the team or fill a specific role like Bortuzzo Jokinen BB Kobasew played great, Despres played like he was a 10 year vet going through the motions getting ready for the season.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

He wasn't as big of a standout as most hoped, myself included. But I still thought he played better than at least a couple of players who are seemingly locks in the roster. And I'm not making excuses for him... but I know I'd have a tough time really dredging up my best effort if I knew it was likely for nothing.

 

[ColePens]

Lot of prospect heads here wanted maatta badly. Proves to be working.

 

[WayneSid9987]

It's interesting cuz Kobasew continues to practice on the 3rd line AND Maata is still with the team.

Perhaps a trade is, indeed, coming.

IE. trade someone, sign Kobasew
when Maata goes back to London, bring Despres back up(unless he's the 1 traded)

 

[Your Boy Troy]

Brandon Sutter is capable of playing as a RW. I am fairly certain that he was given playing time as a RW when he was on Carolina. Dustin Jeffrey is more comfortable as a centre.

Bennett - Jeffrey - Sutter

 

[UnrealMachine]

All fat jokes aside, Maatta obviously had a better camp than Elmer.

If he plays at a consistent NHL level in his 9 games or whatever he gets, and doesn't make dumb mistakes, I say leave him up and let Elmer stew in the AHL until someone gets hurt. I think Maatta may be a pretty good defensive analog to Bennett... skilled enough and ready enough that once he gets his shot, he's going to impress consistently.

Maybe Elmer is one of those kids that needs to get angry before he starts taking a competitive attitude into the weight room, practice and games. I have a hunch Elmer's real problem is that he eases off the competitiveness throttle as soon as he starts to get comfortable (which is a maturity phase that often passes as an athlete gets older / wiser, sees people with lesser skill passing him up -- not that Maatta is lesser skill in this case, just talking generally).

Does that mean that Maatta is currently a better NHL hockey player than Despres?* Having a good or bad camp is all relative. Did Neal or Sutter have great camps?* I just don't see how that should directly translate into who makes the lineup.

Did Maatta have a better camp and show that he is more NHL-ready than Joe Morrow did a couple seasons ago?* A lot of this to me just has the appearance of putting some extra shoe shine of one of our prospects to compensate for the potential devaluation (Despres, Pouliot) or loss (Morrow) of another. This happens almost every year.

This has nothing to do with Maatta directly. I have loved that pic from day 1 and questioned several others since who ranked Pouliot higher and or saw Maatta as redundant and the top choice for prospect recycling. I am just tired of seeing our #1 prospect over-sold to the fans after recently losing another. This year is particularly bad considering we are more stacked than ever at NHL D and our top NHL-ready D prospect is being sent to the AHL. This seems like the most inappropriate time that we've ever had to do this. Anything we gain in the evaluation of Maatta we almost equally lose in putting Despes in the AHL. A strong argument can be made the the latter outweighs the former.

* denotes questions that are mostly rhetorical in nature

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Brandon Sutter is capable of playing as a RW. I am fairly certain that he was given playing time as a RW when he was on Carolina. Dustin Jeffrey is more comfortable as a centre.

Bennett - Jeffrey - Sutter

I would personally not have any problem with this, at all. I think Sutter would benefit more in a role where he is more of a trigger man, anyway... as I think his vision and playmaking ability (offensively) are a bit lacking. But it will never happen.

And great post, UM. I'm hoping Despres makes it back into the lineup soon and plays regularly. I really don't think there is much, if anything, he can glean from a long stay in the AHL. I would start looking for trade partners, if that's truly their evaluation of him. Mostly for his sake. That would truly be a waste, though.

 

[Gallatin]

I agree in principle, and started a thread making the more general version of that point a few weeks ago.

That said, in hindsight the trade was the one that was particularly lopsided. Morrow would have been a good chip to have kept to trade, perhaps this year instead. Dallas did better with him as part of a trade.

It's certainly one of the few trades Shero has lost.