Confirmed Trade: [FLA/PIT] Bjugstad & McCann for Brassard, Sheahan, 2nd 2019, 4th 2019, 4th 2019

[ijuka]

Brassard still wasn’t a mistake. You can’t predict how a player will play for your team.

This is quite clearly false. You can predict how a player will fit for a team. Take Brassard for instance - It could have been predicted that he wouldn't do as well in a 3C role.

 

[Revelation]

Brassard still wasn’t a mistake. You can’t predict how a player will play for your team. For example Rutherford gave up a 1st for Perron believing he could get back to being a good top 6 forward. Rutherford was right to believe it because Perron is still producing like one and is actually Blues 2nd leading scorer this year tied with Tarasenko. So while Perron did not work out just like Brassard that does not mean it was a mistake. Both players are very good NHL players. In both cases Rutherford moved on and brought in a valuable piece. Perron was traded for Hagelin who helped us win 2 Cups and hopefully Bjugstad and McCann can do the same in the Brassard deal.

You can't just stack together "good NHL players" and expect them to perform the same in a different environment with just any icetime/linemates/deployment. Brassard is very clearly a top 6 or bust player. If the Pens were to acquire Matt Duchene and play him as a 3C behind Crosby and Malkin you'd see the exact same thing happen.

That said Rutherford is very good at ultimately finding players that fit into their roles or swapping the duds for ones that do.

 

[BronzeSpruce]

Funny how things work out. They didn’t want to pay Bonino 4.1 mil to be the 3rd line center and now after not being able to find a good replacement they trade for a 4.1 mil 3rd line center.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Funny how things work out. They didn’t want to pay Bonino 4.1 mil to be the 3rd line center and now after not being able to find a good replacement they trade for a 4.1 mil 3rd line center.

It actually sounds like McCann is going to be the Penguins 3C and Bjugstad is going to play with Guentzel and Crosby. That may change if McCann can't handle the 3C spot, but it sounds like they view Bjugstad as a winger who can play center when you need him to.

 

[BronzeSpruce]

It actually sounds like McCann is going to be the Penguins 3C and Bjugstad is going to play with Guentzel and Crosby. That may change if McCann can't handle the 3C spot, but it sounds like they view Bjugstad as a winger who can play center when you need him to.

I like Bjugstads size, it’d be nice if he could use some of that to play down low on that line and maybe crash the net a bit. I know after hearing an interview with one of the Florida reporters they said he isn’t as good on the wing and that kinda hurt his production that last season or so, but it’s Crosby so maybe he will work out on wing. It’s only been two games but i dont recall him looking slow, hopefully he could keep up with Sid and jake.

 

[Jean Luc Discard]

It actually sounds like McCann is going to be the Penguins 3C and Bjugstad is going to play with Guentzel and Crosby. That may change if McCann can't handle the 3C spot, but it sounds like they view Bjugstad as a winger who can play center when you need him to.

McCann should be fine as the 3C now and in the future but Bjugs will leave you wanting a lot more and wondering where he'd be useful when for each good move on the ice he counters it with one bad one. In the end JR will trade Bjugs for a middle6 winger and/or some misc bag of draft picks.

 

[CrosbyMalkin]

This is quite clearly false. You can predict how a player will fit for a team. Take Brassard for instance - It could have been predicted that he wouldn't do as well in a 3C role.

Not at all because you had a player that had most of his points 5v5 which is important attribute for what the Pens wanted because clearly our top PP is filled. So Brassard has 40 5v5 points last year and Pens thought that production 5v5 would be a good offensive fit with Kessel. Please don’t act like you would know that wouldn’t work before the trade. Everyone thought it was a great move getting “big game Brass” added to a 2 time Cup champs going for a 3-peat.

Sorry you are Monday morning quarterbacking which anyone can do hindsight.

 

[Jacob]

Funny how things work out. They didn’t want to pay Bonino 4.1 mil to be the 3rd line center and now after not being able to find a good replacement they trade for a 4.1 mil 3rd line center.

I don't know of a single Penguins fan who would want to go back and sign Bonino to that deal.

 

[CrosbyMalkin]

You can't just stack together "good NHL players" and expect them to perform the same in a different environment with just any icetime/linemates/deployment. Brassard is very clearly a top 6 or bust player. If the Pens were to acquire Matt Duchene and play him as a 3C behind Crosby and Malkin you'd see the exact same thing happen.

That said Rutherford is very good at ultimately finding players that fit into their roles or swapping the duds for ones that do.

So no chance Duchene wouldn’t work on a line with Kessel? Again another person that has a crystal ball. It is not like the Pens are saying play 3rd line with 3rd line players. Brassard was given the teams best winger to make a “3rd line”.

 

[BronzeSpruce]

I don't know of a single Penguins fan who would want to go back and sign Bonino to that deal.

Well you better hope Bjugstad turns out to be as good or better than Bonino cuz that’s what ya got my friend, Boninos contract.

 

[BronzeSpruce]

I don't know of a single Penguins fan who would want to go back and sign Bonino to that deal.

Wait are you saying in hindsight you don’t know anyone who would go back and sign Bonino knowing what you know today?

 

[Jacob]

Wait are you saying in hindsight you don’t know anyone who would go back and sign Bonino knowing what you know today?

Yes. Bonino sucked as a Penguin outside of one insane playoff run.

And I’m not sure he would’ve signed here even if the Penguins made the same offer as Nashville. He wanted a chance to be a top-6 center.

 

[Revelation]

So no chance Duchene wouldn’t work on a line with Kessel? Again another person that has a crystal ball. It is not like the Pens are saying play 3rd line with 3rd line players. Brassard was given the teams best winger to make a “3rd line”.

He'd do about as well as Brassard did, maybe a little better since he has more talent. It's not a crystal ball, just an appreciation of player playstyles. Most could tell that Kessel wouldn't work with Crosby when he was acquired as well whereas Hornqvist would. Duchene isn't gonna take care of defense and crash the net while letting Kessel rush the puck, that's not his style. He also needs a good 16-18 minutes a game to get going.

You'd be better off getting a Bozak or Bonino if you want someone to work with Kessel. Though Bjugstad seems like he could be that type.

 

[CrosbyMalkin]

I don't know of a single Penguins fan who would want to go back and sign Bonino to that deal.

Agreed, all take Bjugstad over Bonino any day. Pens want a Center that can play with Kessel. Pens didn’t believe Bonino was worth that cap hit and they are right. That shouldn’t be that hard. How many Centers wouldn’t want that job? Unfortunately Brassard was one.

 

[BronzeSpruce]

Yes. Bonino sucked as a Penguin outside of one insane playoff run.

And I’m not sure he would’ve signed here even if the Penguins made the same offer as Nashville. He wanted a chance to be a top-6 center.

Yea In hindsight I’d sign Bonino and use Reaves, Cole, 1st , Gustavsson , 2nd , 4th, 4th on another position of need. Because that’s exactly what it cost the Penguins to end with a 3rd line Center at 4.1 mil and same term. I guess I could add Wilson and a 3rd they used to acquire Sheahan in the list of assists used to sure find our 3rd line center.

So know you know one. I get at the time you didn’t know how it would turn out but to say in hindsight you wouldn’t do it is kinda crazy to me.

 

[CrosbyMalkin]

Yes. Bonino sucked as a Penguin outside of one insane playoff run.

And I’m not sure he would’ve signed here even if the Penguins made the same offer as Nashville. He wanted a chance to be a top-6 center.

We found lightning in a bottle for a few months Hagelin and Bonino played great with Kessel and Pens won a Cup. They never produced like that again. Rutherford has been trying ever since to find someone to bring back the magic for an offensive Center to fit with Kessel.

 

[BronzeSpruce]

Agreed, all take Bjugstad over Bonino any day. Pens want a Center that can play with Kessel. Pens didn’t believe Bonino was worth that cap hit and they are right. That shouldn’t be that hard. How many Centers wouldn’t want that job? Unfortunately Brassard was one.

Umm HBK? Bonino could play with Kessel. But the pens do believe with no evidence at all that Bjugstad with the same cap hit and term can play 3rd line center with Kessel? Your arguement doesn’t make much sense.

 

[CrosbyMalkin]

Yea In hindsight I’d sign Bonino and use Reaves, Cole, 1st , Gustavsson , 2nd , 4th, 4th on another position of need. Because that’s exactly what it cost the Penguins to end with a 3rd line Center at 4.1 mil and same term. I guess I could add Wilson and a 3rd they used to acquire Sheahan in the list of assists used to sure find our 3rd line center.

So know you know one. I get at the time you didn’t know how it would turn out but to say in hindsight you wouldn’t do it is kinda crazy to me.

Well every fan base has fans that don’t know what they are talking about.

Bonino clearly was not the answer for the Pens 3rd line. HBK worked for the first Cup run but then the magic was gone. $4.1 million for Bonino is not only an overpayment he is not what we need to make another top line featuring Kessel. Pens want 3 1st lines like that 1st Cup and HBK provides that for a few months. Brassard for some reason never messed with Kessel. Bjugstad has looked good with him for these couple games hopefully they work well together

All say this, Bjugstad is very noticeable on the ice and has looked like one of the Pens best players so far. Brassard never had games like that.

 

[BronzeSpruce]

Well every fan base has fans that don’t know what they are talking about.

Bonino clearly was not the answer for the Pens 3rd line. HBK worked for the first Cup run but then the magic was gone. $4.1 million for Bonino is not only an overpayment he is not what we need to make another top line featuring Kessel. Pens want 3 1st lines like that 1st Cup and HBK provides that for a few months. Brassard for some reason never messed with Kessel. Bjugstad has looked good with him for these couple games hopefully they work well together

All say this, Bjugstad is very noticeable on the ice and has looked like one of the Pens best players so far. Brassard never had games like that.

Bonino currently has 14 goals on the season which would rank him 5th on the pens, he played well while he was here. Two years since his departure and its cost them dearly in assests to try and find someone who can do at least what he did. Reaves, Cole, Wilson, Gustavsson, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 4th is the cost to find Bjudstgad who if he’s lucky will net you the same offensive output Bonino did while he was here.

At the end of the day the assest expended to find Boninos replacement Bjugstad better be damn good, or else it would have been smarter to sign Bonino and use those assests for another need.

 

[Tripod]

I will go on record saying this will be a very good deal for the Pens.

 

[CrosbyMalkin]

Umm HBK? Bonino could play with Kessel. But the pens do believe with no evidence at all that Bjugstad with the same cap hit and term can play 3rd line center with Kessel? Your arguement doesn’t make much sense.

Obviously you are not a Pens fan or you would know what HBK is so worry about your own team. If you watched our team it would make perfect sense to you. I don’t know why you care or why I would need to explain this to you.

What didn’t you understand? Bonino worked with Kessel for a few months when the HBK line was formed. Hagelin-Bonino-Kessel provided top line points during the playoffs that season and was as good as the Crosby and Malkin lines. After that they never had that magic again. They have been looking for that magic ever since and Rutherford thought Brassard was the answer but wasn’t so now Bjugstad gets his shot. So far so good but will see how it goes.

 

[BronzeSpruce]

I will go on the record saying the number of assests expended to get here isn’t good for the Pens.

 

[Jacob]

Umm HBK? Bonino could play with Kessel.

He could until he couldn’t. That line never found the same chemistry again.

If the Penguins had offered Bonino the same deal, and if he’d accepted it, I think the Penguins would still have been in a similar position last season and this season in needing to upgrade 3C. We probably would’ve shipped Bonino out in order to get Brassard. Bonino was pretty invisible for, like, 75% of his time as a Penguin. I’ll reiterate that for about 10% of the time he played at a Con Smythe-caliber level, but obviously that wasn’t duplicable.

Looking at what he’s done in Nashville doesn’t make me miss him any more.

 

[BronzeSpruce]

Obviously you are not a Pens fan or you would know what HBK is so worry about your own team. If you watched our team it would make perfect sense to you. I don’t know why you care or why I would need to explain this to you.

What didn’t you understand? Bonino worked with Kessel for a few months when the HBK line was formed. Hagelin-Bonino-Kessel provided top line points during the playoffs that season and was as good as the Crosby and Malkin lines. After that they never had that magic again. They have been looking for that magic ever since and Rutherford thought Brassard was the answer but wasn’t so now Bjugstad gets his shot. So far so good but will see how it goes.

You’re not understanding what I’m saying, you cant chase the 3rd line center to the detriment of the team. Agreed bonino isnt the end all be all, but he at least showed at one point in time he could play with Kessel, now we are minus tons of assests in the hole with no clear cut answer.

If i told you 2 years ago we would end up with a guy making the same money as bonino and all those assests down you would still rather go this route?

What are your expectations for Bjugstad? And what are you basing that on?

 

[BronzeSpruce]

He could until he couldn’t. That line never found the same chemistry again.

If the Penguins had offered Bonino the same deal, and if he’d accepted it, I think the Penguins would still have been in a similar position last season and this season in needing to upgrade 3C. We probably would’ve shipped Bonino out in order to get Brassard. Bonino was pretty invisible for, like, 75% of his time as a Penguin. I’ll reiterate that for about 10% of the time he played at a Con Smythe-caliber level, but obviously that wasn’t duplicable.

Looking at what he’s done in Nashville doesn’t make me miss him any more.

He’s kinda killing it this year in Nashville. 14 goals, 27pts in 53 games and a plus 24.