Give GMJR a Grade (cumulative)

[Penguinator]

I'll rate him a Drunk Yoda.

Sober Yoda if he gets rid of Scuds.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

B.

JR took a number of missteps last year that ended up hurting us, but the great off-season he's had so far made up for a lot of it.

Credit where credit's due...getting the Leafs to retain on Kessel without giving up one of Maatta or Pouliot, moving Sutter for a better cheaper player, signing Plotnikov and Fehr, and getting back prospects/upgrading draft picks in the process was surprising and impressive.

If he can somehow get rid of Scuds now, he'll be up to a B+.

 

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

I dunno what the timetable is for the grading, but I'll go by this past season and off-season.

Despres debacle; F-, Absolutely indefensible and idiotic beyond measure based on all grading metrics. Value, current impact, future impact, the reasoning behind the moves, the media smear campaign afterward, all failures beyond measure.

Winnik; D, Would be worse if we didn't manage to dump Sill. I still don't think Winnik's a terrible player, but he is the kind of guy you add to an already strong bottom six to put your team over the top for a final push to the Cup. We were nowhere near that, and we paid a big premium.

Goc/Lapierre; C+, I like Lapierre, and thought he was great in the playoffs. In the end, he's a 4th line center and outside of some serious anomalies, they're pretty damn nondescript.

Perron; B+, Yes, he had it seriously rough down the stretch, but everyone did. I'm not willing to discount previous evidence of effective, hardworking play and impressive skill because of a couple of months during this team's worst stretch in a decade. He'll be a damn good top six winger this season.

Sutter+3rd for Bonino+Clendening+2nd; A+, We manged to upgrade from Sutter to Bonino, we swapped a 3rd for a 2nd, and we got a wildcard guy in Clendening who has shown flashes of impressive ability--even if he's had trouble putting it together thus far. Cautiously optimistic that Clendening can find a resurgence on the level of Niskanen.

Fehr; B+, Decent enough bottom sixer who can play multiple positions and is a relatively inexpensive and low-risk move. Can't complain.

Kessel; A++, Finally, we have that top-flight, long term winger. The top six now looks better than it has since well before Sid and Geno have been here. Kessel, Hornqvist and Perron, along with someone like Bonino, Fehr, Plotnikov, Bennett, etc. is going to be absolutely phenomenal. For once, the top six is not an issue and won't be again. Now, to round out the defense...

Overall, I'd give JR a B+. It would've been an A+ had he and the council of idiots not completely ****ed up with the Despres deal. Cleaning up the BP-esque disaster that Shero and Bylsma left was not an easy or quick task handed to JR, but he's done an awesome job, one major **** up aside.

I'm hopeful for this team's future for the first time in a very, very long time. Again, we still have a ton of work to do on the blueline, but our entire forward situation is finally legitimately Cup-caliber.

 

[#66]

I dunno what the timetable is for the grading, but I'll go by this past season and off-season.

Despres debacle; F-, Absolutely indefensible and idiotic beyond measure based on all grading metrics. Value, current impact, future impact, the reasoning behind the moves, the media smear campaign afterward, all failures beyond measure.

Winnik; D, Would be worse if we didn't manage to dump Sill. I still don't think Winnik's a terrible player, but he is the kind of guy you add to an already strong bottom six to put your team over the top for a final push to the Cup. We were nowhere near that, and we paid a big premium.

Goc/Lapierre; C+, I like Lapierre, and thought he was great in the playoffs. In the end, he's a 4th line center and outside of some serious anomalies, they're pretty damn nondescript.

Perron; B+, Yes, he had it seriously rough down the stretch, but everyone did. I'm not willing to discount previous evidence of effective, hardworking play and impressive skill because of a couple of months during this team's worst stretch in a decade. He'll be a damn good top six winger this season.

Sutter+3rd for Bonino+Clendening+2nd; A+, We manged to upgrade from Sutter to Bonino, we swapped a 3rd for a 2nd, and we got a wildcard guy in Clendening who has shown flashes of impressive ability--even if he's had trouble putting it together thus far. Cautiously optimistic that Clendening can find a resurgence on the level of Niskanen.

Fehr; B+, Decent enough bottom sixer who can play multiple positions and is a relatively inexpensive and low-risk move. Can't complain.

Kessel; A++, Finally, we have that top-flight, long term winger. The top six now looks better than it has since well before Sid and Geno have been here. Kessel, Hornqvist and Perron, along with someone like Bonino, Fehr, Plotnikov, Bennett, etc. is going to be absolutely phenomenal. For once, the top six is not an issue and won't be again. Now, to round out the defense...

Overall, I'd give JR a B+. It would've been an A+ had he and the council of idiots not completely ****ed up with the Despres deal. Cleaning up the BP-esque disaster that Shero and Bylsma left was not an easy or quick task handed to JR, but he's done an awesome job, one major **** up aside.

I'm hopeful for this team's future for the first time in a very, very long time. Again, we still have a ton of work to do on the blueline, but our entire forward situation is finally legitimately Cup-caliber.

Also have to add in a good draft for what they had. Three picks could easily fit into the Pens top 10 prospects.... and they're Fs.

 

[Asuna]

I'll give him a B. Last year was a very odd year. Basically wasted a year of Crosby/Malkin. Very evident there was a lack of a coherent plan. Last season should have been a transition year, selling off expiring assets, building more for the future. That said, he's done a great job building...essentially a new team on the fly. Very impressive work this offseason. Also with this improved depth, we won't have to make a big, or many, trades at the deadline. So we can keep our picks/prospects and improve our depth even more over time.

 

[Jacob]

B. If he had kept Despres and dumped Scuderi it'd be an A+.

 

[cheesedanish87]

My opinion is much different then most.

I'd give him a D.

I don't like the direction hes taking this team, hes been here for about 1 year and hes already traded away 3 number 1 draft picks, we could have the worst set of prospects in the NHL right now.

I would of rather had a GM that would of tried to draft and develop young talent rather then making win now moves.

 

[JTG]

The Despres trade was bad, but he rectified that later in the day by doing basically the same thing to the Blue by getting Cole for Bort.

 

[Asuna]

My opinion is much different then most.

Shocking.

 

[mpp9]

My opinion is much different then most.

I'd give him a D.

I don't like the direction hes taking this team, hes been here for about 1 year and hes already traded away 3 number 1 draft picks, we could have the worst set of prospects in the NHL right now.

I would of rather had a GM that would of tried to draft and develop young talent rather then making win now moves.

He set the team up better to win for the rest of Sid and Geno's best years. Thats all I care about.

 

[cheesedanish87]

He set the team up better to win for the rest of Sid and Geno's best years. Thats all I care about.

That's fair, i understand the opinion of going all in now because Sid and Geno are getting older, i just disagree with it.

I would of liked an approach similar to Detroit, they didn't go all in when Datsyuk and Zetterberg were getting older.

Detroit now has a lot of good young talent around those guys, pens wouldn't have a lot of young talent around Sid and Geno when they are in the mid 30's like Detroit does right now.

 

[Penguinator]

Draft picks usually don't pan out, trading them to surround your core with assets that are either signed or can be signed long term is solid management. Collecting picks & trading the ones that became NHL'ers for more picks is only logical when you start rebuilding.

 

[mpp9]

That's fair, i understand the opinion of going all in now because Sid and Geno are getting older, i just disagree with it.

I would of liked an approach similar to Detroit, they didn't go all in when Datsyuk and Zetterberg were getting older.

Detroit now has a lot of good young talent around those guys, pens wouldn't have a lot of young talent around Sid and Geno when they are in the mid 30's like Detroit does right now.

Sid and Geno are more than half a decade younger. The moves made help now, in a few years and beyond. Our biggest move, Kessel, is the same age as our core.

They need to restock their prospect pool, no doubt. But with the moves they made, they can do that now. No need to spend 2nd and 3rd rounders on bottom sixers with our forward group now. Only spot they may need is a top 4 D, and Im fine treating this year as development for a Cup the year after.

Its a crazy thought, but we may actually be able to produce some legit NHL forwards in the next 5-7 years.

 

[CrosbyMalkin]

My opinion is much different then most.

I'd give him a D.

I don't like the direction hes taking this team, hes been here for about 1 year and hes already traded away 3 number 1 draft picks, we could have the worst set of prospects in the NHL right now.

I would of rather had a GM that would of tried to draft and develop young talent rather then making win now moves.

I can't see your logic. When you have a core in their prime years you go all in now. With all our top players in the 27-28 range the next 3 years are the teams best chances of winning a Cup so you do everything to improve those odds. I for one would trade 3-5 years of rebuilding seasons for 3-5 years of going for a Championship. Bot times we had Cup teams it was after several down years of getting high picks to build a Champion. I have no problem with this. When is the next time we will have a core as good as Crosby, Malkin, Kessel, Letang, and Fleury? You go all in now and anything less than that is just nuts.

Rutherford has done an A+ job given the bad contracts he was left with. He kept the core intact and added another core player in Kessel. He completely revamped our forward depth around the core to levels we could not of hoped to expect better this quickly. In his short time as GM he has added Kessel, Hornqvist, Perron, Bonnino, Fehr, and Plotnikov which gives the Pens options that allow players like Dupuis and Kunitz to move to more supportive roles which changed a weakness into a strength.

The defense has caused some concern and with some good reason but I am actually happy what the team is doing. Letang, Maatta, Cole, and Pouliot are what I want starting as the top 4 this season. I also want Dumoulin on the bottom pairing. It is time we let the top prospects play. Pouliot needs to play 19-20 minutes a game to keep advancing his game and playing 14 minutes a game would stunt his growth. Let's find out how Cole and Pouliot develop until the deadline and if we need to add a veteran or 2 then that is the time. Let's find out what we have in Cole, Pouliot, and Dumoulin. Lovejoy and Scuderi are fine as the 6th and 7th guys. If Scuderi was making Lovejoy money it would be almost perfect for me because I am fine with starting with what we have. We all know Rutherford will trade for a top 4 when and if it is needed. Let's find out if Cole and Pouliot can be that first. Offensively Letang, Maatta, Pouliot, Cole, Dumoulin, and Lovejoy all will provide a nice puck transition to the forwards. I am willing to play the wait and see appoach.

Love the team going into the season and I believe they are going to be the top scoring team in the NHL. Love fun hockey and this team will be fun to watch. If we lose some 7-6 games While some young defense are learning then let the scoring flow.

 

[Ugene Magic]

The Despres trade is what keeps him from being A+++, one bad move still has him at A+.

The team is night and day from what the team was when he took over. You can't blame him for albatross contracts that are difficult to move since he has no fingerprints on them in the first place.

You got your youth, wingers and still work in progress on more to come in the months well ahead.

Again. A+

 

[cheesedanish87]

Sid and Geno are more than half a decade younger. The moves made help now, in a few years and beyond. Our biggest move, Kessel, is the same age as our core.

They need to restock their prospect pool, no doubt. But with the moves they made, they can do that now. No need to spend 2nd and 3rd rounders on bottom sixers with our forward group now. Only spot they may need is a top 4 D, and Im fine treating this year as development for a Cup the year after.

Its a crazy thought, but we may actually be able to produce some legit NHL forwards in the next 5-7 years.

My point was that Detroit didn't go all in when Zetterberg and Datsyuk were younger.

They kept there younger players, so now they are able to surround Zetterberg and Datsyuk with good young talent.

 

[WayneSid9987]

JR needed to fast track getting top 6 wingers here. 1sts were really the only big money chips he had other than Maata and Pouliot and a little Kapanen.

Perron and a top 10 winger in this league like Kessel for 2 1sts and Kapanen. is pretty damn good.

 

[mpp9]

My point was that Detroit didn't go all in when Zetterberg and Datsyuk were younger.

They kept there younger players, so now they are able to surround Zetterberg and Datsyuk with good young talent.

Youre missing mine. We have years to build our prospect pool back up. All of the most difficult positions to fill are filled. No more building the roster at the deadline.

We're in a great situation right now.

 

[Mike Lange Version 2]

B+ : If we are giving him a cumulative grade, I'd bump him down a bit.

The Bad: The Winnik trade wasnt so great, the despres trade was bad

The Ok: Neal for Horny. Can't really fault him for getting Ehrhoff last year.

The Good: Literally everything else he's done.

Enough to keep him from being great, but obtaining long term wing help for relatively cheap is remarkable.

As said before, Dump Scuderi and I move him up to an A-

 

[HugoStiglitz]

My opinion is much different then most.

I'd give him a D.

I don't like the direction hes taking this team, hes been here for about 1 year and hes already traded away 3 number 1 draft picks, we could have the worst set of prospects in the NHL right now.

I would of rather had a GM that would of tried to draft and develop young talent rather then making win now moves.

Extreme situations require extreme measures. Rutherford walked into a complete mess left to him by Shero. I don't think anyone wants to see high draft picks go away, but if it means bringing in what this team needs to succeed for years to come then it's worth it in the long run.

I'd also venture to say there are teams with a much worse prospect pool.

 

[HugoStiglitz]

Winnik: I think it's a little unfair to judge this trade poorly. To say it was a bad move is really hindsight. Winnik was having a very strong season for Toronto and I think people had unrealistic expectations of what he was supposed to bring. Winnik wasn't going to come here and light up like crazy, but I feel he provided solid hockey. Was a 2nd rounder too much? Maybe a tad, but I don't think egregious.

Despres: Clearly a poor move, maybe the ONLY poor move he's made since taking over. I believe he's even stated if he had it to do over he wouldn't have made that trade.

Ehrhoff: That was a terrific move. Prior to this past season, Ehrhoff has had a relatively healthy career and if this team had all it's dmen against the Rangers I believe they would have won with Ehrhoff being a clear factor.

Neal for Hornquist: I jumped for joy in this one. I was glad to see Neal go on a personal level as I didn't like the scumminess he brought on the ice. Hornqvist provided a much more multi-dimensional game than Neal along with the scoring.

I don't see how he can be judged on for not moving Scuderi because that is one serious feet. IMO, if he were able to move Scuderi it wouldn't bump him up a grade, it would put him in another realm of GMs in this league.

 

[Asuna]

Winnik: I think it's a little unfair to judge this trade poorly. To say it was a bad move is really hindsight. Winnik was having a very strong season for Toronto and I think people had unrealistic expectations of what he was supposed to bring. Winnik wasn't going to come here and light up like crazy, but I feel he provided solid hockey. Was a 2nd rounder too much? Maybe a tad, but I don't think egregious.

It's totally fair. The Penguins weren't contenders for the Cup. That move was looked at as a move to 'put them over the top'...when they weren't even close. No need to get Winnik at all.

 

[HugoStiglitz]

It's totally fair. The Penguins weren't contenders for the Cup. That move was looked at as a move to 'put them over the top'...when they weren't even close. No need to get Winnik at all.

I think to say they weren't a contender if very subjective. At the deadline the Pens were still very much in the mix and didn't start their spiral until the last few weeks of the season.

 

[Asuna]

I think to say they weren't a contender if very subjective. At the deadline the Pens were still very much in the mix and didn't start their spiral until the last few weeks of the season.

So...adding Winnik would have put them over the top then? If everyone was healthy.

 

[PensPlz]

trending upward to a C-