Confirmed with Link: Going Full Rutherford (or: He Traded Elmer for The Reverend.)

[Karnage420*]

time to blame scuderi guys, its always his fault right?

despres sucks.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Scuderi and Lovejoy is going to make such a fun defensive pairing to watch. Both guys passing off to the other because they can't do much with the puck, or both guys banking it off the glass out of the zone to no one in particular.

Even after sleeping on it, I can't fathom what JR was thinking when he pulled the trigger on it. The fact that he approached Murray about the deal makes it even worse. He actually sought out this deal.

 

[SEALBound]

However, Detroits top 7 scorers are "homegrown" talent and most of them weren't drafted in the first round. I wish we had nearly as good development.

Yup, no Manthas, Jurcos, Nyquists, Tatars...

We have Sundqvist and Kapanen...that's about. Bennett is a major wild card right now and he's sharing time with Craig Adams.

Had to laugh at the notion of JR saying "how do we become tougher to play against?" while seeing Comeau and Downie up for trade and Bortuzzo and Despres being traded out for less physical guys.

Mind numbing.

 

[Shwag33]

I do hate me some Scuderi.

But don't you think it would make much more sense just to keep Despres and move him away from Scuds? Rather than sell another asset, with a bright future, for 5th pairing D-man who has already reached his ceiling?

I wouldn't have done it...not thrilled about it; but I can at least see why they did it. To be honest, I think the organization feels despres is lazy. Hard to say just based on hearsay, but wouldn't surprise me.

 

[Karnage420*]

Actually... let me spin y'all a tale.

Despres improved at the beginning of the year.

Then there were a bunch of injuries to the d group and, in the month of December, Despres and Scuderi were separated and Despres ran his own pair.

It was then, in December, that everyone started talking about how good Despres was. How he had developed into one of their best dmen. He was helping to carry the defense.

When everyone got healthy, the coaching staff put him back with Scuderi but kept his minutes up.

It was then that Despres started to struggle again.

You can see it in their advanced stats, too. They were similar in certain possession numbers before December, then Despres took a big jump and Scuderi dropped more, then they normalized in January.

And, as Jiggy alluded to, teams have been 'targeting' Despres by going after Scuderi, who only had one move: give it to the better player on the pairing.

sooo you confirm what GMJR said, despres cant handle tougher minutes in the NHL.

for that reason, he wont survive in a top 4 role in the playoffs, lovejoy will.

buh bye despres, you wont ever be a stud.

 

[SEALBound]

time to blame scuderi guys, its always his fault right?

despres sucks.

Despres was the only thing keeping him at the level of "passable bottom pairing" dman. With him gone...gonna be a crap shoot.

 

[Shwag33]

Yup, no Manthas, Jurcos, Nyquists, Tatars...

We have Sundqvist and Kapanen...that's about. Bennett is a major wild card right now and he's sharing time with Craig Adams.

Had to laugh at the notion of JR saying "how do we become tougher to play against?" while seeing Comeau and Downie up for trade and Bortuzzo and Despres being traded out for less physical guys.

Mind numbing.

Dude Bortuzzo f'ing sucked... no amount of toughness made up for how much he sucks. I haven't seen someone lose their positional minds on the pens since melichar.

 

[Shady Machine]

sooo you confirm what GMJR said, despres cant handle tougher minutes in the NHL.

for that reason, he wont survive in a top 4 role in the playoffs, lovejoy will.

buh bye despres, you wont ever be a stud.

Uh not sure how you got that from what Iced said. Despres can't handle a top 4 role with Scuderi, but can with others. Therefore, Scuderi can't handle a top 4 role. Not the other way around.

 

[SEALBound]

sooo you confirm what GMJR said, despres cant handle tougher minutes in the NHL.

for that reason, he wont survive in a top 4 role in the playoffs, lovejoy will.

buh bye despres, you wont ever be a stud.

Dude, you are doing some major trolling. I know how your last arguments went. Cool it.

 

[billybudd]

I think people are misidentifying a failure of draft strategy as a failure of development, especially at forward. This doesn't apply to Despres, so much as just about every forward selected up until Oskar Sundqvist.

No amount of "development" is going to turn players that are a) too small b) can't skate or c) both into meaningful contributors. Especially in an overcoached era like this one, where being faster or stronger than the other guy means more than it ever has.

I mean, is it Hynes fault that Agostino is nothing? Kehoe's that Dome or Kraft were nothing? I certainly don't think so.

There's a failure of patience angle, for sure, previously most exemplified by trading Letestu for scraps over about 3 bad weeks, after an excellent, excellent rookie season. But that's not failed development; he was already good when we let him go. In my opinion, Despres being traded is another example of that. Lovejoy's better, but if we waited three years, they're equal at worst.

Why do people think Despres isn't fast? Reading too much Kovacevic?

There's fast, there's quick and there's quick-thinking.

Simon's reasonably fast for his size, but he's a bit below average at the other two at this point in time. He's not 8 seconds behind the play like Tangradi, but his see-think-dos are certainly slower than Lovejoy's.

Idea that Lovejoy would fare better against the Islanders this post-season because he "does stuff quicker" isn't really all that unsound. He's come a long, long way.

 

[SEALBound]

Dude Bortuzzo f'ing sucked... no amount of toughness made up for how much he sucks. I haven't seen someone lose their positional minds on the pens since melichar.

Oh there have been worse than Bortuzzo, sadly. Never said he didn't suck. But he did hit. Despres and Bortuzzo were the only physical dmen we had. Letang, occasionally yes. Both our hitters are gone and neither of the guys we got back hit.

That's an issue. Especially against bigger teams.

 

[TNT87]

sooo you confirm what GMJR said, despres cant handle tougher minutes in the NHL.

for that reason, he wont survive in a top 4 role in the playoffs, lovejoy will.

buh bye despres, you wont ever be a stud.

You would think that Anaheim would have loved to have kept him then and not trade him for a bum like Despres?

Thank goodness the Pens were able to trade him for an average 31 year old defenseman. Potential and upside be damned.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I'm hoping a 69BongRipperz69 comes in here next and tells us what to think and that we're all dumb. That'd be unique.

 

[Shwag33]

Oh there have been worse than Bortuzzo, sadly. Never said he didn't suck. But he did hit. Despres and Bortuzzo were the only physical dmen we had. Letang, occasionally yes. Both our hitters are gone and neither of the guys we got back hit.

That's an issue. Especially against bigger teams.

I'd start scuderi before bortuzzo in the playoffs. Therefore he's worth absolutely nothing. If he can't keep pucks out of his own net; no amount of hitting makes up for it.

 

[Karnage420*]

Uh not sure how you got that from what Iced said. Despres can't handle a top 4 role with Scuderi, but can with others. Therefore, Scuderi can't handle a top 4 role. Not the other way around.

maybe he can only handle a top 4 role playing with legit top 4 D men?

if he cant carry scuderi - like the rest of our Dmen can - hes not a top 4 D.

hes average, we are better today that we were yesterday. be happy.

 

[Shady Machine]

There's fast, there's quick and there's quick-thinking.

Simon's reasonably fast for his size, but he's a bit below average at the other two at this point in time. He's not 8 seconds behind the play like Tangradi, but his see-think-dos are certainly slower than Lovejoy's.

Idea that Lovejoy would fare better against the Islanders this post-season because he "does stuff quicker" isn't really all that unsound. He's come a long, long way.

I don't even disagree with that, but Scuderi's 'see-think-tell body to do-wait for body to do-body actually do' was the major problem on that pairing. Plus, Lovejoy doesn't have the physical gifts that Despres has to get Scuds out of danger. Scuderi should have been moved and brought in a different veteran Dman if they were uncomfortable with the speed of decision making on that pairing.

 

[Rectify]

maybe he can only handle a top 4 role playing with legit top 4 D men?

if he cant carry scuderi - like the rest of our Dmen can - hes not a top 4 D.

hes average, we are better today that we were yesterday. be happy.

What in the sam hill are you blabbering about now?

 

[Shady Machine]

maybe he can only handle a top 4 role playing with legit top 4 D men?

Yes that's true. Since he wouldn't be playing with Scuderi in a top 4 role, but rather Ehrhoff, then we would be okay, and like, he would be a top 4 dman.

if he cant carry scuderi - like the rest of our Dmen can - hes not a top 4 D.

hes average, we are better today that we were yesterday. be happy.

Do you expect all 23 year old defenders to carry a bottom pairing D on his back to a consistent to form a consistent top 4 pairing?

Can Lovejoy carry Scuderi in the top 4? If he can't, but can only play a top 4 role with a legit top 4 D man, does that mean he's also not a top 4 dman? You are struggling to form coherent thoughts.

 

[rdav3416]

maybe he can only handle a top 4 role playing with legit top 4 D men?

if he cant carry scuderi - like the rest of our Dmen can - hes not a top 4 D.

hes average, we are better today that we were yesterday. be happy.

This guy is still blabbering about how we are better now...

Give it up Jim Rutherford, we know thats you.

 

[billybudd]

I don't even disagree with that, but Scuderi's 'see-think-tell body to do-wait for body to do-body actually do' was the major problem on that pairing. Plus, Lovejoy doesn't have the physical gifts that Despres has to get Scuds out of danger. Scuderi should have been moved and brought in a different veteran Dman if they were uncomfortable with the speed of decision making on that pairing.

Scuderi reads the play very fast. He just has no hand-eye coordination and is slow. Some of the danger that pairing gets in is because Despres gets the puck in safety, takes too much time, gets closed on and has to make some weird play on the backhand because it's all that's left.

But pulling the plug because of that is an overreaction. Rote learning can fix that. It just takes time.

Roszival had the identical problem at 47's age and eventually was an effective 4 for quite a few years. Niskanen also did things too slow when he got here, fixed by rote learning and memorization.

 

[Winger for Hire]

maybe he can only handle a top 4 role playing with legit top 4 D men?

if he cant carry scuderi - like the rest of our Dmen can - hes not a top 4 D.

hes average, we are better today that we were yesterday. be happy.

 

[SEALBound]

Bizzarro World Penguins.

Next year, Glass for Crosby and Pens fans rejoice.

 

[YinzAintBurgh*]

6 years and Despres was still average. Some of you are acting like he was the best defensemen to ever suit up in a Pens jersey. I will give you DB not playing him didn't help but two different regimes didn't like him. Look at our 1st round draft picks 3 years before and after. Staal and 4 years before Crosby. Now 3 years after Maatta and in the little time we have seen Pouliot we can already tell both of these players are lightyears ahead of Despres. And you act like we don't have Harrington, Dumoulin, and 7 other defensive prospects waiting in the wings. How many teams in the NHL have a whole defensive core of homegrown talent? We are fine. 6 years and still a average player. It was time to cut ties. We got a homegrown player back that is better at this time and will give us a better chance to win right now. Long term? Who knows and it doesn't matter. We got plenty of defensemen.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

6 years and Despres was still average. Some of you are acting like he was the best defensemen to ever suit up in a Pens jersey. I will give you DB not playing him didn't help but two different regimes didn't like him. Look at our 1st round draft picks 3 years before and after. Staal and 4 years before Crosby. Now 3 years after Maatta and in the little time we have seen Pouliot we can already tell both of these players are lightyears ahead of Despres. And you act like we don't have Harrington, Dumoulin, and 7 other defensive prospects waiting in the wings. How many teams in the NHL have a whole defensive core of homegrown talent? We are fine. 6 years and still a average player. It was time to cut ties. We got a homegrown player back that is better at this time and will give us a better chance to win right now. Long term? Who knows and it doesn't matter. We got plenty of defensemen.

What the hell does the bolded even imply? Are you holding it against him that he wasn't performing like a top four defenseman as a 18 or 19 year old junior player?

 

[IcedCapp]

y'all need to stop taking some of this bait...