Has your opinion changed on the Reaves deal?

[Pens1566]

Nope. Bad asset management.

 

[Tom Hanks]

I'm probably better with it than what I was, and I wasn't anyway near as negative as most. What JR wanted to get with him, he got. If people find that too unquantifiable.... so be it. I would not be at all surprised to see us re-sign him.

The only problem with Reaves hockey-wise is that we didn't get our 4th line C sorted at any point of the season. He was never going to give us great possession stats or numbers, but with Rowney and Dea etc? Please.

I’d be very surprised if Reaves signs here. His ice time has dropped more than 2 minutes a game from last season.

 

[Peat]

Here's a thought -

how different would people feel if he had his 2018 pace through the entire season, which would give him 6 goals and 15 points?

 

[Deport Ogie]

He seems to fit in the personality of the room so I guess there's that. It does seem a shame that he doesn't work as well on-ice because the guy is pure charisma and he's fun to listen to.

I mean, he's a better player than Tanner Glass. In the right situation, as he had in STL, Reaves is a functional hockey player. Glass was only a functional hockey player with a playstation controller in his hand.

 

[Tom Hanks]

Here's a thought -

how different would people feel if he had his 2018 pace through the entire season, which would give him 6 goals and 15 points?

I don’t think he’s in our best 8 wingers.

 

[SomeDude]

The guy has been ON THE ICE while Perry and Brown almost took out Schultz and Letang with cheap shots.

He deters nothing.

He’s a funny guy and has a good personality? Cool, so did Colby Armstrong. Didn’t make him any better of a hockey player or affect the team when he left.

Imagine how much of a better situation the Pens would be in for the deadline if we had a prospect like Kostin in the system. Would make a great trade chip or easier to trade some other guys. The deal was horrible asset management...I do not see how anyone can think otherwise.

 

[ChrisKuuuunitz]

watch him beast mode in the playoffs

 

[WheresRamziAbid]

The guy has been ON THE ICE while Perry and Brown almost took out Schultz and Letang with cheap shots.

He deters nothing.

He’s a funny guy and has a good personality? Cool, so did Colby Armstrong. Didn’t make him any better of a hockey player or affect the team when he left.

Imagine how much of a better situation the Pens would be in for the deadline if we had a prospect like Kostin in the system. Would make a great trade chip or easier to trade some other guys. The deal was horrible asset management...I do not see how anyone can think otherwise.

Lazy analysis, in as far as the deterrent effect of Reaves.

I cant sit here and say he does or doesnt because there is no way to total amount of dirty hits NOT happening. Yes there have been a handful of incidents this year but thats everyone. It seem like in years past we would have passed this total just against Columbus alone.

 

[Ragamuffin Gunner]

ugh, no.

 

[dogthateats]

I didn’t care about Sundqvist or moving down. I would have liked Kostin. I have a feeling he will be an impact NHL’er but I had a feeling that we wouldn’t have picked him anyways. Who knows—we may have picked Lauzon in that same spot. I don’t mind Reaves on the 4th line against big teams. I don’t want him back though.

 

[DegenX]

My opinion hasn't changed. It's nice that he turned out to be a character sort of guy in the room, but we don't need his skill set. We shouldn't have made the trade and we shouldn't re-sign him.

 

[Asuna]

nope. he's a good guy and all. but we can't roll 4 effective lines with him in the lineup

 

[AjaxTelamon]

Lazy analysis, in as far as the deterrent effect of Reaves.

I cant sit here and say he does or doesnt because there is no way to total amount of dirty hits NOT happening. Yes there have been a handful of incidents this year but thats everyone. It seem like in years past we would have passed this total just against Columbus alone.

Yeah, I haven't noticed many liberties taken with Sid and Geno at all. Games against Winnipeg have traditionally been open season on our entire team, didn't go that way this year. As our stars age, anything we can do to lessen the wear and tear is a good thing. I'd be happy to have the guy back, put him with an actual center instead of Rowney, and you could play the line more and his production would increase.

 

[ZeroPucksGiven]

nope. he's a good guy and all. but we can't roll 4 effective lines with him in the lineup

And you can say the same thing about Kuhn/Rowney

But recognize they both make significantly less than Reaves

 

[AjaxTelamon]

nope. he's a good guy and all. but we can't roll 4 effective lines with him in the lineup

It's not him, it's Rowney and a redundant Kuhn on the other wing. With Sheahan that line was really good even with Kuhn.

 

[Nakawick]

Reaves is doing exactly was he was brought in to do. He is a sherif, not a mindless knuckle dragging goon.

 

[Tweed]

I liked the trade then, and I still like it now.

No cheapshots on Sid or Geno all regular season. That's not a coincidence. If a small move down in the draft, isn't worth the gain of an additional 10-20 games of Sid & Geno in the reg (and consequently extending their careers by limiting their injuries)... then I don't know what is. What we lost in 4th line production, we gained in character and top-9 production.

Yeah, we have a Speed Identity. Yeah, we slowed down a hair with Reaves. But teams don't win cups by repeating what previous champions did to win, in perpetuity. The game evolves, and counter-measures are taken by opposition to stymie emergent styles of play. The key to the Cup isn't finding a winning strategy, and wash-rinse-repeating it... the key is constantly re-inventing the winning formula, and finding new ways to innovate in the game, in a way that the opposition have no answer to.

We won in 2016 handily. We played the same way in 2017, and barely squeaked one out. The Reaves adjustment to the formula, is our answer to the other teams' answer to our 2016 strategy, that they put into practice in 2017 (aka "abuse").

 

[chethejet]

Did Dubinsky play Sunday? Reaves brings that single element of responding as needed. He can bring energy and can hammer players legally with his size and speed. He is a fourth line banger with decent skill. More importantly, Sid and Geno appreciate his presence and will help prolong their careers. So yes I saw the need for him at the draft, and see the need for him now. He knows his role and Sully likes that element of pressure and bringing the body.

 

[Tom Hanks]

Did Dubinsky play Sunday? Reaves brings that single element of responding as needed. He can bring energy and can hammer players legally with his size and speed. He is a fourth line banger with decent skill. More importantly, Sid and Geno appreciate his presence and will help prolong their careers. So yes I saw the need for him at the draft, and see the need for him now. He knows his role and Sully likes that element of pressure and bringing the body.

I think he’s forced onto Sully. Reaves is 32nd on our team in average TOI. He beats Dea to not be last.

 

[Asuna]

And you can say the same thing about Kuhn/Rowney

But recognize they both make significantly less than Reaves

you certainly could. i don't like any of them

It's not him, it's Rowney and a redundant Kuhn on the other wing. With Sheahan that line was really good even with Kuhn.

they had a few good games, big deal. i question whether they'd have continued success. there's a lack of scoring on that line regardless.

 

[cassius]

Still a really, really bad deal.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that parting with a 1st rounder for a guy who plays 5 minutes a night, or doesn't play at all.. yeah that isn't the best use of a 1st rounder

You give up a 4th rounder for a guy like that, not a 1st rounder

 

[Jaded-Fan]

Still a really, really bad deal.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that parting with a 1st rounder for a guy who plays 5 minutes a night, or doesn't play at all.. yeah that isn't the best use of a 1st rounder

You give up a 4th rounder for a guy like that, not a 1st rounder

The Pens did not give up a first rounder. They exchanged the last pick in the first round for a second rounder twenty picks later. I know the guy taken in that spot was a name Russian player, but the Pens likely would not have taken him anyways, and lots of Russian name prospects have failed, likely why he dropped. In general there is little difference in the chance of getting a player between the last spot in the draft or one a couple of dozen spots later.

 

[exHornet]

Seems to me that if Crosby and Malkin want him around, then nobody else's opinion matters. Do you guys think they don't know what a good team needs, or what is a valuable contribution and what is not?

I'm seeing that JR wanted him, and that Sid and Geno want him. Given that, why would anybody think he shouldn't be here? Do their opinions carry no weight?

Right now we've got 3 guys in the top 10 (or higher) in scoring. None of those guys are hurt, and none of those guys have been run in some time. It's not unreasonable to suggest that maybe there is a correlation here.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Did Dubinsky play Sunday? Reaves brings that single element of responding as needed. He can bring energy and can hammer players legally with his size and speed. He is a fourth line banger with decent skill. More importantly, Sid and Geno appreciate his presence and will help prolong their careers. So yes I saw the need for him at the draft, and see the need for him now. He knows his role and Sully likes that element of pressure and bringing the body.

Zero doubts in my mind that clown getting his face caved in by Kassian deterred him Sunday knowing Reaves was lurking. Not a soul can convince me he wouldn't have tried his usual bullshit if Reaves wasn't there.

People can be angry about the deal, but the argument will never change that this league doesn't protect its stars and a GM who sat on his hands after what happened to Crosby and Malkin last season, would have been nothing less than incompetent as hell IMHO.

Crosby and Malkin wanted a guy like Reaves, I already know that for a fact. Anyone who thinks they have taken as much abuse as last season, is having convenient memory lapses.

Keeping them healthy and happy is well worth moving down 20 spots in the draft and a busted prospect.

And last I checked, this team is tearing up the league, despite the nonsense I was told that Reaves would somehow change their style of play.

 

[KIRK]

Zero doubts in my mind that clown getting his face caved in by Kassian deterred him Sunday knowing Reaves was lurking. Not a soul can convince me he wouldn't have tried his usual bull**** if Reaves wasn't there.

People can be angry about the deal, but the argument will never change that this league doesn't protect its stars and a GM who sat on his hands after what happened to Crosby and Malkin last season, would have been nothing less than incompetent as hell IMHO.

Crosby and Malkin wanted a guy like Reaves, I already know that for a fact. Anyone who thinks they have taken as much abuse as last season, is having convenient memory lapses.

Keeping them healthy and happy is well worth moving down 20 spots in the draft and a busted prospect.

And last I checked, this team is tearing up the league, despite the nonsense I was told that Reaves would somehow change their style of play.

Sid did.

What people don't appreciate is how much Geno wanted him too. Remember, Geno was our default team tough guy last year, in addition to his other duties.