So much negativity, and rightfully so, but let's have a thread where we talk about some x's and o's. How do you want this team to play?
1) Fast and Tenacious (Similar to Isles/Toronto last season):
This line up would see a lot more of the little gritty guys who fly around with speed to create turnovers. We wouldn't be the strongest bunch, but every shift would be fast. The foreward lineup would be players such as Megna, Gibby, Conner, Vitale, Stemp, Dupers, etc. The idea would be to aggressively forecheck and try to out-skill/speed teams. The games would be fast and furious and up/down. Forechecking/backchecking like there is no tomorrow. The downfall would be getting outworked in the corners and dominating the hit category.
2) Defensive/Transition Offense (Similar to Boston/NJ):
We would try to get the line up more with the big guys who finish hits and grind down teams. Most likely line up in a 1-2-2 and even try to trap if we have a lead. That would lead straight into our transition offense to score goals. We do not want up/down games, we want slow tempo that we control. The down fall of that game would be the consistent pressure of 2-1 games.
3) Combination
This seems to be where we are now. Some games we can play defensive and some games offensive. The down fall would be lacking identity but the big pro would be attempting to play to whatever team we are playing. That makes us a little better with playoff matchups since we can play both styles. However, if an identity isn't established, it can cause quite a mess.
The idea of this thread is to commit to a playing style and post as to why you feel it would fit our team. You can use the current players we have to develop a roster. If you use players outside of the Pens, please try to keep it realistic as to who we can actually sign/afford.
It's either got to be fast and tenacious or the most passive 1-2-2 short of a full blow trap.
The problem with fast and tenacious is that the Pens, collectively, aren't fast enough to pull it off and lack the PMDs and depth of skill up front to play end to end, balls to the wall against teams that can capitalize on them doing it.
A more passive 1-2-2. We cannot spread out that 1-2-2, because we don't have the personnel to control that gap.
We seemed to do ok with a LW lock, which really just reconfigures the alignment with a comparable philosophy defensively.
You know, one thing that sticks out to me is that I always keep remembering how much the Pens used to struggle with the Teddy Nolan coached Islanders. And, the thing that always seemed interesting is that it was hard trying to identify what precisely they were trying to do, because they just seemed to mix it up shift to shift, as if they were using system matching like they'd use personnel matching. Not sure. Maybe I'm imagining in hindsight, but it always seemed that they defended different lines a little differently and depending upon their personnel, like they were trying to neutralize the talent gap just a little further that way.
Anyway, whether that's what they did or not, I think that's what I'd like to see. I'd like to see us mixing up the looks a little, so the other team can't identify patterns in terms of how we're playing.
I wouldn't even mind a little of the old Kevin Constantine approach. Balls to the wall, tenacious as heck, defensemen pinch everywhere when the puck is in play in the offensive zone, but fall back defensively if it's less than 50/50.
I just think Bylsma (and Shero) want to play hockey like the Hawks do, and the Pens don't have the personnel for it.
EDIT: Heck, maybe we mix it up depending upon what personnel are out there. Geno likes to lay back. Have his line go LWL or very soft 1-2-2. Let Sid's guys, once Kunitz is back, go tenacious. Have the guys play to their strengths instead of a one size fits all approach, because thinking Geno and Neal can forecheck like Sid and Kunitz or thinking Orpik and Scuderi can move the puck like Martin and Letang just doesn't fly.
^ My problem with that is you let the play come to you. I rarely see that work in the playoffs. Typically the teams who attack win the Cup. Chicago, Pittsburgh, LA. Boston was surprisingly a tenacious team when they won.
Mark Madden is a huge proponent of wanting to see the Pens trap. I just never understood it. I like it better than the 1-2-2, but ultimately hate sitting.
Cole, I wouldn't have everyone trapping. But, Geno's line, as I said, I'd let them trap. I don't like JMN, but JMN would be 10X better in the playoffs as a trapping line. I don't like Orpik or even Scuds out there, but they would be 10X better in the playoffs supporting a trap, LWL, or soft 1-2-2, because they can't control the gap of a more tenacious system. They don't have that step they had 5 years ago. Just my two cents.
