Post-Game Talk: Hurricanes 2, Penguins 1 - Pens Winless Since ColePens Buys $550 Pair of Shoes

[WayneSid9987]

Jake/Sheary-Sid-Horny
Hags-G-Phil/Sprong
Jake/Sheary-Sheahan-Sprong/Phil
Wilson-Rowney-Simon

is what i'd run. Let Sprong or Phil face lesser checking units.
Best player out of Jake/Sheary gets to play along side Sid-Horny.
If Wilson's PK'ing in Wilkes, he goes in for Kuhn.

Not that any of this matters. Probably still stack up the L's but try it.

But if they wanna try Sprong with Sid then have at it. Doan' care at this point.

 

[WayneSid9987]

I find it hard to believe a Dutch website would know more than some the beat writers and people in Pittsburgh but I hope it is true, we need a spark.

They seem pretty confident. Headline is their twitter banner. lol
Could see it being legit if they have contacts with Sprong/his family.

 

[Tom Hanks]

I find it hard to believe a Dutch website would know more than some the beat writers and people in Pittsburgh but I hope it is true, we need a spark.

Sprong might have been told late after the game and contacted people back home. It’s around midday in Holland now.

Beat writers are in bed here.

 

[Night Shift]

I find it hard to believe a Dutch website would know more than some the beat writers and people in Pittsburgh but I hope it is true, we need a spark.

No, It was @Kip Drordy 's booming voice that has reached Holland and woke them out of their sleep. He's right now more popular than Sprong.

 

[Peat]

Glad I missed this one.

Glad I'm missing most of this season tbh. Half the time I watch, they look a decent team with bad confidence and luck. The other half, they look like they just don't care.

This team's hit one hell of a wall and somehow seem to be getting worse.

 

[DegenX]

Sprong isn't going to make a lick of difference when the defense can't break the puck out to save their lives. There was one sequence in the 2nd (?) where Olli Maatta put 3 in a row on Carolina Hurricane sticks and gave a 4th to a guy who was flatfooted and covered (immediate turnover). Everybody else on the defense is worse at breakouts than he is.

Until that changes, it doesn't matter who's playing wing or whether Crosby had a good game or not. If you have no transition, you have no 5 on 5 offense. Eventually, you get cycled to fatigue and then you lose the game.

Credit to Malkin who noticed how bad it was and started breaking the puck out himself.

I think you're the only one who keeps pointing this out, and it keeps getting glossed over. Granted, injuries have made it worse, but even with everyone healthy and in the line-up it's been an issue.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

I think you're the only one who keeps pointing this out, and it keeps getting glossed over. Granted, injuries have made it worse, but even with everyone healthy and in the line-up it's been an issue.

Pens transition game will be fine with Letang and Schultz back.

However, if they want to get back to being a dominant possession team, they need another mobile blueliner that can skate the puck out, join the rush, and be a threat on the back door... ala Daley.

I've been saying since October adding another mobile puckhandler is the biggest key to getting back to where they were in 2016.

It just doesn't seem JR sees it that way, at least from what has been reported.

 

[wej20]

He really likes his big, physical guys. All those Oleksiak and all those WBS defensemen. I guess I’m fine with Reaves since Sid and Geno asked for it, but man I’d prefer physical D that can move the puck.

I do question why you need Reaves against the Canes though, especially when we're dressing Oleksiak. I think Justin Williams is the only Cane with more than 10 Career fights and he's been playing about 20 years.

 

[Night Shift]

Thank god. The guy has that rare enthusiasm like Ovechkin does when he scores. Hopefully he jolts some life in a bunch of these limp dicks.

I do question why you need Reaves against the Canes though, especially when we're dressing Oleksiak. I think Justin Williams is the only Cane with more than 10 Career fights and he's been playing about 20 years.

And I can't really think of anyone else on their team other than Skinner who can be a punk occasionally.

 

[NMK11]

I do question why you need Reaves against the Canes though, especially when we're dressing Oleksiak. I think Justin Williams is the only Cane with more than 10 Career fights and he's been playing about 20 years.

There's maybe a handful of teams you could say Reaves would be good for. But let's play him every game anyway.

Same with Kuhn. With rust out I can see the need for a PKer, but otherwise he should just not be playing.

 

[Rakell67]

Pens transition game will be fine with Letang and Schultz back.

However, if they want to get back to being a dominant possession team, they need another mobile blueliner that can skate the puck out, join the rush, and be a threat on the back door... ala Daley.

I've been saying since October adding another mobile puckhandler is the biggest key to getting back to where they were in 2016.

It just doesn't seem JR sees it that way, at least from what has been reported.

In 2016, they had Dumo-Letang, Maatta-Daley and Cole-Lovejoy. Schultz only played when Daley was done for the season so unless you count Lovejoy as a puckmover, they only had 2 at one time in 2016, same as now.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

In 2016, they had Dumo-Letang, Maatta-Daley and Cole-Lovejoy. Schultz only played when Daley was done for the season so unless you count Lovejoy as a puckmover, they only had 2 at one time in 2016, same as now.

I don't count Schultz as a mobile puck handling blueliner like Daley and Letang. He helps in transition and is decent at skating the puck out, but he isn't on the same tier as Letang and Daley at joining the rush and using his speed to create odd man situations like they can/could.

Letang and Daley were/are on a different level than Schultz at breaking down a defense and creating chaos with their skating.

 

[Tom Hanks]

I do question why you need Reaves against the Canes though, especially when we're dressing Oleksiak. I think Justin Williams is the only Cane with more than 10 Career fights and he's been playing about 20 years.

With our roster last night he’d be sat for Wilson so an easy choice to play him.

 

[ColePens]

I do question why you need Reaves against the Canes though, especially when we're dressing Oleksiak. I think Justin Williams is the only Cane with more than 10 Career fights and he's been playing about 20 years.

And that's the part I really have an issue with Sully this year. Chicago - Reaves dresses. Tampa - Reaves dresses. And it's fine if you think he's a decent player, but Sully obviously doesn't because he's playing 3-6 minutes. Or he gets blowout minutes and does nothing for the game.

We had guys in the AHL and on the roster that were smaller/faster and played a better game for these teams. You gave 2 away who fit our mold better than any other team in trades (Wilson/Archi) and now you have 3 slugs on L4 that are probably all NHLers (maybe) but do not fit our mentality at all.

It makes zero sense and it's frustrating.

 

[vodeni]

Pens transition game will be fine with Letang and Schultz back.

However, if they want to get back to being a dominant possession team, they need another mobile blueliner that can skate the puck out, join the rush, and be a threat on the back door... ala Daley.

I've been saying since October adding another mobile puckhandler is the biggest key to getting back to where they were in 2016.

It just doesn't seem JR sees it that way, at least from what has been reported.

isn't that what they thought they were getting in Hunwick, thats what I heard them saying

 

[ColePens]

isn't that what they thought they were getting in Hunwick, thats what I heard them saying

Yeah a PMD that actually ate minutes in Toronto. And honestly he had a terrific playoff run. But boy... he sucks. He's not as advertised atttttt all. I try to give 40+ games to really see how the player develops on the new team and the new system, but he's progressing in a negative way.

I forget who said it, but he's really a left handed Chad Ruhwedel. Probably a solid 600k-1m #6/7. Not anything more.

 

[vodeni]

Yeah a PMD that actually ate minutes in Toronto. And honestly he had a terrific playoff run. But boy... he sucks. He's not as advertised atttttt all. I try to give 40+ games to really see how the player develops on the new team and the new system, but he's progressing in a negative way.

I forget who said it, but he's really a left handed Chad Ruhwedel. Probably a solid 600k-1m #6/7. Not anything more.

I have been watching him closely, this is what I see: he is not all that bad once he gets a puck on open ice, his wall game especially when he has to skate back to retreive the puck is atrocious, every forward I watched so far just blow him off the puck, he could maybe good with someone who plays behind him, fast to puck and can get him puck to move forward, but the way now and pairing him with Maatta that is pure disaster

 

[Tom Hanks]

Hunwick’s playing on his wrong side too. So we overpaid (slightly) for him and now we play him in a position where he’ll be worse. Get a RHD if that’s what we needed!

 

[JTG]

I don't count Schultz as a mobile puck handling blueliner like Daley and Letang. He helps in transition and is decent at skating the puck out, but he isn't on the same tier as Letang and Daley at joining the rush and using his speed to create odd man situations like they can/could.

Letang and Daley were/are on a different level than Schultz at breaking down a defense and creating chaos with their skating.

Schultz really doesn't support the rush much, but with that being said, I think he has the best breakout pass of the 3. How many times have we seen that dude rope it between two defenders right on the tape? I also think he is the superior PPQB to the other 2. A good PPQB makes it look like an art - he can move PKers around with the things he does and work his guys open in shooting positions. I think Schultz is fantastic at that.

I also think for as terrible as people in Edmonton said his defense was, he has made strides here. He's by no stretch a shutdown defenseman, but if you put him with a good positionally minded guy, he is just fine. He'll never be a Brian Rafalski where he can put up gigantic offensive numbers but still play a cerebral game with strong positional play, but he can do enough.

 

[KIRK]

Hunwick’s playing on his wrong side too. So we overpaid (slightly) for him and now we play him in a position where he’ll be worse. Get a RHD if that’s what we needed!

For as much as people ***** about Reaves, signing Hunwick was the biggest mistake.

You had 5 defensemen set. You'd seen what Ruh could do, for better or worse. You could keep Poo or sign another sub 1M per year defenseman to keep Ruh on his toes.

The 1.2-1.5M per season wasted on Hunwick (the difference between what they gave him and someone more reasonably priced for the role) was a bigger waste than anything else, even the couple hundred grand extra Reaves costs you in cap space.

 

[Speaking Moistly]

And that's the part I really have an issue with Sully this year. Chicago - Reaves dresses. Tampa - Reaves dresses. And it's fine if you think he's a decent player, but Sully obviously doesn't because he's playing 3-6 minutes. Or he gets blowout minutes and does nothing for the game.

We had guys in the AHL and on the roster that were smaller/faster and played a better game for these teams. You gave 2 away who fit our mold better than any other team in trades (Wilson/Archi) and now you have 3 slugs on L4 that are probably all NHLers (maybe) but do not fit our mentality at all.

It makes zero sense and it's frustrating.

Speaking of Reaves last night. 5:13 and 7 shifts. They need to get the f*** over the grit and protection shit.

 

[Tom Hanks]

For as much as people ***** about Reaves, signing Hunwick was the biggest mistake.

You had 5 defensemen set. You'd seen what Ruh could do, for better or worse. You could keep Poo or sign another sub 1M per year defenseman to keep Ruh on his toes.

The 1.2-1.5M per season wasted on Hunwick (the difference between what they gave him and someone more reasonably priced for the role) was a bigger waste than anything else, even the couple hundred grand extra Reaves costs you in cap space.

Yeah D was the one area he could have waited on and the risk would have been low.

We also had Corrado who was a RHD who has looked ok when up.

 

[KIRK]

Yeah D was the one area he could have waited on and the risk would have been low.

We also had Corrado who was a RHD who has looked ok when up.

Forgot him.

Look, if it were a guy WORTH what Hunwick got, a guy who somehow slipped through the cracks in free agency and that deal would've been below market, I'd get spending the coin.

But, not for Hunwick. Just awful.

 

[Rossi Rat]

I was mad, but Mark Madden reminded me we’re basically not allowed to be upset because the Pens won back to back cups.

The big man spoke and I listened. I’m good now!

 

[wej20]

For as much as people ***** about Reaves, signing Hunwick was the biggest mistake.

You had 5 defensemen set. You'd seen what Ruh could do, for better or worse. You could keep Poo or sign another sub 1M per year defenseman to keep Ruh on his toes.

The 1.2-1.5M per season wasted on Hunwick (the difference between what they gave him and someone more reasonably priced for the role) was a bigger waste than anything else, even the couple hundred grand extra Reaves costs you in cap space.

Yep, given what Hunwick's making he should clearly be playing a level above Ruhwedel