In your opinions, would the Pens have won back to back cups without trading for Phil the Thrill?

[Maestro84]

Inspired by the Malkin thread, do you guys think the Pens would've won those two consecutive cups without adding Kessel on their team in summer 2015?

IMO, the pens would've been perennially stuck at 1 chip for the remainder of the Crosby/Malkin era had it not been for Phil Kessel. That trade honestly saved the franchise from potential massive underachievement as he's been extremely clutch on many occasions since joining the Burgh

Also remember, the Pens had went like 7 years without winning a cup or even making the finals prior to the addition of Phil

Click to read more...

 

[Ainec]

no

easy

 

[Filthy Dangles]

Probably would not have in 2016. The HBK line was HUGE in that run and Kessel led the team in scoring. He was a huge piece to add.

 

[3074326]

Nope

 

[Taluss]

No

 

[oXo Cube]

Well he got jobbed for the Conn Smythe during the run for the first one so I'm gonna go with probably not.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

No, it gave them another dimension that they had been missing between 2010-15. Sure they had 100+ point seasons but they were lacking depth. Adding Kessel and promoting Sullivan breathed new life into a stagnating pens team.

 

[gorangers0525]

No, he was far from a passenger on those cup teams, arguably the best player in the playoffs for the first one.

 

[Kamiccolo]

Nope. Kessel was a huge part of both wins.

 

[Johnny Rifle]

Probably not, Kessel was probably one of the best free agent signingsw in the past 10 years, if not the best.

 

[DearDiary]

Well he got jobbed for the Conn Smythe during the run for the first one so I'm gonna go with probably not.

So people still think a guy who played against the other teams bottom 6 and didn't play defense, deserves a Conn Smythe?

I like Phil, but his allergies to physical contact will always bring him down

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

Well he got jobbed for the Conn Smythe during the run for the first one so I'm gonna go with probably not.

Kessel was great but Crosby/Malkin took a ton of pressure off the third line which was basically running wild against other teams second and third pairings. I'm fine with Crosby winning but personally I thought Letang was the pens mvp that year - that was Letang at his absolute peak, and his skating and puck movement ability is really what made that team so dominant.

 

[I am not exposed]

Probably not, Kessel was probably one of the best free agent signingsw in the past 10 years, if not the best.

Kessel was traded. Not a free agent signing.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Unlikely.

 

[Johnny Rifle]

Kessel was traded. Not a free agent signing.

'
You're right, didn't get much sleep last night. My apologies.

 

[TNT87]

Nope.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Getting rid of their dead weight coach helped more, as did their goalie situation no longer being an obvious detriment in crunch time, but I don't think they win without Phil either.

 

[Bonzo111]

no way

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

No. Kessel provided them with that third "elite" weapon that made it a match-up nightmare for the opposing team.

Without Phil, they would have been a top heavy team again, relying entirely on Crosby and Malkin. With Phil, they could throw out three "1st lines".

 

[dr robbie]

Not a chance. Having Kessel on their freaking third line... other teams couldn't match that kind of depth.

 

[trick9]

Nope.

 

[1point21Gigawatts]

No. He was integral to their win, especially in the 15-16 season. IMO, Kessel deserved the Conn Smythe that year over Crosby.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

No. Kessel has been so clutch in the playoffs.
I think going to the Pens where he didn’t have to be ‘the guy’ was a great career move for him.

 

[Khomutov]

No they wouldn't. He should won the Conn Smythe in 2016. Was also very good in 2017. Had a bad playoffs last year, one of the reasons the Pens lost to the Caps.

 

[Mulletman]

No. Kessel has really been important to Crosby's legacy as he's given him 2 Conn Smythes and 1 Rocket.

But if the Penguins never traded for Kessel, I think there's a good chance that they would've traded Olli Maatta for Hall instead. And that could've had a negative effect on Ovechkin and his chances of winning the cup last season...

 

[Mattilaus]

Nope.

 

[snipes]

No