Confirmed with Link: Kessel and a 4th to Arizona for Galchenyuk and PO Joseph

[Jules Winnfield]

Tocchet was on Spittin Chiclets (recorded before the trade) and he told stories about how Kessel was key to that team because it was overly serious, and he always lightened the mood. He was huge to the team’s psyche.

Also, it seemed like Tocchet was the neutral party between the coaches and players. Sully would basically have Tocchet talk to the players for him. So now that falls on Recchi...scary thought

That’s what I was told from folks also re: Tocchet. It helped the team to have a coach they respected and be the intermediary between Sully and them. The team respects Sully because he is a leader and has their back he just needs someone to be the voice in between. He was good at focusing the emotion from the players on the game instead of becoming more focused on the emotion and becoming emotional train wrecks.

 

[Jules Winnfield]

Covered in the OT thread, but certainly reasonable to think after listening that Tocchet was the Geno whisperer in addition to being the Phil whisperer.

and the Letang whisperer...

 

[KIRK]

and the Letang whisperer...

Uh oh, better watch that kind of talk . . .

 

[KIRK]

That’s what I was told from folks also re: Tocchet. It helped the team to have a coach they respected and be the intermediary between Sully and them. The team respects Sully because he is a leader and has their back he just needs someone to be the voice in between. He was good at focusing the emotion from the players on the game instead of becoming more focused on the emotion and becoming emotional train wrecks.

I've heard similar . . .

Definitely curious to see if Sullivan has had his own 'look in the mirror' moment this summer.

 

[HandshakeLine]

I've heard similar . . .

Definitely curious to see if Sullivan has had his own 'look in the mirror' moment this summer.

It would be nice if he hired another AC anyway, IMO, because Martin's a zillion years old, and Recchi's... well, Recchi.

 

[Peat]

That’s what I was told from folks also re: Tocchet. It helped the team to have a coach they respected and be the intermediary between Sully and them. The team respects Sully because he is a leader and has their back he just needs someone to be the voice in between. He was good at focusing the emotion from the players on the game instead of becoming more focused on the emotion and becoming emotional train wrecks.

*stares at Mark Recchi*

Ho hum.

 

[KIRK]

It would be nice if he hired another AC anyway, IMO, because Martin's a zillion years old, and Recchi's... well, Recchi.

 

[Lara Emily]

So,

There are plenty of spots on the now deeper roster to make those up. Not to mention you getting a bunch back defensively.

Deeper roster?

A bunch back? Galy is literally Kessel lite.... plus the Tanev signing puts Bjugstad or Rust at risk of being traded....

 

[WheresRamziAbid]

Deeper roster?

A bunch back? Galy is literally Kessel lite.... plus the Tanev signing puts Bjugstad or Rust at risk of being traded....

1. Yes he Kessel Light lighter on offense but less horrendous on defense.

2. Bjustad and or Rust have not been traded. Even if they are traded, the thing about trades are that you get something in return.

3. We also got a pretty good prospect at the position of most immediate need and shallowest depth.

 

[Mario_is_BACK!!]

1. Yes he Kessel Light lighter on offense but less horrendous on defense.

This simply isn't true.

 

[Iapyi]

Great move by the Pens to dump kissile when he still had some perceived value.

 

[Turin]

This simply isn't true.

It simply is a fact.

 

[Ogrezilla]

It simply is a fact.

the two are similar in the sense that they are pretty much in the league purely for their offense. That said, from what I can tell they seem to play offense very differently. The fact that he has a dangerous one-timer changes the way he can fit with Sid or Geno quite a bit compared to Kessel.

 

[CertifiedLurker]

Galchenyuk is one of those guys who doesn’t hesitate to shoot the puck... we really have missed that guy on the pp since neal left

PP was 5th last year and 1st the year before... Has it really missed that guy?

 

[Shockmaster]

PP was 5th last year and 1st the year before... Has it really missed that guy?

Not to mention it would be hard to fit Galchenyuk on the PP considering he's another lefty.

 

[chethejet]

Pens had numerous reasons for trading Kessel. Cap room, declining play and just couldn't carry a third line. But the larger issue is refitting the roster to give Sid and a Malkin more help. I don't see Galchenyuk being the PP RH shot needed on the off wing but Bjugstad has the size and reach to be that guy.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Pens had numerous reasons for trading Kessel. Cap room, declining play and just couldn't carry a third line. But the larger issue is refitting the roster to give Sid and a Malkin more help. I don't see Galchenyuk being the PP RH shot needed on the off wing but Bjugstad has the size and reach to be that guy.

Except Galchenyuk can't carry a 3rd line either, Kessel's "declining play" saw him tie his 2nd highest point total ever and was oodles more productive than Galchenyuk has ever been in every situation, and we used the cap room we gained to sign Tanev.

So...that raises some questions.

 

[Turin]

Just like James Neal was traded at the height of his production which got halved immediately.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Just like James Neal was traded at the height of his production which got halved immediately.

It'd almost be analogous if Neal was traded for a similarly one-dimensional scorer who was paid slightly less money but was about half as productive and a UFA at the end of the year.

 

[Pens1566]

Just like James Neal was traded at the height of his production which got halved immediately.

Just like James Neal's production was only doubled by playing with Geno. He simply reverted to mortal James Neal. Kessel was at PPG for 3/4 seasons in TOR before the trade.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

*stares at Mark Recchi*

Ho hum.

Recchi whispers to himself and wonders why it isn't working.

 

[Ogrezilla]

Just like James Neal's production was only doubled by playing with Geno. He simply reverted to mortal James Neal. Kessel was at PPG for 3/4 seasons in TOR before the trade.

The biggest thing that gives me hope is that galchenyuk has a really good one timer. Much better than Kessel. So maybe it clicks just right and we can call his career away from us mortal galchenyuk like we do Neal.

 

[Ugene Magic]

We didn't replace Neal until they traded for Kessel, who frankly is better than Neal by leaps and bounds.

If Crosby , Malkin and Kessel shot more, I have no doubts they "all" crack 100 points, but they refused to shoot when they could have.

 

[gopens66]

Well, seeing as Phil never one-timed it, it has to be better......

 

[Empoleon8771]

Kessel today is nothing even close to Kessel in Toronto, just looking at points is a very inaccurate measure. Kessel is a 65 point winger who farmed powerplay points for the Penguins in the last 2 years. If Kessel today was still Kessel of 2013, he would have put up 110 points with the Penguins. He was an absolute monster at ES while in Toronto, he's not that anymore. He's going to see the same decline in production that Neal had, his best is going to fall by about 20 points.

Neal had that fall in production due to a decline in powerplay production. Neal's ES production didn't change all that much after getting traded, he had 55 ES points in 99 games in his last 2 seasons in Pittsburgh followed by 77 ES points in 147 games the next 2 years with Nashville. That's not a huge decline, the huge decline came from him falling from 38 PP points per 82 games to 10 PP points per 82 games.