Michelle Sturino "Pittsburgh won't three peat and won't be top of standings"

[OvermanKingGainer]

A threepeat is an unlikely scenario no matter what so this is a safe prediction. However, most of the guys the pens are losing this offseason are older guys who mostly played supporting roles and can be replaced pretty easily. Bonino is the most important guy they're losing, and even he is just a pretty good 3C. I don't see the Pens backsliding too far.

Bonino is a 2C who played 3C on a stacked team.

 

[Menzinger]

As long as Crosby Malkin and Kessel are able to play close to their average level of play they'll be contenders. A healthy Letang too will definitely make them a lethal threat

 

[Tifosi]

Fatigue is going to kick in, happened to Hawks and Kings.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

Fatigue is going to kick in, happened to Hawks and Kings.

Terrible contracts is what happened to the hawks and kings. Pens don't have any, and have a steady stream of elc talent providing high value relative to cap hit. Fatigue was supposed to kick in this past year too we were told. Truth be told we don't know what will happen, this is uncharted territory in the past 20 years.

 

[wej20]

Bonino is a 2C who played 3C on a stacked team.

2nd line centres put up more than 40 points. Bonino is a good 3rd line centre who shows flashes of being a 2nd centre. He's a gamer come playoff time too.

 

[Super Hans]

NHL Network Radio in all honesty has arguably the worst lineup of on-air personalities.

Boomer Gordon, Scott Laughlin, Patrick O'Sullivan, Michelle Sturino, Jake Hahn, Tyler Materasz, Nick Alberga. They are all so, so bad. They're cringe worthy to listen to.

A bunch of literally whos except O'Sullivan who is a literally why.

 

[Creativero]

I think loosening Kunitz, Fleury and Cullen might hurt chemistry in the locker room. The leadership vacuum is going to be filled by young guys who just won back to back Cups to start their career. Guys like Murray, Sheary and Guentzel are bound to be a little cocky at this point and ironically, probably won't be as accommodating and helpful to the new guys as the guys leaving were to them.

 

[Son Goku]

I think loosening Kunitz, Fleury and Cullen might hurt chemistry in the locker room. The leadership vacuum is going to be filled by young guys who just won back to back Cups to start their career. Guys like Murray, Sheary and Guentzel are bound to be a little cocky at this point and ironically, probably won't be as accommodating and helpful to the new guys as the guys leaving were to them.

Yeah they totally don't have other veterans that can fill those roles they aren't 15 year olds going through puberty. They're professionals for a reason.

 

[Wild-Sabres]

Top of the Standings? Yes. 3-peat? I'm gonna say no. Unless we're talking about the boring NBA, a 3-peat is so so hard to do. But then again, so is going back-to-back.

 

[Tofveve]

As long as they have Sid and Geno they're unpredictably good.

 

[Penske]

I think loosening Kunitz, Fleury and Cullen might hurt chemistry in the locker room. The leadership vacuum is going to be filled by young guys who just won back to back Cups to start their career. Guys like Murray, Sheary and Guentzel are bound to be a little cocky at this point and ironically, probably won't be as accommodating and helpful to the new guys as the guys leaving were to them.

You don't think Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Hornqvist, Kessel can be good leaders in the locker room.

No ones getting away with being cocky on Sullivan's watch.

 

[Internet Explorer]

The odds are against the Pens...but that's not the problem. The problem is that OP listened to what Sturino said. She's unquestionably the worst person on NHL Sirius. Her show that she had by herself, the one that aired in the mornings, her awkward pauses were the worst. Only few things are worse. Tom brady, the twin girls from the Keith Pearson Toyota dealership in Florida, Jonathan Toews mural and Morgan Freeman. Isis is creeping up my list too.

 

[orby]

Bonino is a 2C who played 3C on a stacked team.

He's really not. I like Bonino but he shouldn't be sniffing second line minutes on a really good team.

 

[mpp9]

Hunwick and Malkin are the oldest members of the Pens. Luck and injuries will be bigger factors than fatigue. Pens have played their stars less than 20 minutes religiously. Malkin at 17 minutes quite often.

 

[Peat]

2nd line centres put up more than 40 points. Bonino is a good 3rd line centre who shows flashes of being a 2nd centre. He's a gamer come playoff time too.

You think Bonino wouldn't put up 2C numbers with 2C usage in terms of ice time zone usage? I mean, he's done it before...

 

[DrJustice]

I mean, I would have said they don't have any chance to repeat and they just did. It's certainly more likely than not they are just as good next year as long as they stay healthy. Same core, different role players. As long as the GM does his job before training cap they are probably my #2 favorite

That being said, I don' think they win is next year

 

[Creativero]

You don't think Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Hornqvist, Kessel can be good leaders in the locker room.

No ones getting away with being cocky on Sullivan's watch.

I'm really not saying anything specific. It's just that this team has had a lot of success developing young players recently and it's possible that some of these older guys might have helped out in that regard. It's 3 less guys who you know are going to put the team first setting the tone for new players.

 

[TheStatican]

You think Bonino wouldn't put up 2C numbers with 2C usage in terms of ice time zone usage? I mean, he's done it before...

Bonino was playing with Kessel, a first line winger and Hagelin to start the year. They scored a combined 5 goals as a line in 52 games this year;
http://thehockeywriters.com/what-happened-to-the-hbk-line/

We'll yeah, It's more up to the refs at this point

No, it's up to whether or not they can pay them more than any other team. Fixed that for you

 

[Sam Spade]

The Pens need Malkin and Crosby healthy and half way decent goaltending. Everything else is irrelevant. I wonder how long it will be before people realize this?

Pens are favorites until they are eliminated.

 

[GordieHowsUrBreath]

Fatigue is going to kick in, happened to Hawks and Kings.

i guess they're still tired years after their cup wins, right?

the pens are better than both anyways

at what point will these "experts" pick the pens to win? almost none picked them the last 2 years

 

[BronzeSpruce]

What a bold statement....

 

[Peat]

Bonino was playing with Kessel, a first line winger and Hagelin to start the year. They scored a combined 5 goals as a line in 52 games this year;
http://thehockeywriters.com/what-happened-to-the-hbk-line/

But still had less than 30% offensive zone starts and his ice time did drop from when he was out west. He also sees less power play time.

More attacking usage should yield the few extra points that makes him a 40+ guy again.

 

[N o o d l e s]

How hard is it to predict a team won't 3-peat?

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Boy, she really went out on a limb there. Did she make any other predictions, like predicting nobody was going to beat Wayne Gretzky's 92 goal season next year?

 

[3074326]

I don't expect another title, but they very well could be better next season than they were this season. I just don't know if they'll be able to grind out another Cup. That would be an insane amount of hockey.