Post-Game Talk: Oil win. Pens don't care.

[Sidgeni Malkby]

Typical Pens game. Get the hell beat out of them all over the ice. Sid dealing w/ garbage and trying to stick up for himself. Sullivan telling everyone to just 'get to your game".

I really pray Sid, Geno, and Letang get traded or retire. Imagine how it feels. Every other star in the league has at least one guy to lay the body. Yet for years this garbage organization/coach refuses.

Ludvig is willing to stick up for folks, so we have 1 guy. Bunting also seems to be willing.

As for Letang…
Calm down guys. He is what he is, and overall his + make up for his -. Even at age 36. Besides it’s not like that goal was the reason we lost.

Today’s game there is more going on. Remember these players have won for so long that they have forgotten what it feels like to suck. Their brain can’t handle it. Letang especially.

This is where a good coach can make the world seem great again!

Even if you aren’t playing to make the playoffs there are other things to aim for. There are other bottom feeder teams, how do they stay motivated?

Maybe they should try drastic new strategies. How about a few run and gun games! Trap games? Whatever…try stuff you wouldn’t dare trying when aiming for the playoffs. We may learn something.

 

[Lustaf]

March of the Penguins, right to the golf course.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

Lost both to the Oil by a score of 10-1. This during a year where the GM talked about winning the division and being contenders.
What a joke.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

It really Amazes me that the players garner very little blame around here. I'm sure Sullivan for all is faults is not telling Letang or Graves or whoever to either feed the oppositions transition game or just out and out cough up the puck in the D ZONE to the current best player in the world. And doing so mind you with no one even pressuring him. Letang was 30 ft from anyone. He was careless, he's got that down to a science!


Letang is worse!

Why is it so hard to comprehend that it's not a case of "the players get very little blame" and instead a case of GET RID OF THE BIGGEST PROBLEM?

Laying blame on the players would be like blaming a soft tire for the reason the car isn't driving well while ignoring the fact the engine is on fire. Sure, the soft tire isn't helping matters but YOUR f***ING ENGINE IS ABOUT TO BLOW UP.

 

[DesertPenguin]

So are they trying to get the coach fired, trying to tank for draft picks, or just full out mutinying on Dubas for pulling the plug?

 

[Ryder71]

Of course he knows, he isn't an AHL defenseman lol. Of course good coaching makes a difference. It has made a major impact on how our players play ever since they came in. We hear countless times how frustrated our players get, or how much they lack confidence in themselves. We see these things all over the ice game in and game out. These things hamper good decision making. He isn't lazy, he just may be second-guessing himself too much or is overthinking. I'll re-state what I said earlier: Letang was fine when we were winning back-to-back cups. Once coaching started losing the players, our play started to become noticeably worse.

And a 36-37 year old Letang isn't the same as he was in 2016, he didn't play in 2017.

Players need to be held accountable. Sully is a problem but with players like this a young scotty bowman at the helm can't turn back father time.

 

[Ryder71]

Why is it so hard to comprehend that it's not a case of "the players get very little blame" and instead a case of GET RID OF THE BIGGEST PROBLEM?

Laying blame on the players would be like blaming a soft tire for the reason the car isn't driving well while ignoring the fact the engine is on fire. Sure, the soft tire isn't helping matters but YOUR f***ING ENGINE IS ABOUT TO BLOW UP.

Because when players egregiously mismanage the puck to the degree ours do, that's not on the coach. Not unless you believe the coach is telling them to throw games. (which by the way they should the rest of the season).

If any of you sincerely believe a new coach will change the trajectory of this team then you're sadly mistaken. Our core won't magically be made young again. And to be fully transparent I was ok with moving Sully after 2018.

When we're ready to be relevant again we'll have a new coach,. That's all that matters besides drafting well, making good usage of our assets and aptly developing our picks, prospects and young players.

 

[Turin]

So are they trying to get the coach fired, trying to tank for draft picks, or just full out mutinying on Dubas for pulling the plug?

Psychologically after the Calgary debacle they are a cat who realized it’s old and sick and is looking for a place to die.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

This team's simply a coaching staff, GM, entire bottom-6, three blueliners, three top-6 forwards, and a goalie away from being a playoff team.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

Psychologically after the Calgary debacle they are a cat who realized it’s old and sick and is looking for a place to die.

Yea I think we'll look back at that exact point for when this era ended. Team has looked miserable since then.

 

[Gurglesons]

This team's simply a coaching staff, GM, entire bottom-6, three blueliners, three top-6 forwards, and a goalie away from being a playoff team.

Islanders are in the playoffs.

Capitals are close too.

Seems like there is an easier path than some people want to admit.

 

[deakka]

I just hope they get Poulin and Pronomarev up. Season is over anyway and might as well get them some games. Dont know if recalls are possible tho or how our salary cap situation works.

Could also give Blomqvist a few games imo.

 

[Gurglesons]

I just hope they get Poulin and Pronomarev up. Season is over anyway and might as well get them some games. Dont know if recalls are possible tho or how our salary cap situation works.

Could also give Blomqvist a few games imo.

I’d rather them keep it as stale as possible.

This team could really finish top 5 in the draft if Sullivan coaches hard enough.

 

[HandshakeLine]

Lost both to the Oil by a score of 10-1. This during a year where the GM talked about winning the division and being contenders.
What a joke.

I don’t know if I blame the FO as much as the fans who bought it hook line and sinker

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Islanders are in the playoffs.

Capitals are close too.

Seems like there is an easier path than some people want to admit.

That's the point. It's easy to be one of half the teams in this league to make the playoffs. This team has work to do in order to get to there.

 

[cygnus47]

That's the point. It's easy to be one of half the teams in this league to make the playoffs. This team has work to do in order to get to there.

But not much, if any, roster work. It's mostly mental and systemic, which is an issue of coaching. To actual compete is another thing.

 

[Oilers in NS]

Lost both to the Oil by a score of 10-1. This during a year where the GM talked about winning the division and being contenders.
What a joke.

Im not hear to heckle.
Get rid of that Dubass before he destroys Pittsburgh. In 2-3 years, say goodbye to your draft picks. He gives them away like candy. Analytics guy he is. Scary

 

[HandshakeLine]

Im not hear to heckle.
Get rid of that Dubass before he destroys Pittsburgh. In 2-3 years, say goodbye to your draft picks. He gives them away like candy. Analytics guy he is. Scary

"Here", not "hear", Bubbles.

 

[Oilers in NS]

"Here", not "hear", Bubbles.

here here

 

[Victor Z]

So are they trying to get the coach fired, trying to tank for draft picks, or just full out mutinying on Dubas for pulling the plug?

In order: absolutely not, no, and bingo! Jake is dead, Doobie killed him, and there's going to be a 15-game funeral tour for him.

The "core" (more like "corpse") of this team adores Sully, adores the country club atmosphere and adores their lack of accountability. They no more want a real coach to come in here than any lazy, overpaid, underqualified slacker in any office in the real world would.

You want to see a real mutiny? Get a coach like Torts in here (or Berube, or Gallant). That's one huge reason why I very much WANT a coach like that in here (and have for years).

 

[ChaosAgent]

Today’s game there is more going on. Remember these players have won for so long that they have forgotten what it feels like to suck. Their brain can’t handle it. Letang especially.

They have been mediocre to bad for the last 2 years.

 

[Fogel]

Up until the west coast death spiral, they were a functional PP away from being a playoff team. That is a purely coaching/scheme problem. They were at 21.7% last year, dropping 7% is not a player thing.

While the tanking might be beneficial this year to get a high pick, I worry that next year they will be worse and that would go to SJ.

 

[pistolpete11]

Up until the west coast death spiral, they were a functional PP away from being a playoff team. That is a purely coaching/scheme problem. They were at 21.7% last year, dropping 7% is not a player thing.

While the tanking might be beneficial this year to get a high pick, I worry that next year they will be worse and that would go to SJ.

The team has given up. They realized what it was actually going to take to make the playoffs. The Guentzel trade was just the final nail in the coffin. Now they can't even pretend.

If they keep Sullivan around, they will be worse next year. Core another year older and most likely no Guentzel.

If they fire Sullivan, we'll see. They won't be Cup contenders, but they could be a playoff bubble team again.

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

In fairness to letang, everybody is talking about how great petts has been and he’s just trying to replicate his prior game

Well I'm sure Petts got tired of babysitting Letang and EK the entire year and is basically "quiet quitting". Like why should he bust his ass to cover for these 2 clowns?

 

[Rave7215]

Im not hear to heckle.
Get rid of that Dubass before he destroys Pittsburgh. In 2-3 years, say goodbye to your draft picks. He gives them away like candy. Analytics guy he is. Scary

WTF is with other teams coming in here to shit on our GM? I have not seen so much vitriol for a GM from outside a fan base ever. People are really upset that someone their own age is an NHL GM aren't they?

My dude, go worry about your own team. The coaching staff is, and has been, the problem for years. Get out of here