Confirmed with Link: Oleksiak To Dallas for a 4th

[Honour Over Glory]

I still think we need to dump another defenseman. But I didn't hate Rigs time with the Pens like most. Hope he's used better in his second stint in Dallas.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

His results would suggest otherwise. I'm positive Oleksiak gets way more crap here than he deserves because he's a tough guy and people here hate that the Pens want to get tougher.

I was fine with him as the 6/7 defenseman and designated "tough guy". But only in a scenario in which Maatta and/or Johnson was moved.

Just my personal opinion, but I don't like a defense that has 3 of those guys on it. And since management seems to love Maatta and Johnson, Oleksiak was the one to go.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I was fine with him as the 6/7 defenseman and designated "tough guy". But only in a scenario in which Maatta and/or Johnson was moved.

Just my personal opinion, but I don't like a defense that has 3 of those guys on it. And since management seems to love Maatta and Johnson, Oleksiak was the one to go.

Ideally, you don't even have 2 of those guys on this defense

I never saw the point of having both Oleksiak and Johnson on this team, so it's not like this move surprises me. I just don't know why JR didn't agree with that thought.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

Uh. No, he just sucks.

Eh, I wouldn’t say he’s good. I also wouldn’t say he completely sucks. Weaker but passable NHL defender. Tough guy to gauge because his best traits come on the offensive end, but at the same time he’s not a particularly strong puck mover.

I’m okay with him in my bottom pairing, but not necessarily happy or content with it.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Ideally, you don't even have 2 of those guys on this defense

I never saw the point of having both Oleksiak and Johnson on this team, so it's not like this move surprises me. I just don't know why JR didn't agree with that thought.

True, but I'm a realist. Moving one of the 3 out was much more likely than JR and Co. realizing he probably should move 2 out of the 3 out (or even all three, if we're being greedy).

 

[Ugene Magic]

 

[Son Goku]

I'd have kept him. I like his game, he can play either side, he can fight (the jump by Wilson notwithstanding), and we have a few question marks on the blue line ahead of him.

He's not exactly old either. About the same age Cole was when he finally put it all together.

Team seems to really like Riikola though, which is good.

Dont see why, he's absolute trash. Can't defend worth a crap.

 

[Trade]

Dallas re-acquired him to play 2c I hear

 

[Peat]

I didn't see either of the passing or skating with the puck to be true whenever he was with the Penguins, his shot was the only other unique thing about him. I thought his puck moving was fine and he wasn't a particularly great rusher with the puck.

See, when McCurdy's charts are basically showing me the same thing I expected (that Oleksiak is super average), I just disagree with the opinions here. I thought he was way too irrelevant for anyone to think he was great or terrible, he didn't do anything that stood out to me outside of stupid play in the defensive zone and an occasional fight.

Then I guess we saw different things out there. And while the results may be bang average, that doesn't mean how he got there was.

Ironically I think the only average thing about him was his physicality. If he'd hit and cleared the net like he was the biggest man on the ice - or the same way Johnson does - I think he'd still be here.

 

[Riptide]

Who’s gonna get their ass kicked by Wilson now?

lol

Face it, there is nobody on this team that can take Wilson, nor would it deter Tommy from anything anyway.

Which is why that shouldn't be the primary focus.

 

[WayneSid9987]

Nice to get out of that contract this quickly.
This $ will go to MP next season.

#5-7 is now securely JJ, MP and Riiko.
I'm fine with that atm.
Still want to upgrade Olli-Schultz to something better but it'll do for now.

 

[wej20]

He's a strange player, he's good enough to be a bottom pairing guy but I'd rather have a safe, vanilla guy on the bottom pairing rather than a guy like Oleksiak who might chip in more but also chip in more than his fair share of brain farts.

 

[Extra Texture]

Better than stubbornly sticking to something for forever and being risk averse

A-freakin-men.

I mean, we learned this lesson with Shero. He was happy to just keep rolling with the same depth pluggers, and hoping 87/71/58/29 would save the day. Year in and year out. nibbling around the edges of being a contender by adding waiver fodder and making timid trades. He made a single big play in 2013. Neal was his only trade acquisition that stayed and became a star in 8 years.

JR came in knowing wing was a problem, and within 12 months we had Hornqvist, Perron and Kessel. Action. When the team looks lethargic, he isnt afraid to make a move and send a message to that locker room. Similarly, when things dont pan out (Perron, Hunwick, Brassard) he does something about it.

Rutherford took a shot at Oleksiask. Doing the same worked with Ian Cole, Trevor Daley and Justin Schultz. And it looks like it will work out with Marcus Pettersson. For a hot minute there (last season) Oleksiask looked like he was going to become the same kind of surprise success as the others. This time he took a shot, and it didnt burn us. Given JR's success in this field, I'm not sure what there is to complain about here.

 

[Riptide]

I'll be so angry if we go for "grit" or "toughness". Good lord. Let that era GO. Speed, skill, tenacity, team defense, team offense.

I think to an extent this trade shows that we're moving away from that to an extent.

 

[Riptide]

Glad this happened. Getting out of that contract was important.

This over and over and over.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Ironically I think the only average thing about him was his physicality. If he'd hit and cleared the net like he was the biggest man on the ice - or the same way Johnson does - I think he'd still be here.

Yeah, I kind of wish he had more of a mean streak. Warts and all, if he played closer to a Chara or McQuaid, I think he could have been quite serviceable. As it was, instead he was a defensively questionable player who was 6'7 but played more like he was 6'0.

 

[Riptide]

No, they're going to run with 8D when everyone is healthy. I feel like that is fairly obvious.

Either way, I'm actually kinda disappointed that JR only got back what he paid for Oleksiak. Oleksiak now should be a more valuable player than Oleksiak a year ago, but JR got back exactly what he gave up. Maybe you could look at it like the Penguins rented Oleksiak for free, but I feel like JR should have gotten more value here. If JR was just dumping him to get cap space, I feel like he needs to have something else lined up soon.

I'm just happy to be out from that contract. I could care less what we got for him - that contract being gone is a win for us.

 

[Riptide]

Somethin had to give. It's a step in the right direction, although Rig is probably worth more than a 4th.

We're still spending too much on defense. 26.5 mill when Schultz returns.

Maatta trade would be good. Can be included in a package deal. Could do a lot with that 4 mil. Johnson's unmoveable. Riikola should play (with Schultz).

You get rid of 2 guys who can't skate from the blue line and suddenly we're a much faster team.

The only way to get around that is to have more youth in the lineup, and we're not there yet.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

Cap space for who?

A new gambling machine for Seven Springs.

Oh wait, wrong crappy owners.

 

[Riptide]

His results would suggest otherwise. I'm positive Oleksiak gets way more crap here than he deserves because he's a tough guy and people here hate that the Pens want to get tougher.

Pretty sure it has a lot more to do with the fact that he's not a very good blueliner and costs 2.1m.

If he was a true DFD who could defend from the red line in and was otherwise like Hainsey I think people here would be a lot more accepting of him in a depth role. Then at least you could put a PMD with him and have a serviceable pairing. However his inability to defend and his inability to pass the puck means you need to give him a pretty good partner just to have a semblance of a pairing that works.

 

[Riptide]

Maatta is still here? Oleksiak has more up side. I was expecting big things this year from the rig but he wasn't used properly here. I'm sure he will flourish elsewhere.

Oleksiak's upside is extremely questionable, and his issue was never that he "wasn't used properly". He was used exactly right - even more so after we acquired Pettersson.

 

[Doogle]

I think people expected inconsistent defense from him, but the bigger problem was that he doesn't use his size. He's not a particularly tough or nasty player to play against. If he was out there crushing our hated rivals, he would be a lot more popular.

Still, he was ok. Can play the bottom pairing role well. We just have cheaper options for that now.

 

[Ogrezilla]

A new gambling machine for Seven Springs.

Oh wait, wrong crappy owners.

to be fair, seven springs is really nice, and a way more fun visit than a Pirates game.

 

[Ogrezilla]

Then again, basically everyone elsewhere is saying that Oleksiak is clearly better than Johnson, so maybe we shouldn't take their opinions too seriously

and here I always thought twitter folks were supposed to be dumb

 

[DegenX]