Olli Määttä is Ready (Orpik Believes, Ignore Lying Burg Media Swine)

[Ragamuffin Gunner]

I'm going to have to trust Shero and Bylsma on this one over you. If he was playing better than our other dmen he would be on this team right now.

This is a horrible argument.

1 - Des was the only one who didn't have to pass waivers to go down

2 - DB has shown many times that he doesn't always dress the best line-up possible

3 - Shero has a habit of signing/holding on to vets to take spots away from better younger players

 

[Nightwing]

Reading some tweets, so the decision is going to come in 3 days eh? I would be very surprised if they send him back, He wasn't looking out of place on the team and it seems his team mates like him.

 

[JTG]

To the bolded, I'm not so sure that's true. You love spending your time *****ing about the lack of wingers, so if he became an all star, what you do with the extra time on your hands?

Also, no one is saying Bennett is an amazing winger, but the skillset and the hands are there. He just needs more time to show what he can do.

Modern day Cassius

Yeah i'm sure it is. Whoever spread that probably heard the staff was unhappy with him or expected more out of him and put their own spin on it.

The story goes that Despres was ill with a respiratory infection, I believe. They actually told him he shouldn't be partaking in the drills, but he did anyways. That is why he performed poorly. No spin. That's fact.

He was sent down because he wasn't waiver eligible, and they wanted to allow Maatta to get some NHL time. I don't think people knew how well Maatta would have done. Despres being in the AHL isn't an indictment of his play. It's how the numbers and his contractual status worked out. He should be in the NHL right now, but isn't because of numbers.

 

[billybudd]

They might be sending him a message but it has nothing to do with the shape he's in. That was 100% bogus.

Right. It's likely more simple and less conspiratorial than that. Simon Despres is not, in the opinion of the coaches, one of the team's 6 best D right this second. If he's not one of the team's 6 best D right this second, his place is on a first pairing in the minors, not in Pittsburgh scratched--or worse, in Pittsburgh playing while a better player is scratched.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

This is a horrible argument.

1 - Des was the only one who didn't have to pass waivers to go down

2 - DB has shown many times that he doesn't always dress the best line-up possible

3 - Shero has a habit of signing/holding on to vets to take spots away from better younger players

Maatta is the one who took his spot. If Despres was as highly thought of as everyone around here thinks of him, Despres would be here and Maatta would be in junior. Coaching staff probably felt he took his spot on the team for granted and wanted to send him a message.

 

[mpp9]

The story goes that Despres was ill with a respiratory infection, I believe. They actually told him he shouldn't be partaking in the drills, but he did anyways. That is why he performed poorly. No spin. That's fact.

He was sent down because he wasn't waiver eligible, and they wanted to allow Maatta to get some NHL time. I don't think people knew how well Maatta would have done. Despres being in the AHL isn't an indictment of his play. It's how the numbers and his contractual status worked out. He should be in the NHL right now, but isn't because of numbers.

They would have sent Maatta back if Despres outplayed him. But with respect to guys who are waiver eligible like Nisky, Bort and Engelland, yeah he had an uphill battle.

 

[mpp9]

Maatta is the one who took his spot. If Despres was as highly thought of as everyone around here thinks of him, Despres would be here and Maatta would be in junior. Coaching staff probably felt he took his spot on the team for granted and wanted to send him a message.

Yeah. I could get behind Despres just being a victim of the numbers game if it was just Nisky, Bort and Engelland in front of him.

But I don't follow the logic when it comes to Maatta. If Despres outplayed him, Maatta would be in London right now.

 

[IcedCapp]

Maatta is the one who took his spot. If Despres was as highly thought of as everyone around here thinks of him, Despres would be here and Maatta would be in junior. Coaching staff probably felt he took his spot on the team for granted and wanted to send him a message.

Yeah. I could get behind Despres just being a victim of the numbers game if it was just Nisky, Bort and Engelland in front of him.

But I don't follow the logic when it comes to Maatta. If Despres outplayed him, Maatta would be in London right now.

There's only one time to give Maatta his 9 games, now. They can't do it later. Wait and see if he's here Friday before claiming Maatta is better than Despres, took his spot, earned their trust, etc...

 

[mpp9]

There's only one time to give Maatta his 9 games, now. They can't do it later. Wait and see if he's here Friday before claiming Maatta is better than Despres, took his spot, earned their trust, etc...

I think Maatta is a steadier defensive presence. I wasn't a fan of how DB benched Despres last season. But that was because I knew he could make up for his mistakes with his transition game. Maatta cleans up after himself and doesn't seem to make the same mistake twice.

I'd like both guys to be up here to be honest. But we all know that won't happen until next year. Unless injuries hit us again.

 

[JTG]

They would have sent Maatta back if Despres outplayed him. But with respect to guys who are waiver eligible like Nisky, Bort and Engelland, yeah he had an uphill battle.

I don't agree. I think they were giving Maatta 9 games. They had to make room for him.

 

[KIRK]

Use Despres in a shutdown role in WBS. Give Maatta steady minutes here. Move on from Nisky. Promote one of Despres/Dumoulin next year. Move on from Brooks.

That's what Id do.

And what would the organization that saw Mark Eaton as the perfect star in the comedy Mark Eaton 2.0 do?

 

[mpp9]

I don't agree. I think they were giving Maatta 9 games. They had to make room for him.

Hey, maybe they send Maatta back, Letang is good to go and Despres is getting shifts with Nisky next game. Maybe that was their plan all along.

We'll see.

 

[KIRK]

It's not just you, coffee-lover. I'm right with you. There's room here for both, but management surely thinks otherwise.




They didn't f anything up. They outplayed him. Hell, they've outplayed others who are ahead of them on the depth chart, too.

The Maatta-Bortuzzo pairing this season is one of the VERY FEW instances where players have actually been rewarded for their performance under Dan Bylsma's watch. And Simon Despres didn't deserve to play ahead of them. Accountability. Again, a RARE instance of this under Bylsma.

Actually, Bylsma has been very consistent about holding young players accountable for their mistakes. It's the consistency upon his roster and his failure to recognize that some young players need to learn through their mistakes and, even when they make mistakes, still are better than some vets that have been the issues.

 

[KIRK]

Maatta has looked pretty good for the most part. His last two games haven't been as good as his first seven, but he still hasn't looked out of place. He's made some nice plays. (He's also made some mistakes)

But I honestly don't think that he's been so good that if we send him down that "OMG we don't even want to win the Cup!!!"

His last two games are like his first. In his first, he'd never played a NHL game before. In the last two, he'd never played teams with this kind of talent before. I will be interested to see if the organization still has faith in his learning curve. And, yes, he (a) hasn't looked out of place and (b) hasn't looked like he's less than top six.

 

[KIRK]

There's only one time to give Maatta his 9 games, now. They can't do it later. Wait and see if he's here Friday before claiming Maatta is better than Despres, took his spot, earned their trust, etc...

You know if Maatta goes to juniors, then the only reason Despres would be up would be if Letang still is out, right?

 

[Ogrezilla]

Hey, maybe they send Maatta back, Letang is good to go and Despres is getting shifts with Nisky next game. Maybe that was their plan all along.

We'll see.

I don't want Despres with Nisky. I want Despres with Bortuzzo if Maatta is sent down. That doesn't change with Letang coming back. Niskanen should be the 7th d-man if he's still on the team when Letang comes back no matter if its Maatta or Despres playing with Bortuzzo.

It won't happen that way, but it should. Niskanen is our 5th best pmd behind Letang, Martin, Despres and Maatta.

 

[Shrimper]

I'm guessing that the team is going to wait until Friday to make a decision on whether to keep him up or not. I'd keep him up but I wouldn't be disappointed to send him down only on the proviso that Despres came up and played.

 

[Ogrezilla]

I'm guessing that the team is going to wait until Friday to make a decision on whether to keep him up or not. I'd keep him up but I wouldn't be disappointed to send him down only on the proviso that Despres came up and played.

That's where I'm at. If he gets sent down, Despres better be playing in his place.

 

[Shrimper]

That's where I'm at. If he gets sent down, Despres better be playing in his place.

I'd be thoroughly disappointed if he isn't. Need to have one of them two playing in my opinion.

To me there is some benefit in sending down Maatta. That's in the fact that he can round his game out and dominate and also go to the WJC which he likely wouldn't if he was kept up.

Is there a possibility he plays in the Olympics if he keeps this up? Can only think of Lydman on their D.

I just looked at the 2010 team;

Kukkonen, Lepisto, Lydman, Niskala (The Finnish Niskanen?!), Pitkanen, Salo and Timmonen.

Salo's old. Pitkanen is injured I think. Lydman retired. Leaves them with Kukkoken, Lepisto, Niskala and Timmonen from the 2010 team.

 

[Scandale du Jour]

That's where I'm at. If he gets sent down, Despres better be playing in his place.

He won't, Letang will.

 

[Ogrezilla]

He won't, Letang will.

Letang will be playing in Niskanen's place. Niskanen's place should be the press box or in another jersey when Letang comes back.

Sadly, I think you are right.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

I'm going to have to trust Shero and Bylsma on this one over you. If he was playing better than our other dmen he would be on this team right now.

What have they done to earn your trust, exactly?

 

[lettuceAA]

Modern day Cassius




The story goes that Despres was ill with a respiratory infection, I believe. They actually told him he shouldn't be partaking in the drills, but he did anyways. That is why he performed poorly. No spin. That's fact.

He was sent down because he wasn't waiver eligible, and they wanted to allow Maatta to get some NHL time. I don't think people knew how well Maatta would have done. Despres being in the AHL isn't an indictment of his play. It's how the numbers and his contractual status worked out. He should be in the NHL right now, but isn't because of numbers.

With the cap going down this year this situation has happened with a quite a teams this season. There are alot of NHL players playing in the AHL currently because of contracts. Nyquist with Detroit is one for example.

 

[KIRK]

What have they done to earn your trust, exactly?

You missed the three February stanley cups in that cool display case at the CEC last time you were there?

 

[Shrimper]

With the cap going down this year this situation has happened with a quite a teams this season. There are alot of NHL players playing in the AHL currently because of contracts. Nyquist with Detroit is one for example.

Nyquist is a bit different though. When Detroit decided to sign Cleary it put them really close to the cap I believe and he was one of the few who was able to go down.

Had they not signed Cleary he'd be on the team I think. Detroit fans were not happy.