Post-Game Talk: Penguins 4, Islanders 1 - What The **** Was That?

[CrosbyMalkin]

Yeah p much. Some in there tried to argue Wings have better forward depth which is p hilarious. The Detroit D versus PIT’s is an argument but Lemieux consistently made Vernon his bitch.

I just don't think they realize how dominant Mario was back then. He literally could win games by himself. Really nothing to argue though. I would just bring up that 11 game record and sweep in the final two rounds. Doing that against the Blackhawks who swept the second and 3rd rounds and had the record of 11 games also just makes that the most dominant playoff year of the modern times. What can they argue against that?

 

[ZorkEnchanter]

That 4th line is for shit.

Concur on moving on of Dumo/Pets. Whoever gets the best deal goes, the other plays with Ceci.

The best deal may be futures.

I was noting earlier that the best deal may be from the Whitney for Kunitz + Tangradi school.

Whatever the approach, IF the Pens go for a forward, it needs to be a swiss army knife do everything type (Kunitz) or a warrior who can slot up and down the lineup. Maybe he's a C/W, so you're not forced to play McCann at center. BUT, either way, he needs to be good enough to supplant Zucker or Kapanen in the top 6, because it's not enough to say 'I can't make a change of a Zucker or a Kapanen because there's nobody who legitimately could slot up' if you expect to be more than a one and done type team.

I think you and maybe others brought up Arvidsson-type. I'd love to see something like that...

I don't want to get more "bodies" just need a quality player. No more 4th liners, we literally have enough of them. (i.e. I don't want us to trade for TWO more of them.)

 

[KIRK]

I think you and maybe others brought up Arvidsson-type. I'd love to see something like that...

I don't want to get more "bodies" just need a quality player. No more 4th liners, we literally have enough of them. (i.e. I don't want us to trade for TWO more of them.)

With the added bonus that 'we'd have to break up BART to find someone to try in the top 6' will no longer be a legit excuse.

 

[EVGENIMERLIN]

That 4th line is for shit.

Concur on moving on of Dumo/Pets. Whoever gets the best deal goes, the other plays with Ceci.

The best deal may be futures.

I was noting earlier that the best deal may be from the Whitney for Kunitz + Tangradi school.

Whatever the approach, IF the Pens go for a forward, it needs to be a swiss army knife do everything type (Kunitz) or a warrior who can slot up and down the lineup. Maybe he's a C/W, so you're not forced to play McCann at center. BUT, either way, he needs to be good enough to supplant Zucker or Kapanen in the top 6, because it's not enough to say 'I can't make a change of a Zucker or a Kapanen because there's nobody who legitimately could slot up' if you expect to be more than a one and done type team.

I wonder if you package McCann and Petts/Dumo to do slightly better than Kunitz+Tangradi. If McCann or Zucker were 1A 1B options for the top 6 I would do the same and float both names out there and move for the better deal, but McCann isn't close and probably needs to go.

 

[vodeni]

Pretty spot on lol...yes, I know who it is...some comments...

HockeyBuzz.com - Ryan Wilson - Teddy Player One

“Speaking of that fourth line… Play anybody else at center other than Mark Jankowski. The CF% stat isn’t the end all be all, but you cannot be at the bottom of the list every single game. I don’t care what your usage is. Mark Jankowski stinks. He only makes 700k either trade him or bury his money in the minors. Playing him isn’t going to help anything.

The power play has been better lately. The team is attacking their 2v1’s way better than they were at the start of the year. However, I cannot believe they ran 1:15 of a 5v3 power play with Malkin predominately on the left side of the ice. It was maddening to watch. I can’t wrap my head around not trying to make him the focal point from the right side. In fact, I would use Malkin the same way the team would use Phil. Skate with the puck from top of the circle to the top of the blue line and curl back in to take a wrist shot with traffic down low (specifically Crosby). If the top guy of the triangle wants to chase Malkin up top you kick it over to Letang who should have some great east/west options with the killer up in no-man’s land. Rinse and repeat. Don’t do whatever it is they did yesterday again.

Mike Matheson’s positives have been coming out the past few games. His skating and ability to make some plays with the puck have directly led to Penguins goals. His contract is always going to stink, but it isn’t a Jack Johnson situation. He can actually make some plays to help the team. The key with him (and Cody Ceci) is to manage their workload and try not to make them be something they aren’t. If Kris Letang, Marcus Pettersson, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, and John Marino can do what they are capable of it shouldn’t be an issue.

Mike Sullivan took a half measure with the line changes and flipped Kasperi Kapanen and Jason Zucker. It resulted in Kapanen getting a primary assist on the Crosby tip goal early on in the contest and Jason Zucker adding a goal and an assist on the empty netter. Tough to argue with the results. I still want to see Malkin with Guentzel and Zucker with Crosby. Even with the two points on the evening I still don’t get the feeling there is good chemistry between Malkin and Zucker.“

people don't like him for his hot political takes...he is way more time right than wrong on Pens, way more time...this 5 on 3 is exactly what I was screaming at TV yesterday, it wsn't planning, it was Letang taking that position on the top right and not moving at all for 30 seconds and then there was an akward position change that killed another 40 seconds...both malkin and letang refused to skate toward the goal to make them collapse and open the shooting range...

 

[KIRK]

I wonder if you package McCann and Petts/Dumo to do slightly better than Kunitz+Tangradi. If McCann or Zucker were 1A 1B options for the top 6 I would do the same and float both names out there and move for the better deal, but McCann isn't close and probably needs to go.

Don't know, but Hextall certainly has options at his disposal.

 

[vodeni]

Don't know, but Hextall certainly has options at his disposal.

what options do you think he has? I see only McCann as anykind of marketable asset in addition to maybe two d-man, say Dumo and Rikko, they are not trading anyone from top six...the fourtliners are trash...they won't touch BART....and I don't think he will touch pou and legare.....maybe letang?

 

[KIRK]

what options do you think he has? I see only McCann as anykind of marketable asset in addition to maybe two d-man, say Dumo and Rikko, they are not trading anyone from top six...the fourtliners are trash...they won't touch BART....and I don't think he will touch pou and legare.....maybe letang?

Why wouldn't Hextall be open to moving Zucker or Kapanen?

Why wouldn't Hextall be willing to move Pets if a team prefers him to Dumo?

EDIT: Trading Zucker or Kapanen reminds me of trading Perron. Those aren't 'no way I'm trading him' types like Rusty. You do it if you're changing the mix in a way that makes your team better.

 

[ChaosAgent]

Why wouldn't Hextall be open to moving Zucker or Kapanen?

Why wouldn't Hextall be willing to move Pets if a team prefers him to Dumo?

EDIT: Trading Zucker or Kapanen reminds me of trading Perron. Those aren't 'no way I'm trading him' types like Rusty. You do it if your changing the mix in a way that makes your team better.

I think trading Kapanen would be a bad look purely because it reflects poorly on an organization to flip a viable player that quickly (note: not a guy spiraling like Galchenyuk). Zucker though...it's been a year.

I'd be very surprised if we got more for Petts than we got for Dumo though.

 

[SEALBound]

people don't like him for his hot political takes...he is way more time right than wrong on Pens, way more time...this 5 on 3 is exactly what I was screaming at TV yesterday, it wsn't planning, it was Letang taking that position on the top right and not moving at all for 30 seconds and then there was an akward position change that killed another 40 seconds...both malkin and letang refused to skate toward the goal to make them collapse and open the shooting range...

Anyone watching the Pens for more than a couple years or with a basic sense of hockey can watch that 5 on 3 and know its garbage.

That does not make RW more right than wrong on the vast majority of Pens stuff. Blind squirrel, broken clock, whatever. Every dog has his day. Problem is, in order to say that, you have to ignore how much he gets wrong or how little depth his opinions have beyond "I read this number and here's what I was told this number means".

 

[Pens x]

Maybe we overrated Zucker and Kap too much?

Zucker has scored more than 47 points one time in his career while Kap has scored more than 36 points one time.

These aren’t elite wingers by any stretch. Maybe we need to taper expectations a bit? If Kap scores 17 or 18 goals is that a win? If Zucker scores 25 goals, isn’t that pretty decent for him?

I think we need to realize that our top 6 isn’t as invincible as many thought, and we need to bolster other parts of the lineup.

 

[ncm7772]

He was third on the team in playoff points in 2017-2018, pointless against the isles (only 3 players had more than one point; Crosby had one point in the series), and tied for 4th in points against the Canadians.

That’s impressive for a 4th liner...

This team has been embarrassed in the playoffs recently, no one has been a difference-maker. It’s weird to single him out as opposed to any of the other guys.

He wasn't "singled out". The conversation was about Hornqvist specifically. If the discussion entailed the team in it's entirety, ok. But it wasn't.

 

[ncm7772]

Maybe we overrated Zucker and Kap too much?

Zucker has scored more than 47 points one time in his career while Kap has scored more than 36 points one time.

These aren’t elite wingers by any stretch. Maybe we need to taper expectations a bit? If Kap scores 17 or 18 goals is that a win? If Zucker scores 25 goals, isn’t that pretty decent for him?

I think we need to realize that our top 6 isn’t as invincible as many thought, and we need to bolster other parts of the lineup.

Agreed. I think many people overrated both prior to their arrival.

As far as their play in Pittsburgh, Kapanen is about what I expected so far. Not defending Zucker at all. He has stunk. Some people here think he looked super last night, but I don't. He wasn't trash like he has been, but he still looks slow, lazy and times, and just out of sorts playing with Malkin.

 

[Gurglesons]

Maybe we overrated Zucker and Kap too much?

Zucker has scored more than 47 points one time in his career while Kap has scored more than 36 points one time.

These aren’t elite wingers by any stretch. Maybe we need to taper expectations a bit? If Kap scores 17 or 18 goals is that a win? If Zucker scores 25 goals, isn’t that pretty decent for him?

I think we need to realize that our top 6 isn’t as invincible as many thought, and we need to bolster other parts of the lineup.

Who was expecting otherwise?

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

If you're disappointed with Zucker or Kap, you had elevated expectations. Zucker is fine, and has been fine. Kap's been fine too--in my eyes he's a perfect 3RW, but roster woes will have us forcing him into the top-6 to varying degrees of success.

 

[EightyOne]

Hasn't been as much fun around here since you busted that clown who doxxed himself.

I like how @Pittsburgh1776 said im never around when things are good

Lol

K

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Daily reminder that while the wingers haven't been exceptional night in and night out, the reason the top-6 hasn't been as good as projected is because for long stretches, both Sid and Geno have sucked ass. The next time either or both of them play at their best will be the first time in a long time.

 

[Pens x]

Who was expecting otherwise?

So many people here act like we have an elite top 6. It seems like at least half of the board thinks the bottom six is fine because our top six is overrated a bit. I don’t think our top 6 is dynamic enough to account for a cluster **** fourth and BART line long-term.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

So many people here act like we have an elite top 6. It seems like at least half of the board thinks the bottom six is fine because our top six is overrated a bit. I don’t think our top 6 is dynamic enough to account for a cluster **** fourth and BART line long-term.

You wouldn't be satisfied if we had a top-9 of all McDavids, dude. You'd find something to hate.

The top-6 is fine if Sid and Geno play like they're capable of--even at their age. They haven't and of course, it's everyone else's fault. The 3rd line, the 4th line, Zucker, Kap, etc.

We are going to live and die by Sid and Geno. If they're not playing to the best of their ability, we're dead in the water. Not even Jake or Rust are going to be able to pick up that slack. And if you're going to suggest getting a top flight winger to shore up the top-6, well, I got bad news for you in the way of available assets and the cost of said player.

If this group can't get it done, and we agree that it probably can't, that's it. Prepare to start the inevitable rebuild.

 

[Pittsburgh1776]

I like how @Pittsburgh1776 said im never around when things are good

Lol

K

I mean you jumped in to a conversation that didn't really have anything to do with you. And no, I didn't notice you. I'm not here all the time, there's only so much of HF I can take.

 

[Gurglesons]

So many people here act like we have an elite top 6. It seems like at least half of the board thinks the bottom six is fine because our top six is overrated a bit. I don’t think our top 6 is dynamic enough to account for a cluster **** fourth and BART line long-term.

Having two 25 goal guys a 30 goal guy and a 16-18 goal scorer in your top six along with Sid and Malkin who should be 70 pt Cs at minimum is pretty ridiculous.

 

[EightyOne]

I mean you jumped in to a conversation that didn't really have anything to do with you. And no, I didn't notice you. I'm not here all the time, there's only so much of HF I can take.

Ill be sure to ask your permission before posting.

 

[Pens x]

Having two 25 goal guys a 30 goal guy and a 16-18 goal scorer in your top six along with Sid and Malkin who should be 70 pt Cs at minimum is pretty ridiculous.

It’s a really good top 6, but not to the point where you can totally disregard the bottom six.

I still think this team could make a decent run if we boosted the third line with some acquisitions...

 

[Pittsburgh1776]

Ill be sure to ask your permission before posting.

Dude I could care less. My post was about people coming out of the woodwork to bash the stars' leadership in the bad times, you were an equal opportunity target. The post wasn't about you geez.

 

[Gurglesons]

It’s a really good top 6, but not to the point where you can totally disregard the bottom six.

I still think this team could make a decent run if we boosted the third line with some acquisitions...

Well good thing we have a center pacing for 40+ pts on the 3rd line a winger pacing for 30+ pts and ZAR and McCann.