Post-Game Talk: Penguins 5, Devils 2: Geno Prevents ColePens from Losing His ****

[Big Friggin Dummy]

It stands to reason a "shut your mouth, do your job" guy like Sully would have serious issues with Letang's penchant for barking, retaliation and downright boneheaded plays, though. That's pretty much a given.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

I’ve already explained this 100x.

My daughter is coached by people well connected to the Pens, ppl everyone here would know. I don’t have to guess if they are connected because of who they are and because they are almost always right.

They told me Sprong, Kessel and Maatta had one foot out the door months before it happened.

Shit blew up this summer so it’s not like it’s a big secret anymore what’s going on with Letang and Sullivan.

What does Sullivan want Letang to do that Letang's not doing? Is it the stuff when he acts like a rover and goes in deep on the attack? Is it the risky outlet passes in his own zone?

 

[wgknestrick]

Holy shit Chuck Norris really is 80.

More like 80 is Chuck Norris

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

What does Sullivan want Letang to do that Letang's not doing? Is it the stuff when he acts like a rover and goes in deep on the attack? Is it the risky outlet passes in his own zone?

Probably wants him to stop being a potato head.

Until we see Letang’s usage change I can’t buy he is on the Kessel train. We saw him significantly limited in terms of 5v5 the last two years.

I think his NTC and importance to the blue line will ultimately save him from getting Sullivaned.

Unlike with Kessel, they need back good value... basically someone who can eat his minutes because his departure creates a massive hole.

That’s at least what I’m telling myself, but if he keeps playing like this and the playoffs are a flame out, I’ll be officially worried about his tenure as a Pen.

 

[Gurglesons]

Probably wants him to stop being a potato head.



I think his NTC and importance to the blue line will ultimately save him from getting Sullivaned.

Unlike with Kessel, they need back good value... basically someone who can eat his minutes because his departure creates a massive hole.

That’s at least what I’m telling myself, but if he keeps playing like this and the playoffs are a flame out, I’ll be officially worried about his tenure as a Pen.

I’d sooner fire Sullivan considering Letang was a top five defenseman last year and he was anchored with Jack Johnson this year.

Good thing the season likely is postponed or cancelled as it looks.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Yeah but Jack Johnson turned the corner this year, don't forget. He's all better, now.

 

[SouthGeorge]

I’d sooner fire Sullivan considering Letang was a top five defenseman last year and he was anchored with Jack Johnson this year.

Good thing the season likely is postponed or cancelled as it looks.

Wow

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

I’d sooner fire Sullivan considering Letang was a top five defenseman last year and he was anchored with Jack Johnson this year.

Good thing the season likely is postponed or cancelled as it looks.

I’m a Letang fanboy so my opinion on what I’d do doesn’t matter.

 

[Peat]

It's weird, for how much Sullivan was a hardass when he came here, lately he seems like kind of scared to get up in player's faces about things. Maybe Letang has terrible breath?

Going from media, I get the feeling he was up in players' faces last year and that didn't work so he's trying more honey than vinegar. Also he's always been a guy who's tried to keep whatever disagreements he has with players out of the media fwiw; I doubt he thinks it's any of the beat reporters' business what he said to Letang or Letang said to him, beyond giving them enough to shut them up.

One can only hope. He is either too stubborn or too dumb to realize that his way of playing is not working for last 3-4 years.

4 years ago is 2016. If you think what Letang was doing in 2016 wasn't working, that'd be the single most out there take I've seen in a long, long time.

 

[SHOOTANDSCORE]

It's weird, for how much Sullivan was a hardass when he came here, lately he seems like kind of scared to get up in player's faces about things. Maybe Letang has terrible breath?

 

[Scandale du Jour]

Trading Letang, unless we get a massive return, is basically shutting our own window down.

Who can replace him?

 

[Night Shift]

Trading Letang, unless we get a massive return, is basically shutting our own window down.

Who can replace him?

 

[Kristopher Letang]

7.25 Cap hit for an amazing player. Spoiled fans

The same people that will complain about how the Pens can’t move the puck from the D zone if he’s traded Letang is far from being the problem on this team.

 

[HandshakeLine]

The only time you move Letang is if you have a replacement coming in. I wouldn’t say Marino could be that one yet, but then again, I didn’t think Marino would be so consistently good this year either, so who knows?

 

[Pittsburgh1776]

Every serious conversation about Letang ends with people saying “he’s elite, trading him will close our window, nobody can replace him.” There is zero evidence that any of those statements are true. None. We won a Cup without him. There is nothing elite about mindless turnovers and penalties. These discussions are pointless. Bottom line, if he doesn’t accept that he needs to change his game to be more responsible as he ages, he should be gone in the summer. Two guys who are disciplined and dependable can replace the net positive Letang brings now, when he is a net positive.

 

[HandshakeLine]

The Pens won a cup without Mario for a good chunk of the season and the post season. Was Lemieux not elite?

 

[Pittsburgh1776]

The Pens won a cup without Mario for a good chunk of the season and the post season. Was Lemieux not elite?

That comparison isn’t similar in any way. Winning a Cup without Letang is not what makes what he’s doing not elite. Letang is making himself not elite because he refuses to accept that he needs to play a more responsible game and not do the things he did when he had the legs to save plays. How many games this season or last can you say that Letang had great impact on the game? How many games do we criticize him and shake our heads at plays he makes? It isn’t funny to me anymore. This year we are trying to play a more disciplined game and stop the regression into a lazy/risky game. He is not leading by example.

 

[cvrle1]

That comparison isn’t similar in any way. Winning a Cup without Letang is not what makes what he’s doing not elite. Letang is making himself not elite because he refuses to accept that he needs to play a more responsible game and not do the things he did when he had the legs to save plays. How many games this season or last can you say that Letang had great impact on the game? How many games do we criticize him and shake our heads at plays he makes? It isn’t funny to me anymore. This year we are trying to play a more disciplined game and stop the regression into a lazy/risky game. He is not leading by example.

Dont you know, it's all Geno's fault. Just like every other time team loses a game, or is on losing streak, Geno is main reason why. At least Geno ahs balls to say I suck, I played like shit, I expect more of myself, and I need to be better next game/season. Narcissistic playboy will never be man enough to publicly say what Geno said many times, even though he should have done it much more than Geno did so far in his career. Publicly he will throw whole team under the bus than to say he played like shit.

 

[HandshakeLine]

That comparison isn’t similar in any way. Winning a Cup without Letang is not what makes what he’s doing not elite. Letang is making himself not elite because he refuses to accept that he needs to play a more responsible game and not do the things he did when he had the legs to save plays. How many games this season or last can you say that Letang had great impact on the game? How many games do we criticize him and shake our heads at plays he makes? It isn’t funny to me anymore. This year we are trying to play a more disciplined game and stop the regression into a lazy/risky game. He is not leading by example.

I didn’t say anything of the kind about not criticizing him. I’m just showing why the logic of winning a Cup without him doesn’t mean he’s not elite.

 

[JTG]

Probably wants him to stop being a potato head.



I think his NTC and importance to the blue line will ultimately save him from getting Sullivaned.

Unlike with Kessel, they need back good value... basically someone who can eat his minutes because his departure creates a massive hole.

That’s at least what I’m telling myself, but if he keeps playing like this and the playoffs are a flame out, I’ll be officially worried about his tenure as a Pen.

I think a big difference between this year and years previous is that this team has some big named guys who are probably getting shipped out.

 

[JTG]

7.25 Cap hit for an amazing player. Spoiled fans

The same people that will complain about how the Pens can’t move the puck from the D zone if he’s traded Letang is far from being the problem on this team.

He wouldn't be traded if a puck mover wasn't coming back in some way.

 

[SouthGeorge]

Every serious conversation about Letang ends with people saying “he’s elite, trading him will close our window, nobody can replace him.” There is zero evidence that any of those statements are true. None. We won a Cup without him. There is nothing elite about mindless turnovers and penalties. These discussions are pointless. Bottom line, if he doesn’t accept that he needs to change his game to be more responsible as he ages, he should be gone in the summer. Two guys who are disciplined and dependable can replace the net positive Letang brings now, when he is a net positive.

It's almost like we won a Cup without Letang... Oh man, what will we do and will we ever win again.

 

[Night Shift]

It's almost like we won a Cup without Letang... Oh man, what will we do and will we ever win again.

It's almost like you forgot from a couple weeks ago when he scored a goal just for you when it was @SouthGeorge night

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

I'm not entirely against moving Letang. I don't think simply trading him and going in another direction slams closed the Cup window--which is already rapidly closing as is.

Marino is capable of anchoring a top pairing role right now, but I don't think we have nearly the offensive punch from the blueline without Letang. Schultz has been a shitshow for years, Petts/Dumo/JJ/Ruhwedel/Trotman/Riikola are all pretty low on the list purely when it comes to production from the blueline.

If we're dealing Letang, and I can see arguments for either side on that tbh, we'd better have a plan to inject some serious production from our defense because we're going to be woeful in that regard. I think Marino can do Letang's job defensively, but where do the points come from?

LD-Marino
Dumo-RD
Petts-Riikola

That's what you're looking at if you deal Letang, so the return better be unreal, imo. For all his warts, the guy is super important to this team. Not wholly irreplaceable, but definitely a situation where moving him probably causes more problems than it's worth. If you can land someone of Hamilton, Trouba, or Krug's caliber, you're very likely fine. But those are some seriously expensive players, and guys of that caliber are not easy to find or acquire.

 

[PensandCaps]

Trading Letang, unless we get a massive return, is basically shutting our own window down.

Who can replace him?

a guy who plays 25 minutes, gets all the PK time and lines up vs #1 lines and does it very very well?

no where, we can find it by simply keeping Letang lol.

like do people want Letang to play like Dumo? i dont think people understand what Letang does out there, not many defenseman in the league can do what he does in transition, while also being an great Defensive player.