If you signed him in 2009, it'd be understandable but he's been terribad the last few years.
Pens fan here. Don't hate on me since I have family from Germantown that are Caps fans
Just a quick heads up on these guys. I'm sure you've read it all.
My assessment of these guys:
Niskanen: Solid #4, Great #5 with potential to be a solid #3. His game was much better after Reirden helped him get his game back, which was much ado with his confidence being shattered in Dallas more than anything. His stats were skewed last year because there was a period of about 2 months where the Pens lost their top 4 D to injuries and he/Maatta were the top pairing, playing 25+ min a night. During that time, Niskanen/Maatta was a beast pairing. His +- skyrocketed during this time and the Pens went on a nice run of wins with a bunch of AHLers in the lineup. Nisky looked great at that time. As the D became healthy and the season dragged on, Niskanen went back to being a solid #4 that started wearing down during the playoffs. He makes smart plays on the PP and could be counted on there but I'd take Mike Green 100/100 times over Nisky on the PP.
Nisky has shown a lot of potential. He plays solid both on the PK and PP. Trotz with Reirden might be the combination to get him to play like he did for those 2 months consistently throughout the year. Bylsma is a ****ing moron and there's a reason that several Dmen left the organization and made negative comments about him and his defensive strategies causing turnovers. Trotz + Reirden is a great combo for Nisky but I think those two could do wonders for Green too.
Orpik: #5 defenseman. Once a great #3 but his game has drastically declined over the past few years due to injuries. The groin injury killed him but even besides that, Orpik has picked up a habit of just staring at the play taking place in front of him and watching the action happen resulting in a goal. Doesn't tie up anyone in front of the net or try to move them away from screening the goalie. Likes to use his stick to cross check guys more than anything. Very good skater and decent first pass but the groin injury has hurt his acceleration and that's how he usually gets burned in the first 1-2 strides in the neutral/defensive zone. You probably saw this a lot when he was on Team USA this past go around. Had a terrible looking knee injury to end the year so not sure where things are at with him there.
The key to these signings is Trotz/Reirden. I think Niskanen will be solid for you but I'm not sure if he can recapture the magic he had for those 2 months and have it go all season consistently. If he does, you got a really good Dman.
Orpik, well...sorry guys
The D you have looks good if you don't deal Green and if Trotz/Reirden get them all on track defensively.
Just stumped as to why the new GM would throw big $ at Orpik and then say something like Grabo wants too much $ for his blood. Grabo is a pretty damn good player and is someone I thought was a great fit for the team.
Pens fan here. Don't hate on me since I have family from Germantown that are Caps fans
Just a quick heads up on these guys. I'm sure you've read it all.
My assessment of these guys:
Niskanen: Solid #4, Great #5 with potential to be a solid #3. His game was much better after Reirden helped him get his game back, which was much ado with his confidence being shattered in Dallas more than anything. His stats were skewed last year because there was a period of about 2 months where the Pens lost their top 4 D to injuries and he/Maatta were the top pairing, playing 25+ min a night. During that time, Niskanen/Maatta was a beast pairing. His +- skyrocketed during this time and the Pens went on a nice run of wins with a bunch of AHLers in the lineup. Nisky looked great at that time. As the D became healthy and the season dragged on, Niskanen went back to being a solid #4 that started wearing down during the playoffs. He makes smart plays on the PP and could be counted on there but I'd take Mike Green 100/100 times over Nisky on the PP.
Nisky has shown a lot of potential. He plays solid both on the PK and PP. Trotz with Reirden might be the combination to get him to play like he did for those 2 months consistently throughout the year. Bylsma is a ****ing moron and there's a reason that several Dmen left the organization and made negative comments about him and his defensive strategies causing turnovers. Trotz + Reirden is a great combo for Nisky but I think those two could do wonders for Green too.
Orpik: #5 defenseman. Once a great #3 but his game has drastically declined over the past few years due to injuries. The groin injury killed him but even besides that, Orpik has picked up a habit of just staring at the play taking place in front of him and watching the action happen resulting in a goal. Doesn't tie up anyone in front of the net or try to move them away from screening the goalie. Likes to use his stick to cross check guys more than anything. Very good skater and decent first pass but the groin injury has hurt his acceleration and that's how he usually gets burned in the first 1-2 strides in the neutral/defensive zone. You probably saw this a lot when he was on Team USA this past go around. Had a terrible looking knee injury to end the year so not sure where things are at with him there.
The key to these signings is Trotz/Reirden. I think Niskanen will be solid for you but I'm not sure if he can recapture the magic he had for those 2 months and have it go all season consistently. If he does, you got a really good Dman.
Orpik, well...sorry guys
The D you have looks good if you don't deal Green and if Trotz/Reirden get them all on track defensively.
Just stumped as to why the new GM would throw big $ at Orpik and then say something like Grabo wants too much $ for his blood. Grabo is a pretty damn good player and is someone I thought was a great fit for the team.
