Penguins need another top 4 defenseman

[mpp9]

Ideally, sure, we get a top pairing guy for Letang. But that's a hell of a lot harder to get than an upgrade for Sid. If we can do both, great.

 

[Shockmaster]

Wow... you guys are drinking the kool-aid after seeing Niskanen in top 4 after 5 games? Again, I can't see how you can give anyone praise after last year's playoffs, so that has no merit with me.

Are you guys also in the same group that wanted the Stillers to give Dennis Dixon a chance to compete with Ben for the starting job?

Pittsburgh tends to overrate some of the non-stars and underrate the superstars when it comes to sports. Ben throws an incompletion, "BOOOO! Cut Ben! Start Batch!" Dixon loses a game in Baltimore after an INT in OT, "He tried his best! Leave him alone!" Fleury has a rough stretch, "Trade him!" Theissen lets in 12 goals in two games "He deserves a chance to be a back up!"

 

[Hottubber]

Wow... you guys are drinking the kool-aid after seeing Niskanen in top 4 after 5 games? Again, I can't see how you can give anyone praise after last year's playoffs, so that has no merit with me.

Are you guys also in the same group that wanted the Stillers to give Dennis Dixon a chance to compete with Ben for the starting job?

Pittsburgh tends to overrate some of the non-stars and underrate the superstars when it comes to sports. Ben throws an incompletion, "BOOOO! Cut Ben! Start Batch!" Dixon loses a game in Baltimore after an INT in OT, "He tried his best! Leave him alone!" Fleury has a rough stretch, "Trade him!" Theissen lets in 12 goals in two games "He deserves a chance to be a back up!"

I didnt read anyone praising the d last year. Some posters, myself included, were saying that he was the best of the bunch. He has done nothing but improve his play since coming over. He has stepped up his physical game aswell. Instead of calling him out after 5 good games, why dont you wait until he has a stretch bad games before jumping all over him.

Letang has played pretty brutal so far. Should we demote him aswell?

 

[themethod7]

Wow... you guys are drinking the kool-aid after seeing Niskanen in top 4 after 5 games?

Huh, I wasn't aware that Niskanen was a FA signing this past offseason. Crazy, I must be imagining him in a Pens sweater all of last season, where he steadily improved from beginning to end, and carried that play into this season.

 

[TorstenFrings]

Wow... you guys are drinking the kool-aid after seeing Niskanen in top 4 after 5 games? Again, I can't see how you can give anyone praise after last year's playoffs, so that has no merit with me.

Are you guys also in the same group that wanted the Stillers to give Dennis Dixon a chance to compete with Ben for the starting job?

Pittsburgh tends to overrate some of the non-stars and underrate the superstars when it comes to sports. Ben throws an incompletion, "BOOOO! Cut Ben! Start Batch!" Dixon loses a game in Baltimore after an INT in OT, "He tried his best! Leave him alone!" Fleury has a rough stretch, "Trade him!" Theissen lets in 12 goals in two games "He deserves a chance to be a back up!"

But do you not see, that whatever you may have just said about Ben Stiller and his wife owning some sports team employing an obviously imaginary comic figure names Dennis Dixon aside, that what you are proposing is the equivalent of taking all those overrated non-starters and trading them for an actual star QB everyone approves of. If you can pull it off, no one is standing in your way, but you probably can`t.

 

[Shockmaster]

But do you not see, that whatever you may have just said about Ben Stiller and his wife owning some sports team employing an obviously imaginary comic figure names Dennis Dixon aside, that what you are proposing is the equivalent of taking all those overrated non-starters and trading them for an actual star QB everyone approves of. If you can pull it off, no one is standing in your way, but you probably can`t.

Depends on the team in question's needs. There's a rumor out there right now Minnesota is willing to trade Setoguchi for Despres, a proven player for someone who's only had limited NHL action.

 

[TorstenFrings]

Depends on the team in question's needs. There's a rumor out there right now Minnesota is willing to trade Setoguchi for Despres, a proven player for someone who's only had limited NHL action.

OK, I promised not to argue, but Setoguchi really is not a top4 D. I am fine with that trade though, was one of those wanting a winger more anyway.

 

[Shockmaster]

OK, I promised not to argue, but Setoguchi really is not a top4 D. I am fine with that trade though, was one of those wanting a winger more anyway.

You implied that other teams wouldn't accept unproven players for proven players. I was just giving an example of such where that might not be the case, regardless of player position.

 

[Shady Machine]

Depends on the team in question's needs. There's a rumor out there right now Minnesota is willing to trade Setoguchi for Despres, a proven player for someone who's only had limited NHL action.

So you want another top 4 d and think it's more important than a winger for Crosby. Then the ONLY trade offer you put on the table is a D prospect for a winger. Seems strange.

edit: I see you've responded above so I'm cool with that. I'm just curious though, who do you have in mind for a top 4 d and who would you give up?

 

[Crafton]

thread needs more Shockmaster. i've yet to be shocked by the master.

 

[BHD]

Hjalmarsson's name is always brought up in Hawks rumours. But if memory serves correct, the Pens and Hawks don't make very good trade partners.

 

[TorstenFrings]

You implied that other teams wouldn't accept unproven players for proven players. I was just giving an example of such where that might not be the case, regardless of player position.

I stand by that, too, I don`t think the D equivalent to Setoguchi is a top pairing D to go with Letang. I also repeatedly asked you which D you would be targeting to get an idea about what it is exactly you are so adament about us missing right now and you keep dotching it. I`d really need names of actual defenders, please.

It also seems more logical that you can get a struggling surplus winger for a D prospect for a team thin on D, then that you could get an established #2 defender for the same.

 

[Riptide]

I'd be open to it at the deadline but not right now. Nisky has done a heck of a job so far and will be a top 4 dman when he comes back. Now we have time to see Despres in a top 4 role and see if he can fill that role full time. Then Nisky comes back and he moves to a no. 5. Let's be patient.

Exactly. Dress Despres/Bort and give them time to show us what they can do. If Despres can't get it done, either trade him, or send him back to WBS and call up Morrow or Dumoulin to show us what they can do.

We have all these prospects, and we absolutely must give them a chance to show us what they can do. We lost Strait who's now playing 17 min a night in Long Island, and doing quite well. We can't afford to let others get to that same position - which we will if we never give them a chance.

 

[Riptide]

We needed to clear cap space for what exactly?

The cap will be 64m next year. And will likely be the same the following year (if it doesn't go down).

Now how good does some cap space look?

 

[KanetoToews2883]

Hjalmarsson's name is always brought up in Hawks rumours. But if memory serves correct, the Pens and Hawks don't make very good trade partners.

Was waiting for his name to come up, not sure the Hawks would be willing to move Hjalmarsson with his play so far this season and the injury to Rozsival.

But just for arm chairs sake, what would the Pens give the Hawks in return?

 

[Darth Vitale]

I like Z in general but he doesn't fit this system well. He was a much more effective player in Tippett's system for whatever reason. He got abused in the playoffs here...

As for our depth, it's suspect without Niskanen, decent with him. Time to see if Bortuzzo is a legend in the making. I hear he grows a full beard by 2pm every afternoon. Probably hangs out with Vitale a lot.

 

[TorstenFrings]

The day Hjalmarsson is brought in, is the day I will jump on the Michalek trade hate bandwaggon. Unless we pay even less for the poor man`s version than we got for the original.

 

[td_ice]

For me, I would MUCH rather have Hjalmarsson than Michalek. I don't see how the Hammer would be a poor man's version of Michalek, as they play very different games.

 

[mpp9]

Don't see why Chicago would move him unless they're upgrading or getting a top 9 center back.

 

[TorstenFrings]

Fine, I am obviously missing all these things that are special about Hjalmarsson, life goes on. Since we don`t have any extra goalies laying around, it probably won´t matter anyway.

 

[KanetoToews2883]

Fine, I am obviously missing all these things that are special about Hjalmarsson, life goes on. Since we don`t have any extra goalies laying around, it probably won´t matter anyway.

or a 2C/3C that you'd be willing to part with.... Sutter would be intriguing but a). not sure either side would do it and b). I doubt the Hawks move Hjalmarsson til draft day 2013.

 

[TorstenFrings]

or a 2C/3C that you'd be willing to part with.... Sutter would be intriguing but a). not sure either side would do it and b). I doubt the Hawks move Hjalmarsson til draft day 2013.

I`ll let someone who actually wants Hjalmarsson field that.

 

[PensFanSince1989]

But was that the best deal available? How do you know? So you make Staal happy but not Michalek if he asked for a move back to a specific team?

And Shero's plan we knew it all along he was going after both Parise and Suter, it failed but he tried and he tried hard.

there was no need to dump Michalek to go after Suter and Parise. And Shero wouldn't have traded Staal to Carolina for peanuts. He made a good hockey trade. The same cannot be said about Michalek.

 

[PensFanSince1989]

The cap will be 64m next year. And will likely be the same the following year (if it doesn't go down).

Now how good does some cap space look?

It can't go down. Cap is gauranteed to never be below $64.3 million.

And we clear space when its needed. It's not needed now. We have what? $10 million in cap room?

 

[bingobangobongo]

Whatever results in

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