Proposal: Penguins need to blow it up

[67Leafs67]

I definitely think the Penguins will want to retool, but blowing it up entirely seems unlikely. I doubt they move on from Matt Murray for no reason...he's was solid down the stretch, and seems like he had a good enough bounce-back season after last year's rough off-ice challenges. Plus he is only 24.

Obviously Crosby, Malkin, Guentzel are staying up front, and Letang will stay on the back-end. Other pieces are definitely moveable, but there are a lot of pieces that don't really need to be moved. I think they just need to rework this team to be more defensively sound, and maybe younger and quicker. Rutherford has made some questionable moves, like bringing in Johnson & Gudbranson as defensive solutions, that kind of make me question his ability to successfully retool.

What it comes down to is a reevaluation from the top. What kind of team does Pittsburgh need to be around their core group? What direction is the NHL moving in that Pittsburgh can keep up with? What are the weaknesses that need to be addressed --> probably 5v5 defense. Maybe Pittsburgh moves Kessel to a team like Carolina that is lacking in talented finishers, and picks up one of their good defensive players, something along those lines.

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

Maatta to the habs ?

Habs can take him on clean. Picks and/or prospects for him if the pens are looking to get assets and shed salary at the same time.

 

[orby]

Maatta to the habs ?

Habs can take him on clean. Picks and/or prospects for him if the pens are looking to get assets and shed salary at the same time.

I wouldn't be opposed to it.

 

[Junohockeyfan]

Maatta to the habs ?

Habs can take him on clean. Picks and/or prospects for him if the pens are looking to get assets and shed salary at the same time.

Maata would never fit the Habs style of play. It would take a big sweetener or retention for the Habs to take the risk.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

Murray and McCann? That's who you want to keep? Ok then

Yes, let's trade the 24 year-old starting goalie when there isn't a starter behind him and a 22 year-old who has been fantastic in <3 months with the team. That's how rebuilds work. Certainly not trading older players and those not lifting their weight.

It's the Kessels & Määttäs of the team that JR is going to dangle, not the kid he just traded for.

 

[McSuper]

Wouldn't it be comparable to who he was before he was hired? Both won a cup, then nuked a team too ****? (Chia almost did it twice to two teams.) Funny how that is.

Please hire Chia . We need to regroup some assets . Manning + Lucic for Kessel is right up Chia alley .

 

[Khelandros]

McCann and Murray aren't available. Especially not Murray.

Murray should be available. This fan base got all over Fleury when he struggled, no reason not to for Murray. One minute he makes a save he has no business making, the next he's letting in a goal from 2 feet out cause he forgot his post is actually another 6" over. He just lets in too many soft goals at all the wrong times. He is a 1.5x starting Stanley Cup winning goalie. The return on him would help rebuild this team faster than anything you get for Maatta/Kessel.

 

[BrookswasHere44]

So....who is playing goalie?

 

[mrinsane]

Hornqvist is the kind of guy MB would like to have.. but cost probably too much.

 

[PensandCaps]

If Murray's been your best player there's an even bigger issue. The guy has looked like swiss cheese for weeks.

Your just making things up?
Murray has been fantastic all 2019

 

[Newsworthy]

Thomas Greiss and a third rd pick for Schultz.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Thomas Greiss and a third rd pick for Schultz.

Lol

 

[T1K]

Lol

To be fair we have way more success with 3rds than any other pick, so running with that logic we should just trade all of our players for 3rds... You want Malkin? Cool, give us your next 30 3rd rd picks!!!

 

[Gurglesons]

Thomas Greiss and a third rd pick for Schultz.

Greiss hates Pittsburgh.

 

[Son Goku]

Murray should be available. This fan base got all over Fleury when he struggled, no reason not to for Murray. One minute he makes a save he has no business making, the next he's letting in a goal from 2 feet out cause he forgot his post is actually another 6" over. He just lets in too many soft goals at all the wrong times. He is a 1.5x starting Stanley Cup winning goalie. The return on him would help rebuild this team faster than anything you get for Maatta/Kessel.

stop

 

[Beauner]

cherry-picking a part of the comment can be fun, but Staal wasn't the featured piece,
i gave reasons why (Cap balance, Sully)

and after watching these 3 Pens games,
despite the overstated internet disrespect for Staal,
it's hard not to be convinced he could only have helped ...

gotta defer some of Geno's Cap Hit somehow,
does Pens fan base prefer Brendan Smith?

We prefer keeping our top-3 player in franchise history who is revered and loved in the city and locker room

 

[orby]

Murray should be available. This fan base got all over Fleury when he struggled, no reason not to for Murray. One minute he makes a save he has no business making, the next he's letting in a goal from 2 feet out cause he forgot his post is actually another 6" over. He just lets in too many soft goals at all the wrong times. He is a 1.5x starting Stanley Cup winning goalie. The return on him would help rebuild this team faster than anything you get for Maatta/Kessel.

It's not Murray's fault the Pens have scored 2 goals in the last 120 minutes of play. They are being beaten in all aspects of the game right now, singling out Murray for letting in a couple stinkers is a gross overreaction. This is not like 2013 when the Pens had a stacked offense but Fleury was flopping like a fish all over the ice and letting in everything the Islanders threw at him.

 

[Khelandros]

It's not Murray's fault the Pens have scored 2 goals in the last 120 minutes of play. They are being beaten in all aspects of the game right now, singling out Murray for letting in a couple stinkers is a gross overreaction. This is not like 2013 when the Pens had a stacked offense but Fleury was flopping like a fish all over the ice and letting in everything the Islanders threw at him.

This is a growing trend with Murray. He has been letting in weak, soft goals all season. The two most glaring ones are the back to back games against the Flyers.

 

[cwede]

We prefer keeping our top-3 player in franchise history who is revered and loved in the city and locker room

i understand, respect and agree with that.
i was responding to the topic of this thread, which is all about speculation

 

[Toby Flenderson]

The Pens definitely need a shakeup but it would not be smart to trade Murray. They need to shed some cap and get younger.

My ideal moves:

1. Kessel to AZ for 14th OA + Fischer

2. Pens 2019 1st for JT Miller

3. Maatta to MTL for 2019 2nd

4. Bjugstad to any team that needs a solid 3rd liner (Looks like Buffalo could use him) for a 2019 2nd

5. Jack Johnson + 2019 2nd to a team with a lot of cap space for a 2019 3rd


Cleans up a bunch of cap on the back end, gives us a top 15 pick, and a much better 3C in Miller.

 

[FreeBobbyFarnham]

Hornqvist is the kind of guy MB would like to have.. but cost probably too much.

Lehkonen + Armia for Hornqvist + Simon/Maatta

I'd love to see Hornqvist and Gallagher on the same team.

 

[FreeBobbyFarnham]

2. Pens 2019 1st for JT Miller

No thanks

 

[Randy Butternubs]

Murray should be available. This fan base got all over Fleury when he struggled, no reason not to for Murray. One minute he makes a save he has no business making, the next he's letting in a goal from 2 feet out cause he forgot his post is actually another 6" over. He just lets in too many soft goals at all the wrong times. He is a 1.5x starting Stanley Cup winning goalie.

 

[Phil120362]

To be fair we have way more success with 3rds than any other pick, so running with that logic we should just trade all of our players for 3rds... You want Malkin? Cool, give us your next 30 3rd rd picks!!!

Josh HoSang MDC and 20?

 

[Extra Texture]

I'm pretty sure I remember a thread like this in the summer of 2014 or 2015 (probably both). They didnt blow it up then, and they shouldnt (and wont) blow it up now.

uhhhh...quick enough to win 1.5x as many cups as another next 6 intra-state franchise has won in 50 years...

By the time the Pens finish their next tank, the Flyers will probably still be looking for that elusive starting goalie.