Post-Game Talk: Pens-2, Flames-4

[deakka]

The thing is, you are getting 200ft hockey out of Crosby because is actively playing that game, Malkin is just playing lazy right now and maybe he is disinterested, who knows?

I feel like if this team misses the playoffs, they're going to implode.

What is there to do tho? Unless Sid lr Geno asks for a trade, having full NMC/NTC. Move Letang maybe. But his health issues will greatly diminish the potential return.

And I dont see us moving Maatta, Pouliot, Dumoulin on defense. We kind of need them in the rebuild. Sprong and Murray wont be moved. That leaves a bunch of prospects who by all means playing good in the bottom 6, but barely has any value in a trade.

And then theres a Bonino, Bennett who dont hold value.
Kind of leaves Hornqvist and MAF

Feels like we needed to try a mini rebuild a few years ago. Maybe its too late now :-(

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Shero & Bylsma needed to be fired before the Iginla fiasco. The amount of assets this team gave up by then...leaves this team insanely bare now.

Bonino can still be moved for a 3rd-4th pick at the draft because of his cap hit and that he had 1 down year on a team with a lot of players with down years. With Beau, what he does when he comes back determines if I am on the "move him!" or "keep him!" team.

But I feel for the kid, he felt like quitting hockey because he just kept getting hurt and you can just see it in his words that he's the most frustrated person out of anyone about the whole ordeal and that he feels like it's some bad luck too. Something about the kid, I really want to see him succeed, regardless of him being here or not.

 

[deakka]

Yeah we can probably get some mid rounders for bonino and to a lesser extent Cole. But thats hardly a Change of the magnitude i think this team needs of we fail to make the playoffs

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Yeah we can probably get some mid rounders for bonino and to a lesser extent Cole. But thats hardly a Change of the magnitude i think this team needs of we fail to make the playoffs

I think most of his called this season a wash before Sullivan made us feel like we could see some changes in this team's culture. That is something that is going to take much much longer than the time Sullivan has had.

Guys that need to go - Kunitz, Cole, Bonino.
All for picks unless a team is dumb enough to give up more.

UFA's to let walk - Porter and Zatkoff. I would move Lovejoy if his camp feels he's worth 2.5m+ and wants more than 2yrs.

Re-Sign RFA's - Rust, Wilson, Kuhnhackl, and Bennett.
Re-Sign UFA's - Cullen, for 1 more year.

Then you see what the camp can do with this team. We're all too attached to Geno to ever think about moving him and I understand, I never want to see him go. Letang is too vital to this team's defense and transition game to be someone this team should ever think about moving. Unless the Habs called and wanted to swap Letang for Subban to get a hometown boy there, maybe then.

 

[deakka]

Yeah i wrote of this season pretty early. Sprint pisses me off that a season like this wont even get usa top 10 pick. Had MJ not been fired we might have gone full tank instead

 

[chethejet]

Pens are in a poor position and I hoped GMJR wold have recognized that the freeing up of cap space and trading bad contracts would be mandatory. Instead he trades an expiring contract to the Ducks for a 4 million per year cap hit with no additional return. The he jumps the gun on resigning Maatta for another LT 4 million. Now he has no cap space and a team that he stupidly believes is a cup contender. Just have to think at some point the retooling will have to start. But that simply won't happen unless Mario can't sell for close to what he wants. Then he may realize when the ticket sales slow and the Pens are stuck with contracts for declining assets, trades have to happen. Not cosmetic, all options are on the table.

 

[deakka]

Pens are in a poor position and I hoped GMJR wold have recognized that the freeing up of cap space and trading bad contracts would be mandatory. Instead he trades an expiring contract to the Ducks for a 4 million per year cap hit with no additional return. The he jumps the gun on resigning Maatta for another LT 4 million. Now he has no cap space and a team that he stupidly believes is a cup contender. Just have to think at some point the retooling will have to start. But that simply won't happen unless Mario can't sell for close to what he wants. Then he may realize when the ticket sales slow and the Pens are stuck with contracts for declining assets, trades have to happen. Not cosmetic, all options are on the table.

Maatta is a vital part of the retool tho. And the contract is nothing wrong.

 

[Coastal Kev]

Maatta is a vital part of the retool tho. And the contract is nothing wrong.

They are a sinking ship and JR will in no way turn it around. The Pens need new owners that will gut the organization.

 

[Headshot77]

I think it's poetic that the Flames just burned down our village.

 

[chethejet]

Maatta is a vital part of the retool tho. And the contract is nothing wrong.

Things change. He certainly isn't close to the player we saw for 30 games three years ago. Two significant shoulder surgeries and meds certainly change the dynamic. I love the kid, but to sign him at this time was putting the cart before the horse. He is a RFA and the Pens had time to see what he offers next year. The problem with you and Dejan is you still believe the Pens are well managed. They are not. And the results of a declining talent base is now showing cracks.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Really weird coincidence that any line Kunitz gets moved to turns to ****. Didn't his linemates see his sweet advanced stats and +/-?

I'll believe the top 6 "deck chairs" argument when CK's out of it. Until then, we're just shuffling the blatantly obvious problem from one line to the other.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Pens are in a poor position and I hoped GMJR wold have recognized that the freeing up of cap space and trading bad contracts would be mandatory. Instead he trades an expiring contract to the Ducks for a 4 million per year cap hit with no additional return. The he jumps the gun on resigning Maatta for another LT 4 million. Now he has no cap space and a team that he stupidly believes is a cup contender. Just have to think at some point the retooling will have to start. But that simply won't happen unless Mario can't sell for close to what he wants. Then he may realize when the ticket sales slow and the Pens are stuck with contracts for declining assets, trades have to happen. Not cosmetic, all options are on the table.

Hagelin and Maatta are the least of our problems.

 

[Ogrezilla]

Kunitz is, imo, the only really bad spot on the team. Replace him with just a competent LW and we are instantly a MUCH better team. An average skating 30 ES point guy who can complete basic passes and dump a puck in deep would be a huge upgrade. Anything better would just be bonus. After that, our 6D and 3C are the other spots I'd like to see improved. But none of Bonino, Fehr, Cullen, Lovejoy or Cole are the gaping hole in those roles that Chris Kunitz is in the top 6.

That's not to say we are perfect everywhere else, just that I don't think those spots are going to kill us the way Kunitz is.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

I think we could have our solid ES guy in Wilson to be honest. That kid is a workhorse and it could be the kind of guy that Sid could thrive with if the Hagelin for 1 game experiment showed anything. Wilson isn't much different than Hagelin. Style wise.