Post-Game Talk: Pens 4, Blue Jackets 3 (OT) - Kessel Delivers the Bionic Elbow to Torts

[Chuck Norris Trophy]

Get Määttä out of this team, please. He is just so ****ing horrible in all ways. As a fellow Finn, I wish you good luck with your career Olli, just somewhere else.

 

[Gurglesons]

Interesting the amount of hate Maatta is getting on the two goals scored on his pairing when in reality Daley is far more at fault on both goals.

 

[NewAgeOutlaw]

Interesting the amount of hate Maatta is getting on the two goals scored on his pairing when in reality Daley is far more at fault on both goals.

You are just wrong. On one of the goals, Maatta had a bad pinch which caused an odd man rush and then he over skated the goal scorer when he caught up to the play. But I guess Daley is at fault there because he didn't defend the odd man rush well enough?

 

[Gallatin]

Are we really complaining about Sid not getting on the score sheet? Mcdavid has like twice the games with no points register this year than Sid. Actually just checked. Including today, McDavid scoreless 19 games, Crosby 10. He's on pace to beat him too. 4 points behind and 4 games in games in hand at a higher points per game.

And you're complaining about the team not holding onto leads? We're like 60-0-0 when going into the 3rd period with a lead in the regular season, this season and last. 20-0-0 this year. We're the only team that has a perfect record there this season. Your average team only has an 85% chance of holding onto a lead into the 3rd. Pens have been 100% this season.

This is just reeks classic perception bias against the home team because you're not registering other teams faults since you don't see them.

Facts? You bring us facts?

Nice job raining on the parade buddy.

 

[mpp9]

I like Cullen, but he's not someone you want regularly on a scoring line. He's a great 4C. Leave him there.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

I've never been a big Maatta fan and his skating always scared me, but now it is pretty well below the line for the kind of game this system demands from it's blueliners.

However, I thought he was playing rock solid for a couple of months this season and he went through a long stretch when teams simply didn't score when he was on the ice.

I don't know if JR would do something dramatic and deal him though. I feel like he may have to do something bold to get this roster back to another cup, but I honestly am not sure what move that should be.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

I've never been a big Maatta fan and his skating always scared me, but now it is pretty well below the line for the kind of game this system demands from it's blueliners.

However, I thought he was playing rock solid for a couple of months this season and he went through a long stretch when teams simply didn't score when he was on the ice.

I don't know if JR would do something dramatic and deal him though. I feel like he may have to do something bold to get this roster back to another cup, but I honestly am not sure what move that should be.

What I was trying to say earlier. Between late november and late january he was probably one of our best defenders. Truly a polarizing player.

 

[mpp9]

I've never been a big Maatta fan and his skating always scared me, but now it is pretty well below the line for the kind of game this system demands from it's blueliners.

However, I thought he was playing rock solid for a couple of months this season and he went through a long stretch when teams simply didn't score when he was on the ice.

I don't know if JR would do something dramatic and deal him though. I feel like he may have to do something bold to get this roster back to another cup, but I honestly am not sure what move that should be.

It's not difficult to find a blue liner who's a better fit. And I bet you could land an upgrade for the top 9 forward group for Maatta. Some GM out there on a rebuilding team has to see some value in him.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

It's not difficult to find a blue liner who's a better fit. And I bet you could land an upgrade for the top 9 forward group for Maatta. Some GM out there on a rebuilding team has to see some value in him.

Why would we trade him for a forward?

 

[mpp9]

Why would we trade him for a forward?

I think we could use another. But trade him for what you like. I've seen enough to say we're likely better off with what we can get for him. He still probably has some inflated value as a young D-men.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

It's not difficult to find a blue liner who's a better fit. And I bet you could land an upgrade for the top 9 forward group for Maatta. Some GM out there on a rebuilding team has to see some value in him.

His skating scares the hell out of me, I'll admit that. I just don't know if moving him for another fwd helps this team, unless there is a separate deal to bring in a top four guy - which will be expensive as hell.

An option is to settle on Dumo, Letang, Cole and Schultz as your top four, then find a steady bottom pairing guy for Daley.

I just feel a bold move needs done, but with their cap situation, it will need to be a hockey deal. Just JR is usually blunt and he continues to say he likes the makeup of this team, so I dunno...

 

[trader997]

I think we could use another. But trade him for what you like. I've seen enough to say we're likely better off with what we can get for him. He still probably has some inflated value as a young D-men.

Or we could keep Maatta and trade the best 2nd goalie in the league who hasn't played in 1 month! Just get rid of his 5.5 million cap hit already.

 

[mpp9]

His skating scares the hell out of me, I'll admit that. I just don't know if moving him for another fwd helps this team, unless there is a separate deal to bring in a top four guy - which will be expensive as hell.

An option is to settle on Dumo, Letang, Cole and Schultz as your top four, then find a steady bottom pairing guy for Daley.

I just feel a bold move needs done, but with their cap situation, it will need to be a hockey deal. Just JR is usually blunt and he continues to say he likes the makeup of this team, so I dunno...

We won a Cup last year with Lovejoy playing top 4 minutes. Our strength is depth at forward. And specifically speed to cover up for the D-men and suffocate the opposition.

I'd offer Maatta up for the best forward available. And find a guy to pair with Daley. We got Daley for Scuds last season?

 

[mpp9]

Or we could keep Maatta and trade the best 2nd goalie in the league who hasn't played in 1 month! Just get rid of his 5.5 million cap hit already.

For what?

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

We won a Cup last year with Lovejoy playing top 4 minutes. Our strength is depth at forward. And specifically speed to cover up for the D-men and suffocate the opposition.

I'd offer Maatta up for the best forward available. And find a guy to pair with Daley. We got Daley for Scuds last season?

Ya, but moving Maatta seems like a move even JR would be scared of.

That said, I hope JR is honest with himself about the roster. It's a very good group, but I feel like they need some extra help to get past the Metro buzzsaw. Not a depth move, but legit help.

Was is better than last season IMHO, which is scary... and Col is right with the Pens this year as well.

 

[MrBrightside]

Ya, but moving Maatta seems like a move even JR would be scared of.

That said, I hope JR is honest with himself about the roster. It's a very good group, but I feel like they need some extra help to get past the Metro buzzsaw. Not a depth move, but legit help.

Was is better than last season IMHO, which is scary... and Col is right with the Pens this year as well.

Yeah, this feels more like 2014 than 2016 right now...they are winning, but they aren't carrying play or forcing their style on the opposition the way they did last season. I do think motivation is part of it, and I also think that they have another gear that pretty much everyone in the East other than maybe Washington doesn't, but the way they are playing right now I don't have a lot of confidence they'll beat both Columbus and Washington.

I don't know...feels like to me that this is the time to go get a Top-4 defenseman, whether it's Shattenkirk or someone else. Daley and Dumoulin aren't what he was last year, Maatta is an absolute liability, and Cole's limitations are fairly obvious, even if he's playing pretty well.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Maatta was really good for about a stretch of 2 or 3 months this year, he was ass at the start of the season, rebounded really nicely and is back to ass now. I feel like people need to step back and look at the big picture with him, the reactions on this section seem completely overreactionary. If they can get a better fit top-4 D for him, you definitely do it. However, if they can't, just keep him and work with him to get him back to where he was.

 

[MrBrightside]

Maatta was really good for about a stretch of 2 or 3 months this year, he was ass at the start of the season, rebounded really nicely and is back to ass now. I feel like people need to step back and look at the big picture with him, the reactions on this section seem completely overreactionary. If they can get a better fit top-4 D for him, you definitely do it. However, if they can't, just keep him and work with him to get him back to where he was.

The big picture with him is that he can't skate, his offensive game has completely disappeared, he's a bad fit for the system, and he's been killing them the last month. You can't just head into the playoffs as a Cup contender and shrug and say "oh well, he was good in 2014 so we'll just keep running him out there in case he rebounds." The guy doesn't see the ice in the ECF or SCF last year if Daley doesn't go down, you may recall.

 

[NewAgeOutlaw]

Maatta was really good for about a stretch of 2 or 3 months this year, he was ass at the start of the season, rebounded really nicely and is back to ass now. I feel like people need to step back and look at the big picture with him, the reactions on this section seem completely overreactionary. If they can get a better fit top-4 D for him, you definitely do it. However, if they can't, just keep him and work with him to get him back to where he was.

He's had 2 or 3 good months in about 2 years. I'm not seeing any overreactions.

 

[Empoleon8771]

The big picture with him is that he can't skate, his offensive game has completely disappeared, he's a bad fit for the system, and he's been killing them the last month. You can't just head into the playoffs as a Cup contender and shrug and say "oh well, he was good in 2014 so we'll just keep running him out there in case he rebounds." The guy doesn't see the ice in the ECF or SCF last year if Daley doesn't go down, you may recall.

No, the big picture is that he's an inconsistent defenseman that is extremely effective at not giving up goals and being on the ice for goals when he's on his game and really bad when he's off his game. You don't luck your way into the 2nd best GF% in hockey. You saying that is literally exactly what I was talking about, it's narrow sighted overreactions.

He's had 2 or 3 good months in about 2 years. I'm not seeing any overreactions.

So he was just bad for all of last year then? Because he has been good for about 2 or 3 months this season alone.

 

[Peat]

Trade Maatta for a very good forward, trade MAF + Bonino for a crap exposable goaltender and a rental dman, go 7+3 at the expansion draft. Its an option.

Or trade Bonino/Fehr for a Cole or Lovejoy, someone who can give Maatta a chance to sit when he's playing like balls. I wouldn't say no to another top forward, but I feel like the group will score enough points if you get them in the right configuration. I don't think is a SC winning defence without something happening.

 

[MrBrightside]

No, the big picture is that he's an inconsistent defenseman that is extremely effective at not giving up goals and being on the ice for goals when he's on his game and really bad when he's off his game. You don't luck your way into the 2nd best GF% in hockey. You saying that is literally exactly what I was talking about, it's narrow sighted overreactions.



So he was just bad for all of last year then? Because he has been good for about 2 or 3 months this season alone.

Don't be so patronizing. My "overreaction" is the same evaluation that led to the guy being a healthy scratch in the playoffs last year. Anyone who is going to argue that under Sullivan that he's been extremely effective is seeing what he wants to see.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

He's had 2 or 3 good months in about 2 years. I'm not seeing any overreactions.

As false as can be.

 

[Fordy]

they need an injection of desire and killer instinct, whatever position it's available at. a new hornqvist

 

[Empoleon8771]

Don't be so patronizing. My "overreaction" is the same evaluation that led to the guy being a healthy scratch in the playoffs last year. Anyone who is going to argue that under Sullivan that he's been extremely effective is seeing what he wants to see.

And then he came back when Daley got hurt and was extremely effective. I like how you're ignoring that part.

Did you just not watch Maatta for most of this year or something? Because he was good for a lot of this year.