Post-Game Talk: Pens 5, Ducks 2: The Despres -2, The Cup is Ours Edition

[wej20]

Steigy and Errey are far too close to the organisation to say anything remotely negative about it.

 

[SEALBound]

Goc was better then laps but ill hold judgement until playoffs

Goc was as vanilla as Lapierre is. Lapierre's physical presence may be needed in the playoffs more than whatever it is special that Goc did. As someone said, I don't think the difference between them is enough to sway the final outcome either way.

Adams on the 4th line is a far bigger issue.

With Bennett in and running:

Winnik-Sutter-Downie
Spaling-Lapierre-Bennett

you can at least say you have 3a and 3b. With Adams in over any of them, you clearly have 1 3rd line and a poor 4th line. His PK is NOT needed THAT bad.

Last night was a decent game. I thought Sid's line was rather invisible. Perron has not been the impact player I thought he would be these last couple of games. Not a hindrance like Kunitz has been, but not quite what he was his first couple of games.

Defense overall wasn't that bad. I really think

Letang-Martin
Ehrhoff-Lovejoy
Cole-Pouliot

come playoff time could be a good defense.

This is weird though. I mean, Anaheim is a top team in the league. Are they that good based on how bad the Western division is...or are they that good. Their offense suggests they are a top team...obviously their defense and goalie are a little suspect. So how do we judge this performance? I didn't think we played at 100% of potential...but it was a convincing win. But then we drop a game like we did to the Avs and it makes you wonder.

If we can get both lines clicking at the same time, I think we could be good.

 

[plaidchuck]

How do you fix it though?

The fourth line looked good until Adams was back. So sit him and your fourth line looks NHL caliber.

But even with Downie, Winnik, BB and Spaling on the third line, it still mostly blows. Sutter is killing his line and how do you fix that?

I guess:

Winnik Spaling BB
Lap Sutter Downie

It's not happen though. Sutter has been mostly an empty jersey in the attacking zone since Dec and hasn't been demoted or benched, so it's highly unlikely. He still does well in his own end and on the PK, so again what do you do?

Not much you can do when the lines and roster management for the team are so predictable.

How did sutter break into the league anyways? Pure nepotism and name recognition? He's not good enough offensively for the top six nor can he play an effective possession game needed for the bottom six in todays league. It's almost if he should have been a bottom six winger who can pot you some goals every once in a while.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

He broke into the league because he was selected 11th overall. As to why that happened... yeah... he's a Sutter. But he also really does do SOME things well. Excellent PKer, good skater and a deceptive shot. He's also a very, very capable positional defender in his own end.

Is all that worth what he's worth? Does that merit being taken in the top half of the draft? Probably not... but I'm not going to pretend he's utterly incompetent, either. Just... not at all what this team needs.

 

[plaidchuck]

Lol wow didn't know he went that high. Rutherford screwed the pooch on that one. Kind of a crappy draft pool overall though.

 

[BobCole]

He broke into the league because he was selected 11th overall. As to why that happened... yeah... he's a Sutter. But he also really does do SOME things well. Excellent PKer, good skater and a deceptive shot. He's also a very, very capable positional defender in his own end.

Is all that worth what he's worth? Does that merit being taken in the top half of the draft? Probably not... but I'm not going to pretend he's utterly incompetent, either. Just... not at all what this team needs.

I agree with all of this.

 

[billybudd]

Sutter didn't used to be as soft and disengaged as he is now when he was a teenager. My impression of him at the World Junior Championships was that he was a typical Sutter.



No idea what happened to him since then.

Might just be that he was a bigger guy relative everybody else when he was a junior player. They all got bigger, he didn't.

He wasn't a stretch at 11 at the time, is what I'm getting at.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

At least he isn't Zach Hamill.

 

[ChrisKuuuunitz]

Do people forget Sutter was our best player in the playoffs last year?

 

[mpp9]

He's just not very strong. And apparently he wants to be in more of an offensive role.

Something I just thought of. With JR's comments about Staal and the team missing a dominant 3C. Why didn't we keep pursuing Kesler last offseason? I dont' remember if we were taken off his list when DB was canned, but I'm not real sure why a player would see DB over Sid/Geno as more enticing.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Not much you can do when the lines and roster management for the team are so predictable.

How did sutter break into the league anyways? Pure nepotism and name recognition? He's not good enough offensively for the top six nor can he play an effective possession game needed for the bottom six in todays league. It's almost if he should have been a bottom six winger who can pot you some goals every once in a while.

He broke into the league because he was selected 11th overall. As to why that happened... yeah... he's a Sutter. But he also really does do SOME things well. Excellent PKer, good skater and a deceptive shot. He's also a very, very capable positional defender in his own end.

Is all that worth what he's worth? Does that merit being taken in the top half of the draft? Probably not... but I'm not going to pretend he's utterly incompetent, either. Just... not at all what this team needs.

Ya, we can't get into histronics and say Sutter is a terrible hockey player. It's such a catch 22 because he does many things well. We all know he is just total ass on the boards, that's a given.

However, he just has been really dishing the puck poorly for quite some time now, and I have no answer as to why. He was never a great playmaker, but he could at least move the puck decently in the past. I've lost count how many times in the last few weeks I've seen one of his linemates break open and he doesn't see them. He is really not seeing the ice well.

The one play agt Colorado I believe, he had Downie all alone in the slot and Sutter was below the goalline with the puck. He just needed to softly dish him the puck for a golden shot on net... instead he did this weird hesitation motion then fired the puck awkwardly at Downie.

That really left me shaking my head... I'm not sure how you **** up a ten foot pass like that. He's just not doing anything to make those around him better, or helping them really.

 

[plaidchuck]

Do people forget Sutter was our best player in the playoffs last year?

And that's the problem.

 

[billybudd]

He's just not very strong. And apparently he wants to be in more of an offensive role.

Something I just thought of. With JR's comments about Staal and the team missing a dominant 3C. Why didn't we keep pursuing Kesler last offseason? I dont' remember if we were taken off his list when DB was canned, but I'm not real sure why a player would see DB over Sid/Geno as more enticing.

Kesler pulled us off his list. He said what his list was after he was traded; it was, like, two teams, both in the West. Supposedly the reason we were on it in the first place was the guys we fired. No Dan, Tony and Ray, no Ryan.

Realistically, I don't know that Kesler's going to be as enticed by playing behind Sid and Geno than he would be by working for guys he considers to be good bosses (for whatever reason).

 

[mpp9]

Kesler pulled us off his list. He said what his list was after he was traded; it was, like, two teams, both in the West. Supposedly the reason we were on it in the first place was the guys we fired. No Dan, Tony and Ray, no Ryan.

Realistically, I don't know that Kesler's going to be as enticed by playing behind Sid and Geno than he would be by working for guys he considers to be good bosses (for whatever reason).

Hockey players are weird.

 

[plaidchuck]

Kesler pulled us off his list. He said what his list was after he was traded; it was, like, two teams, both in the West. Supposedly the reason we were on it in the first place was the guys we fired. No Dan, Tony and Ray, no Ryan.

Realistically, I don't know that Kesler's going to be as enticed by playing behind Sid and Geno than he would be by working for guys he considers to be good bosses (for whatever reason).

But didn't he criticize bylsma after the Olympics?

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Do people forget Sutter was our best player in the playoffs last year?

No. It's difficult to forget when at least two or three people bring it up every time Sutter is discussed. I hope he does it again, of course. But it doesn't really change much. I still don't see him as a good fit on this team. His skillset is too oddball for the role he's playing, here. The team needs a much heavier-playing guy with a much more straightforward game. The team can't keep spending assets to try fixing a problem that probably isn't fixable while there are major holes, elsewhere. They need to simply go a different direction.

I mean... if he manages to somehow put the entire team on his back for a series or two and is a dominant force that is a major catalyst in vaulting them to the SCF... then it's obviously worth reconsidering. But that seems a bit unrealistic. I personally don't think his performance last year was that outstanding, anyway. Only compared to most of his teammates... and that's kind of damning with faint praise.

 

[billybudd]

But didn't he criticize bylsma after the Olympics?

That was Parise and Suter.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Sutter didn't used to be as soft and disengaged as he is now when he was a teenager. My impression of him at the World Junior Championships was that he was a typical Sutter.



No idea what happened to him since then.

Might just be that he was a bigger guy relative everybody else when he was a junior player. They all got bigger, he didn't.

He wasn't a stretch at 11 at the time, is what I'm getting at.

He got rocked hard by Doug Weight when he was a rookie, I believe. Got concussed from the hit. I wonder if that's had an effect on his overall physical game. Because, yeah, in junior I seem to recall him playing a more physical game than he does now.

 

[Darth Vitale]

+ Thread Title.

 

[NeedleInTheHay]

Do people forget Sutter was our best player in the playoffs last year?

He was very good but I gotta give that title to Malkin, he looked like a man possessed in game 7. Too bad Lundqvist shut it down.

 

[billybudd]

He got rocked hard by Doug Weight when he was a rookie, I believe. Got concussed from the hit. I wonder if that's had an effect on his overall physical game. Because, yeah, in junior I seem to recall him playing a more physical game than he does now.

Vicious headshot 5 feet away from Daddy. Yeah, I remember that.

Edit: guess I remember it wrong, lol. For some reason, I thought Sutter's dad was on one of the benches.

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

Weight on Sutter for those in need of a refresher or first experience.

 

[Asuna]

Weight on Sutter for those in need of a refresher or first experience.

Wow. What a ****ing hit.

 

[66-30-33]

Weight on Sutter for those in need of a refresher or first experience.

That's why you don't reach for the puck when someone is coming at you like this.

 

[Captain Hook]

I remember that. One of those hits that made me feel a bit sick seeing it. Sutter did put himself in a tough spot with his head down and lunging for a puck though.