Post-Game Talk: Pens 5, Rangers 0: Murray Wins Despite Malkin Screwing Up Team Chemistry

[sf expat71]

I was for trading Bonino at the deadline. I suggested signing Cullen in the offseason. Cullen is a great player, and any team that passed on signing him for near league minimum made a mistake.

Im just saying Bonino's skillset is more suited to a complementary role with skill. Cullen never looked better than he did with Fehr, Kuhn and Rust this season, and he played with literally every player on the roster.

Sullivan's playing them in positions to succeed right now.

I actually thought he played really well as Malkin's LW, but maybe it was too small a sample size to make much of it...

 

[JTG]

really? You don't think Cullen plays a simpler dump and chase game than Bonino?

I've been watching Matt Cullen over the course of his whole career...no, he doesn't just play a simple dump and chase style of play. That is certainly the style more geared toward the guys he's playing with, but Cullen his whole career has been a guy that matched with skill and complimented them. He still can. And the whole basis of the argument was because he has the ability to skate with Hagelin and Kessel, while also being able to work boards and corners, which Bonino does not excel at.

I'm not saying that anything should be tried this season, as for what we're doing is working. But I'd certainly re-sign Cullen, and if we plan on having a 3rd line of Kessel and Hagelin, he should be tried.

 

[JTG]

I actually thought he played really well as Malkin's LW, but maybe it was too small a sample size to make much of it...

He did.

I actually thought that was where he was going to stick.

 

[madinsomniac]

Trading Fleury this summer would be really dumb. I haven't followed the thread much today but if I know this fanbase there are some people going goony over Murray's nice performance so far this playoff and getting ahead of themselves.

We need to see at least a couple of solid partial seasons from Murray where he gets 25-30 games and does consistently well in both before you even think about trading Fleury. Then you do a split season more or less, and if Murray does well with the expanded workload, you do what you need to do. That's assuming there's a good backup ready to be signed if Jaromir Jarry isn't ready.

The expansion draft may well force their hand early.... but I agree next year you go in with MAf as the absolute #1 unless Murray goes on a tear and wins the cup or something... frankly I think MAF will replace him later this playoffs if he gets healthy regardless of how Murray has done to that point...

If Murray looks ready to go and the expansion draft really is going to allow only one goalie to be protected, and NMC's dont have any bearing on the draft, then yes, perhaps you do trade fluery to the place he chooses... maybe if Quebec actually does get a team he will willingly go there... its close to his home, and a high 2nd rounder for him from an expansion team would be almost like a first rounder... and frankly if Jarry works out you have to make room for him somehow... so its not out of the realm of possibilities that MAf only sees another year with the team

but for now you dont go into next year with one goalie thats relatively unproven.

 

[Ogrezilla]

I've been watching Matt Cullen over the course of his whole career...no, he doesn't just play a simple dump and chase style of play. That is certainly the style more geared toward the guys he's playing with, but Cullen his whole career has been a guy that matched with skill and complimented them. He still can. And the whole basis of the argument was because he has the ability to skate with Hagelin and Kessel, while also being able to work boards and corners, which Bonino does not excel at.

I'm not saying that anything should be tried this season, as for what we're doing is working. But I'd certainly re-sign Cullen, and if we plan on having a 3rd line of Kessel and Hagelin, he should be tried.

You are twisting what I said. I said he plays a simpler dump and chase style than Bonino does. I didn't say he just plays a simple dump and chase style. Those are not the same sentence.

 

[mpp9]

Cullen was playing top 6 mins when we were decimated by injuries, playing under a **** coach.

I wouldn't be using anything that happened before MS as a barometer for how a guy would play in a specific situation.

But what do I know? Matt Cullen is like Tyler Kennedy. Except for chest sniping, he just hits center red and dumps pucks deep.

No. He was playing in an elevated role under Sullivan as well. We had injuries all year.

 

[JTG]

No. He was playing in an elevated role under Sullivan as well. We had injuries all year.

Right - he played a period of time with Geno and he was actually producing there, if I remember correctly. This has absolutely nothing to do with the point though.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

I hate everything about this Expansion ********.

You want Quebec or Las Vegas to have a team? Move the Coyotes to one of them and wait to move another team that isn't making any money in a city they have been in for quite some time.

 

[JTG]

I hate everything about this Expansion ********.

You want Quebec or Las Vegas to have a team? Move the Coyotes to one of them and wait to move another team that isn't making any money in a city they have been in for quite some time.

That's how I would do it.

No reason to keep teams in markets that don't purchase enough tickets and swag to allow the team to go much above the cap floor.

There are places to put teams that don't currently have one that support the game of hockey completely.