Confirmed with Link: Pens sign F Nick Spaling to 2-year, $4.4M contract (2.2AAV)

[Ogrezilla]

I'm sorry, but I have ZERO issues with our bottom six when you compare it with last years and when you take into consideration what our GM had to work with. We were all yelling for an upgrade, & now that it is CLEARLY upgraded, 1/2 of you seem to be crying because it isn't the exact upgrade you personally wanted with the exact players you personally wanted.

I don't get this board at times.

As long as Adams isn't playing, I will love our bottom 6.

Spaling - Sutter - Dupuis/Downie/Bennett
Comeau - Goc - Megna

Adams, Sill, Payerl, Uher as replacements for injuries

And I put Dupuis, Downie and Bennett together because if we don't bring in any more new players, I expect them to all rotate between the top 6 and the 3rd line.

 

[Zbynek]

Seriously, he's way off. Prime Langenbrunner would probably be the best overall wing on our team right now.

I agree, and that is actually exactly the type of winger we need right now. Notorious for turning it on in the playoffs. The guy just exudes leadership, also pretty much exactly what our locker room needs. These days, a guy like ROR dreams of matching Langenbrunner's game.

 

[Ogrezilla]

I agree, and that is actually exactly the type of winger we need right now. Notorious for turning it on in the playoffs. The guy just exudes leadership, also pretty much exactly what our locker room needs. These days, a guy like ROR dreams of matching Langenbrunner's game.

Ya, ROR is a better comparison for Langenbrunner than Dupuis. He must be talking about the old, should have already retired version of Langenbrunner at the end of his career.

 

[Zbynek]

Ya, ROR is a better comparison for Langenbrunner than Dupuis. He must be talking about the old, should have already retired version of Langenbrunner at the end of his career.

I think if ROR continues to play at the level he did this past season over the next 5+ years at least, then he will be a good comparison for Langenbrunner. Overall I think a lot of people have gotten a little too excited about the guy. Personally I think he benefited from a new system in Colorado and from the surge they made at the end of the season. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if he fails to match that production consistently over the next few years. It's for this reason, and many others, that I view E Kane as a much more ideal "winger wet dream" for the Pens

 

[Ogrezilla]

I think if ROR continues to play at the level he did this past season over the next 5+ years at least, then he will be a good comparison for Langenbrunner. Overall I think a lot of people have gotten a little too excited about the guy. Personally I think he benefited from a new system in Colorado and from the surge they made at the end of the season. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if he fails to match that production consistently over the next few years. It's for this reason, and many others, that I view E Kane as a much more ideal "winger wet dream" for the Pens

I agree with all of that.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Jamie Langenbrunner spent the vast majority of his career as a defensive forward, producing about what you'd expect from Matt Cooke.

If you're okay with him in a top 6 capacity, you should be ecstatic that Dupuis is locked up long term for $4 million per year.

Langenbrunner scored 20+ goals four times in his career, 50+ points six times in his career.

Matt Cooke has never scored 20 goals in his career, and has only ever reached 40 points, let alone 50, one time.

Pascal Dupuis has scored 20 goals three times in his career (while getting to play with the best player in hockey for two of them), and has surpassed 50 points one time.

But yeah, Langenbrunner produced about what you'd expect from Cooke, and is comparable to Dupuis.

No wonder you think teams from the past had "less than ideal pieces" in their top six when you're making comparisons like that.

 

[Michael8771*]

I think he's overpriced. And with our cap limitations we can't afford to overpay, even three or four hundred thousand per season. 1.8 million per is where he should have topped out at.

 

[iFishyHD]

I think he's overpriced. And with our cap limitations we can't afford to overpay, even three or four hundred thousand per season. 1.8 million per is where he should have topped out at.

That's pretty unrealistic. He played for Nashville so we haven't really seen what he can do with offensive linemates.

 

[drpepper]

That's pretty unrealistic. He played for Nashville so we haven't really seen what he can do with offensive linemates.

Offensive linemates? Is Spaling penciled in your top 6 with either Crosby or Malkin?

 

[iFishyHD]

Offensive linemates? Is Spaling penciled in your top 6 with either Crosby or Malkin?

Spaling-Sutter-Dupuis/Bennett/Downie

could be stellar. I could see something like 20-20 from all of them.

Spaling had 32 points playing on all 4 lines in Nashville.

 

[drpepper]

Spaling-Sutter-Dupuis/Bennett/Downie

could be stellar. I could see something like 20-20 from all of them.

Spaling had 32 points playing on all 4 lines in Nashville.

Spaling mostly played top 6 minutes (teammates, easy zone starts, etc) last year to get those 32 points.

I was just surprised because I didn't think most of this board would consider Dupuis or Sutter as offensive linemates.

I think Spaling-Sutter-Dupuis would be great defensively but without a playmaker on that line would struggle with offensive possession. Spaling-Sutter-Downie provided Downie has some playmaking ability and actually can play hockey or Spaling-Sutter-Bennett might better maximize secondary scoring even if it isn't as strong defensively.

 

[penguins2946*]

I'd go with Spaling-Sutter-Bennett as our 3rd line if we're talking about the roster we have right now. I do like the defensive strength of Spaling-Sutter-Dupuis, but who is going to be the person to create offense there? All 3 of those are tunnel vision shooters. We need a playmaker for that line, which would be Bennett.

 

[a lil babby]

Spaling-Sutter-Dupuis/Bennett/Downie

could be stellar. I could see something like 20-20 from all of them.

Spaling had 32 points playing on all 4 lines in Nashville.

Those guys are all going to see limited powerplay time, with the possible exception of Bennett, who will also be in the top 6 if he somehow manages to earn significant powerplay time. 33 players in the entire NHL had 20 or more goals at even strength last year. Prepare to be disappointed.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Yeah... I would be extremely pleased if even one guy playing more or less full time on the third line pots 20. I think all three is half-insane.

 

[Shady Machine]

Yeah... I would be extremely pleased if even one guy playing more or less full time on the third line pots 20. I think all three is half-insane.

More than half.

 

[Freeptop]

This is totally crazy talk, and I'm likely to get a lot of (likely deserved) ridicule for suggesting this, but I kind of wonder if Spaling could work out (short-term, anyway) on Malkin's wing? In a 2009-Talbot kind of way.

I was watching the videos available from his player profile on the Pens' website, so obviously that's problematic at best, but I noticed something in common with all of them: he's always going to the net. I saw him fight through obstruction and picks and stand his ground against cross-checks to stay in front of the goaltender, and then deflect pucks in. If a puck squirted out from behind the net, he'd jump on it, and quickly toss it on net, and if it didn't go in, he'd be right back on top of the blue paint, and pounce on rebounds.

Honestly, you couldn't be much more different from Sutter in the offensive zone if you tried, but that's an awful lot like Talbot during the 2009 playoffs.

It's a completely crazy idea, particularly since it's based on a very limited form of viewing, but the idea got stuck in my head, and I had to share it just to get it out of there.

Kunitz-Crosby-Hornqvist
Spaling-Malkin-Bennett
Dupuis-Sutter-Downie
Comeau-Goc-<someone who isn't Adams>

...

Yeah, probably not a good idea. Still, I simply had to share.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Why do some of you guys hate Evgeni Malkin?

He seems like such a nice fellow, too.

 

[Shady Machine]

We don't really have many great options, so I am cool with an open competition for Spaling, Bennett, Dupuis, and Downie (and KK I suppose) for the final 2 top 6 spots.

 

[Shady Machine]

Why do some of you guys hate Evgeni Malkin?

He seems like such a nice fellow, too.

Yeah I've been getting that vibe lately

 

[Your Boy Troy]

Kunitz - Crosby - Downie

Bennett - Malkin - Hornqvist

Boom. There's a decent top-six.

 

[Corvidae]

Kunitz - Crosby - Downie

Bennett - Malkin - Hornqvist

Boom. There's a decent top-six.

...then Spaling - Sutter - Dupuis

That's not bad at all. My main concern is health making those lines almost never happen. That's where the depth problem comes in because it starts to get really ugly really fast.

 

[Ogrezilla]

Split up Kunitz and Hornqvist. We just have to.

 

[stepdad gaary]

Split up Kunitz and Hornqvist. We just have to.

i agree. I just imagine sid skating around the perimeter waiting for one of Kunitz or Hornqvist to move from the front of the net. Even all the defenders have moved away and Kunitz and Hornqvist are just battling each other for position.

 

[Ogrezilla]

i agree. I just imagine sid skating around the perimeter waiting for one of Kunitz or Hornqvist to move from the front of the net. Even all the defenders have moved away and Kunitz and Hornqvist are just battling each other for position.

Is this on the powerplay? Kunitz hasn't gone to the net at even strength in about 2 years.

 

[stepdad gaary]

Is this on the powerplay? Kunitz hasn't gone to the net at even strength in about 2 years.

odd considering he has to pretty much lead the league in disallowed goals, which usually don't come from very far out