Confirmed with Link: Pens Sign Finnish Defenseman Juuso Riikola

[Artorius Horus T]

Only crazy person would cut him from your opening day roster. - or not put him top 6

 

[Peat]

Empo's not exagerrating by much. Skating, hands, vision at both ends of the ice, willingness to engage physically, decision making... its all good. You can knock his size I guess if you like them really big, but right now, he hasn't shown a weakness. Sure he'll show a bit more of one in time... maybe.

Might not be a bad bargaining chip for a new 3C if/when Brassard moves on next summer though.

Not a bad thought, and only increases my belief that we should be slow in dealing from our dman stockpile (if we actually have one). We know we'll want 8 NHL worthy dmen for the off-season, its been a long time since we've had potentially good trade chips in the summer... unless there's an actual need to rush something, I see no reason to do so.

I suppose it boils down to where your faith lies . . . in Riikola being a steady top 6 defenseman OR in Simon/Sprong being a steady top 9 winger.

I have faith in both



One thing I would add on Maatta... looks like he has first shot as Johnson's D partner after all. I think if he does a good job of not making Rutherford look like an idiot there, then given Rutherford's rumoured love for him, I think he'd be very unlikely to trade Maatta, even if it did make sense.

 

[Son Goku]

Our defense has the potential to be wayyyy better than last year.

 

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

They don't have a hole at wing big enough to justify moving Maatta for a winger. I really don't think it's likely at all that Maatta gets moved, the organization seems to love him and they don't have any areas that need improved to the point of moving him.

I don't think he gets moved either, but next summer's gonna open a lotta holes with Hags, Brass, Sheahan, Cullen on the way out. We're gonna need to make several moves, imo, by this time next year.

 

[LOGiK]

I am incredibly excited to watch this team tear it apart this year.
Last years roster and questions surrounding the teams shortcomings were plentiful. This year.. I donno, but wow. What a team the Penguins have this year!

Thursday can't come soon enough. AND its against the Capitals! SO excited for 2018-2019 hockey season. Not to mention all the other teams I'm actually excited to watch, which I basically never say. Top of that team to watch list is the Maple Leafs.. o_0

 

[LOGiK]

I'm also super excited I get to watch the NHL and not the 'Unsportsmanlike conduct - roughing the passer' NFL gahbage league. The equivalent of an NHL body check where a hard-hitting big-bodied defense man hits a player and gets penalized for using all of his body weight to step into the hit. SMH.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Might not be a bad bargaining chip for a new 3C if/when Brassard moves on next summer though.

Yeah that's what I think is a lot more likely, if Brassard leaves, Maatta is a likely trade candidate foe a a young 3C with upside.

 

[WayneSid9987]

Yea it'd be very dumb to cut him if everyones healthy.
I don't wanna be in a game where a Tanger, Olli, or JJ are struggling and you are sitting there either hoping they re-cover quickly or putting the responsibility on Big Rig or Schultz to cover in a game.
The smart play is to have Riikola right there on the bench to help out too.

 

[Fatty McLardy]

Our defense has the potential to be wayyyy better than last year.

it all depends on Letang, if he takes a steaming pile of corn infested dump on the ice like he did last year on a nightly basis, it won't matter how good our other defensemen play.

 

[billybudd]

Might not be a bad bargaining chip for a new 3C if/when Brassard moves on next summer though.

Ya. I hate the idea of trading a D as accomplished as Maatta for a wing we might not even need. Center next summer's a different story, though.

 

[BladeRunner66]

Ya. I hate the idea of trading a D as accomplished as Maatta for a wing we might not even need. Center next summer's a different story, though.

Yeah, Dmen are more valuable than wings and it's not like we're particularly strong in that domain anyway.

2018 Relative importance of position:

1- C
2- D/G
3-W

 

[KIRK]

it all depends on Letang, if he takes a steaming pile of corn infested dump on the ice like he did last year on a nightly basis, it won't matter how good our other defensemen play.

As I wrote in the other thread, this doesn't end up with Riikola in WBS now. Either he survives the pairing and sticks with the big club . . . or he needs a room with white padded walls for a very long time.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

I know Olli's more effective than his lowlights suggest, but I will never get used to how consistently he gets beaten by guys starting from a standstill within a couple strides.

It was treated as a joke before but he may actually be Scuderi Slow™. Is anyone in the media still pushing the "faster Maatta this year" narrative any more?

 

[KIRK]

I know Olli's more effective than his lowlights suggest, but I will never get used to how consistently he gets beaten by guys starting from a standstill within a couple strides.

It was treated as a joke before but he may actually be Scuderi Slow™. Is anyone in the media still pushing the "faster Maatta this year" narrative any more?

Not since the veracity of that narrative was tested.

 

[Son Goku]

it all depends on Letang, if he takes a steaming pile of corn infested dump on the ice like he did last year on a nightly basis, it won't matter how good our other defensemen play.

This. Our d core lives and dies on Letang. I've never seen a more bipolar player. Either the best or worst.

As I wrote in the other thread, this doesn't end up with Riikola in WBS now. Either he survives the pairing and sticks with the big club . . . or he needs a room with white padded walls for a very long time.

if Riikola doesnt make the squad ill be seriously confused.

 

[BHD]

The way he shot the puck on that Hornqvist goal... It hasn't been done like that since Gonch.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

I don't think he gets moved either, but next summer's gonna open a lotta holes with Hags, Brass, Sheahan, Cullen on the way out. We're gonna need to make several moves, imo, by this time next year.

Next year will probably be our toughest transition since the summer of 2015.

 

[cassius]

Guys.. I'm sorry, but the real question is - why isn't there a Janne Pesonen style youtube montage of this guys highlights?

I really need that in my life.

I'll still never forget that summer of Janne Pesonen - because of that video and the excellent song choice, we were all convinced he would score 40 goals on Malkin's wing.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Ah yes... those were heady, golden-helmeted times.

Damn... that dude scored 82 points in 70 games for WBS, that year...

 

[EightyOne]

He just didn't have NHL ability. Elite lower division ability, though.

 

[Pens x]

This is karma from all of those Shero signings that never worked out. We were due for a break.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

As someone with a KalPa scarf sitting above where I sit, I'm quite fond of the way this has played out so far.

 

[Gurglesons]

Ya. I hate the idea of trading a D as accomplished as Maatta for a wing we might not even need. Center next summer's a different story, though.

We need a top six LW next year and we are likely going to be trading Kessel, Letang or Maatta for it.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

We need a top six LW next year and we are likely going to be trading Kessel, Letang or Maatta for it.

If we trade one of those 3 for a top 6 LW when we have Guentzel, Rust, and Simon under contract, I'm gonna lose my shit.

I'm gonna lose my shit, aren't I?

 

[Satoru Gojo]

I really hope the Ricola commercial song plays when he scores lol