Confirmed with Link: Pens Sign Frolunda D-Man Lukas Bengtsson

[JTG]

And that's never a bad thing. If Cullen doesn't resign or if you send Fehr out, Sundqvist could go in and open up another spot. Some undrafted or FA center could decide to try to make his mark here. The influx of the young kids who performed and were able to stay really turned it around, IMHO. Before, there was really no point in considering WBS as the Pens were a team that would go with old guys/vets and make deadline trades unless you were a instant stud. The development and path the NHL just wasn't there.

Sadly, the retirement of Dupuis and injury prone-ness of Bennett were really the catalysts for this. Those two out began a wheel of prospects coming in and out. We have a lot of be thankful for this season.



In the back of my mind I really want JR to stay. Even as an adviser or something. Unless it comes out that Boterill was the one that put the work in on the Scuderi and Perron trades, pushed for the firing on MJ, and refused to make the trades declaring they would live or die by the WBS boys...I'd be weary of handing him the keys. We are in a fragile state still.

I'm not even looking for Euro free agents to sign here to play in the NHL. I'm much more fond of the ones that sign on for the AHL. If he comes in and does well in WBS, he'll be on the NHL roster in no time. These Euro free agent signings where we give them 3 million to see that they suck isn't working. Now if a Panarin is there, you take the shot. Plotnikov wasn't a Panarin and we were better off giving him a 2 way deal.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

At the same time, he's not exactly in the position of say a Dale Tallon, who has clearly had full autonomy to shape the Florida Panthers into the team he wants them to be over a number of years. JR was hired to be the face of the front office for a couple seasons, and based on everything he said about the Despres trade (including at the press conference DIRECTLY afterwards), he knew it was a bad deal and seemed confused about why we were doing it.

All I'm saying is that we have no idea how much autonomy Rutherford has, and many people here assume that since his title says GM he must have voted yes on the Despres trade. I think a much more likely scenario -- again, based on remarks he made less than an hour after the deal -- is that he didn't like the trade, but he knew this team wasn't really his, and he (obviously) wasn't willing to quit in protest over it.

I haven't seen anything to suggest JR was forced into anything regarding Despres, even if he showed misgivings.

But even if we went full tin foil hat and assumed JR doesn't have final say (based on zero hard evidence), the point still stands that one can't pick and choose which deals to give a GM credit/blame for. It's ALL JR or ALL hivemind, not one or the other based on whose reputation one wants to keep pristine.

 

[clefty]

I'm not even looking for Euro free agents to sign here to play in the NHL. I'm much more fond of the ones that sign on for the AHL. If he comes in and does well in WBS, he'll be on the NHL roster in no time. These Euro free agent signings where we give them 3 million to see that they suck isn't working. Now if a Panarin is there, you take the shot. Plotnikov wasn't a Panarin and we were better off giving him a 2 way deal.

I'm not sure what you're getting at. Who are these $3 million free agents you're talking about? Also, Panarin and Plotnikov both had two-way deals this season because they had to sign entry levels.

 

[Coastal Kev]

Exactly. You cant pick and choose which decisions you're going to credit/blame a GM for. He makes the final roster decisions and is accountable for all of them. Comes with the territory.

Fortunately for us, JR's had a fantastic year. That doesn't mean he's perfect and his role in the Despres farce should be whitewashed, but it does mean that his one BIG failure is now overshadowed by a number of BIG successes.

I agree with this and it reminds me of a quote from the movie, No Country for Old Men, where Chigurh is about to kill Carson and he asks him the question; "If the rule you followed brought you to this... ...of what use was the rule?"

I think the quote applies to JR, albeit in an opposite manner.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

If we had Despres and what JR could've gotten for Kunitz with Malkin and Fehr . . .

You know, what JR was asked to do seemed so impossible 22 months ago. But, in hindsight, those two moves, and he could've undone in under two seasons ALL of the damage Shero did.

On the one hand, you applaud how much has been accomplished in terms of the roster. On the other hand, man it hurts to know how close he actually was to nailing it perfectly.

The guy from St. Louis or the guy from Arizona?

 

[Igor Shestyorkin]

For what it's worth, This stings to me personally more as a Rangers fan than the Pens eliminating us from the playoffs.

Take that for what you will haha

Sane here. I expected to lose to the Pens in the series.. I didn't expect to lose Bengtsson to them in a bidding war though.

 

[Coastal Kev]

If we had Despres and what JR could've gotten for Kunitz with Malkin and Fehr . . .

You know, what JR was asked to do seemed so impossible 22 months ago. But, in hindsight, those two moves, and he could've undone in under two seasons ALL of the damage Shero did.

On the one hand, you applaud how much has been accomplished in terms of the roster. On the other hand, man it hurts to know how close he actually was to nailing it perfectly.

Agreed.... But how the team has played down the stretch made me forget about the Despres debacle. We'll see how the team finishes and how JR handles the offseason, but as we stand today, I haven't been this happy with a Pens team since 2011.

 

[DegenX]

Pensburgh has an article up, one of their readers from Sweden offered up an assessment.

Lukas Bengtsson came in to Frölunda's team in last years playoff, after having spent the regular season with Mora in Allsvenskan. Everyone- pundits, commentators and hockey fans- were shocked to see him come in and absolutely dominate Frölunda's blueline with great skating and playmaking abilities. This year he started the season even better, unfortunately a knee injury cut the season in two halves. During the time Bengtsson was out it was obvious to see what Lukas Bengtsson meant for Frölunda both in 5-on-5 and power play situations, his read of the game and playmaking abilities are the strength which he and the team relied up on. His knee seems to have healed up and there was no evidence of the injury in the playoffs. Bengtsson was a huge part of the championship build that made Frölunda grab the Le Mat trophy for the first time in 11 years.

I would say he has gotten better in the corners and a long the boards but his strength is in what has become the staple of Swedish defensemen, he is strong on the skates, has a very strong shot, and his vision and understanding of the game is what makes him take the step to NHL

Also, the lead-in was 'The Pittsburgh Swedish mob, like Carl Hagelin's flow, is growing stronger by the day'

Yes! I will use any opportunity to post that gif until I find a better one

 

[Honour Over Glory]

I like the signing and I am hoping they sign another young defense prospect to the 2 they just recently signed. I am not all that convinced with Pouliot and would move him if it nets this team a skilled center prospect or lw'er.

 

[Malkinstheman]

Is he going to join WBS soon?

 

[Zen Arcade]

Hopefully the anger from Rangers fans is because he's really that good and not just carryover from their frustration with management like we've seen here a bunch of times.

 

[HuskerTornado]

I like it. I like it a lot.

 

[Giskard]

Good sign! Another swedish defensem with Erixon and Andersen (if they re-sign next year).

 

[ncm7772]

Great signing. Sounds like this kid could be a good player.

 

[Jacob]

Is he going to join WBS soon?

I don't think he can.

Good sign! Another swedish defensem with Erixon and Andersen (if they re-sign next year).

Don't think they will.

 

[Giskard]

Don't think they will.

Erixon is an RFA and it seem to put up some good numbers in the play-off, so I won't rule it out a re-sign. Andersen I never see him play, but since he was never in the call-up queue I don't know how he fit here.

 

[Jacob]

Erixon will probably go back to Europe.

 

[td_ice]

Erixon looked fine in all the wbs games i saw. Very serviceable. Nothing special, but i would have been fine with him getting a few games if called upon. I think he would have been fine, in a 7th dmen kinda way.

 

[billybudd]

Erixon looked fine in all the wbs games i saw. Very serviceable. Nothing special, but i would have been fine with him getting a few games if called upon. I think he would have been fine, in a 7th dmen kinda way.

I think the issue with him is that if they're calling up Oleksy instead of him, he doesn't really have a place here.

 

[Asuna]

I think the issue with him is that if they're calling up Oleksy instead of him, he doesn't really have a place here.

Doesn't Oleksey have a two way contract? You'd have to risk Erixon to waivers if they called him up.

 

[PennDanzig]

 

[Big McLargehuge]

Doesn't Oleksey have a two way contract? You'd have to risk Erixon to waivers if they called him up.

Both Erixon and Oleksey cleared waivers this season. Two-way contracts don't mean diddly-squat in terms of waivers. Damned EA.

 

[Asuna]

Both Erixon and Oleksey cleared waivers this season. Two-way contracts don't mean diddly-squat in terms of waivers. Damned EA.

Don't you have to clear waivers everytime you send a player down?

 

[Big McLargehuge]

Don't you have to clear waivers everytime you send a player down?

When you clear waivers you don't have to be exposed again until you've spent 30 days on the roster. Both Oleksy & Erixon could have been called-up without having to expose them, but only Oleksy spent a couple days on the NHL roster.

You could argue that Erixon would be harder to sneak through waivers if he spent 30 days on the roster, the fact he was on waivers alongside about 60 other players before the season meant he was an extreme long-shot to be claimed, but he didn't spend a single day on the roster so I don't really think the Pens were terribly concerned in that regard. My opinion of Erixon hasn't really changed from when the trade happened - he was more of a roster spot/AHL player than someone the Penguins expected to use this year short of a bunch of defensemen being hurt simultaneously. I highly doubt he returns, and I don't think anything of value will be lost.

 

[Asuna]

When you clear waivers you don't have to be exposed again for another 30 days on the roster. Oleksy and Erixon had identical waiver situations this season aside from Oleksy spending a few days on the roster.

I see.

Perhaps they were more comfortable potentially losing Oleksey over Erixon. That's why he was called up first. Who knows though.