Post-Game Talk: Pens vs Leafs: Spanking, Canada's revenge

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I said at the time and feel even more strongly now in hindsight that rushing out and signing a bunch of whatever on day one of FA wasn't very smart. I actually felt pretty good about the Acciari signing but it hasn't worked out and he and Nieto combined for nearly 3M is... not ideal. They are getting better results from guys that were already in the system and just needed a fair shake at the lineup.

Eller has been OK at least.

 

[IcedCapp]

I said at the time and feel even more strongly now in hindsight that rushing out and signing a bunch of whatever on day one of FA wasn't very smart. I actually felt pretty good about the Acciari signing but it hasn't worked out and he and Nieto combined for nearly 3M is... not ideal. They are getting better results from guys that were already in the system and just needed a fair shake at the lineup.

Eller has been OK at least.

yeah, Acciari was also the one i felt best about, and he's been the most underwhelming of them.

I dunno, this summer felt like a JR, but in reverse. We signed a bunch of bad UFAs, and then dumped even worse players in the Karlsson trade. But if we had simply signed no one and just dumped the trash in the Karlsson trade I feel like we'd be in the same position in the standings, but in a far-better position from a cap/asset perspective

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

yeah, Acciari was also the one i felt best about, and he's been the most underwhelming of them.

I dunno, this summer felt like a JR, but in reverse. We signed a bunch of bad UFAs, and then dumped even worse players in the Karlsson trade. But if we had simply signed no one and just dumped the trash in the Karlsson trade I feel like we'd be in the same position in the standings, but in a far-better position from a cap/asset perspective

I don't know how much it would help but Acciari really shouldn't be playing center.

I wish they would have just signed one "anchor" vet piece for the bottom six then largely tried to build the rest with in-house players and some cheap waiver options. And Big Jeff, of course. Not sexy and not the bottom six people want but like you said way cheaper and leaves the team with some flexibility with almost-certainly-identical results.

Hino is probably their best get so far from that pile and he just got waived lol

 

[66-30-33]

I've got an inkling this might be part of the reason why:

What??? No boobies??? Bylsma not happy.

I said at the time and feel even more strongly now in hindsight that rushing out and signing a bunch of whatever on day one of FA wasn't very smart. I actually felt pretty good about the Acciari signing but it hasn't worked out and he and Nieto combined for nearly 3M is... not ideal. They are getting better results from guys that were already in the system and just needed a fair shake at the lineup.

Eller has been OK at least.

Pretty sure Dubas asked the coach what type of players he wanted and got them.

Funny thing is he’s failing hard even with his kind of roster, what does that say about his coaching ability???

 

[Sidgeni Malkby]

This was one of the few games I didn't end up watching, cuz someone told me they lost before I got a chance to watch it :\. I did watch most of the 1st period, and the highlights for the rest.

Why did it feel like we are just not good enough? We just seemed slower than the Leafs.

What confuses me is, this is the same team we beat recently, so does that mean we WERE good enough?

Sully/Reardon...what do you have to say for yourselves??

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

Pens also need to go back to the 1-4/1-2-2 passive forecheck and more conservative neutral zone play. They're too dumb to keep playing this aggressively.

It worked to great success against teams like the Avs. You won't win every game with it, but it's well past time to play more conservatively. This team can't win track meets.

Huh...it's almost like someone has been saying this thing for the past 2 seasons now.
It's too bad that's no one's responsibility in this franchise. Sullivan is out here trying to win press conferences like his buddy across town

 

[Gurglesons]

Your boy Tlusky would have likely targeted the same players, because they all have excellent analytics and Carolina has taken a similar approach to its roster building.

Hell, Staal's line is the poster child for defensive + possession but less production.

Nope.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

What??? No boobies??? Bylsma not happy.


Pretty sure Dubas asked the coach what type of players he wanted and got them.

Funny thing is he’s failing hard even with his kind of roster, what does that say about his coaching ability???

I don't disagree. Over the years Sullivan has morphed into a low-event kind of coach. That seems to be his preference. And probably why a lot of skill players end up looking a little uneven here at times. But I mean... nothing will come of it. By the end of this season somehow the narrative will once again be that The Mayor™ didn't get the lineup he wanted yet again and can't be held responsible. Coaches have no input on their lineups, after all. There is a hard line between GM and coach... especially a super-tenured coach that is universally praised and has won multiple Cups. Nope... those kinds of guys NEVER get any say in roster decisions...

 

[PaulD]

Dubas is a f***ing nerd.

The Harry Potter Play Station GM.

It will be a long time before Penguins take oart in another play offs.

Sullivan + Dubas = YIKES

 

[PaulD]

I don't disagree. Over the years Sullivan has morphed into a low-event kind of coach. That seems to be his preference. And probably why a lot of skill players end up looking a little uneven here at times. But I mean... nothing will come of it. By the end of this season somehow the narrative will once again be that The Mayor™ didn't get the lineup he wanted yet again and can't be held responsible. Coaches have no input on their lineups, after all. There is a hard line between GM and coach... especially a super-tenured coach that is universally praised and has won multiple Cups. Nope... those kinds of guys NEVER get any say in roster decisions...

Yet they said that at the end of last year ...so the coach was handed the Norris Trophy and a winger that just won a Cup playing very well on the top six for the entire cup run.
What else did Sullivan need added just to make play offs?

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Yet they said that at the end of last year ...so the coach was handed the Norris Trophy and a winger that just won a Cup playing very well on the top six for the entire cup run.
What else did Sullivan need added just to make play offs?

That's too much influx of talent for Sullivan's liking. He needs more scrubs that can't score but can draw the other team to 0-0 ties.

 

[PaulD]

yeah, Acciari was also the one i felt best about, and he's been the most underwhelming of them.

I dunno, this summer felt like a JR, but in reverse. We signed a bunch of bad UFAs, and then dumped even worse players in the Karlsson trade. But if we had simply signed no one and just dumped the trash in the Karlsson trade I feel like we'd be in the same position in the standings, but in a far-better position from a cap/asset perspective

"Accaria has been underwhelming".....can we name a player brought in to play under Sullivan that hadn't been?
Rackell, Petry, Graves, Karlsson, Smith, Carter, Grandlund, Eler, and yes Accaria.
Sullivan could turn the Knights into a luke warm bubble team.

That's too much influx of talent for Sullivan's liking. He needs more scrubs that can't score but can draw the other team to 0-0 ties.

ha! Yes, and "be better at our collective execution".

 

[Ragamuffin Gunner]

You guys haven't figured out what Dubas is yet?

He's a mannequin with glasses who can talk his way in and out of any situation

Sports... politics.. entertainment... doesn't matter, he puts on his make up, his glasses, his sweaters and suits, and he's ready for the cameras. That's where he convinces everyone that he's the most intelligent well-spoken man on the entire planet by speaking perfect sentences, phrases and paragraphs for the cameras and leaves everyone in awe. It's his thick-framed glasses that throws all of you off.

Bottom line is, this is just a guy who talks his way in and out of everything. Just pay attention. He's the most classic bullsh&tter of all time by the way he speaks. He's not doing anything, he just talks. His time will run out; he's still young but that runs out and by that time his game will be over. He has no place in the world of hockey lol, you have just been fooled into believing that. He's that 1/100 that can trick you into believing anything just by the way he talks.

A losing record back this up.

Yeah totally!

This team would be much better with Granlund and Petry taking up more cap than EK does.

 

[HandshakeLine]

I think we should tar and feather any coach that is in love with boring hockey, personally.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I think we should tar and feather any coach that is in love with boring hockey, personally.

What about the people that are constantly white-knighting for coaches in love with boring (and ineffective) hockey? What cruel treatment is justifiably reserved for that lot?

 

[HandshakeLine]

What about the people that are constantly white-knighting for coaches in love with boring (and ineffective) hockey? What cruel treatment is justifiably reserved for that lot?

They have to live with themselves, I can think of no crueler punishment.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

They have to live with themselves, I can think of no crueler punishment.

"Maybe if I simp HARDER for the coaching staff the team will notice me!"

 

[Flying Dego]

"Maybe if I simp HARDER for the coaching staff the team will notice me!"

I can see viewpoints people make even when theyre off the wall...but fans that want to cling onto coaching that has failed multiple years in a row and continues to look worse by the game....

I'm always at such a loss to understand. They are hired to be fired. End of story.

Will the next coach suck? Ya maybe so but why the hell do you not take that chance when you know the guy leading now is only further driving you into bad mediocre status.

*if you are a relative of Sullivan. Then I understand. Anything short of that? I can't.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I can see viewpoints people make even when theyre off the wall...but fans that want to cling onto coaching that has failed multiple years in a row and continues to look worse by the game....

I'm always at such a loss to understand. They are hired to be fired. End of story.

Will the next coach suck? Ya maybe so but why the hell do you not take that chance when you know the guy leading now is only further driving you into bad mediocre status.

*if you are a relative of Sullivan. Then I understand. Anything short of that? I can't.

But why do anything when you can have both mind-numbingly dull hockey AND a lack of results?

Not just ANY coaching staff could do that. They have to be special like Mike and co.

 

[Flying Dego]

But why do anything when you can have both mind-numbingly dull hockey AND a lack of results?

Not just ANY coaching staff could do that. They have to be special like Mike and co.

It's all of Pittsburgh man. We cling to the past ghosts of coaching and are in such fear to go a new direction.

It's the cowards approach. Both the Steelers and Pens can piss off.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

It's all of Pittsburgh man. We cling to the past ghosts of coaching and are in such fear to go a new direction.

It's the cowards approach. Both the Steelers and Pens can piss off.

It's especially egregious in hockey IMO since there is a good reason why the SOP is to turn and burn on coaching. Even guys like Scotty Bowman didn't get infinite rope. And I'm sorry but Sully ain't a Scotty Bowman.

 

[Grouch]

Hino is probably their best get so far from that pile and he just got waived lol

Agree and this is the problem. Why are they calling up and playing guys like Johnston, Gruden and Harkins? They should never see NHL ice. You call up guys like Pitlick and White first to fill in bottom 6.

2nd problem is then Sully puts all guys in the wrong position to have success. DOC gets unearned top line minutes to the tune of 7 gems with only 3 goals and 5 against. Put Hino up there. Keep Puu on L2 move DOC to L4. Try Pitlick up on L3.

Seems like every part of team management is backwards.

 

[KrisLetAngry]

I said at the time and feel even more strongly now in hindsight that rushing out and signing a bunch of whatever on day one of FA wasn't very smart. I actually felt pretty good about the Acciari signing but it hasn't worked out and he and Nieto combined for nearly 3M is... not ideal. They are getting better results from guys that were already in the system and just needed a fair shake at the lineup.

Eller has been OK at least.

I think the worse part is like the Accairi contract he has trade protection as a NTC. Why they getting a NTC?

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Agree and this is the problem. Why are they calling up and playing guys like Johnston, Gruden and Harkins? They should never see NHL ice. You call up guys like Pitlick and White first to fill in bottom 6.

2nd problem is then Sully puts all guys in the wrong position to have success. DOC gets unearned top line minutes to the tune of 7 gems with only 3 goals and 5 against. Put Hino up there. Keep Puu on L2 move DOC to L4. Try Pitlick up on L3.

Seems like every part of team management is backwards.

Well for the sake of being even-handed they also are giving Puus a shot in a role he might actually succeed in. So some good with the bad.

But yeah... Sullivan is at this point a staunchly low-event kind of coach. Despite this team always crowing about being fast and skilled or whatever nonsense they like to trot out... that's what they actually are shooting for... being a low event kind of team. So Sullivan is going to be enamored with whatever passes for ZAR 2.0 by default. Grind the puck up and down the walls... don't ever look at the middle of the ice... make sure to take as many miniscule percentage shots on goals as you can etc.

I think the worse part is like the Accairi contract he has trade protection as a NTC. Why they getting a NTC?

Seems like everyone gets a NTC. At least around here.

 

[DesertedPenguin]

Agree and this is the problem. Why are they calling up and playing guys like Johnston, Gruden and Harkins? They should never see NHL ice. You call up guys like Pitlick and White first to fill in bottom 6.

2nd problem is then Sully puts all guys in the wrong position to have success. DOC gets unearned top line minutes to the tune of 7 gems with only 3 goals and 5 against. Put Hino up there. Keep Puu on L2 move DOC to L4. Try Pitlick up on L3.

Seems like every part of team management is backwards.

Pitlick hasn't been recalled because he makes too much money. He has a $1.1 million cap hit while everyone else is at $775k to $825k or so. They are trying to maximize cap at the deadline to make potential acquisitions.

White was out injured until just recently. Same with Poulin.

There is literally no one else viable in WBS beyond those who were called up.