Pre-Game Talk: Pens vs Mins

[Jag68Sid87]

Everyone's *****ing about Kunitz with Sid. What do you guys want done with Kunitz if he's here? He is one of our 4 best wingers right now, and likely still will be come playoff time.

Getting rid of Kunitz is key.

I really believe things have changed enough that MJ isn't going to stick to his preseason pairings, anymore. He has a few stubborn moments... but he doesn't seem like the kind of guy to flat out ignore the glaringly obvious when it's in front of him. The acquisition of Perron alone changes things significantly. Not to mention injuries and emerging chemistry between other sets of players.

I don't think he's perfect... but MJ at least seems capable of understanding that things tend to be very fluid and you can't stay married to certain ideas for the sake, essentially, of trying to prove yourself "right." Unlike certain other former bench bosses.

I wish I could agree with you, or believe that's true. But Adams is still in the lineup and has never been scratched. Bobby Farnham played so well he wound up in the press box...then the AHL. Brandon Sutter has played many games where he's seen more minutes than Evgeni Malkin. Malkin has played way too many games as a winger. Scuderi-Despres have rarely been broken up. Scuderi has never sat. Despres is still seeing way too few minutes. His love for Andrew Ebbett. He sees Bennett as a third liner on this team. His unconditional man-crush for Sutter. Reuniting Kunitz and Crosby, when the ROSTER clearly suggests that's not what JR wants! Etc. Etc.

Still no. We'd have to move Martin to fit Jagr in, and we need Martin more than Jagr due to Maatta's injury.

Disagree. We have THREE NHL defensemen playing in the minor leagues right now. And Martin could probably fetch an elusive draft pick for 2015, which we desperately need.

 

[Winger for Hire]

Disagree. We have THREE NHL defensemen playing in the minor leagues right now. And Martin could probably fetch an elusive draft pick for 2015, which we desperately need.

Just out of curiosity, why do they "desperately need" a draft pick?

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Unlike a lot of people here, Jags... I won't say that you're wrong. At least not entirely. Much of that is very valid and aggravates the hell out of me, too.

But I really just believe this was going to be a rather awkward year focused mostly towards transition and figuring out who works where and who doesn't. Evaluation, basically. Regardless of all the brave words the team has to say about being big time Cup contenders, this season. So I'm willing to see things through the rest of the year before I get too worked up about it.

If he's still rolling out lineups next season (or worse yet -- these playoffs) with Malkin regularly flanking Sutter on the second line. Then yeah -- maybe then time for some pitchforks and whatnot.

 

[WVP]

Perron - Crosby - Hornqvist
Comeau - Malkin - Bennett
Kunitz - Sutter - Downie
Spaling - Goc - Adams

does make a ton of sense. You know the 1st line would work. You know Malkin has done well with Comeau and BB. And that 3rd line would be a lot to handle if Kunitz is playing good hockey.

 

[mikethelegacy]

UGHHHHHH. I'm getting really sick of players being thrown in on their off-sides simply because a coach is pandering to a player who is obviously playing a 3rd-line level game right now....

I haven't seen Crosby look so good in a while than when Perron was on the left with him. So many shots and opportunities...

 

[Jag68Sid87]

Just out of curiosity, why do they "desperately need" a draft pick?

Well, it's a great draft year. And we don't have either a 1st or a 3rd. And we're not exactly swimming with high-end prospects to begin with.

So yeah, I'd say it should be a fairly desperate situation.

 

[Winger for Hire]

Well, it's a great draft year. And we don't have either a 1st or a 3rd. And we're not exactly swimming with high-end prospects to begin with.

So yeah, I'd say it should be a fairly desperate situation.

The draft is only considered "deep" from picks 1 through 15ish. Everything afterwards is considered your average draft class.

Unless the market for one of the Pens' "expendables" is a top 10 pick, I don't see the desperate need to recoup the 1st rounder. The 3rd rounder can be recouped in the offseason in a Kuntiz/Sutter/Spaling/whoever deal.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

The draft is only considered "deep" from picks 1 through 15ish. Everything afterwards is considered your average draft class.

Unless the market for one of the Pens' "expendables" is a top 10 pick, I don't see the desperate need to recoup the 1st rounder. The 3rd rounder can be recouped in the offseason in a Kuntiz/Sutter/Spaling/whoever deal.

Agree to disagree. I believe this year's draft is significantly deeper than that.

What you described is a 'weak' draft year.

 

[Speaking Moistly]

This. Kunitz is fine as a third wheel with Sid or Geno with the current players we have. Get another ring and fine, move him to L3, otherwise he's fine, and we maximize what we get out of him if he performs how he has as recently as early this season. It should be:

Perron with Sid
Beau with Geno
Downie with Sutter

Hornqvist, Kunitz, and Comeau fill in the other wing to provide jam to each line. This way each center gets one playmaking winger and one net front forechecker.

I think this is the big thing, every centre gets a winger that can make plays and Downie is good enough to do it on the 3rd line. The other thing is to let Perron and Bennett play their natural sides.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Downie is certainly a "luxury" linemate for the third line. As is Kunitz, if he goes back there. Heck, Comeau and Spaling are, too. I think it's a little funny when some (not you, vabm8) get a little salty about Sutter's quality of linemates. First of all... catering to him over the top six is folly. Secondly, I feel like this group of potential linemates is better than anything Staal ever had to work with. Even in "prime" Kennedy/Cooke (though Cooke was a heck of a player when he wasn't sitting out for being a moron). The difference, of course, is Staal was that much better of a player than Sutter.

 

[High Flying Birds]

Perron - Crosby - Hornqvist
Comeau - Malkin - Bennett
Kunitz - Sutter - Downie
Spaling - Goc - Adams

does make a ton of sense. You know the 1st line would work. You know Malkin has done well with Comeau and BB. And that 3rd line would be a lot to handle if Kunitz is playing good hockey.

Definitely my favorite lineup on paper. Good balance throughout. Ideally, I'd have Farnham out there instead of Adams but well, that's just not going to happen.

 

[SEALBound]

I think this is the big thing, every centre gets a winger that can make plays and Downie is good enough to do it on the 3rd line. The other thing is to let Perron and Bennett play their natural sides.

The only thing I do not agree with is the fact that Hornqvist is the third wheel. I don't believe that's true. He's our 1a/1b winger depending on how we look at it.

Horn/Perron
Bennett
Comeau
Kunitz

Based on play right now. We should be thinking in terms of where Perron will go, then Horny, then Bennett, and so on. If we are making duos, he's the other half of a duo. Not the third wheel.

 

[The Old Master]

The draft is only considered "deep" from picks 1 through 15ish. Everything afterwards is considered your average draft class.

Unless the market for one of the Pens' "expendables" is a top 10 pick, I don't see the desperate need to recoup the 1st rounder. The 3rd rounder can be recouped in the offseason in a Kuntiz/Sutter/Spaling/whoever deal.

even so [which I doubt] there is always a player that falls.

 

[Sam Spade]

If ever a team was ripe for the picking it is the Wild.

Will be shocked if the Pens don't come away with a big win tonight.

 

[ProgOg]

If ever a team was ripe for the picking it is the Wild.

Will be shocked if the Pens don't come away with a big win tonight.

It's a perfect storm for a big loss, too - underperforming team, that has something big to prove and that could be not taken seriously by the Penguins. It would be fitting if the Penguins would be the first team in a while to not score at least three goals against them.

Penguins should win this one, but it feels like almost every time I think that, they don't.

 

[IcedCapp]

I'm going to take the positive route on this one and say the Pens, who have played two decent games in a row and have a decent-enough lineup, are going to continue to build on what they started in the Boston game.

Wild - 1, Pens - 0, but the shots are 50 to 1 in favor of Pittsburgh.

 

[ProgOg]

I'm going to take the positive route on this one and say the Pens, who have played two decent games in a row and have a decent-enough lineup, are going to continue to build on what they started in the Boston game.

Wild - 1, Pens - 0, but the shots are 50 to 1 in favor of Pittsburgh.

Is an own goal counted as a shot on goal, though?

 

[Lomez]

It's a perfect storm for a big loss, too - underperforming team, that has something big to prove and that could be not taken seriously by the Penguins. It would be fitting if the Penguins would be the first team in a while to not score at least three goals against them.

Penguins should win this one, but it feels like almost every time I think that, they don't.

I was thinking the same thing. This has all the makings of a Minny blow-out, if for no other reason than it doesn't.

 

[Shrimper]

I don't think we have the cap space or have a way to get the cap space to bring in Jagr.

If we traded for Jagr at the deadline wouldn't the cap be prorated?

 

[Speaking Moistly]

It's a perfect storm for a big loss, too - underperforming team, that has something big to prove and that could be not taken seriously by the Penguins. It would be fitting if the Penguins would be the first team in a while to not score at least three goals against them.

Penguins should win this one, but it feels like almost every time I think that, they don't.

It's their way. Fleury has a bad record against the Wild, right? There you go.

 

[Frederick Stanley]

Sorry guys, no GDT today.

 

[IcedCapp]

Is an own goal counted as a shot on goal, though?

pretty sure it counts as a SOG. I don't think you can have 1g 0s?

 

[ProgOg]

pretty sure it counts as a SOG. I don't think you can have 1g 0s?

Who gets the shot/goal then if no Wild touched the puck? Yeo?

 

[IcedCapp]

Who gets the shot/goal then if no Wild touched the puck? Yeo?

the last Minn player to touch the puck, unless no Minn player touched it, then the closet to the net when it goes in?

 

[eXile59]

I really think Bennett would look nice on the 1st PP unit.

Minny has been allowing a lot of goals. Maybe we can actually get some offense going. It seems like forever since we've had a high scoring game.