Waived: [PIT] F Vinnie Hinostroza waived by the Penguins (cleared)

[biturbo19]

One of those guys who just always seems to bizarrely fall through the cracks. Seems like a bunch of teams now where he's gone in, played a pretty serviceable "utility filler" role. Fans usually like him. But then coaches just stop playing him and/or waive him and GMs let him wander off to ply his trade with another new team.

It's kind of weird. Every time i see him, he seems like a useful enough bottom dollar filler guy. He's got enough speed, hockey smarts, and skill to not look horrifically out of place on pretty much any line. But he's obviously not a big physical bruiser, or a real defensive lockdown "energy forward" or anything. Doesn't seem to really work his way into the PK rotation, which certainly hurts for a depth player. But there's still usually enough other minutes to plug him in somewhere. Even if he's a bit of a "tweener".


Just one of those guys who seems to get perennially overlooked by actual teams. Bit of a disconnect between fans and coaches/management impressions of his usefulness.

 

[Chainshot]

One of those guys who just always seems to bizarrely fall through the cracks. Seems like a bunch of teams now where he's gone in, played a pretty serviceable "utility filler" role. Fans usually like him. But then coaches just stop playing him and/or waive him and GMs let him wander off to ply his trade with another new team.

It's kind of weird. Every time i see him, he seems like a useful enough bottom dollar filler guy. He's got enough speed, hockey smarts, and skill to not look horrifically out of place on pretty much any line. But he's obviously not a big physical bruiser, or a real defensive lockdown "energy forward" or anything. Doesn't seem to really work his way into the PK rotation, which certainly hurts for a depth player. But there's still usually enough other minutes to plug him in somewhere. Even if he's a bit of a "tweener".


Just one of those guys who seems to get perennially overlooked by actual teams. Bit of a disconnect between fans and coaches/management impressions of his usefulness.

One thing that has been kind of constant in the last three stops is that he'll move away from dangerous scoring areas with the puck. He handles himself into the corner rather than putting the puck at the net or he curls to the half-wall and moves back toward the point. With his speed, there is very little attempt to use it to drive the middle lane. It's frustrating to watch, I'm sure it's frustrating to coach.

 

[Jacob]

I’d rather have a 4th line full of Hinostrozas than Harkins’s or Nietos, or even Acciaris.

 

[biturbo19]

One thing that has been kind of constant in the last three stops is that he'll move away from dangerous scoring areas with the puck. He handles himself into the corner rather than putting the puck at the net or he curls to the half-wall and moves back toward the point. With his speed, there is very little attempt to use it to drive the middle lane. It's frustrating to watch, I'm sure it's frustrating to coach.

That's fair. He's definitely skewed quite a bit toward the "perimeter player" mold. Doesn't have that drive and grit to play in the dirty areas as much as you'd like. His hands are also frustrating even when he does get there for opportunities, and can't really cash in. Seems like they should be better, but aren't.

So i can see where he's a frustrating player for coaches i guess. But he overall, still seems to end up being more effective than a lot of much "louder" players. Especially in transition. Even when you do start to add all the little nuissances and frustratings and things up...it still seems like a better, more useful player than some of the other guys he gets cast aside in favour of.

 

[KrisLeturnover]

Puljujarvi getting signed?

 

[Jacob]

Puljujarvi getting signed?

I’d give him a 25 game tryout at the AHL. Let him audition for us and anyone else that may want him.

 

[Grouch]

Eh, it's not his first trip through the waiver wire in the last few years and nothing has really changed about his game. For his sake, I hope he clears so his wife and kids don't get uprooted.

You say this like 1)you know the family and 2) he's the only guy with a wife and kids. His house is in Chicago....he's uprooted 9 mos a year regardless.

I don't know what it is with him, but bad luck maybe. Scratched in FL most of year then like 12 pts in 19 games in CHI once traded. Great year in BUF, then scratched next year for youth, even though he was playing better than Krebs, JJP for most of the year, Asplund, and Jost etc.

And this year he's miles ahead of Harkins, Carter, Nieto, DOC. Makes no sense honestly. Just not a Sully type player I guess.

 

[Zirakzigil]

Not shocked. Hes been a serviceable 4th liner. But the coaches prefer others over him.

 

[Chainshot]

You say this like 1)you know the family and 2) he's the only guy with a wife and kids. His house is in Chicago....he's uprooted 9 mos a year regardless.

I don't know what it is with him, but bad luck maybe. Scratched in FL most of year then like 12 pts in 19 games in CHI once traded. Great year in BUF, then scratched next year for youth, even though he was playing better than Krebs, JJP for most of the year, Asplund, and Jost etc.

And this year he's miles ahead of Harkins, Carter, Nieto, DOC. Makes no sense honestly. Just not a Sully type player I guess.

He took the second year in Buffalo because his wife was expecting their second and wound up splitting time in the AHL. They have two who are stacked up pretty close and it's one of his considerations. As a dad, I get it - being around to parent is important.

I wouldn't say he played better - he was really inconsistent in that second year in Buffalo which was why he wound up being waived.

 

[dirtydanglez]

dubas seems to be waiving a lot of guys

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

Tortorella has been doing this his entire career. Nic Deslauriers has not been healthy scratched one time since signing with the Flyers before last season. Meanwhile, their leading ES scorer from last season, Morgan Frost, has been scratched like 10 times this season. I'd love to understand why coachs do stupid shit like this.

I swear it’s almost like a weird fixation at times- the talented player is under a microscope, whereas the shitty player tried hard at least, the f*** do you expect?

They’re often wrong, but they figure they can get more by messing with that bigger variable, I guess, whereas the plug is the plug.

Dunno if Hinostroza got unfairly dealt with or anything, but he is a bit more talented/less grindy than most 4th liners, doesn’t quite fit the mold most coaches like.

 

[uncleben]

 

[andora]

One of those guys who just always seems to bizarrely fall through the cracks. Seems like a bunch of teams now where he's gone in, played a pretty serviceable "utility filler" role. Fans usually like him. But then coaches just stop playing him and/or waive him and GMs let him wander off to ply his trade with another new team.

It's kind of weird. Every time i see him, he seems like a useful enough bottom dollar filler guy. He's got enough speed, hockey smarts, and skill to not look horrifically out of place on pretty much any line. But he's obviously not a big physical bruiser, or a real defensive lockdown "energy forward" or anything. Doesn't seem to really work his way into the PK rotation, which certainly hurts for a depth player. But there's still usually enough other minutes to plug him in somewhere. Even if he's a bit of a "tweener".


Just one of those guys who seems to get perennially overlooked by actual teams. Bit of a disconnect between fans and coaches/management impressions of his usefulness.

I always saw him as a level down garland

 

[3074326]

Not shocked. Hes been a serviceable 4th liner. But the coaches prefer others over him.

They also preferred to keep trying to do the same thing on the PP for an entire calendar month without it working a single time

 

[biturbo19]

I always saw him as a level down garland

There's some similarity i guess, but he doesn't have nearly the same level of grit and tenacity. As mentioned above, one of the problems with Hinostroza, is that he doesn't nececessarily get the the "hard areas". Whereas, Garland practically lives there. Despite the similar stature, and some of that ability to seemingly drive play through the neutral zone.