Post-Game Talk: Post Pre-Season Talk

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Empoleon8771

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Aug 25, 2015
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Guentzel-Crosby-Hornqvist
Hagelin-Malkin-Kessel
Simon-Brassard-Rust
Cullen-Sheahan-Sprong/ZAR
Grant

Riikola-Letang
Maatta-Johnson
Oleksiak-Schultz
Ruhwedel

This is my guess for game 1 if Dumoulin is out, I think you'll either see Sprong or ZAR as the 4th line RW because the Penguins don't seem to be treating Grant as much of a NHL regular. I don't think either had particularly strong camps, but they don't seem all that high on Grant.
 

AjaxTelamon

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Jul 8, 2011
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IF your confidence proves justified, then it creates an opportunity for JR when Dumo returns.

Riikola isn't a rookie. He's been playing important minutes in a pretty good league for a while now. The only issue was the transition to NA ice. But some of those Liiga rinks have smaller ice surfaces than the usual Euro size, so he's had experience on rinks approaching NHL size anyways.

I'm sure we'll get to see him in a real game soon enough in any case. And the only move I see JR making in season is trading Ruh for a 5th and sitting Oleksiak.
 

Empoleon8771

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Another good point to think about is that Trotman had a good camp and the Penguins noticed, so the idea that you need to keep Ruhwedel for depth is hurt with that somewhat. You can get rid of Ruhwedel, run with Oleksiak and Riikola alternating between HS and 3rd pair LD and have Trotman as your #8 with WBS, I'm not sure that's worse than having Ruhwedel on the NHL roster.

You can also pick up a depth defenseman easily during the season for a 4th round pick, so I'm not even sure why they'd worry about losing Ruhwedel in the first place.
 

ColePens

RIP Fugu Buffaloed & parabola
Mar 27, 2008
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I do not want Riikola anywhere near Letang. Let him be with someone who isn't as much of a question mark. Letang was all over the map tonight and that's tough for a young guy to take on.
 

EightyOne

My posts are jokes. And hockey is just a game.
Nov 23, 2016
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I do not want Riikola anywhere near Letang. Let him be with someone who isn't as much of a question mark. Letang was all over the map tonight and that's tough for a young guy to take on.

If Dumo is out, who will be Tanger's babysitter?
 
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Ugene Magic

EVIL LAUGH
Oct 17, 2008
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I do not want Riikola anywhere near Letang. Let him be with someone who isn't as much of a question mark. Letang was all over the map tonight and that's tough for a young guy to take on.

Or.... he could clean up for him and make him better? Who's to say.
 

Empoleon8771

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I do not want Riikola anywhere near Letang. Let him be with someone who isn't as much of a question mark. Letang was all over the map tonight and that's tough for a young guy to take on.

Who are you going to play with Letang, then? The Maatta-Johnson pair has done really well, so I can't imagine that gets broken up. Even if it does, Johnson-Letang would make people have a seizure on here. Oleksiak would do horribly with Letang because he's not good enough for that role and Schultz is a RD. You're basically left with Maatta or Riikola, and Maatta has the Maatta-Johnson pair right now.
 
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Speaking Moistly

What a terrible image.
Feb 19, 2013
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If Dumo is out, who will be Tanger's babysitter?

Maatta, and you hope Letang doesn’t f*** him up. A strength of Dumoulin’s has been mentally surviving the Tangercoaster and mostly surviving it physically. And he can go full babysitter without screwing his own game up.


And Jarry might have something going on.

 

EightyOne

My posts are jokes. And hockey is just a game.
Nov 23, 2016
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I play Maatta w/ Tangers. And pray.

Maatta.

Maatta can't skate, Letang can. Maatta has a brain, Letang on the other hand... Perfect duo.

cnpkXC7.jpg
 

FreeBobbyFarnham

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Jun 16, 2015
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Maatta, and you hope Letang doesn’t **** him up. A strength of Dumoulin’s has been mentally surviving the Tangercoaster and mostly surviving it physically. And he can go full babysitter without screweping his own game up.


And Jarry might have something going on.


And we were scared Riikola wouldn't get an opportunity.
 
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Empoleon8771

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So you'd go Maatta-Letang, Johnson-Schultz and Riikola-Oleksiak? I've seen worse ideas, but I'm not sure I'm a fan of the Johnson-Schultz pair. I like Johnson on RD with a smart 2-way player, you could put Riikoka there and play Johnson at RD but what's the point of that? What's the point of breaking up a pair that's working only to put Riikola there and Maatta on the top pair?
 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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Sep 5, 2008
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At least Despres played really well and was just screwed over by Disco Dumbass wanting to turn him into Brooks Orpik 2.0. Sprong didn't play well and they were just trying to make him a stronger all around player, both offensively and defensively. They're not trying to change his play style entirely, they're trying to have him improve on areas like puck support in the offensive zone and defensive play.

He's not going to make it in the league if he's just a guy who floats around and waits to get set up for 1-timers.
I mean, the kid's been dicked around every time he's been up. His "chances" were "stop doing X, work on Y" so you see a guy focusing on all this stuff and trying to be a player he isn't because the coaches are in his head and he's playing worried about being sent down again as opposed to being comfortable and finding a level of confidence. /shrug
 

ColePens

RIP Fugu Buffaloed & parabola
Mar 27, 2008
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Even after coming off of back to back Stanley Cup wins last off-season, this team feels much more exciting already.

f*** yes it does. I know it doesn't mean anything and the perfect example of it is 93 Pens. One of the best teams ever. This is a crazy deep team, legit stars, legit coaching, just everything. There is no doubt they are one of the top 5 teams in the league to possibly win the Cup.

But Tampa has had that moniker. Washington has had it. Nashville had it. And shit.. Washington ends up winning it after they lose the moniker. :laugh:

So like we both said. Let's take it day by day. Let's ENJOY it. This is entertainment at the end of the day. Remember this era because we are so insanely blessed.
 

Empoleon8771

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Aug 25, 2015
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I mean, the kid's been dicked around every time he's been up. His "chances" were "stop doing X, work on Y" so you see a guy focusing on all this stuff and trying to be a player he isn't because the coaches are in his head and he's playing worried about being sent down again as opposed to being comfortable and finding a level of confidence. /shrug

They're not trying to make him a player that he isn't, they're trying to make him improve from just being a skill guy with a hard shot. That's pretty damning on him if trying to be solid defensively and supporting the puck well causes him to struggle in the NHL. They're not trying to turn him into Hossa, they're just not satisfied with the player he is without any improvements in these areas. That's the way it should be, because those areas do need to improve with him.

I have no problems with them wanting to improve his off the puck plaiy in the offensive zone, because he needs to be better at that to have success in the NHL. That seems to be the big thing the team has a problem with in his game. He got demoted from Crosby's line because he wasn't doing the things well that he doesn't need to improve.
 
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