Post-Game Talk: Red Wings 4, Penguins 1 - Flip the Pens Over for the New Year; They're Done on This Side

[NMK11]

Pouliot was awful in Pittsburgh, he was never going to get an opportunity in Pittsburgh. He did nothing to deserve the Penguins patience, they gave him like 4 years. At some point, he just had to do something. In hindsight, I wouldn't have signed Hunwick because Ruhwedel took a step forward this year and the Penguins added Oleksiak this year (who I've been happy with so far with the Penguins, he has done well statistically when playing tough #4 minutes so far with the Penguins).

Pouliot hasn't even done that well with Vancouver statistically, he's only on pace for 25 points while getting insanely sheltered minutes and getting smacked in terms of goals against. Since Pouliot's 3 point game, he has 1 point and is a -12 in 11 games.

I dont think thats just hindsight. It was a weird signing to begin with. I get that hes a "mobile defenseman" but he was a bottom pairing guy on a Toronto team that didnt have a great defense. And then we signed him to more money and multiple years. Pouliot deserved to be traded and in no way did I want Hainsey back, but if they couldnt find anything better on D then Ruh should have been in the top 6 with someone like Corrado/Pedan as your number 7. Guys like Hunwick are a dime a dozen at the trade deadline if we really needed it.

 

[Gurglesons]

I dont think thats just hindsight. It was a weird signing to begin with. I get that hes a "mobile defenseman" but he was a bottom pairing guy on a Toronto team that didnt have a great defense. And then we signed him to more money and multiple years. Pouliot deserved to be traded and in no way did I want Hainsey back, but if they couldnt find anything better on D then Ruh should have been in the top 6 with someone like Corrado/Pedan as your number 7. Guys like Hunwick are a dime a dozen at the trade deadline if we really needed it.

Yeah, Hunwick deal was terrible from the moment we signed it and all I remember hearing all summer was how you “needed somebody like him on a team like ours where defensemen are lucky to play 60
games a year and about how great he was for Toronto in the playoffs.

 

[Speaking Moistly]

I dont think thats just hindsight. It was a weird signing to begin with. I get that hes a "mobile defenseman" but he was a bottom pairing guy on a Toronto team that didnt have a great defense. And then we signed him to more money and multiple years. Pouliot deserved to be traded and in no way did I want Hainsey back, but if they couldnt find anything better on D then Ruh should have been in the top 6 with someone like Corrado/Pedan as your number 7. Guys like Hunwick are a dime a dozen at the trade deadline if we really needed it.

I think they really misjudged Hunwick. They probably thought he’d be around Cole’s level and soften the blow of Daley leaving, could play the left or right side here and would add depth on the PMD front. So far he’s more of a skater than a puck mover, he can’t play the right side and he’s been crap most games.

IMO, the concussion was followed by a drop in play but at this point he deserves to be a HS whenever someone gets back. It’s bad but sometimes it happens, now it’s about how they handle him.

 

[Shady Machine]

Did Hunwick have sweet fancy stats? I remember reading a stat driven analysis over the summer on how good he was for Toronto. Makes me wonder if he was a Ventura recommendation.

 

[WayneSid9987]

I do agree he deserves to sit. Oleksiak has been a touch better.
I believe he's better than what he's showing getting top pair duties so soon after getting back, tho.

Dumo-Tang
Cole/Maatta-Schultz
Cole/Maatta-Oleksiak

And if a Cole or Maatta are dealt:

Dumo-Tang
Cole/Maatta-Schultz
Oleksiak-Ruh/Corrado

 

[Ryder71]

Hunwick has been as big a liability on defense as anyone lately. If we can ice a full D-core minus Ruh, he needs to sit.

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

I wonder if scratching Sid for a few games would finally wake him the f*** up???

 

[Ryder71]

Sid has had long stretches over the last couple of years where he's looked very ''ordinary''. Maybe this is the new normal for him. Certainly not something we as pens fans thought we'd experience to this degree anyhow. Maybe his previous injuries and the accumulative affect thereof have caught up to him. Wouldn't be the first athlete it's happened to however. Hopefully he can snap out of it but I don't think we'll see Sid ascend back to where he was. Well, not for more than a few games at a time.

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

I think it's more of a mental checkout maybe due to (sheer exhaustion) but that's just my opinion.