Exactly. Door locks don't stop a thief, but the do prevent the average person from walking into your house. The more deterrents the less likely your getting robbed.
Salary Cap: Roster Building | Contract Charts 1st Post | See You On The Dark Side Of The Moon
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Exactly. Door locks don't stop a thief, but the do prevent the average person from walking into your house. The more deterrents the less likely your getting robbed.
Dipsy Doodle
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It'd be incredible if the league handled it. That's what everyone wants, but the NHL clearly doesn't and won't.
That doesn't mean the Pens should simply throw up their hands when the sort of deliberate cheap shots that Niskanen was regularly delivering to Crosby could have very easily ended his playoffs and our Cup hopes.
Because we won while turning the other cheek until we ran out of cheeks, people forget how close we were to things ending very differently last year. We were fortunate. If Sid had stayed out after Nisky concussed him, we'd be talking what-ifs right now instead of planning for a threepeat.
Yep. It's a hard, fast game and you're not going to eliminate everything, or even most things.
But the two things I want to see Reaves reduce are 1) Crosby and Malkin having to fight for themselves (which they did 3 times last year) and potentially get injured unnecessarily, and 2) the targeted attacks...which mostly focus on Crosby. I'm talking about the dangerous, shift-after-shift nonsense that Dubinsky, Staal, and Nisky have gotten away with scot-free the last few years. Cross-checks to the back of the head, punches in the face, etc.
I don't think it's unreasonable at all to think that Reaves could positively impact those areas. If Sid and Geno are getting frustrated with players getting dirty with them, they no longer have to deal with it themselves. That's 3 fights where neither of them could potentially break their hand and be out for months. And Reaves can either pummel the offender himself or target the other team's superstar so we're not always the ones on the back foot.
Either way, it's better than seeing our stars get abused until they feel they need to do something about it themselves...IF the enforcer can take a regular shift and hold his own, which Reaves can.
Dipsy Doodle
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Shady Machine
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Shady Machine
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Shady Machine
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Please explain which fight that Sid or Geno had last year that would have been prevented if Reaves were here. Do you think Wheeler is fighting Reaves because he was mad at Malkin?
I think Reaves can be useful in pounding flesh of the other team for once and maybe punking Dubinsky here and there.
I'm not going to pretend I won't cheer my head off every time he rocks someone. I just didn't think the trade was necessary.
66-30-33
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He decided a while ago he did not wanna play for us despite our record as of late with players like him. His loss, he was always a long shot for the NHL anyway.
Speaking Moistly
What a terrible image.
You think Reaves would have deterred a team that desperate? They were looking like they could be swept on their last real chance with all that pressure. They probably would have been fine with sacrificing whichever Cap to the cause if it meant taking Crosby out. Reaves wrecking them, suspension or whatever, they would have taken the trade off. And Ovechkin was involved in that as well, Ovechkin is a dirty tank who has spent his career running players. Or it was an accident and Reaves does nothing. The most convenient accident ever. That **** wasn't avoidable or deterable short of the league taking the next 40 games from someone like Kuznetsov.
Maybe some things like Staal get deterred but the really dirty players won't and super stars tend to be pretty damn elusive when they're targeted. Unless theyre god damn Letang. And you don't want the fourth line facing those super stars. The slashes, interference and standard cross checking are too common in the league for Reaves to do anything about unless he wants to pick a few fights every game. Penguins are already doing that **** to any player anyway.
The league is useless but they've also done a lot to kill the any effectiveness of enforcers. So, yeah, the Pens getting Reaves isn't much of a step up on doing nothing. The team can't do that much and it's a countdown to the lawsuit doing damage or a horrific end result from a diry play. The Pens just did something token to feel proactive because the league is such a cluster****.
Honestly all of your posts can be summed up as "the sky is falling because the Stanley Cup is won on August 27th every season". Rutherford knows what this team needs...you on the other hand I'm not too sure of.
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Yeah I think that's the only way things could work. Hunwick doesn't move the puck the best (around Cole's level). So we'd have to pair him with Maatta or Schultz.
Shady Machine
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Nah I'm pretty reasonable. Just have some concerns and think some posters, like yourself, aren't appreciating the importance of the holes at center and how expensive it will be to properly fill them.
But if its difficult to see any meaningful reduction in thefts from the place with the top of the line deterrence system, it does make you wonder what the point of getting it yourself is...
Yeah but here's the thing, the Pens are trending in the direction of having too much forward depth very soon, so an "expensive" move may be what Rutherford's currently guaging. Rutherford WILL address the issue at 3C by the time it's absolutely necessary....if not sooner. So all of these posters, like yourself, who want to make unnecessary moves just to make moves aren't appreciating the importance of patience and what it takes to make a smart deal in the NHL. And the right deal.
Sidney the Kidney
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Everyone's got concerns about the 3C spot. The difference is not everyone is going crazy over not having an answer to those concerns by the end of August.
Besides, what options that were available could JR have gone with to fix that 3C hole? Re-sign Bonino to that contract? No other 3C option has changed hands/signed with anyone that would have replaced that hole in the bottom six.
The other names being tossed around -- Moore, Boyle, freaking Desharnais -- aren't exactly replacements for that 3C spot. So essentially people are getting on JR for not trading for/signing a player that's not even available (ie. a replacement or upgrade on Bonino).
This. Look, realistically - unless he works a miracle or goes after some young unproven guy (Karlsson/Lindberg type) Rutherford is going to have to overpay to get the guy he likes. So if he's going to overpay, why not wait a little bit to see if anything else shakes loose? Maybe Duchene refuses to attend camp and demands a trade. Maybe Florida in desperation to shed salary is willing to move Bjugstad for cheap - we probably wouldn't get him, but that could shake something else loose. Maybe Ottawa decides they want to shed a little salary and Z.Smith becomes available. Sure most of these are long shots, but if something is expensive, waiting a little bit (especially when you have the time) isn't a bad thing. Those expensive moves will probably still be there in a month.
If LV or whomever was offering up someone that JR liked and that player was cheap (2nd/3rd) I'm pretty sure that JR would have already pulled the trigger. As that hasn't happened, I'm assuming either A) prices are too high to rush into things or B) he's waiting to see if someone better becomes available at a price he can handle before he makes a move on someone else, and removes that as an option (aka trades a 1st and now can't bid on MD, etc).
That's it - Bonino. And while there seems to be some varying opinions on him, signing him just for the sake of signing him is probably a mistake. I get that people do not want to give up assets... but for the right players who are the right age, moving picks/futures (within reason) isn't the end of the world. This team is likely going to have to go through a major rebuild in 10 years anyway. So while we all hate trading high picks and decent prospects, moving them to get good players who will be here for a few years isn't the end of the world.
WayneSid9987
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Pens x
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I don't think anyone is saying Moore or Boyle should have been signed as permanent third line centers. Both would have been great fourth line centers; particularly Moore and his current contract.
Hanzal signed for $4.75 AAV
Nick Bonino was a solid 3C
Thornton (don't know if he would have left SJ but way too expensive)
Marcus Johansson only cost a 2nd round pick (wsh prob wouldn't have dealt him to us but could we have traded an asset to another team to flip us Johansson?)
Schenn - although the Flyers wouldn't trade him to us but could another team have gotten involved to flip him to us?
Stepan was traded
Eberle was traded
So yea, these types of players were available to an extent. Maybe some teams wanted too much and others didn't want to trade with the Penguins. Plus who knows how many players are available out there right now? There could be quite a few but we just don't know.
Yes, lets look at these players.
Boyle: 2x2.75m for someone who's better suited as a #4C.
Mojo: Not even listed as a center and has averaged less than 1 FO a game over the last two years. Makes 2x4.58m and belonged to one of our biggest rivals. Seems like an excellent candidate to fill the hole we have.
Schenn: At least he's listed as a center... even if he's never played as one. Has averaged less than 2 FOs a game over the last two years. Makes 3x5.125m and belonged to our other biggest rival. Oh, and he was also moved for a pair of 1sts. Another great candidate to fill our #3C hole.
So far you're doing great... lets keep going.
Stepan: At least he's a true center - which is saying more then most of your list. He was moved for the #7th pick and a high offensive D prospect and has a 4x6.5m contract. Oh and if WSH and PHI are our two biggest rivals, the Rangers would probably be #3.... And yeah guess what... they used to own Stepan. An ideal option... assuming A) we had the assets to send to NYR, B) they would trade him to us and C) there wasn't a salary cap. Unfortunately this isn't fantasy land.
Eberle: Well he is listed as a center... so I guess that's something. But considering he's never actually played it and has averaged 1 FO every 10 games over the last 2 years... whether he was available, an option or whatnot is pretty irrelevant. And that's even before the fact that he comes with a 6m cap hit that we would be hard pressed to accommodate. However after his amazing playoffs and his obvious fit would make him one of the better options we could get... how have we not discussed him previously.
Which leaves us with Hanzel, Bonino and Thornton. Big Joe signed an 8m deal - so it's probably pretty safe that we can scratch him off the list. Hanzel would have been a great pickup and that contract is pretty damn good (3x4.75m). He went to Dallas, and there's no guarantee that he would have signed here, even if we could have afforded him. Again, it takes two to come to an agreement, and at least in Dallas there's no guarantee that he won't see a top 6 role (Spezza apparently plays some RW).
So out of 7 names, we're basically left with 1 - Bonino. We've discussed him to death, so I'm not going back there.
HandshakeLine
A real jerk thing
Got it waiting at my parent's for Christmas, unfortunately, Cole. So I'm just listlessly putting on Russian dash cam videos and Uzbek dance party remixes right now.
I was watching those yesterday. You don't want to... but you can't help watching more and more.
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HandshakeLine
A real jerk thing
Yes, lets look at these players.
Boyle: 2x2.75m for someone who's better suited as a #4C.
Mojo: Not even listed as a center and has averaged less than 1 FO a game over the last two years. Makes 2x4.58m and belonged to one of our biggest rivals. Seems like an excellent candidate to fill the hole we have.
Schenn: At least he's listed as a center... even if he's never played as one. Has averaged less than 2 FOs a game over the last two years. Makes 3x5.125m and belonged to our other biggest rival. Oh, and he was also moved for a pair of 1sts. Another great candidate to fill our #3C hole.
So far you're doing great... lets keep going.
Stepan: At least he's a true center - which is saying more then most of your list. He was moved for the #7th pick and a high offensive D prospect and has a 4x6.5m contract. Oh and if WSH and PHI are our two biggest rivals, the Rangers would probably be #3.... And yeah guess what... they used to own Stepan. An ideal option... assuming A) we had the assets to send to NYR, B) they would trade him to us and C) there wasn't a salary cap. Unfortunately this isn't fantasy land.
Eberle: Well he is listed as a center... so I guess that's something. But considering he's never actually played it and has averaged 1 FO every 10 games over the last 2 years... whether he was available, an option or whatnot is pretty irrelevant. And that's even before the fact that he comes with a 6m cap hit that we would be hard pressed to accommodate. However after his amazing playoffs and his obvious fit would make him one of the better options we could get... how have we not discussed him previously.
Which leaves us with Hanzel, Bonino and Thornton. Big Joe signed an 8m deal - so it's probably pretty safe that we can scratch him off the list. Hanzel would have been a great pickup and that contract is pretty damn good (3x4.75m). He went to Dallas, and there's no guarantee that he would have signed here, even if we could have afforded him. Again, it takes two to come to an agreement, and at least in Dallas there's no guarantee that he won't see a top 6 role (Spezza apparently plays some RW).
So out of 7 names, we're basically left with 1 - Bonino. We've discussed him to death, so I'm not going back there.
There were very few options out there. No team has been in the three peat option in a long time. I trust JR. He has done well so far.
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