News Article: Rutherford and Johnston are staying. Both of them.

[Dipsy Doodle]

You're the only one. How anyone can look at the Pens' scoring depth (or lack of scoring depth) and think there's potential there is beyond me. How many games does this team have to score 1 goal or less in before people accept that minus two guys, it's one of the least offensively capable forward groups in the league?

And on defense, they're nothing to write home about. Letang and Maatta are proven top four caliber players. After that there's a bunch of unproven rookies/youngsters and/or garbage. Hardly what I'd call a defense capable of going up against the better teams in the league.

If we commit to playing our young players instead of dedicating so much cap space and plum ice time to has-beens and never-weres, I'm confident that we can be a contender again in short order, health-permitting. A dose of young legs and hunger would do wonders for this team, growing pains and all.

That's a supersized "if", though. We haven't shown any sign of breaking the habit other than sitting Adams about 70 games late.

 

[plaidchuck]

If we commit to playing our young players instead of dedicating so much cap space and plum ice time to has-beens and never-weres, I'm confident that we can be a contender again in short order, health-permitting.

That's a supersized "if", though. We haven't shown any sign of breaking the habit other than sitting Adams about 70 games late.

I'm not even that positive. I think they're going to have to dedicate themselves to at least a three year mini rebuild before they can even sniff a finals appearance. Frankly I don't even think our youth is very good compared to other teams.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

I'm not even that positive. I think they're going to have to dedicate themselves to at least a three year mini rebuild before they can even sniff a finals appearance. Frankly I don't even think our youth is very good compared to other teams.

I don't think things are that dire. Perron's a lot better than he showed down the stretch, and I have a lot of faith in guys like Bennett and Harrington to come in and thrive if given the opportunity, to say nothing of young guys I haven't seen much of like Sundqvist and Kapanen who've gotten very positive reviews.

Our forward depth is still crap, but Sid, Geno, Letang, and Maatta are so good offensively that with the right roster priorities (and again, those 4 staying relatively healthy), another deep run isn't far off. In spite of our 5 game exit, we did a lot of good things with crazy injuries on defense and a ton of useless passengers.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

If we commit to playing our young players instead of dedicating so much cap space and plum ice time to has-beens and never-weres, I'm confident that we can be a contender again in short order, health-permitting. A dose of young legs and hunger would do wonders for this team, growing pains and all.

That's a supersized "if", though. We haven't shown any sign of breaking the habit other than sitting Adams about 70 games late.

I just don't see the offensive depth in the pipeline being strong enough to eventually be a legit Cup contender. Even if the defense prospects pan out (still a wait-and-see for guys like Harrington, Pouliot and Dumoulin, IMO), the forward depth is crippling.

I just don't see how it's going to be fixed in relative short order, either. Even if the Pens start drafting forwards that pan out in 2015, you're still looking at 4 or 5 years until they're ready to even be an impact. Until then, there's Kapanen and ... in the system. Considering the current roster has two good wingers, that's not very encouraging.

 

[Bennett Brauer]

You're the only one. How anyone can look at the Pens' scoring depth (or lack of scoring depth) and think there's potential there is beyond me. How many games does this team have to score 1 goal or less in before people accept that minus two guys, it's one of the least offensively capable forward groups in the league?

And on defense, they're nothing to write home about. Letang and Maatta are proven top four caliber players. After that there's a bunch of unproven rookies/youngsters and/or garbage. Hardly what I'd call a defense capable of going up against the better teams in the league.

Our forward depth was miles better this season than anything Ray Shero put together (outside of the 2013 TDL) Yeah, we need scoring depth, you think Rutherford doesn't know that or think he does and will just choose to ignore it? Let's see what he does this off season before we say anything about how bad he is after 1 year. He knows scoring was a problem, he knows we need better wingers in the top 6, I think this Summer will be telling on where he wants to see this team.

Defense is unproven but it has good potential, this organization has potential which is what I mentioned in the post you quoted, other than Maatta and Letang, I believe Pouliot and Cole are top 4 defensemen in the NHL and at this point in their careers, Dumoulin is better than Rob Scuderi. Obviously it has to be proven but if they're never given the chance, they'll never prove it.

Cole exceeded expectations when he was brought in and actually wanted top 4 minutes in St. Louis, they're stacked so we acquired him and gave him those minutes and I don't think anyone was disappointed with how he played, it's like he knows what he's capable of, he wanted the challenge, and he succeeded so far.

Pouliot, for all intents and purposes, is a top 4 defenseman, he has the pedigree, his development is going nicely, I think he's capable of being a better player.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

I just don't see the offensive depth in the pipeline being strong enough to eventually be a legit Cup contender. Even if the defense prospects pan out (still a wait-and-see for guys like Harrington, Pouliot and Dumoulin, IMO), the forward depth is crippling.

I just don't see how it's going to be fixed in relative short order, either. Even if the Pens start drafting forwards that pan out in 2015, you're still looking at 4 or 5 years until they're ready to even be an impact. Until then, there's Kapanen and ... in the system. Considering the current roster has two good wingers, that's not very encouraging.

I guess I think a lot more of Bennett than most. He's a legit top 6 winger if he gets the opportunity, IMO. Between that, the addition by subtraction of a few hangers-on, and and infusion of some hungry young legs (Kapanen/Sundqvist/whoever) I think we would see a much more impressive team.

At the very least, they'd be a lot more entertaining to watch than the cast of retreads we've been saddled with.

 

[Bennett Brauer]

I guess I think a lot more of Bennett than most. He's a legit top 6 winger if he gets the opportunity, IMO. Between that, the addition by subtraction of a few hangers-on, and and infusion of some hungry young legs (Kapanen/Sundqvist/whoever) I think we would see a much more impressive team.

At the very least, they'd be a lot more entertaining to watch than the cast of retreads we've been saddled with.

GMJR thinks just as highly of Beau Bennett as you do, so it's good for him that the GM has faith in him and I do too, he has skill, you can see it. He just needs to play with better players and with more consistency. He can be very good for this team, people will write him off but I truly think injuries hampered his development and career, I also truly think he will surprise a lot of people next season.

Just give him a chance, we drafted him to play with Crosby or Malkin, just put him there and let's see what he can do, if he's not the answer we can always try to acquire a player, but we can't write off Bennett until he's given a fair shake, and a few shifts/games here and there is NOT a fair shake.

 

[wej20]

They've got to give Bennett a decent go of things, even if they don't believe in him. His value's probably a 2nd if we're lucky so we might as well find out what he is.

 

[Darth Vitale]

Yep.

I think Bennett ought to be told outright this summer -- work hard and be prepared for a lot of responsibility next season. The first 40 games or so you will get the chance you've wanted. Barring horrific play you're going to be on the Top 6 the entire time and you're going to get some power play time. What you do with it is up to you. Stay healthy and put up solid numbers and you'll be around for the second half and we'll sign you to a short-term extension to see if you can stay healthy. Otherwise you will likely be moved at the deadline.

Put a little pressure on him but let him know he's going to finally get his fair shake. 40+ games ought to be plenty. Even if he had a mediocre showing he still wouldn't be worth any less at the deadline than he is right now most likely. Nothing to lose by giving him a real shot / putting the onus on him, everything to gain.

 

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

I think a huge reason for Bennett's less than stellar play is that he plays terrified to **** up every time he's on the ice. He doesn't know what will get him benched, or if he'll get another shot, so he plays to not mess up and it crushes his game.

Like DV said, a sit down with the kid and a bit of confidence boosting "Listen, it's your time to prove yourself." type of talk would go a loooong way.

Give him 40 games in the top six as a third wheel with Sid or Geno. See what happens.

 

[plaidchuck]

Bennett is ruined imo as long he stays with this organization. They're always in win now.mode so they'll never play him, and the past injuries haven't helped either.

Imo.they stunted.his potential making him a bottom six plug.

 

[plaidchuck]

This is without even getting into the qquestion marks that letang and maatta represent. Letang is one hit away from being a vegetable and maatta may never be the same player ever again.

 

[Joejosh999]

Yep.

I think Bennett ought to be told outright this summer -- work hard and be prepared for a lot of responsibility next season. The first 40 games or so you will get the chance you've wanted. Barring horrific play you're going to be on the Top 6 the entire time and you're going to get some power play time. What you do with it is up to you. Stay healthy and put up solid numbers and you'll be around for the second half and we'll sign you to a short-term extension to see if you can stay healthy. Otherwise you will likely be moved at the deadline.

Put a little pressure on him but let him know he's going to finally get his fair shake. 40+ games ought to be plenty. Even if he had a mediocre showing he still wouldn't be worth any less at the deadline than he is right now most likely. Nothing to lose by giving him a real shot / putting the onus on him, everything to gain.

Makes loads of sense.
Sadly this idiot **** organization will never do it.

 

[plaidchuck]

I just don't see the offensive depth in the pipeline being strong enough to eventually be a legit Cup contender. Even if the defense prospects pan out (still a wait-and-see for guys like Harrington, Pouliot and Dumoulin, IMO), the forward depth is crippling.

I just don't see how it's going to be fixed in relative short order, either. Even if the Pens start drafting forwards that pan out in 2015, you're still looking at 4 or 5 years until they're ready to even be an impact. Until then, there's Kapanen and ... in the system. Considering the current roster has two good wingers, that's not very encouraging.

Agreed, I know this is hfboards and "let the kids play" is the panacea to all ills, but I just don't see it. Sure the team may be more entertaining, but so was the gen x era team.

 

[Pancakes]

With JR acknowledging we need a top six winger I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop as far as trades go. JR is going to trade for somebody, that's pretty much a guarantee. I forget who said it but I'll echo that JR usually practices what he preaches as far as GM moves go. If he says he's gonna trade for a top six winger then he will do so.

 

[66-30-33]

With JR acknowledging we need a top six winger I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop as far as trades go. JR is going to trade for somebody, that's pretty much a guarantee. I forget who said it but I'll echo that JR usually practices what he preaches as far as GM moves go. If he says he's gonna trade for a top six winger then he will do so.

Probably a guy like Perron who has lots of skill and can create on his own. He will offer the 1st in 2016 for him.

 

[Pancakes]

Probably a guy like Perron who has lots of skill and can create on his own. He will offer the 1st in 2016 for him.

If he gets a similar player to Perron aka a young guy with skill then I can deal with giving up our 1st next year but I'd really like to keep that pick at all costs.

Frankly I'd rather give up Harrington or Dumo than that first. Or give up Sutter.

We have no second rounder next season so we really need to keep that first at all costs. I also think it's far from a guarantee that we even make the playoffs - I think it's extremely likely that we do, but not unthinkable that we miss. So we could potentially be trading away a lottery pick. We nearly traded away a lottery pick this season.

 

[66-30-33]

If he gets a similar player to Perron aka a young guy with skill then I can deal with giving up our 1st next year but I'd really like to keep that pick at all costs.

Frankly I'd rather give up Harrington or Dumo than that first. Or give up Sutter.

We have no second rounder next season so we really need to keep that first at all costs. I also think it's far from a guarantee that we even make the playoffs - I think it's extremely likely that we do, but not unthinkable that we miss. So we could potentially be trading away a lottery pick. We nearly traded away a lottery pick this season.

How times have changed...playoffs used to be a shoe in, now? it's a toss up. Nice play management.

 

[JTG]

If we can turn some of these guys who don't really fit in here anymore into picks this year, I'd be fine with giving up our first next year.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

If we commit to playing our young players instead of dedicating so much cap space and plum ice time to has-beens and never-weres, I'm confident that we can be a contender again in short order, health-permitting. A dose of young legs and hunger would do wonders for this team, growing pains and all.

That's a supersized "if", though. We haven't shown any sign of breaking the habit other than sitting Adams about 70 games late.

Yeah but they're NOT going to give the roster a very youthful refresh imo. We heard all the talk last summer from Burkle and Mario about what we needed, and very little came true. Now we're hearing the old, senile (and potentially limited in terms of true organizational power) suggest we need to get younger. I'm not buying what Rutherford's selling. He knows he's likely done after next season. He's not thinking youth, right now. He's thinking buy, buy buy. The only selling he will do is to create enough cap space to do more buying.

Plus ca change, plus c'est pareil.

I don't think things are that dire. Perron's a lot better than he showed down the stretch, and I have a lot of faith in guys like Bennett and Harrington to come in and thrive if given the opportunity, to say nothing of young guys I haven't seen much of like Sundqvist and Kapanen who've gotten very positive reviews.

Our forward depth is still crap, but Sid, Geno, Letang, and Maatta are so good offensively that with the right roster priorities (and again, those 4 staying relatively healthy), another deep run isn't far off. In spite of our 5 game exit, we did a lot of good things with crazy injuries on defense and a ton of useless passengers.

Our forward depth was miles better this season than anything Ray Shero put together (outside of the 2013 TDL) Yeah, we need scoring depth, you think Rutherford doesn't know that or think he does and will just choose to ignore it? Let's see what he does this off season before we say anything about how bad he is after 1 year. He knows scoring was a problem, he knows we need better wingers in the top 6, I think this Summer will be telling on where he wants to see this team.

Rutherford isn't a rookie GM. Look at what he failed to accomplish in Carolina? He originally built a very strong team, won a Cup, then pissed it all away. And it just got progressively worse, and worse. Last summer, we were all probably too blind by our overjoy from finally seeing Shero and Bylsma out the door that we didn't see the Rutherford hiring for what it was...a disaster.

Of course he sees we need scoring depth. That's not the problem. What IS the problem is how good 'ol JR will tackle the need for a scorer.

Look at what happened after the Perron trade? Rutherford said after that deal, if any other moves were needed to be made, that they'd have to 'get creative'. Did you see how creative we got? We blew our wad on mediocre defensemen, almost gave up as much for Daniel frickin' Winnik as Florida gave up for Jagr and wound up having to play several games a man short. Yeah that's some creativity, JR.

Their next move? Like a big car crash, you're curious to see what will happen but at some point you just can't look at the collateral damage anymore.

 

[Pancakes]

How times have changed...playoffs used to be a shoe in, now? it's a toss up. Nice play management.

Part of it is management and part of it is just the other teams getting better. Columbus will be a threat next year, and you can never count out Philly as long as they have Giroux and Voracek. Florida could be right there too.

So it will be tough. The Pens will have to play well and stay healthy in order to make the playoffs. If we bank on a young defense and Letang gets hurt next season it could get real tough for us. If we stay mostly healthy we should easily make it but if we have a similar injury situation next season...not hard to see us missing.

 

[Gallatin]

http://www.pensreport.com/blog/column-is-a-change-actually-acoming-for-the-pens

Not so familiar with this blogger - any of you?

God I hope this is not made up, but something with real legs. I would feel SO much better about the team if Morehouse was replaced with a real hockey guy.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

http://www.pensreport.com/blog/column-is-a-change-actually-acoming-for-the-pens

Not so familiar with this blogger - any of you?

God I hope this is not made up, but something with real legs. I would feel SO much better about the team if Morehouse was replaced with a real hockey guy.

Link isn't working for me. What does it say?

 

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Link isn't working for me. What does it say?

Everyone is focused on the "JR and Johnston are staying" part of the headlines and not the "Everyone else is open season--more specifically Morehouse."

I don't buy it. Just like I don't buy that Morehouse is some mastermind that has anything to do with roster decisions.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

So they didn't name a potential new 'hockey guy' President in that link?

Rats, I was hoping for a name.