Salary Cap: Salary Cap: 2015 - insert witty title here

[Shady Machine]

I don't know what it is with this board in denying problems players openly admit they have. It's not better so far, by the way.

I think he was implying that Perron's skating has been fine this pre-season (something both Perron and MJ have said). You are within your right to disagree that it's been better, but the coach and player both say it has. Now MJ could by lying or something, but he said it.

 

[TheGoldenJet]

No I mean it's obvious that the coaching staff doesn't really like Perron or Bennett. So that's why they get demoted for Sprong over Kunitz or Duper. Or hell, even Plots. I mean I've been impressed with him, but why did he get every game next to Malkin?

Agreed 100%. No competition for that second line spot, and then a fake competition for the top line spot, reeks of incompetence.

 

[CanadianPensFan1]

I haven't been weighing in much as I wanted to wait and see how things shaped up.

Now, I'm usually as invested as anyone. After the craptacular slide to end last season, I was pretty disgusted with the Pens but that was out of pure frustration. Once I simmered, all was well. Then the moves over the summer happened and I felt myself WISHING for hockey to start two months earlier.

Today? I'm sort of back to feeling numb again. I don't think I want to stomach Kunitz on the first line while Perron is relegated to the fourth. It's just ... ugh.

Look, if it works out that Kunitz revitalizes and score 25g/60pts on the 1st line while Sid and PK both get 40g/90pts, I'll be happy. If Perron scores 30 on the 4th line, awesome. I'll eat a big sack of crow and never ***** about the team again.

But it almost seems like they are intentionally shooting themselves in the foot.

It's just.... ugh. I almost don't want the season to start now ... blargh.

 

[SHOOTANDSCORE]

I forgot about this one from Feb.

 

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

That hand-picked quote doesn't do anything to strengthen your argument. His skating's not perfect, nobody said it was, but to say it's so detrimental that it puts him below anyone on the roster in terms of top-6 LW duty is stupid. No, again, his skating isn't perfect, but to essentially say the guy's as terrible a skater as Craig Adams of Hal Gill--which is implied by the continual and over-exaggerated responses regarding his skating--is a reach of ridiculous proportions.

Perron's fine. His skating's fine. The team's just ****ing stupid, and if you agree with their decisions to play him on 3rd/4th RW, citing simply that he's not a superb skater, well... You know.

 

[billybudd]

I think he was implying that Perron's skating has been fine this pre-season (something both Perron and MJ have said). You are within your right to disagree that it's been better, but the coach and player both say it has. Now MJ could by lying or something, but he said it.

Well, then, I wish I had video of the last 90 second of the Montreal game, because it's not.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Perron has scored almost 50 points a season in the NHL and played in almost 500 games, but now suddenly his skating is a problem and it's holding him back?

Ok...

Makes perfect sense.

 

[Jacob]

But Kunitz's hands, effort and decision making apparently do not hold him back.

 

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

But Kunitz's hands, effort and decision making apparently do not hold him back.

It's that darned iron-deficiency!

 

[WheresRamziAbid]

Why is Perron the 3rd line RW over Dupuis (a guy that has played right wing with Crosby for years)?

The 3rd line, assuming the current top 6, should be:

Perron-Bonino-Dupuis

In THAT scenario, Duper should be moved down.

So Perron is being played out of place and then gets screwed over to try out Sprong.

1. Because MJ like RHS on the RW and LHS on the LW. Im not saying that's how it should be but that is undoubtedly how it is. It really cannot be argued as of right now Perron considered a RW and Dupuis a LW by the coaching staff. So if your trying out a RW in a preseason game it makes more sense only to disturb the people you have at RW.

If Sprong makes the team then you figure out whom you want to move off RW (should be Perron, will probably be Bennett). Personally if they keep Sprong assuming Perron in the bottom 6. I would go with...

Perron-Sprong
Dupuis-Bennett

As bottom 6 wingers.

2. Playing a preseason game on the 4th line isn't getting screwed over.

 

[Shady Machine]

Well, then, I wish I had video of the last 90 second of the Montreal game, because it's not.

Okay. I honestly haven't seen a ton of the pre-season (most of the last 3 games, but not all of it) and not enough to evaluate every player in detail. That said, I think his skating is fine, so long as you don't have too other average to below average speedsters on his line.

My overarching point is that they don't value Perron as a player. You seem to agree with their assessment. I disagree but even if I thought he was expendable, the last thing I'd do is play him on the 4th line. His value's not going up by playing there.

 

[Speaking Moistly]

It's that darned iron-deficiency!

And his foot!

 

[SHOOTANDSCORE]

And his foot!

The one he broke in 10th grade.

 

[Shady Machine]

1. Because MJ like RHS on the RW and LHS on the LW. Im not saying that's how it should be but that is undoubtedly how it is. It really cannot be argued as of right now Perron considered a RW and Dupuis a LW by the coaching staff. So if your trying out a RW in a preseason game it makes more sense only to disturb the people you have at RW.

If Sprong makes the team then you figure out whom you want to move off RW (should be Perron, will probably be Bennett). Personally if they keep Sprong assuming Perron in the bottom 6. I would go with...

Perron-Sprong
Dupuis-Bennett

As bottom 6 wingers.

2. Playing a preseason game on the 4th line isn't getting screwed over.

Except for Bennett, which he often plays on the LW. So uh, what about that?

 

[Speaking Moistly]

The one he broke in 10th grade.

He's such a trooper it's inspiring.

 

[billybudd]

"Jamie Benn's not that good" guy: Perron had 50 points one year. His skating isn't a problem

David Perron: I’m not the fastest skater out there, I know that

 

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

He's not the fastest skater out there. Nobody is arguing with you. We're saying you're being ridiculous and reaching by saying--or alluding to--his skating is so terrible that it negates his hands, creativity, shot, passing, hustle, and willingness to go into the hard areas of the ice to battle and dig for pucks. All of which are either far better or no worse than anyone else up for a spot in the top-6 at LW. And his skating, while not a strong suit, is no worse than a handful of other guys on the roster.

 

[madinsomniac]

He's not the fastest skater out there. Nobody is arguing with you. We're saying you're being ridiculous and reaching by saying--or alluding to--his skating is so terrible that it negates his hands, creativity, shot, passing, hustle, and willingness to go into the hard areas of the ice to battle and dig for pucks. All of which are either far better or no worse than anyone else up for a spot in the top-6 at LW. And his skating, while not a strong suit, is no worse than a handful of other guys on the roster.

I am with you on this... his speed isn't a fatal flaw... its average for a winger... Kunitz used to be fast, now he is average, but that's ok because he used to play fast... there is no team in the league who would take Kunitz over Perron straight up. this is a simple case of bias in line decisions.

 

[drpepper]

"Jamie Benn's not that good" guy: Perron had 50 points one year. His skating isn't a problem

David Perron: I’m not the fastest skater out there, I know that

Considering players like Hall or Crosby or Kessel or Malkin to make it actually relevant, Perron isn't and doesn't need to be the fastest guy out there to be effective where his career numbers have proven that he has been effective with below average speed.

Perron just needs to keep up with the speed of play which he admittedly struggled with at the end of last season. His skating in all of preseason (not just the last minutes of a game the Pens were losing and likely never had a shot at winning) has been among the best of his career and better than most of the below average skaters on the team (Bonino, Plotnikov who is faster than advertised but not agile & his edgework isn't good, Bennett who is also better than last season, & Hornqvist who makes up with subpar skating & edgework with hustle) in terms of speed.

In terms of agility and edgework, Perron has some of the best skating on the team, and he always has.

You don't have to like Perron, but this intentional blindness doesn't do your usual, good arguments justice.

 

[Asuna]

WBS signed Sestito to a contract.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

If we are all good boys and girls, maybe we will be enlightened by some misused advanced stats to show us how Perron's career has been all luck so far, since he is a "bottom 5% bad skater" like the American Dream.

I'm always excited to get miseducated!

 

[Speaking Moistly]

I am with you on this... his speed isn't a fatal flaw... its average for a winger... Kunitz used to be fast, now he is average, but that's ok because he used to play fast... there is no team in the league who would take Kunitz over Perron straight up. this is a simple case of bias in line decisions.

No other team, you mean?





I made myself sad.

 

[Penguinsyay]

If these signs are so obvious, then you should be able to name some.

I just did.

- Farnham is one of the few players who is still up who was in the running for a 4th line spot.
- Farnham missed the last few pre-season games due to injury, and only has one more pre-season game he can play.
- BB has been scoring and playing well. I guess only fans are capable of noticing this?

-Johnston mentioned in a past interview 9/28 I think? That the they had determined which 4-5 games each vet was going to play ahead of time. They probably wanted to give Duper/Perron these games. Don't recall how many each of them have played but I'm pretty sure Duper/Perron didn't play much in the earlier pre-season.

- When discussing players in competition for bottom line spots, I don't recall hearing BB's name even mentioned once. Pretty sure I heard Tocchet say a good thing or two about BB followed by saying that the people that were competing for a bottom line opening weren't doing anything to make themselves stand out (Wilson, Rust, Sheary, etc) other than Sprong.

These were observations that lead me to draw a logical conclusion. Maybe I just interpreted everything differently than everyone else.

Edit: I don't have the greatest memory, I also work and don't have time to scour through video and old posts. It just seemed TO ME like BB was obviously being sat in this one PRE-SEASON game so Farnham could get an extra look, because it didn't seem that he had to prove he deserved a roster spot, and I thought he played in like every other pre-season game so far.

 

[CanadianPensFan1]

No other team, you mean?





I made myself sad.

Ha. Give the man a ceeegar!!

 

[MtlPenFan]

"Jamie Benn's not that good" guy: Perron had 50 points one year. His skating isn't a problem

David Perron: I’m not the fastest skater out there, I know that

There's not being fast and there's not being able to keep your edges.

Huge difference.