Simon Despres Appreciation Thread 2

[ColePens]

Let's continue here.

Click to read more...

 

[IcedCapp]

Oh, thank god

 

[Will Hunting]

I´m a bit jealous to the Ducks. They robbed our pathetic organization and they are playing in the worst division in the NHL. It must be really nice to face the Jets in R1 and then the Flames in R2. I am interested in how they play vs the Hawks. Despres is pretty good though, no doubts about that..

 

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

A new thread, but it just won't feel like home without dummies coming in and proclaiming Despres wasn't Bobby Orr, and that we should "just get over" the trade.

It's gonna be fun watching him log big minutes on arguably the blueline of the best team in the league and clear-cut Cup favorite.

Go Simon, you win the Cup and eat all of the ice cream and bear claws you want out of it.

 

[ColePens]

We were not ending this thread, IC. All joking aside, I really liked Despres - even before this season. I fell in love with him when he smiled while fighting Kane. We aren't letting it go this easy.

11-1 in the playoffs and JR wanted Lovejoy for experience. ****ing eh. This is a trade I'll never live down short of Babcock being hired and getting Despres back as a UFA down the road.

 

[Shady Machine]

I've said this before, but they cited experience with both the Lovejoy and Cole trades. The funny thing is Lovejoy has only played 268 regular season and 34 playoff games. Despres has played 160 regular season games and 12 playoff games. How much more experienced is Lovejoy? With Cole it's even worse. They have played damn near the same amount of games.

The right handed shot is the only thing that even remotely makes sense and it's stupid.

 

[ColePens]

Stats from last thread:

User Name Posts
IcedCapp 130
Shady Machine 58
Waffle Fries 56
Coach John McGuirk 38
ColePens 34
cygnus47 32
Pghkev 30
SHOOTANDSCORE 27
Mr Jiggyfly 22
pixiesfanyo 18
Jacob 17
The Old Master 17
Randy Butternubs 16
Sidney the Kidney 16
MtlPenFan 16
hiptanaka 15
BlackYellow 13
KIRK 13
MrBurghundy 13
cassius 12
Honour Over Glory 11
nape 11
mpp9 11
Rowdy Roddy Peeper 10
AquaticBirdman 10
Jaded-Fan 10
joeyjake5 10

 

[Shady Machine]

So happy to still be in 2nd place!

 

[Asuna]

Hopefully Despres won't resign in Anaheim and he'll come back here

 

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

I gotta step my game up. IC's got all the posting experience, I'm in danger of being traded.

 

[Fordy]

despres IS bobby orr

 

[IcedCapp]

130? Going for 200 this go-round.

My love affair with Simon wasn't instant. I hadn't watched him in junior, and when it came time for prospect camps and whatnot, my initial thought was, "typical prospect hype."

I can't remember which game it was, but the first thing that stood out to me about Despres wasn't his skating or his size, but his pass. He made a couple of ozone passes that were like, "wow, quick, decisive, crisp, on-the-tape."

He instantly had one of the two- or three-best passes on the Pens' blue line.

As I watched him more, the size and skating were hard to ignore.

While he didn't become a big hitter til this season, he was never shy about playing hockey in the ugly areas. You see a lot of big guys who have offensive skill and they don't want to take a hit. With Simon, it always felt like making a play was his job, and he just accepted the physical aspect as the part of the job.

And then the skating. For a guy his size, it's remarkable. He still has balance issues, it's almost like he's struggling with being 6'4 at times, but it's beautiful watching him wind up being the net, use his body for positioning and then pulling away from a forechecker. Or watching him skate he puck in and becoming the forechecker.

But there was always something else. Despres was like the hit girlfriend. He one you knew was too good for you, and you were just waiting for her to realize it. Sure, you enjoyed the sex while it lasted, but you knew it would end eventually. It just never seemed like it was meant to be with the kid. Something was going to happen to end his time in Pittsburgh.

I watch Ducks games now with a laser focus on him. Every shift is a slap in the face to Pens fans, courtesy the Penguins organization.

I haven't seen jittery, rushed, mistake-prone Simon in weeks. That's not to say he's flawless - I mentioned his mistakes last night - but you can already see a step taken in handling the speed of the game. It's only going to get better from there.

I think he was #3 in ES TOI last night, and Boudreau has Despres/Fowler going against the Flames' top line, and they are the best possession pair on the team. Fowler is great, but it's not all him.

If the Ducks keep both players, that's going to be a dominant pair for a long, long time. It has everything, and it's rarely defending.

 

[Wes C Addle]

I've heard stories about pretty much everyone having loose nights (especially during the Talbot era), so I doubt it's that unless he really pissed someone off while drunk. Considering the Aces and Ice thing and the pictures of the guys playing cards at Sid's place (IIRC) I think they're cool with that too. The whole ignoring Bylsma's bad advice saga wouldn't have helped with Dan, but ownership made a point of saying that he was playing better than he was given credit for. The fact that they STILL didn't give him any opportunities this year, but that can't give a straight answer as to why they traded him makes me think it's something personal. The way that he's been treated and constantly complimented in Anaheim doesn't match up with him being someone that coaches don't like either.

It's like the ****ing twilight zone.

The real roots of reasoning for the trade are still murky to me.

I wonder what sort of impact there's been since the team has taken a direction that targets a more family friendly themed existence. A lot of those younger guys (Talbot era) on the Cup run teams were certainly not angels off the ice, but hey, they were winning and all was good right? Fast forward a few years where the team is in a new building and has a President with a few years experience under his belt who is now able to start implementing his "vision" of what this organization should represent.

It wouldn't shock me that if there was even a hint of "off-ice" issues with a player who isn't a superstar that they'd look to move them. Those "issues" could be completely unfounded, or exaggerated, but perception is reality to political minds. From their point of view someone who indulges in consumption or games of chance goes against the family friendly themed image that's so important to them.

This is not to absolve the front office from a piss poor job of talent evaluation, nor do I believe or know that Despres' perceived off ice issues were even the main driving force behind the move. But it wouldn't be the first time decisions were made that really didn't have much to do with the on ice product.

Either way, this trade was, is, and will continue to be terrible.

 

[penguins2946*]

What makes this trade even worse is that had we not traded Despres, we would actually be able to split up the Maatta-Letang pair for next year. We could have run with:

Despres-Letang
Maatta-Cole
Dumoulin-Pouliot

Or something like that. Now, we're locked into Maatta-Letang since we have no one else who can play with Letang as the top pair LD and a bunch of bottom pair D.

 

[IcedCapp]

I also want to mention a conversation among Ducks bloggers, because I took some heat for my post-trade comments:

Pre-March 2nd, the Ducks were a horrendous possession team.

Post-March 2nd, they were a great possession team.

Part of that is certainly some players getting healthy - Getzlaf and Perry each had injuries during the year, as did Vatanen - but Ducks bloggers are suggesting that Despres' arrival, which vaulted the Fowler pair from mediocre to dominant, is a huge part of the turnaround.

Meanwhile, few people are willing to admit even the slightest chance they Despres ' departure hurt the Penguins.

 

[IcedCapp]

Is it possible to make someone a mod of a specific thread? I should be lord and commander of the Despres thread.

Get off mah lawn.

 

[Asuna]

130? Going for 200 this go-round.

My love affair with Simon wasn't instant. I hadn't watched him in junior, and when it came time for prospect camps and whatnot, my initial thought was, "typical prospect hype."

I can't remember which game it was, but the first thing that stood out to me about Despres wasn't his skating or his size, but his pass. He made a couple of ozone passes that were like, "wow, quick, decisive, crisp, on-the-tape."

He instantly had one of the two- or three-best passes on the Pens' blue line.

As I watched him more, the size and skating were hard to ignore.

While he didn't become a big hitter til this season, he was never shy about playing hockey in the ugly areas. You see a lot of big guys who have offensive skill and they don't want to take a hit. With Simon, it always felt like making a play was his job, and he just accepted the physical aspect as the part of the job.

And then the skating. For a guy his size, it's remarkable. He still has balance issues, it's almost like he's struggling with being 6'4 at times, but it's beautiful watching him wind up being the net, use his body for positioning and then pulling away from a forechecker. Or watching him skate he puck in and becoming the forechecker.

But there was always something else. Despres was like the hit girlfriend. He one you knew was too good for you, and you were just waiting for her to realize it. Sure, you enjoyed the sex while it lasted, but you knew it would end eventually. It just never seemed like it was meant to be with the kid. Something was going to happen to end his time in Pittsburgh.

I watch Ducks games now with a laser focus on him. Every shift is a slap in the face to Pens fans, courtesy the Penguins organization.

I haven't seen jittery, rushed, mistake-prone Simon in weeks. That's not to say he's flawless - I mentioned his mistakes last night - but you can already see a step taken in handling the speed of the game. It's only going to get better from there.

I think he was #3 in ES TOI last night, and Boudreau has Despres/Fowler going against the Flames' top line, and they are the best possession pair on the team. Fowler is great, but it's not all him.

If the Ducks keep both players, that's going to be a dominant pair for a long, long time. It has everything, and it's rarely defending.

You're killing me, man.

 

[MrBurghundy]

You better slow down IC, or I'm going to have to break out a box of tissues again.

 

[Whakahere]

nope still angry ..... 1 post in last thread cause it annoyed me so much and I'm still not over it. Can you imagine I didn't see many playoff games cause SD wasn't on the team anymore.

I just can't let it go.

 

[Farnham4top6]

Not even on the list, I need to sharpen up.
The trade probably is the worst trade in nhl history and might be the worst trade in history.

 

[plaidchuck]

Well they are just playing the flames... want to see them play some real competition.

 

[Fordy]

i wonder if we'll ever hear this organization actually lament the loss of this guy

probably reserved only for rob scuderi-types

 

[joeyjake5]

I will always remember SD as JR's/the committee of 9's big mistake just like Scuds was RS's big mistake.

How about this trade BB, #2 pick, and Wilson for SD. SD is something the pen's need but I am afraid the Ducks won't bite.

 

[DegenX]

Stats from last thread:

User Name Posts
IcedCapp 130
Shady Machine 58
Waffle Fries 56
Coach John McGuirk 38
ColePens 34
cygnus47 32
Pghkev 30
SHOOTANDSCORE 27
Mr Jiggyfly 22
pixiesfanyo 18
Jacob 17
The Old Master 17
Randy Butternubs 16
Sidney the Kidney 16
MtlPenFan 16
hiptanaka 15
BlackYellow 13
KIRK 13
MrBurghundy 13
cassius 12
Honour Over Glory 11
nape 11
mpp9 11
Rowdy Roddy Peeper 10
AquaticBirdman 10
Jaded-Fan 10
joeyjake5 10

 

[Allie Kitsune]

I actually had to listen to someone, face-to-face, try to tell me how both Lovejoy and Scuderi were better players than Despres over the weekend (and in fact, try to convince me that Lovejoy is a quality second-pairing player). I'm fairly sure he didn't watch any games this year, and dismissed everything I had to say, trying to counter it with boilerplate that could have come from a ROOT or Trib talking head (he also said that Sid only needs Kunitz and Dupuis on his wings) if it hadn't been for the fact that I was in Lancaster at the time.