Toggle sidebar

We shall serve no prospects before their time.

doob

doob

Registered User
Jan 9, 2011
91
1
I notice that Dumoulin, Despres and Morrow are all minus players. Is that a reflection on their play or the lack of scoring from the forwards? Can any of you who watch a lot of their games, can give us a scouting report of those 3?
 

Stecz

Registered User
Jul 28, 2010
814
0
doob said:
I notice that Dumoulin, Despres and Morrow are all minus players. Is that a reflection on their play or the lack of scoring from the forwards? Can any of you who watch a lot of their games, can give us a scouting report of those 3?
Click to expand...

WBS is a shambles offensively, don't read into the +/-. Dumoulin has been what was expected of him, solid, dependable. The transition to the pro game hasn't been an issue for him. Despres hasn't been playing his best and is taking a lot of risks (which leads to turnovers). He's still adjusting. Some people feel his play is making him expendable, but I think that's a bit of an over-reaction. Morrow has struggled mightily to adapt. He's been a healthy scratch quite a few times and is really struggling to figure out the pro game. That being said, he's still a kid and there was always going to be a struggle.
 

Stecz

Registered User
Jul 28, 2010
814
0
doob said:
Does this mean Dumoulin is more NHL ready than Despres?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say so. I believe Despres has been told by the coaching staff to take more risks or something along those lines, although I don't have a source for that. Despres will have more time with the big club, I think. Dumoulin will get some time, though.
 
jmelm

jmelm

HFBoards Sponsor
Sponsor
Feb 27, 2002
13,412
3,822
Toronto, Canada
Mr. T said:
Our scouting is far from perfect, but outside of Pouliot and Maatta, (who were both first round talents), what other teammates have been picked like that?

I agree that Samuelsson was a reach, but I'm not sure that Mario has much input on the draft. Erich Kuhnhackl spent his entire career in Germany (and retired in the late 80s), so if Mario did him a solid, he's a heck of guy. Also, Chris Bourque was a waiver pickup.


I think we should wait a few years to label the Morrow, Pouliot and Maatta picks as having been wasted. I completely understand your point, but historically forwards have an easier time adjusting to the NHL than defensemen.
Click to expand...


Yeah: first of all, Kuhnhackl was ranked in the top 6 or 8 players IN THE ENTIRE DRAFT on the Central Scouting final rankings of European skaters. We were extremely lucky to get him in the 4th round, and that pick was a no-brainer. Show me some examples of clear-cut better players taken after him (not you, Mr. T, but to anyone criticizing that pick).


As for the other guys mentioned: Pouliot was one of the elite players available at #8. In retrospect, I would be happy with any one of Pouliot, Trouba, Terravainen, or Forsberg or Grigorenko at number 8 (and Grigs only if he could/would play wing, on a team alread boasting Crosby/Malkin/Sutter at centre). Anyone of those 4 or 5 guys are in the elite category, and could be considered BPA.


Regarding Morrow & Maatta: both of these guys have some warts in their game currently, and it's far too soon to determine how they will develop and if they can iron out their games. They defintely did represent very good & appropriate picks if a team was not drafting for position. Personally, I would have liked to see the Pens pick a goalie (i.e. Subban) or perhaps Henrik Samuelsson at that spot, who was just coming off a great playoffs and Mem Cup. There were also other Dmen like Matheson, Skjei and others who may have even more upside. But I'll have no problem with the pick if Maatta turns out well. All in all, he was a pretty safe pick at that spot, and we'll just have to see what happens. I actually think his game may be better suited for NA hockey anyway.


The good news is, unlike some think, we can give these guys LOTS of time to develop. 3 full years in the AHL for Morrow, Maatta or Philip Samuelsson? No problem! It may piss off some fans who are just too excited and want to see these guys in the NHL, but we have the luxury of doing what is best for each player, especially when it comes to defense.
 
MrBurghundy

MrBurghundy

I may be older but I'm never forgetting #47 & #41
Oct 5, 2009
26,459
3,580
I Love Scotch
Chancellor Vitale said:
Here's a good rundown on our prospects for December. The clear standouts are Pouliot, Maatta, and Sundqvist (aside from Zlobin). 2012 so far looking like a good draft year. Sadly, Macaroni does not appear to be living up to the greatness of his nickname.

http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=648756&navid=DL|PIT|home
Click to expand...

I wasn't aware Sundqvist was a teenage lesbian...

headshot-sundqvist.jpg
 
#66

#66

Registered User
Dec 30, 2003
11,585
7
Visit site
Stecz said:
I wouldn't say so. I believe Despres has been told by the coaching staff to take more risks or something along those lines, although I don't have a source for that. Despres will have more time with the big club, I think. Dumoulin will get some time, though.
Click to expand...
Good god I hope that isn't true. He's just not that type of defenseman. Let him do what he's good at.
 

bigd

Registered User
Jul 27, 2003
6,854
242
#66 said:
Good god I hope that isn't true. He's just not that type of defenseman. Let him do what he's good at.
Click to expand...
Despres was a healthy scratch last night so my guess is that the coaching staff is not his encouraging risk taking.:sarcasm:
 
Last edited:
Darth Vitale

Darth Vitale

Dark Matter
Aug 21, 2003
28,172
114
Darkness
Holy crap that almost looks like Jodi Foster when she was young. I saw a movie with her when she was maybe... 12? Looked completely like a boy. It was creepy. But hey DNA is beyond our powahs!
 
Crafton

Crafton

Liver-Eating Johnson
May 6, 2010
9,842
110
San Francisco
Chancellor Vitale said:
Holy crap that almost looks like Jodi Foster when she was young. I saw a movie with her when she was maybe... 12? Looked completely like a boy. It was creepy. But hey DNA is beyond our powahs!
Click to expand...

you got Taxi Driver on your mind? or are you thinking of Bugsy Malone? perhaps the original Freaky Friday?
 
Tender Rip

Tender Rip

Wears long pants
Feb 12, 2007
17,999
5,221
Shanghai, China
jmelm said:
As for the other guys mentioned: Pouliot was one of the elite players available at #8. In retrospect, I would be happy with any one of Pouliot, Trouba, Terravainen, or Forsberg or Grigorenko at number 8 (and Grigs only if he could/would play wing, on a team alread boasting Crosby/Malkin/Sutter at centre). Anyone of those 4 or 5 guys are in the elite category, and could be considered BPA.
Click to expand...

You do realize that you are considering organizational needs over BPA with that Grigorenko asterix, for a team that has NOTHING on the farm as regards centers, yet you do not consider needs a factor when it comes to Pouliot who has an ungodly amount of qualified prospects ahead of him before we even start talking about who is on the NHL roster?

That makes absolutely no sense to me.

And just to make clear, I think BPA is the right way to go... to a point. There comes a time when you can have so many players for one position on the farm that you simply cannot dream of getting a satisfying number of them through the system and thus hurt the value of those you do have by getting more.
We most definitely have that situation now, and compared to the rather dire situation for forwards, we did so even before a draft that added a significant number of new D-men to the pile.
When put in a situation where we could draft a forward likely to become an impact player, it was nauseating that we gambled on a puck-mover with a ways to go defensively and size concerns to boot. No matter that I think Pouliot is obviously a very nice prospect. For us he should have been a no-go.

jmelm said:
The good news is, unlike some think, we can give these guys LOTS of time to develop. 3 full years in the AHL for Morrow, Maatta or Philip Samuelsson? No problem! It may piss off some fans who are just too excited and want to see these guys in the NHL, but we have the luxury of doing what is best for each player, especially when it comes to defense.
Click to expand...

Sure we can, and if we didn't have such log-jam, that would certainly be the best way to go about things. But before we consider this such a great thing, a priori like, lets see what happens with Strait and Bortuzzo who have gone down that road and developed very, very well, to the point that both looks like NHL defenders for sure.
I suspect that we will end up losing both of them and Lovejoy - who is also an NHL defender - for almost nothing during 2013.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Ad

Latest posts

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

Top Bottom