What happens with Hornqvist?

[Dangles78]

This thread sucks. Everyone is complaining that our team is too similar but wants to trade the one forward that provides something different. News flash - the entire Pens team hasn’t produced the past 2 postseasons. Trade him to Nashville? For Bones? Wtf. Nashville wants to trim fat just like the Pens; they don’t seem like a good trade partner.

 

[HandshakeLine]

And then we’ll give Horny a gun blade AND an Ultima esper for the limit break, and we’ll be waaaaay OP.

 

[Fordy]

when horny becomes a problem i'll say it and i'll want him gone. it's a problem that our top center refuses to play with him and the other doesn't mesh well. but he is not the problem yet. until then keep him

 

[Turin]

I think he meshes ok with Geno with the right winger on the other side.

 

[Fordy]

oh sure, it never strikes me as ideal but it does often seem Right, but how often does any line stay intact on this team and actually make sense? even if there was the right mix on the 2nd line it will go away if the top line isn't clicking

 

[Will Hunting]

He is not a problem. Yet. He is also gonna play on the 3rd line and making 5.3M while turning 34 years old. I am also a professional chess player and I just like to look few steps ahead about possible problems. Sometimes.

 

[Pittsburgh1776]

One of the many changes that need to happen this year is the coaching staff taking a much firmer stand on lineup decisions as they relate to the first line. And I love Crosby, but players need to play where they help the team most. The mindset of burying Hornqvist on the 3rd or 4th lines because Crosby doesn't want to play with him (or refusing to put Guentzel on line two) needs to end if we are to contend again.

 

[Le Magnifique 66]

when horny becomes a problem i'll say it and i'll want him gone. it's a problem that our top center refuses to play with him and the other doesn't mesh well. but he is not the problem yet. until then keep him

True but Horny is on the way down. And with the contract he has, might be a great time to cash in and let him go IMHO

 

[DesertPenguin]

Doesn't he potentially block young guys from contributing though by remaining in the top-6? I'm not saying he is there yet, but we could be trending towards a Kunitz type of situation where you keep a guy in the top 6 based on his contract, when in reality he belongs in the bottom 6.

It's been quite a while since Horny did more than spot duty in the top 6.

 

[DesertPenguin]

I'd like to see a Poulin / Hornqvist wing pair with a 2 way centerman in between. Let Poulin be the offensive catalyst on that line, rely on the center for defensive conscience, and let horny make space.

Trick is McCann is not that 3C.

We should never have let go of Bonino.

 

[66-30-33]

I'd like to see a Poulin / Hornqvist wing pair with a 2 way centerman in between. Let Poulin be the offensive catalyst on that line, rely on the center for defensive conscience, and let horny make space.

Trick is McCann is not that 3C.

We should never have let go of Bonino.

 

[ImporterExporter]

I will go on record right now - I think it is a horrible idea to move Hornqvist. Unless you can find a Gallagher out there, I think it's a horrible idea.

Just my opinion. I think he should retire a Penguin. I know a lot of people will not agree. Fair play.

There are much bigger problems on this roster and behind the bench and in the FO than this man:

 

[Andy99]

I'd like to see a Poulin / Hornqvist wing pair with a 2 way centerman in between. Let Poulin be the offensive catalyst on that line, rely on the center for defensive conscience, and let horny make space.

Trick is McCann is not that 3C.

We should never have let go of Bonino.

what’s wrong with Blueger? I really like him. Aside from his face offs, he’s a good defensive center, which is what JR says he wants. I’d be open to Poulin-Simon-McCann-Tanev playing LW to Blueger and Horny....we still need to bring in a couple other young centers to the organization since we traded a couple away but Blue has earned a shot...

 

[Honour Over Glory]

I will go on record right now - I think it is a horrible idea to move Hornqvist. Unless you can find a Gallagher out there, I think it's a horrible idea.

Just my opinion. I think he should retire a Penguin. I know a lot of people will not agree. Fair play.

Yeah, unless JR somehow gets Danault (recently not happy with the way he was being used with the rise of Suzuki and Kotkaniemi) and Gallagher for Hornqvist, I want to see Hornqvist retire a Penguin. He belongs in Black & Pittsburgh Yellow.

Also, the way I see the RW situation it’s - Kapanen, Rust, Hornqvist, then Tanev in that order. So Horny on the 3rd line is fine if you get the right C, I am starting to like the idea of Danault wanting out and JR swooping in.

 

[pistolpete11]

Hornqvist's per 82game averages:

Career : 25G 51P
'19-'20 : 27G 50P

And that's despite being used on the 3rd line.

This idea that Hornqvist is falling off a cliff is people wanting to believe something that simply isn't there because they want a shakeup.

I think the coaching staff needs to nut up and tell Crosby he is playing with Hornqvist because it is best for the team, but even if they don't, he's still an effective player for the Penguins and brings something that no one else on the team does.

The fact that he has a NTC for another season just means it would be even harder to get fair value for him. So he should and likely will be back next season. We'll see what the roster looks like and how the expansion draft plays out after that.

 

[mpp9]

I am totally against moving him, but if JR is to be taken at his word (getting younger and faster) maybe there's a chance he does get moved.

Guentzel, Rust, Zucker, McCann, Tanev, Blueger, Sheary, Simon, ZAR, Dumoulin, Marino and Petts.

Like, our entire supporting cast ain't old or slow besides PH. Lol.


Hopefully JR is referring to swapping out some support players for guys who haven't won a Cup yet. Hunger. Fresh blood. Really don't want PH to go.

 

[pistolpete11]

I am totally against moving him, but if JR is to be taken at his word (getting younger and faster) maybe there's a chance he does get moved.

Guentzel, Rust, Zucker, McCann, Tanev, Blueger, Sheary, Simon, ZAR, Dumoulin, Marino and Petts.

Like, our entire supporting cast ain't old or slow besides PH. Lol.


Hopefully JR is referring to swapping out some support players for guys who haven't won a Cup yet. Hunger. Fresh blood. Really don't want PH to go.

JMFJ is old-ish and slow-ish

 

[EightyOne]

Re:Hornqvist

It is what it is

I think they were banking on quickly competing for Cups still

Now that that isn't happening...It's moving the needle on the deal with Horny, from decently okay to kinda shitty, slowly

 

[Strakanator]

Hornquist should be traded. He doesn’t fit on any lines, and isn’t that effective on the power play anymore.

The Penguins have to live or die by team speed. It is time. Swarm and out-skate the other teams. Go speed racer.

 

[ZeroPucksGiven]

I think he meshes ok with Geno with the right winger on the other side.

Who is that though?
It was Hags for a bit but I think that was more Geno dragging that line to respectability moreso than anything Hags himself did.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Hornqvist is a good player, but I don't know how people can simultaneously advocate for changes while saying that every good player shouldn't leave.

Crosby, Malkin, Marino, Guentzel, Zucker, Kapanen, Jarry and Tanev (because they just signed him to a massive deal and wouldn't trade him this quickly) are not going anywhere. Guys like Lafferty, Riikola, ZAR and Ruhwedel have basically no value and don't really count as "change". Bjugstad and Johnson would be moved as cap dumps, I wouldn't count that as a change either. That leaves Rust, McCann, Hornqvist, Blueger, Dumoulin, Letang, Pettersson (who I'm tempted to include in the 1st group for the same reason as Tanev) and Murray.

JR wants change and people here want to make changes. "Changes" are moving players from the group of 8 I listed. Trimming the fat and getting rid of players you don't like aren't "changes".

 

[Peat]

Who is that though?
It was Hags for a bit but I think that was more Geno dragging that line to respectability moreso than anything Hags himself did.

Went well with Rust this season, think it's worked with Guentzel in the past. I'm not sure there's any particular special sauce ingredient so much as when Geno's on, having a guy who just battles on the boards and creates chaos in front of the net is enough.

I suspect the older they get, the less it'll work.

 

[pistolpete11]

Hornqvist is a good player, but I don't know how people can simultaneously advocate for changes while saying that every good player shouldn't leave.

Crosby, Malkin, Marino, Guentzel, Zucker, Kapanen, Jarry and Tanev (because they just signed him to a massive deal and wouldn't trade him this quickly) are not going anywhere. Guys like Lafferty, Riikola, ZAR and Ruhwedel have basically no value and don't really count as "change". Bjugstad and Johnson would be moved as cap dumps, I wouldn't count that as a change either. That leaves Rust, McCann, Hornqvist, Blueger, Dumoulin, Letang, Pettersson (who I'm tempted to include in the 1st group for the same reason as Tanev) and Murray.

JR wants change and people here want to make changes. "Changes" are moving players from the group of 8 I listed. Trimming the fat and getting rid of players you don't like aren't "changes".

Not everyone agrees with your definition of what 'change' is.

Sheary, Marleau, Schultz, Bjugstad, McCann, JMFJ, and Murray out. Possibly Simon. That's like 30% of the roster. Martin, Recchi, and Gonch out is 75% of the coaching staff. Kapenen, a new 3C, a whole new third pair, possibly adding Poulin into the mix. That's a lot of change.

They don't need to trade away good players to 'shake things up'. They need to get more good players. If that still doesn't work, then the shakeup to make is the remaining coach.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Not everyone agrees with your definition of what 'change' is.

Sheary, Marleau, Schultz, Bjugstad, McCann, JMFJ, and Murray out. Possibly Simon. That's like 30% of the roster. Martin, Recchi, and Gonch out is 75% of the coaching staff. Kapenen, a new 3C, a whole new third pair, possibly adding Poulin into the mix. That's a lot of change.

They don't need to trade away good players to 'shake things up'. They need to get more good players. If that still doesn't work, then the shakeup to make is the remaining coach.

I don't see how "getting rid of our bad players and replacing them with good players" counts as the type of "change" JR wants. That's what every team ever wants to do. Of the players you listed, Bjugstad and Johnson are crappy cap dumps, Sheary, Marleau and Schultz were mediocre to crappy UFAs and Murray's coming off a terrible year and is expendable. McCann's really the only somewhat significant guy there.

Last off-season, he shipped Kessel out as a major move in response to getting swept in the 1st round. They didn't do any better this year, so why is JR all of a sudden going to do less this off-season?

 

[ZeroPucksGiven]

Went well with Rust this season, think it's worked with Guentzel in the past. I'm not sure there's any particular special sauce ingredient so much as when Geno's on, having a guy who just battles on the boards and creates chaos in front of the net is enough.

I suspect the older they get, the less it'll work.

I honestly can't remember if that kicked Horny or Rust to the LW?
Either way, Rust and PH aren't good on the left side compared to their right. So I'm not viewing that as a long term solution.

I think Horny can meet expectations, but the coach has to put him in a position to succeed. I don't think it's happened for some time with Horny.

Hell Sully's panic move when he was down in a series was to reunite Sid and PH. That never happened this year but I'm thinking it was the Sheary nepotism thing

Changing gears though to the PP -As someone else said, PH is in the top 3 net front guys in the league. It's an abject failure that this PP is so terrible.

In conclusion I like PH the player and want him on my team. But he's being wasted as Sully currently utilizes him. So I start to wonder why he's even on the team