Proposal: Which active player/players would you like to see back in Pittsburgh?

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I'm not a huge fan of recycled ideas.

I'm also never going to say a bad word about current ownership after the shit show that was Penguins ownership for pretty much our entire history prior to Mario...hell, throw in the Pirates' history too while we're at it. And arguably 2/3 of the Rooneys.

Still pining for players who have been gonzo for like nearly 10 years is kinda... sad?

And what you didn't like Baldwin?!? Producer of "Sudden Death?"

 

[ChaosAgent]

We don't really know how good the organization is going to perform after the decline of the big 3.

It's easy to pump ownership's tires because of a ping pong ball and a taxpayer-funded arena. Let's see what happens in a couple years.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

We don't really know how good the organization is going to perform after the decline of the big 3.

It's easy to pump ownership's tires because of a ping pong ball and a taxpayer-funded arena. Let's see what happens in a couple years.

These guys have let them spend to the cap every year and don't meddle.

That alone is huge. If they take their ball and go home once this era is done because the fans stop showing up I can't even blame them, really.

 

[pistolpete11]

So it's THAT time of the offseason, eh?

 

[turd]

Is it a Pittsburgh thing or an everywhere thing to want to bring back former players? Seems you hear that stuff all the time with the Pens and Steelers (not sure the Pirates have many guys you’d want back and they sure as hell wouldn’t pay them anyway…).

 

[EightyOne]

Is it a Pittsburgh thing or an everywhere thing to want to bring back former players? Seems you hear that stuff all the time with the Pens and Steelers (not sure the Pirates have many guys you’d want back and they sure as hell wouldn’t pay them anyway…).

Everywhere thing lol people like to relive the glory of players in league when they were appleheaded kids and idolizing the team

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Is it a Pittsburgh thing or an everywhere thing to want to bring back former players? Seems you hear that stuff all the time with the Pens and Steelers (not sure the Pirates have many guys you’d want back and they sure as hell wouldn’t pay them anyway…).

It's an everywhere nostalgia thing. But I feel like Pittsburgh fans are maybe a tad worse than most.

Nobody on this list makes me regretful to see elsewhere and in fact for the most part the team turned out better for it.

 

[The Old Master]

Forwards: Staal, Sutter, Neal, Bjugstad, Galchenyuk, Sheary, Wilson, Kessel, Hagelin, Bonino, Hörnqvist, Kühnhackl, etc.

Defensemen: Schultz, Määttä, Cole, Goligoski, etc.

Goalies: Fleury & Murray

no one.

 

[ChaosAgent]

These guys have let them spend to the cap every year and don't meddle.

That alone is huge. If they take their ball and go home once this era is done because the fans stop showing up I can't even blame them, really.

They kinda meddled with JR at the end, though. That's why he left.

They may be great owners. But, let's see them build a contender without 2 generational talents and 5 straight top-5 picks (including 4 top-2 picks) first.

 

[Mario_is_BACK!!]

They kinda meddled with JR at the end, though. That's why he left.

They may be great owners. But, let's see them build a contender without 2 generational talents and 5 straight top-5 picks (including 4 top-2 picks) first.

JR quit because he couldn't trade Kris Letang. That's not meddling. That's good sense. And the team's better without JR.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

They kinda meddled with JR at the end, though. That's why he left.

They may be great owners. But, let's see them build a contender without 2 generational talents and 5 straight top-5 picks (including 4 top-2 picks) first.

I wish they would have asked JR WTF he was doing sooner if I'm being honest. Like... after he traded Hagelin then tried to get him back within like 2 months or whatever. That would have been my "hey is this guy closer to Shady Acres Retirement Community than we realize" moment.

Fair to wonder what the team looks like after this era (bad... bad is the answer) but that's the price you pay to compete with a core that you have confidence in. The owners showed their trust in this core and opened up their wallets and the core rewarded them. Two way street and in my view the ownership group has lived up to their end. If they move on after this at least they've helped significantly in building this team's legacy and profile.

 

[ChaosAgent]

JR quit because he couldn't trade Kris Letang. That's not meddling. That's good sense. And the team's better without JR.

This is semantics, but "meddling" doesn't necessarily mean "bad."

If they stopped JR from trading Letang, that's a good thing. If Letang was on this list I'd certainly want him back! But nonetheless to stop JR from trading him is meddling. In my books anyway.

 

[Gurglesons]

I wish they would have asked JR WTF he was doing sooner if I'm being honest. Like... after he traded Hagelin then tried to get him back within like 2 months or whatever. That would have been my "hey is this guy closer to Shady Acres Retirement Community than we realize" moment.

Fair to wonder what the team looks like after this era (bad... bad is the answer) but that's the price you pay to compete with a core that you have confidence in. The owners showed their trust in this core and opened up their wallets and the core rewarded them. Two way street and in my view the ownership group has lived up to their end. If they move on after this at least they've helped significantly in building this team's legacy and profile.

Yeah, JR f***ed this team from 2018 onward. Which is so bizarre. We could have easily won another cup in 18 or 19 if Rutherford would've just been patient and made the right moves rather than the moves he wanted.

 

[Mario_is_BACK!!]

This is semantics, but "meddling" doesn't necessarily mean "bad."

If they stopped JR from trading Letang, that's a good thing. If Letang was on this list I'd certainly want him back! But nonetheless to stop JR from trading him is meddling. In my books anyway.

Definitely semantics. I consider meddling negative as opposed to a general way of doing things. But I have a chronic need to be right so suck it, Doc!

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Yeah, JR f***ed this team from 2018 onward. Which is so bizarre. We could have easily won another cup in 18 or 19 if Rutherford would've just been patient and made the right moves rather than the moves he wanted.

He was always kind of a lunatic but in his last couple years here he was a batty old man lunatic. I was more or less done with him after he started going out of his way to not just stir the pot in the press over other teams ("I know why JJ was scratched..." etc.) but then apply that to his own players like Malkin and Letang. Like... WTF man.

Then there were the trades... holy shit... the trades. That TDL where all they had to do was nothing and he went out of his way to bring Gudbranson on board was like... peak JR stuff. He HAD to be the center of attention. It's like if he didn't see his name in the press he didn't feel like he was doing his job correctly.

 

[Gurglesons]

He was always kind of a lunatic but in his last couple years here he was a batty old man lunatic. I was more or less done with him after he started going out of his way to not just stir the pot in the press over other teams ("I know why JJ was scratched..." etc.) but then apply that to his own players like Malkin and Letang. Like... WTF man.

Then there were the trades... holy shit... the trades. That TDL where all they had to do was nothing and he went out of his way to bring Gudbranson on board was like... peak JR stuff. He HAD to be the center of attention. It's like if he didn't see his name in the press he didn't feel like he was doing his job correctly.

Starting in 2018.
Reaves trade. Awful
Hunwick signing. Awful
Niemi signing. Whatever.
Sheahan deal. Fair value.
Brassard deal. Fair value, but ultimately a huge sunk cost.
Sheary Hunwick deal. Meh
JJ signing. Awful.
Hags trade. Fair value.
McCann / Bjugstad trade. Whatever.

I don't even feel like typing them out anymore.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Starting in 2018.
Reaves trade. Awful
Hunwick signing. Awful
Niemi signing. Whatever.
Sheahan deal. Fair value.
Brassard deal. Fair value, but ultimately a huge sunk cost.
Sheary Hunwick deal. Meh
JJ signing. Awful.
Hags trade. Fair value.
McCann / Bjugstad trade. Whatever.

I don't even feel like typing them out anymore.

Hey at least you didn't have to type out "Letang and a 1st for Duncan Keith and a 2nd and 3rd!"

Because something like that was where we were headed before someone up top was like "lol... OK we're putting a collar on you, bud."

 

[ChaosAgent]

Definitely semantics. I consider meddling negative as opposed to a general way of doing things. But I have a chronic need to be right so suck it, Doc!

I had to google the definition in responding to you and I got some definitions where it was intrinsically pejorative and some where it was a straight synonym for "oversight."

So we may both be right. Suck it right back MIB! =)

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Is it for sure JR was trying to move Letang? I've heard rumors, but I've also heard he's adamant that none of the big three were on the table.

I thought I heard it was something as stupid as having someone basically shadow him and keep an eye on all of his discussions, and he just got sick of it. But, I mean, after years of mismanagement, maybe you gotta expect that?

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

Starting in 2018.
Reaves trade. Awful
Hunwick signing. Awful
Niemi signing. Whatever.
Sheahan deal. Fair value.
Brassard deal. Fair value, but ultimately a huge sunk cost.
Sheary Hunwick deal. Meh
JJ signing. Awful.
Hags trade. Fair value.
McCann / Bjugstad trade. Whatever.

I don't even feel like typing them out anymore.

Bc I like to nit pick, I didn't think Hunwick was that bad. He seemed like an ok replacement for what they were trying to do at the time. He seemed to be gelling pretty well before the concussions totally ruined his season

The rest though, you nailed it. What a big bag of barf

 

[Gurglesons]

Bc I like to nit pick, I didn't think Hunwick was that bad. He seemed like an ok replacement for what they were trying to do at the time. He seemed to be gelling pretty well before the concussions totally ruined his season

The rest though, you nailed it. What a big bag of barf

Nah. Hunwick was awful. He was a healthy scratch on the worst team in the league the year prior to 16-17 and we gave him a 3 year deal.

 

[RSPens]

this thread has a distinct lack of JMFJ...what? doesn't anyone want him back?

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Just............wow......?!

I give a f***?

3am or not. It's true. The Pens are still run like a country club but with the rah rah Murrica stuff which is good PR.

But the fact remains. You have stars coming out and saying yeah let's stay together we can do it. But the last 4yrs shows the core needs a shake up since they feel in some magical mystical f***ing world of idiocy that the coach isn't the issue at all.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

this thread has a distinct lack of JMFJ...what? doesn't anyone want him back?

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Is it a Pittsburgh thing or an everywhere thing to want to bring back former players? Seems you hear that stuff all the time with the Pens and Steelers (not sure the Pirates have many guys you’d want back and they sure as hell wouldn’t pay them anyway…).

Ex Pirates would never want to come back to the shit show Nutting has been doing.

But Steelers ex players come back because it's where they peaked in their career and want to do that again. But the Pens? I don't think many ex Pens want back. Not any that have spent time there. I mean not even Kunitz came back in a staff role and you know they'd give him one.