Zbynek Michalek

Ragamuffin Gunner

Lost in the Flood
Aug 15, 2008
34,551
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Boston
I'd rather that, but do you know we could have had that? Would the Sens have waited until the Parise situation played out?

Well that leads to the "what if" game that people love to play.

Many like to take the stance that Shero can't force Gms to trade with him so he gets a free pass for not making trades (they're also the same crowd that label him as the best trading GM in the league).

IMO, if Shero wanted to trade Z for a top 9 winger, be it Folingo or someone on a team that might have hurt Z's feelings, he could have. And that player would have helped this team much more than the junk he actually got.
 

Ogrezilla

Nerf Herder
Jul 5, 2009
75,534
22,049
Pittsburgh
Well that leads to the "what if" game that people love to play.

Many like to take the stance that Shero can't force Gms to trade with him so he gets a free pass for not making trades (they're also the same crowd that label him as the best trading GM in the league).

IMO, if Shero wanted to trade Z for a top 9 winger, be it Folingo or someone on a team that might have hurt Z's feelings, he could have. And that player would have helped this team much more than the junk he actually got.

you keep calling it junk. Ruopp and Sundqvist both seem to be pretty decent prospects. I'm not saying its a great return, but junk seems a bit harsh.
 

Ziggyjoe21

Registered User
Nov 12, 2003
9,028
2
Pitt
You do know that Shero offered Staal that 60M deal, right?

Yes, and that would put the team in a cap bind for a season or 2. Or perhaps would've required a cap dump of Letang/Orpik/no UFA Scuderi/etc.

Even if he did sign him to that massive deal, at least we would have a competent 3rd line, even if Cooke and TK are gone.


You're right about Zatkoff. I always thought he was part of the Michalek deal. Who the heck is Marc Cheverie?
 

Ragamuffin Gunner

Lost in the Flood
Aug 15, 2008
34,551
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Boston
you keep calling it junk. Ruopp and Sundqvist both seem to be pretty decent prospects. I'm not saying its a great return, but junk seems a bit harsh.

Ruopp won't play for this team w/i the next 3-5 years and will prolly be gone via waivers/free agency by then. He had so many guys in front of him that I just don't see it happening.


This management has yet to develop a singe legit offensive prospect that wasn't taken 2nd over all (and you could argue that Staal hasn't turned out the be that great offensively). Sund has some nice potential but I don't trust this management group to develop it. Not to mention the probability of a 3rd rounder making it in general.
 

Fire Shero*

Guest
Ruopp won't play for this team w/i the next 3-5 years and will prolly be gone via waivers/free agency by then. He had so many guys in front of him that I just don't see it happening.


This management has yet to develop a singe legit offensive prospect that wasn't taken 2nd over all (and you could argue that Staal hasn't turned out the be that great offensively). Sund has some nice potential but I don't trust this management group to develop it. Not to mention the probability of a 3rd rounder making it in general.

How dare you sir, have you forgotten about Dustin Jeffrey. Remember when people were outraged when he was gone. Another offensive dud under the Shero reign of terror
 

zidell*

Guest
Sorry, but I would prefer a GM who could surround Geno and Sid with better players than Dupuis and Jokinen.
.

I get sick of hearing this. Crosby's wingers score 40 (Kunitz) and 20 (Dupuis). That's 60 goals on his wing. How the hell many do you want? Malkin is the same, except he could use a slightly better winger to goal with Neal.

People talk like they never heard of the cap. You can't have a star at every position. Wing is probably the least important, but the Pens still have 2 40 goal players there. Yet some continue to whine about wingers. The Pens real problem is the bottom 6. I know thinking is hard, but try to remember back to wining the cup. It was the 3rd line that made the difference. See, it's called depth.
 

orby

Registered User
Jun 16, 2013
6,637
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Erie, PA
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People talk like they never heard of the cap. You can't have a star at every position. Wing is probably the least important, but the Pens still have 2 40 goal players there. Yet some continue to whine about wingers. The Pens real problem is the bottom 6. I know thinking is hard, but try to remember back to wining the cup. It was the 3rd line that made the difference. See, it's called depth.

I'm certainly not in the "Shero is incompetent" camp but I can understand the arguments for getting better wingers. The third line was so important in 2009 because the centerpieces of the Pens' offense were Crosby, Malkin, and Staal. Those three players sparked the team, offensively, more than anyone else. But Staal is gone now - the Pens decided that it wasn't worth continuing the "three center" model because the team flamed out in three consecutive postseasons (though 2011 can be chalked up to injuries).

On that front, the logical adaptation would have been to make top 6 improvements with the cap space that is currently NOT being taken up by Staal. But when Parise asked too much, it seems like Shero had no backup plan. We didn't draft a forward in the first round. We traded a first round pick for a UFA. Shero has not made any indication that he thinks an improvement to the top 6 is neccessary long-term, and frankly, it would be greatly beneficial to the Pens to rethink that. Dupuis will not be able to play above his head forever, and if this year is any indication he's already losing steam.
 

Ogrezilla

Nerf Herder
Jul 5, 2009
75,534
22,049
Pittsburgh
I get sick of hearing this. Crosby's wingers score 40 (Kunitz) and 20 (Dupuis). That's 60 goals on his wing. How the hell many do you want? Malkin is the same, except he could use a slightly better winger to goal with Neal.

People talk like they never heard of the cap. You can't have a star at every position. Wing is probably the least important, but the Pens still have 2 40 goal players there. Yet some continue to whine about wingers. The Pens real problem is the bottom 6. I know thinking is hard, but try to remember back to wining the cup. It was the 3rd line that made the difference. See, it's called depth.

Scoring regular season goals is not the issue here. I literally don't care if Geno's LW ever scores a goal, ever. A guy like Kulemin or McGinn would come in and put up very similar numbers to Jussi Jokinen, but he'd make the line MUCH better in the games that really matter. He would play better along the walls, he would play better defensively, and he would help the team maintain possession, leading to more offensive chances for Geno and Neal and less one and done rushes. It would also put Jussi in a position where he can play to his strengths on the third line, because with Geno and Neal he is largely overshadowed by Neal who does the same things as Jussi, only better.

Short term, Sid and Kunitz need someone who can carry the puck a bit more than anything else. Sid gets blanket coverage in the playoffs against teams like Boston. If Sid can't make a play, neither can Kunitz or Dupuis. Someone that can work a simple play with Kunitz, even when Sid is out of the play, would make all the difference in the playoffs. If his numbers exactly mirror Dupuis' (from the last two years, not this year) in the regular season, that's fine. If this guy can become Sid's main long term winger, all the better. With Kunitz being 34, it doesn't hurt to look for the bigger return even if it seems like overkill in the short term.
 

Ragamuffin Gunner

Lost in the Flood
Aug 15, 2008
34,551
6,736
Boston
I get sick of hearing this. Crosby's wingers score 40 (Kunitz) and 20 (Dupuis). That's 60 goals on his wing. How the hell many do you want? Malkin is the same, except he could use a slightly better winger to goal with Neal.

People talk like they never heard of the cap. You can't have a star at every position. Wing is probably the least important, but the Pens still have 2 40 goal players there. Yet some continue to whine about wingers. The Pens real problem is the bottom 6. I know thinking is hard, but try to remember back to wining the cup. It was the 3rd line that made the difference. See, it's called depth.

The "cap myth" has been debunked a number of times.

If Shero wanted to get Sid his Neal and Geno his Kuni he easily could fit them under the cap.
 

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