GDT: 2024-2025 Training Camp

[SEALBound]

TBD. Missed the playoffs by a few points the last 2 years. Seems like every player matters.

Fair but I would put missing the playoffs much more on the shoulders of Jarry and Desmith in addition to the bottom 6 yokels and the PP. #6 dman? Meh. I don't think JSI or Shea or Rudwedel were the difference makers to be honest.

That said, I would love for him to get the 7 NHL games before being sent back. Not too often we get a prospect like this who shows reasons to be excited. I think they have a good one in him thus they should go out of their way to do what is ultimately best for the individual player, not the team. If he turns into Letang while going through a 01-05-like slump, so be it. Just means we'll have a late 20's top pairing dman when things start to turn.

DK is still saying McG is going to be sent to Wilkes and not in a paper transaction …says the team still feels he doesn’t play with enough pace yet and will start in the A with top six minutes…morning podcast

I might give him an NHL game before I say that, TBH. I haven't found him slow at all. Not lightning quick but that's not his game.

If they do, the one thing I get concerned about is line combos. McG-Eller-Puljujarvi has looked mighty good. I worry if they turn the blender on now, they may find themselves with a chemistry-less bottom 6 that is out-of-sorts.

DOC-Sid-Rust
Bunt-Geno-Raks
Beau-Eller-Puljujarvi
Acciari-Hayes-Puustinen/Glass

Would be my best guess.

 

[Andy99]

Fair but I would put missing the playoffs much more on the shoulders of Jarry and Desmith in addition to the bottom 6 yokels and the PP. #6 dman? Meh. I don't think JSI or Shea or Rudwedel were the difference makers to be honest.

That said, I would love for him to get the 7 NHL games before being sent back. Not too often we get a prospect like this who shows reasons to be excited. I think they have a good one in him thus they should go out of their way to do what is ultimately best for the individual player, not the team. If he turns into Letang while going through a 01-05-like slump, so be it. Just means we'll have a late 20's top pairing dman when things start to turn.

I might give him an NHL game before I say that, TBH. I haven't found him slow at all. Not lightning quick but that's not his game.

If they do, the one thing I get concerned about is line combos. McG-Eller-Puljujarvi has looked mighty good. I worry if they turn the blender on now, they may find themselves with a chemistry-less bottom 6 that is out-of-sorts.

DOC-Sid-Rust
Bunt-Geno-Raks
Beau-Eller-Puljujarvi
Acciari-Hayes-Puustinen/Glass

Would be my best guess.

Sullivan ‘s pace of play comments do not necessarily have to do with foot speed but more like how quickly the player makes decisions and passes the puck or shoots. He unfortunately made the same comments regarding Poulin. I’m not so quick to believe DK but I’ve always thought McG should start in the A and bring him along as a top six scorer. He’s going to have a hard time scoring in the NHL right now and I don’t want him playing harder defensive minutes with Eller

Puusty actually plays LW too…L3 would either be him or Beau and possibly the other with Hayes. Glass could be odd man out, or they have Hayes at LW with Glass at L4 center and 3LW will be Puusty or Beau

 

[DesertedPenguin]

Practice lines

Drew O'Connor - Sidney Crosby - Anthony Beauvillier
Michael Bunting - Evgeni Malkin - Rickard Rakell
Rutger McGroarty - Lars Eller - Jesse Puljujarvi/Valtteri Puustinen
Kevin Hayes - Cody Glass - Noel Acciari

Matt Grzelcyk - Kris Letang
Marcus Pettersson - Erik Karlsson
Ryan Graves - Jack St. Ivany
Ryan Shea - Harrison Brunicke

 

[Andy99]

Well, McG still up so DK must be wrong lol. Also definitely not considering Puusty at LW

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Everyone on that 4th line has a sneaky good shot.

 

[FlyingPenguin]

I won't be shocked if McGroarty goes down but I'm guessing it will have more to do with how many more expensive & established bottom sixers we've got right now than it does the team thinking McGroarty's not ready. We should have a lot more flexibility than we do, but we took on Hayes and Glass and Lizotte and Beauvillier this summer. And we still have Nieto and Acciari and Eller. We could still make it work and keep him up now, but that's only really because Nieto and Lizotte and Rust are all hurt. We just have way too many NHL forwards signed right now.

At the end of the day I don't think time in the AHL at the start (or middle) of the year will hurt McG, just like I think Brunicke going back to juniors this year is probably the right move for his development. But I also feel like McG has probably made the team based on camp and Brunicke has earned at least a few NHL games to start the year, and it'd be a lot easier to make those two things happen if we weren't quite so heave on vets.

 

[steelcityassault]

Well, McG still up so DK must be wrong lol. Also definitely not considering Puusty at LW

Puust was the extra they said, so McG is in 3rd line LW

 

[DesertedPenguin]

Well, McG still up so DK must be wrong lol. Also definitely not considering Puusty at LW

Rosters won't be finalized until later today, so it's entirely possible that McGroarty could still be sent down.

I think he's staying, though. If they were completely healthy, maybe he'd go down. But with Rust still not practicing and Lizotte out for the foreseeable future, it makes sense to keep McGroarty and see how he does.

If they send him down, it'll be because Rust is healthy and they're only going to keep 13 forwards, which would mean keeping Aho up after passing him through waivers.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I don’t really understand why the Penguins would keep up Brunicke when he’s likely not going to get enough minutes to justify staying up. I think he has earned a 9 game trial but they don’t have a spot to give him that 9 game trial.

If they send down McGroarty because they don’t want to waive these worse players, I’m going to be livid. There is zero excuse for McGroarty not starting in the AHL.

 

[HandshakeLine]

I don't care where they send Brunicke, honestly, but I am annoyed Beauvillier is still here.

 

[SEALBound]

Sullivan ‘s pace of play comments do not necessarily have to do with foot speed but more like how quickly the player makes decisions and passes the puck or shoots. He unfortunately made the same comments regarding Poulin. I’m not so quick to believe DK but I’ve always thought McG should start in the A and bring him along as a top six scorer. He’s going to have a hard time scoring in the NHL right now and I don’t want him playing harder defensive minutes with Eller

Puusty actually plays LW too…L3 would either be him or Beau and possibly the other with Hayes. Glass could be odd man out, or they have Hayes at LW with Glass at L4 center and 3LW will be Puusty or Beau

Makes sense. There are worse things than McG starting in WBS. It's an 82 game season and we have a lot of solid young guys that will likely be pushing for time - NHL HS's like Puustinen and Glass and then AHL top 6 guys like Pono, Poulin, maybe even Broz or Koivunen.

Injuries will happen and changes will be made. The only thing we may need to worry about is the Harkins-route where you may get a guy like Hayes, Acciari, Glass, Lizotte, etc whose play is absolutely atrocious but they keep getting games instead of being sat in favor of a call up.

 

[Andy99]

Puust was the extra they said, so McG is in 3rd line LW

Well not necessarily. If Rust is ready, Beau will either be playing there or McG

 

[Malkinstheman]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1843317489184428534

It would suck if Aho gets claimed. The depth at D is already pretty bad

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

For like the fifth year in a row, this team's got about half a dozen guys I think either suck outright or wouldn't care/notice if they never played another shift. Love that Penguins Sullivan hockey, baybeeee.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1843317489184428534

It would suck if Aho gets claimed. The depth at D is already pretty bad

Perhaps they have interest in Graves?

Who am I kidding.

 

[SomeDude]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1843317489184428534

It would suck if Aho gets claimed. The depth at D is already pretty bad

Counterpoint: Aho also sucks so it wouldn’t matter. I wouldn’t be shocked if we pick up one of the guys waived yesterday to give them a look because our D is pretty bad as you said.

It’s obvious that Brannstrom sucks at this point but I still want him. We can fix him. I’m sure of it.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1843317489184428534

It would suck if Aho gets claimed. The depth at D is already pretty bad

Pickering was pretty good in camp. Would like to see him get a look.

 

[Tom Hanks]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1843309366738567312

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Lines about what I expected. Cool that Groats looks like he'll probably stay... but I sure hope they know what they're doing, there.

Pretty cool that they have an 8M dollar 4th line that's barely worth a shit, though. I don't even want to think about Graves... too depressing.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

Would rather have Rakell up with Crosby instead of Beauvillier. Then let Puusty play RW with Bunting & Malkin.

 

[TooManyHumans]

I don't care where they send Brunicke, honestly, but I am annoyed Beauvillier is still here.

I don't understand what they see in him.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I mean obviously the rational, level-headed thing to do is at least give Beau a chance and see what he looks like after like 15-20 games. But it's really hard not to take one look at that signing and how he mostly looked in preseason and not be a little cynical.

I get that they are hoping to get the player he was several years ago. But was that guy even all that great?

 

[Tasty Biscuits]

Would rather have Rakell up with Crosby instead of Beauvillier. Then let Puusty play RW with Bunting & Malkin.

Indeed.

And giving that dude a quarter-of-a-season? Eh, more comfortable with a 5-10 scenario.

They might plan on having HB alternate games with JSI for a few before sending him back, seems like they might be keen on giving him a small taste.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

I have a gut feeling that we'll be seeing a bunch of Beauvillier either because Sid likes playing with him or because the team's gonna try and build his value and trade him at the TDL. Not stoked either way.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

I get that they are hoping to get the player he was several years ago. But was that guy even all that great?

At one point it looked like he was turning into that 25 goal, fast skating buzzsaw. But I don't know what went wrong for him because he kind of plateaued and then fell off after the 2020-21 season.

I think part of the problem is for him to be effective he's got to be that hard working guy every shift. He's not naturally skilled enough otherwise. He was shaping up to be more like a less physical Zucker, but has since turned into more of a Kapanen.