Around the League Thread | November Rain

[arttk]

Pens needed to move on from the old core and they didn’t.

This is what happens when you hold on for too long.

It’s hard to move on from generational talents. Typically teams hold on to them and let them retire as organizational hero’s. No GM wants to be the guy that is known for trading away Crosby especially when he doesn’t want to leave. Fans I imagine don’t want Crosby to be traded even though the team sucks.

 

[Bojack Horvatman]

Bedard is a winger in the Kane/Gaudreau/Panarin mold. He isn't a C and is just too small/weak/soft/perimeter/bad at faceoffs to play that position.

But he's been hyped as a FRANCHICE CENTER and the NEXT MCDAVID/CROSBY so they're going to just keep hammering a square peg into a round hole because to do otherwise would be admitting failure.

I don't even think it's even really a size thing. Elias Pettersson was rail thin with drafted and had the same is he a centre concerns. He had some Datsyuk-like comparisons though. Where Bedard is Zegras-like in the defensive end.

What's interesting is that he has a similar build to Marco Rossi. Although Rossi is 4 years older. Their situations could not be more different though. Rossi wasn't expected to make the NHL at 18. He was given time to stew and made the NHL full time at 22( he did lose a development year because of covid though). He also has Kaprizov and Zuccarello as wingers, and Minnesota also has one of the best 2way Cs in JEE to take the heavy matchups. While Bedard has had mostly washed up Hall, Foligno, and a declining Turovainen ad wingers. He's playing C when his defensive game isn't close to developed, with no other C to take the pressure off. Also the standard rebuild culture of bad coaches and players does not help.

In short. It's not that he is too small to play C. It's that his defensive game can't make up for the lack of size. Plus the worst development conditions possible does not help.

Looks like they may be moving him to wing though.

 

[Just A Bit Outside]

It’s hard to move on from generational talents. Typically teams hold on to them and let them retire as organizational hero’s. No GM wants to be the guy that is known for trading away Crosby especially when he doesn’t want to leave. Fans I imagine don’t want Crosby to be traded even though the team sucks.

I never expected Crosby to move.

Even Malkin and Letang I can understand.

Then rest needed to be purged and definitely not add the likes of EK65.

 

[StreetHawk]

I don't even think it's even really a size thing. Elias Pettersson was rail thin with drafted and had the same is he a centre concerns. He had some Datsyuk-like comparisons though. Where Bedard is Zegras-like in the defensive end.

What's interesting is that he has a similar build to Marco Rossi. Although Rossi is 4 years older. Their situations could not be more different though. Rossi wasn't expected to make the NHL at 18. He was given time to stew and made the NHL full time at 22( he did lose a development year because of covid though). He also has Kaprizov and Zuccarello as wingers, and Minnesota also has one of the best 2way Cs in JEE to take the heavy matchups. While Bedard has had mostly washed up Hall, Foligno, and a declining Turovainen ad wingers. He's playing C when his defensive game isn't close to developed, with no other C to take the pressure off. Also the standard rebuild culture of bad coaches and players does not help.

In short. It's not that he is too small to play C. It's that his defensive game can't make up for the lack of size. Plus the worst development conditions possible does not help.

Looks like they may be moving him to wing though.

2024 Cellibrini has a long ways to go with a bad SJ team that gave up Pick #3 or 4 to OTT in the Karlsson deal in 2020.
2023 Hawks had little to show for the draft post DCat save for Vlasic in 2019. And made the Jones move in 2021. Going to be a while for them.
2022 Slaf, he started off super slow but made big strides in year 2. Still going to be another season or 2 as the team brings up Dmen.
2021 Power, Sabres still borderline
2020 Laf, Rags were able to sign Panarin, and deal for Trouba and Fox as NY was their top destination and had drafted Shesh earlier to solidify the backend.
2019 Hughes, seems to have turned the corner. But, they had draft lottery luck with Nico, Hughes, and Nemec in recent years.

Depending on your situation, it may take a while for your personal stats and then the team success.

Curious to see how he handles the losing if it's already bothering him 100 games into his NHL career. Cause, I think the next 220 aren't going to be a lot of winning either.

 

[arttk]

I never expected Crosby to move.

Even Malkin and Letang I can understand.

Then rest needed to be purged and definitely not add the likes of EK65.

Yeah EK65 was dumb.

 

[StreetHawk]

Yeah EK65 was dumb.

Just like Chicago adding Jones in 2021. But, CBJ didn't do much with the Picks. Need to get Jiricek on track. The D they got in the pick flip is the one who is doing well. Mentychuck?

 

[AwesomeInTheory]

Eh, I think they're a competitive team when they are playing well. But something is badly off and I think they will make a move soon.

Any team with McDrai can be a credible threat on any given day. Especially since that comes with Bettman's Marketing Blessing.

I just think the heater they went on last year, both in the regular season and with their PK in the playoffs, wasn't going to be repeated. Losing some key pieces has also contributed to that.

 

[mossey3535]

Skinner at 0.876 at this point of the season pretty much fits my eye test from the last few seasons. He does have another level he can reach but it definitely isn't happening so far this season. And even then he's just an average to marginal starter.

 

[bbud]

Coilers tons of perimeter shots most junior goalie stops

 

[valkynax]

Sid the middle age man scored his 600 and sent the crowd into a frenzy, quite impressive...except his team just got pummel into submission with a 6-1 defeat.

And Predators beat Jets huh.

 

[bbud]

Nice hits rags )

 

[Josepho]

Slafkovsky having 1 goal at this point of the season was not on my bingo card.

It’s hard to move on from generational talents. Typically teams hold on to them and let them retire as organizational hero’s. No GM wants to be the guy that is known for trading away Crosby especially when he doesn’t want to leave. Fans I imagine don’t want Crosby to be traded even though the team sucks.

Pittsburgh absolutely shouldn't be blamed for holding on to their legends. They should be blamed for how they've insulated them, and when you see how Washington has been this season it's pretty clear that they could've still remained competitive.

 

[arttk]

Slafkovsky having 1 goal at this point of the season was not on my bingo card.


Pittsburgh absolutely shouldn't be blamed for holding on to their legends. They should be blamed for how they've insulated them, and when you see how Washington has been this season it's pretty clear that they could've still remained competitive.

I think the issue is they hired Hextall and then Dubas.

 

[Nuckles]

After spending 2/3 of his icetime in 20 games with at least one of Draisaitl/McDavid, Podkolzin finally scored a goal

 

[Peen]

rags were so bad in that first - been way better in this second period

nvm they take a dumb penalty and then mcdrai ends them that's gg

 

[Peen]

Just noticed Sean Monahan has 20 points in 20 games and is a +8.

 

[wetcoast]

Yeah EK65 was dumb.

It was but it's also not a bad risk for Pittsburgh and their aging core already has SC's and it's like playing with house money.

It's not like there would any closer to one last glorious and not disimialr to some extent waht Washington did this offseason.

The biggest difference is that Washington seems to be in play for the really rare transition of aging very good aging team to be able to play the win now game as they have some really good prospects for the longer term as well.

 

[racerjoe]

I pretty much always thought pits getting EK was a dumb move. They already had Letang, the too are too similar, and would take away each others minutes. It never made sense to me.

It would have been better to use those assets elsewhere.

 

[valkynax]

Now I'm starting to understand why the segment "C'mon Ref" with Kerry Fraser is gone.

NHL is deathly allergic to outside accountability and scrutiny on their precious snowflake refs. Especially if said scrutiny and call for accountability come from someone who knows what happens behind the curtains, and can bring more fan awareness with highly comprehensible explanations.

 

[arttk]

It was but it's also not a bad risk for Pittsburgh and their aging core already has SC's and it's like playing with house money.

It's not like there would any closer to one last glorious and not disimialr to some extent waht Washington did this offseason.

The biggest difference is that Washington seems to be in play for the really rare transition of aging very good aging team to be able to play the win now game as they have some really good prospects for the longer term as well.

I think Burns and EK together showed how hard it would be to make it work so not sure why they decided that it would work with Letang. Felt like it was a risk not worth taking.

 

[Jerry the great]

Just noticed Sean Monahan has 20 points in 20 games and is a +8.

People forget how good he was prior to all the injuries/surgeries. Can’t help but feel for the BJ fans….he probably would have been great with Gudreau

 

[mriswith]

Early returns on all of Washington's moves look amazing and they went the smarter route of a soft reset vs whatever you want to call what Pitt did, but they are on a massive PDO bender right now,

 

[F A N]

Early returns on all of Washington's moves look amazing and they went the smarter route of a soft reset vs whatever you want to call what Pitt did, but they are on a massive PDO bender right now,

I'm not sure about the effectiveness of Washington's "soft reset." They aren't winning another Cup with Ovechkin. Aside from possibly Leonard, they don't have a Backstrom/Kuzenzkov/Carlsson calibre player, nevermind an Ovechkin. Strome is a good 2nd line C but he's not a star 1C. PLD sucks or isn't a star. A few of their younger (i.e. under 30) players including Chychrun and Thompson are pending UFAs. They'll need new contracts. Washington won one Cup and that's with Ovehckin, who regardless of what you think of him, was drafted #1 overall and one of the two best players to of his generation (his contemporaries won Cup(s)).

I'm not sure what the Penguins are doing. They aren't even making moves like the Benning Canucks where they attempt to aquire younger core players while drafting high.

 

[wetcoast]

I think Burns and EK together showed how hard it would be to make it work so not sure why they decided that it would work with Letang. Felt like it was a risk not worth taking.

That's fair and while I'm not a huge fan of EK by any means the acquisition didn't really change the near term or long term future of the Pens all that much.

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

You think Crosby gonna be around for a rebuild?

He’ll be a Penguin as long as he wants to be. He’s competitive, but I have a hard time picturing him asking to leave Pittsburgh.