Recalled/Assigned: Despres sent to WBS

[Winger for Hire]

I don't even really like Orpik's game, but I think he a necessity to the line-up right now.

Outside of the "leadership" myth. Why? A bunch of use have cited a lot of reasons why Orpik shouldn't be considered a lock to play every game, but your only counter-argument is his leadership (which many others on the team can provide) and physicality (which not only have we debunked on this board, but Brooks has debunked by his play).

What does he bring to this can that cannot be replaced by any of the other 4 defenders waiting in the wings?

 

[Winger for Hire]

Yes, exactly.

Anyone we could trade Orpik to might be someone we face in the playoffs. Do we really want Orpik cold clocking Sid in the ECF?

HAHAHA, he'd have to catch him first.

 

[Le Magnifique 66]

Yes, exactly.

Anyone we could trade Orpik to might be someone we face in the playoffs. Do we really want Orpik cold clocking Sid in the ECF?

If we would play against Orpik in the ECF we would score more then 2 goals I'll tell you that much

 

[Sideline]

And sometimes people get overly attached to vets because of 'leadership' or what they have done in the past and ignore their atrocious play in the present.

If Bylsma held Letang, Orpik, and Engelland to the same standard he holds Despres to then all three off them would have been healthy scratches numerous times this year.

Letang is in a slump. It happens. Orpik has been on a steep downward trajectory for 3 or 4 years now. Yes, Orpik is more reliable than Despres right now, but it's only because DiscoDummy insists on feeding minutes to the likes of Engelland and Eaton over Despres. Young players need minutes to improve. Not AHL minutes. Not practice minutes. Actual NHL game minutes.

How can anyone complain when guys like Bortuzzo and Despres are inconsistent? They are played inconsistently and benched using an arbitrary and capricious standard.

 

[Tasty Biscuits]

Yeah...that's what anyone would do.

And for the people that rag on Orpik non stop...he's great. You need a hammer back there and he's ours. Yeah...he makes mistakes but that's been happening for 10 years now. If you take him out of the lineup to replace him with Despres you're a certified dope.

Ignoring the rest of this discussion, I think it's hard to deny he's making a lot more mistakes now than he was, say, 4 years ago.

 

[IcedCapp]

I'm starting to remember why I stopped posting much on here.

People get boners for young players who've been good in sheltered ice-time and assume they'd replicate that success in a greatly increased role.

I'm a big fan of Despres but he hasn't forced his way into the lineup like Maatta has...certainly not at the expense of a guy like Orpik who has been an absolute minute-eater for most of his career. Hate Orpik all you want, he's better suited for the role he's currently filling than Despres is.

RAH IM GOING TO CALL YOU ALL DOPES FOR DISAGREEING WITH ME AND WHEN MY CHILDISH INSULTS DON'T WIN YOU OVER I'LL TALK ABOUT HOW BAD THIS BOARD IS SO I CAN FEEL BETTER ABOUT MYSELF.

Because clearly, if we don't agree with your opinion, it's because this board has gone to **** and we all have boners for young players.

Orpik sucks. He has not been good for some time. He is not an effective minute eater (note the difference between minute eater and effective minute eater).

I'm sorry you couldn't browbeat us dopes into agreeing with you.

 

[Waffle Fries]

Yes, exactly.

Anyone we could trade Orpik to might be someone we face in the playoffs. Do we really want Orpik cold clocking Sid in the ECF?

We have a different idea of what is necessary to this team then. Orpik is not a good top 4 defensemen anymore. He takes no responsibility for his own play either. We have Scuderi and Martin for a veteran presence on the blueline.

And we obviously wouldn't be trading Orpik to Boston, even still I'm not worried about Orpik facing Sid. Sid will just dance around him and make him look like a fool. I'm sure we will get a nice viewing of that in February.

 

[IHWR]

I think people who think Orpik is a hammer are dopes. He adds nothing this team needs. People need to stop bing overly attached dopes. Cut the cord, be a man.

Just spit-balling here...where does the Pens PK rank league wide? Ah...1st (just checked for you).

Which defenseman logs the most PK time? Hmm...it appears Orpik does (still had the stats page open so I checked that too).

Wait a second...Orpik also leads our defenseman in hits too. That's weird.

But he's coughs the puck up all the time right? Hold the phone...he's actually only 3rd among of defenseman and per game is actually slightly better than Despres (0.425 giveways to 0.444 giveaways per game). That's pretty cool especially considering Orpik plays about 3:30 minutes more per game than him also.

Yeah...I guess you're right. I'm really grasping to something that isn't there.

 

[Gurglesons]

Outside of the "leadership" myth. Why? A bunch of use have cited a lot of reasons why Orpik shouldn't be considered a lock to play every game, but your only counter-argument is his leadership (which many others on the team can provide) and physicality (which not only have we debunked on this board, but Brooks has debunked by his play).

What does he bring to this can that cannot be replaced by any of the other 4 defenders waiting in the wings?

Veteran leadership. Which is not a myth. Players time in and time out again talk about the effects of players like Brad May in 2007 helping Anaheim to win a cup.

It is the reason a player like Brooks Orpik will probably sign a 3 year 4 to 5 million dollar contract somewhere else next year

 

[Speaking Moistly]

We have a bunch of "grown ass men" in that locker room:
Sid is the face of the NHL, I think it's time for him to lead the team a little more.
Martin is a hell of a vet, he can do some talking
Kunitz is a grizzled room presence
Adams should try to bring something to this team and maybe be a leader
Scuderi can fit the bill as well, as he tried with the "Globetrotters" comment

It's not like Orpik and only Orpik can "lead the locker room". When you start deciding who stays and goes based on how happy they make people feel in the locker room, instead of on the ice, you start getting bounced in the playoffs.

Look at 2008. Colby was THE locker room guy and Sid's BFF. He wasn't setting the world on fire and was asked to be a part of the Hossa/Duspuis deal. Shero had the "balls" to ship a locker room presence out for an all-world talent. It's time for Shero to get back to that. This family, locker room leader crap needs to go.

I think at this point you start looking at removing "leadership," whatever leadership they have in place isn't working. You start looking at something that might be undermining the overall leadership or something that doesn't actually effectively contribute to the leadership. I'm looking at Orpik who is failing on ice and who I've never seen blame himself for his ****, and possibly Adams because I question how much the coach's pet can lead and he fails on ice. You look at Bylsma because what does he contribute to the problem?

Crosby, Malkin, Kunitz, Martin and Scuderi, they're all experienced, useful and they contribute. Let someone like Vitale become the leader of the 4th liners. You really miss Vokoun in all of this.

 

[Winger for Hire]

It is the reason a player like Brooks Orpik will probably sign a 3 year 4 to 5 million dollar contract somewhere else next year

And then you'll be hearing about how that team wants to lobby for another amnesty buyout round.

 

[Get To Our Game]

Who would be the veteran in the room without Orpik?

I'd say we could trade Orpik if we still had Dupuis, but he's not playing for the rest of the year. We need a player to come **** down when Crosby feels like cross checking Rask or Malkin feels like throwing hail marys at Zetterberg in the playoffs.

But... did that happen with Orpik in the locker room? If we need Orpik to keep the locker room calm and cool-headed, why did the team lose their minds in several playoff series with Orpik on the roster? We sure could have used his veteran mindset when the team was falling apart against Boston or Philly. It doesn't make sense to argue that we lost because our leadership has failed in the playoffs, then use Orpik's leadership in the playoffs as an argument to keep him.

 

[Shrimper]

The fact there is 21 pages on this is alarming.

 

[IcedCapp]

Just spit-balling here...where does the Pens PK rank league wide? Ah...1st (just checked for you).

Which defenseman logs the most PK time? Hmm...it appears Orpik does (still had the stats page open so I checked that too).

Wait a second...Orpik also leads our defenseman in hits too. That's weird.

But he's coughs the puck up all the time right? Hold the phone...he's actually only 3rd among of defenseman and per game is actually slightly better than Despres (0.425 giveways to 0.444 giveaways per game). That's pretty cool especially considering Orpik plays about 3:30 minutes more per game than him also.

Yeah...I guess you're right. I'm really grasping to something that isn't there.

DUPUIS IS THE SAVIOR OF THE PK.

PK first without Dupuis

GLASS IS THE SAVIOR OF THE PK

PK first without Glass

ORPIK IS THE SAVIOR OF THE PK

what was the Pens PK when Orpik was out during the injury?

Save me time and look it up for me, thanks, dear.

 

[IHWR]

RAH IM GOING TO CALL YOU ALL DOPES FOR DISAGREEING WITH ME AND WHEN MY CHILDISH INSULTS DON'T WIN YOU OVER I'LL TALK ABOUT HOW BAD THIS BOARD IS SO I CAN FEEL BETTER ABOUT MYSELF.

Because clearly, if we don't agree with your opinion, it's because this board has gone to **** and we all have boners for young players.

Orpik sucks. He has not been good for some time. He is not an effective minute eater (note the difference between minute eater and effective minute eater).

I'm sorry you couldn't browbeat us dopes into agreeing with you.

What if I post a bunch of stats? Would that be cool or should I just make ambiguous statements like the bolded one.

Seems like a defenseman who consistently leads a perennial playoff team in shorthanded ice-time is probably doing so fairly effectively. But I don't really know how else to present my argument against something that appears to be entirely subjective.

Sorry I called you a dope and broke your caps-lock for the first sentence.

 

[billybudd]

Just spit-balling here...where does the Pens PK rank league wide? Ah...1st (just checked for you).

Which defenseman logs the most PK time? Hmm...it appears Orpik does (still had the stats page open so I checked that too).

Wait a second...Orpik also leads our defenseman in hits too. That's weird.

But he's coughs the puck up all the time right? Hold the phone...he's actually only 3rd among of defenseman and per game is actually slightly better than Despres (0.425 giveways to 0.444 giveaways per game). That's pretty cool especially considering Orpik plays about 3:30 minutes more per game than him also.

Yeah...I guess you're right. I'm really grasping to something that isn't there.

They should probably stop tracking giveaways in favor of "last guy to touch the puck before a change of possession." Giveaway is too subjective.

By that metric, Orpik would be far worse. His rushed muffins up the wall are both damaging and constant. Moreso than just about anything anyone but Engelland (and arguably Bortuzzo with all his chasing) does in the D zone

 

[Winger for Hire]

DUPUIS IS THE SAVIOR OF THE PK.

PK first without Dupuis

GLASS IS THE SAVIOR OF THE PK

PK first without Glass

ORPIK IS THE SAVIOR OF THE PK

what was the Pens PK when Orpik was out during the injury?

Save me time and look it up for me, thanks, dear.

 

[Sideline]

Just spit-balling here...where does the Pens PK rank league wide? Ah...1st (just checked for you).

Which defenseman logs the most PK time? Hmm...it appears Orpik does (still had the stats page open so I checked that too).

Wait a second...Orpik also leads our defenseman in hits too. That's weird.

But he's coughs the puck up all the time right? Hold the phone...he's actually only 3rd among of defenseman and per game is actually slightly better than Despres (0.425 giveways to 0.444 giveaways per game). That's pretty cool especially considering Orpik plays about 3:30 minutes more per game than him also.

Yeah...I guess you're right. I'm really grasping to something that isn't there.

Hits is a silly stat to quote as proof of Orpik's superiority. Orpik and Despres hit about the same amount per minute of ice time. That also ignores Orpik's penchant for hitting guys into Fleury compared to Bort and Despres hitting them away from Fleury...

 

[Speaking Moistly]

The fact there is 21 pages on this is alarming.

It's 22, almost 23.

Granted, it's turned into a whinging thread and some trolling that people have responded to.

 

[#1GuinFan]

I do agree that this team lacks a certain mental toughness about them when it comes to the playoffs. When watching them in the past, its apparent that early on if things dont go right they seem to deflate easier than other teams, then the frustration comes and guys like Letang start fights with Timonen during the course of another fight only to get himself kicked out...

 

[IcedCapp]

Dear IHWR:

The Penguins PK, from Monday, December 9th, to Thursday, December 26th (the days Brooks Oprik was absent) killed 25 of 28 PPs they faced

Good for a PK% of 89.3% which is higher (READ BETTER) than their 87.7% PK for the season.

YEP, ORPIK SO VITAL I GOTTA WEAR SHADES.

 

[Ragamuffin Gunner]

So lets recap:

Sykora, Talbot, Lovejoy, Strait, Letestu, Iginla... Al grossly misused...

The facts say Bylsma plays favorites and holds grudges... we should have listened to Sykora back in the day.....

"It’s never a good thing when you are coached by a former teammate. On top of that, he used to be a player who drifted around as a fourth-liner. I was younger than him, played on the top line, scored goals, was the little star. Now the roles got reversed, and from the first moment I had a feeling that he let me ‘eat it.’ I honestly say that I have not had liked him even as a teammate. Which does not happen to me often…"

Just a bitter rookie who wasn't that good...

 

[Speaking Moistly]

DUPUIS IS THE SAVIOR OF THE PK.

PK first without Dupuis

GLASS IS THE SAVIOR OF THE PK

PK first without Glass

ORPIK IS THE SAVIOR OF THE PK

what was the Pens PK when Orpik was out during the injury?

Save me time and look it up for me, thanks, dear.

It might be time to give whoever coaches the PK and Fleury some credit. Or we can say that it's all Adams and whoever else has played the PK in every game this season...

 

[Winger for Hire]

If the Pens had a veteran leader who keep everyone calm, cool and cellective then he would have been able to prevent this:

Or at the very least beat the crap out of him after the game for doing that.

 

[Gurglesons]

If the Pens had a veteran leader who keep everyone calm, cool and cellective then he would have been able to prevent this:

Or at the very least beat the crap out of him after the game for doing that.

And the legend of how much our fan base hates Letang grows more.