GDT: Free Agency Day 1: You're from Boston? Come on down

[IcedCapp]

I explained it very clearly in the first response, so you should understand now.
I want the team to win again, which I know is insane to many. Others are older viewers who are sated and don't give a crap anymore about Cups for the Penguins. I understand that, but I don't consider them Penguins fans.
That's not gatekeeping either. That's just reality. They don't care about the team's results, so how can I call them a Penguins fan? They are merely fans of a few select players now. Most of the players they don't care about at all.

I don't believe in coasting in sports with any team, with any level of success. So here we are.
If the Pens won 10 Cups in 10 years, I would want them to go 100% in year 11. What's in the past is in the past. You focus on the task at hand. You always strive to progress, to win.
In our case we need to rebuild before a Cup happens, so better get to it asap instead of messing around.

okay, let me put it this way:

I want the team to win. Every year. I don’t want any losing seasons ever.

That said, we are the best franchise of the cap era. We have the best, most-successful core of the cap era. We have one of the best cores of all time. We were blessed to watch two of the best players of all time do it (in this era).

I was robbed of 3 years of Sid’s career. If you told me he would 100% win 1+ more cups if he left, I’d be okay with it and let’s start the rebuild. But getting to watch him in a penguins sweater for 3 more years is good enough for me.

Also, there is something special about finishing your career with 1 team. Sid / Geno / Kris may be the last to do this. It has some meaning to me. It has some meaning to Sid.


I got my money’s worth out of this era. I’m fine with a farewell tour. I’m also fine if they wanna go elsewhere to win. I’m good with whatever the big 3 wants.

 

[BusinessGoose]

Dammit!

Dubas asleep at the wheel!

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

POJ's far too middling for me to even remotely care about not keeping him.

Too lanky to be an effective DFD, not enough offensive upside to be an effective OFD.

The guy he replaced him with is basically what you wrote, but in a 5'11 frame rather than a 6'2 frame.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Yea I’m on the Tank train. I was so bummed when Ray didn’t get to trade up with Ottawa to take him before St. Louis. This slightly rectifies that tragedy.

O’Connor-Crosby-Rust
Bunting-Malkin-Tarasenko
Beauvillier-Eller-Rakell
Lizotte-Hayes-Puustinen

I was really hoping the Penguins would have made a serious bid years ago when he was squabbling a little bit with St. Louis, there were rumors he wanted out and people had concerns about his shoulder. He ended up sticking around and put up a career high the next season.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Does Dubas have a Napoleon complex? Seems like the only players he's signing are guys who are much smaller than him.

If this keeps up, Sid's going to be our "giant" at 5'11 and 200 lbs.

The only way Dubas can be convinced to add 6'0" plus players is if there are draft picks attached.

You pay us to rock the shrimp boat, cuh

 

[IcedCapp]

You can't say that wouldn't be way more fun than being owned by a bunch of investment bros.

I can’t wait until Sid and Geno buy the team and we get someone with some emotional investment back in charge.

 

[Turin]

I was really hoping the Penguins would have made a serious bid years ago when he was squabbling a little bit with St. Louis, there were rumors he wanted out and people had concerns about his shoulder. He ended up sticking around and put up a career high the next season.

Same.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Yeah I don't think anyone you could realistically "sell" on the team right now is at optimal value outside of Petterson. Guys like Rakell, Karlsson, Jarry and such are coming off of down years that you'd be selling low on them to trade them right now.

The guy he replaced him with is basically what you wrote, but in a 5'11 frame rather than a 6'2 frame.

And they can likely trade him for a 2nd or 3rd if he bounces back to his past form. POJ? I don't think anyone is paying anything for him in a trade.

 

[The Great Mighty Poo]

Dammit!

(Cries in Mike Sullivan)

 

[DesertedPenguin]

Pinto off the board. Not surprised.



And there was much rejoicing...

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I can’t wait until Sid and Geno buy the team and we get someone with some emotional investment back in charge.

For real. People can complain about the Lemieux Group all they want and honestly they'd have some salient points. But I swear sometimes I wonder if these guys even know that they own the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey club or if it's just a line on the ledger and an excuse to hang out with and recruit more Boston Bros.

Same.

Oh well at least we got Zucker!

 

[Harvey Birdman]

I explained it very clearly in the first response, so you should understand now.
I want the team to win again, which I know is insane to many. Others are older viewers who are sated and don't give a crap anymore about Cups for the Penguins. I understand that, but I don't consider them Penguins fans.
That's not gatekeeping either. That's just reality. They don't care about the team's results, so how can I call them a Penguins fan? They are merely fans of a few select players now. Most of the players they don't care about at all.

I don't believe in coasting in sports with any team, with any level of success. So here we are.
If the Pens won 10 Cups in 10 years, I would want them to go 100% in year 11. What's in the past is in the past. You focus on the task at hand. You always strive to progress, to win.
In our case we need to rebuild before a Cup happens, so better get to it asap instead of messing around.

For me I have been watching the team since I was a child. My first time watching the team was the first run to the cup for Mario/Jagr. I was 7 then. followed them through the dark years... The Gen-X years... *shudder*... And then this era of the Penguins that started with the drafting of Fleury. It has been a ride. A lot of the Penguins come and gone are endeared to me till death. Players like Talbot and Orpik. My favorite player by a VERY large margin during this era through has been Malkin. The moment he became my favorite player was his "Shades of Mario" game his rookie year and he's been my favorite since. Even with that said. I was fully in the trade Geno at max value camp once we fell to the Capitals and missed out on 3 in a row. Not that I don't still love watching Malkin, he is still my favorite player. But I could see the writing on the wall that his game was going to decrease significantly and fairly quickly as age settled in. Not to say Sid and Letang have not taken a step back they have. But the way Malkin plays and the injuries he had up to that point. I was 100% in the trade him camp to buy youth and keep the playoff runs going strong. But they didn't... They extended him. And they extended Letang. And now what we would get for Malkin is fractional compared to what we would have. Now if they went scorched earth. Went to all three of Crosby, Malkin, and Letang told them we are going to literally going to flatten the team and start completely anew. I would still be for it in a way. But now it would take that for me to be onboard trading them. You ether let them ride this out and let them choose their exit from the team/sport or you strip it to the studs. I just cant stand these half measures.

 

[Turin]

The guy he replaced him with is basically what you wrote, but in a 5'11 frame rather than a 6'2 frame.

Difference is that Grzelcyk showed he could be more a couple years ago while POJ doesn’t look like he’ll be able to play well above the bottom pairing. POJs height also doesn’t help him because weak on the puck and not physical.

 

[IcedCapp]

Pinto off the board. Not surprised.

Mid all stars in the NBA are signing max deals worth 50 bajillion a year and pinto bean scraping for 3.5! The huge manatees

For real. People can complain about the Lemieux Group all they want and honestly they'd have some salient points. But I swear sometimes I wonder if these guys even know that they own the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey club or if it's just a line on the ledger and an excuse to hang out with and recruit more Boston Bros.

There was real emotion when it came time to move on from Shero and Bylsma. Even if it was too slow, you could tell Mario cared. And also his level of caring and investment is part of why the big 3 want to finish in Pittsburgh.

 

[Jobeycool]

Tanking or rebuilding a team is the best way to get out of the mess you are in for every Pro level sport. Sometimes it takes longer than you would like but it does not mean you become Champions because the other team you are playing against most likely did the same thing to get to the Champion Ship game as you did. Why we have to put up with Bob Nutting terrible ownership of our Pittsburgh Pirates.

 

[ThosePuckingPenguins]

I can’t wait until Sid and Geno buy the team and we get someone with some emotional investment back in charge.

I’ve always thought there was a chance Sid either buys the team or joins FSG when he retires and takes over the Penguins operations. Would be special. Wouldn’t surprise me at all either.

 

[steelcityassault]

Harkins signed with Ducks 2 years. Think Sully cried?

 

[DesertedPenguin]

There was real emotion when it came time to move on from Shero and Bylsma. Even if it was too slow, you could tell Mario cared. And also his level of caring and investment is part of why the big 3 want to finish in Pittsburgh.

He stopped caring, though. Dude was completely checked out and that led to Hextall/Burke being hired. And as soon as the sale to FSG was complete, he bounced. Mario hasn't been back except for Jagr's jersey retirement.

So in the midst of an important transition period, he washed his hands of the franchise he supposedly was emotionally invested in.

 

[Ulf5]

Harkins signed with Ducks 2 years. Think Sully cried?

We just lost 300,000 trees.

 

[GregR]

Harkins signed with Ducks 2 years. Think Sully cried?

Hopefully it causes him to resign

 

[Rudy Russo]

Harkins signed with Ducks 2 years. Think Sully cried?

Yes a tear was running down his face this afternoon.

 

[IcedCapp]

I’ve always thought there was a chance Sid either buys the team or joins FSG when he retires and takes over the Penguins operations. Would be special. Wouldn’t surprise me at all either.

He seems like the type who will want to be around hockey forever. So is it coaching? GM? Broadcasting (probably not)? Ownership? Ownership is the one that lets him be in the background the most, but he’s also done camps and stuff and seems like he genuinely likes teaching and working with people. So who knows. I’m excited to see what’s next

He stopped caring, though. Dude was completely checked out and that led to Hextall/Burke being hired. And as soon as the sale to FSG was complete, he bounced. Mario hasn't been back except for Jagr's jersey retirement.

So in the midst of an important transition period, he washed his hands of the franchise he supposedly was emotionally invested in.

You’re 100% right. I also don’t blame him. He risked a lot to keep the penguins afloat. He didn’t have to do any of it. He earned his payday and retirement. It would have been nice if he left us in a better spot, but he did leave us with 3 cups and a franchise that is in no danger of leaving. Way better than when he took over

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

And they can likely trade him for a 2nd or 3rd if he bounces back to his past form. POJ? I don't think anyone is paying anything for him in a trade.

Are you confusing players? When has Aho ever been a guy who could get a 2nd or 3rd? He's literally the perfect definition of a bottom pairing guy who's too small to really be effective defensively but not good offensively enough to be a PP specialist.

Even at his "best" he was basically the 5th/6th Dman on the Isles. That doesn't land you a 2nd, especially when he's not even built for playoff hockey (ie. like if a 6'4 bruiser is a bottom pairing guy, teams might overpay to add that size for a playoff run).

Difference is that Grzelcyk showed he could be more a couple years ago while POJ doesn’t look like he’ll be able to play well above the bottom pairing. POJs height also doesn’t help him because weak on the puck and not physical.

I was talking about Aho.

 

[Trade]

I remember saying Jake was like a younger+better Cam Atkinson back in like 2018.

Now they’re gonna play together.

Boy was I wrong, he’s so much more.

 

[Ugene Magic]

Harkins signed with Ducks 2 years. Think Sully cried?

For a second, a quick look I thought it was the Pens.