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Is the D Line Good enough to go all the way?

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I don't think the defense will win us a series, but the depth makes me confident it won't cost us one either.

The depth and lack of a true number 1 reminds me of the 2010-11 Canucks. Edler, Hamhuis, Ehrhoff, Bieksa, Ballard, Tanev, Salo, Rome. They had Luongo and Schneider though.
 
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Sypher04 said:
Why would we drop Rielly from one of the top powerplays in the entire league. Especially so when it’s been noticeably worse every time he’s missed time.



Murray was good, but he carried nothing. Pittsburgh played strong offensive and defensive hockey throughout their whole lineup, much like we do
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Leafs were unstoppable while Rielly was injured. He came back and they are a .500 team. He is a huge liability defensively and does not contribute on the PP. Unfortunately there is nobody to replace him on the PP now that Sandin is gone. Gus would be better than Rielly on the PP but I wouldn’t dress him in the playoffs.
 
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Deez Nuts said:
Leafs were unstoppable while Rielly was injured. He came back and they are a .500 team. He is a huge liability defensively and does not contribute on the PP. Unfortunately there is nobody to replace him on the PP now that Sandin is gone. Gus would be better than Rielly on the PP but I wouldn’t dress him in the playoffs.
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Not much worth arguing against here if you’re just going to make things up and bring up other points completely irrelevant to what I replied to
 
In the past couple of seasons especially I don't think the defense group stood in the way of the team succeeding in some way in the playoffs.

P.S. I would prefer to see one of the AHL call up forwards in the line up instead of a 7th defenseman. I get why it's being done (to get the new defensemen plenty of reps in the lineup and used to their new team) but 7 defenders is seldom never ideal. In the past the most effective 7th defenseman was some brute handing out punishment in sheltered shifts. Those days are over. Wouldn't this be a great time to spot rest a vet like Giordano, maybe Brodie as well?
 
Joel Ward said:
I don't think the defense will win us a series, but the depth makes me confident it won't cost us one either.

The depth and lack of a true number 1 reminds me of the 2010-11 Canucks. Edler, Hamhuis, Ehrhoff, Bieksa, Ballard, Tanev, Salo, Rome. They had Luongo and Schneider though.
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Didn't PIT win without Letang that one season? That should put this question to rest forever.
 
banks said:
Yes, this defense group is good enough to win a Cup. I seem to be one of the few fans left that likes Rielly, and the depth is the best we've ever had. I'm betting they're about to prove it, too. I'm predicting a long playoff run this year.
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If Samsonov can stay steady in the playoffs and Matthews is atleast close to being healthy I agree.
 
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Depends on the forwards abilty to cover their own end. Good Goaltending also covers over a lot of mistakes.
 
I don't think so but I would be proven wrong. I think it's a very good group. But all the way, I don't know about that one.
 
Pittsburgh 2016-17 Stanley Cup Champions:

Ron Hainsey
Ian Cole
Oli Maata
Justin Schultz
Brian Dumoulin
Trevor Daley
 
I think mccabe add is really underrated. Hes not a flashy player but he can bring stability hainsey was bringing to leafs couple of years ago with higher physicality...

And i think at the end, mccabe will help rielly to find his game back by removing rielly from toughest matchup.

Yes this d is good enough to win a cup,
 
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One top pairing, one second pairing, and 147 third pairing defencemen.

They aren't likely to win anything, but there is a chance they won't actively lose it.

More depends on Sammy (I've lost faith in Murray) and the forwards.
 
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Cups are won by depth. Clifford was a fourth line winger, who upped his game in the playoffs for the Kings.
 
I don't understand why people keep making threads asking if the D is good enough?

1. Forwards play defense too. Whether it's a zone defense, man to man, sagging zone, box plus one. Plus the variety of different defenses in the neutral zone.

2. Fans screamed for defensive defensemen. We brought in two in Schenn and McCabe.

3. We have an abundance of defensemen to play on the powerplay. Gio, McCabe, Rielly, Liljegren, Timmins.
 
Sypher04 said:
Why would we drop Rielly from one of the top powerplays in the entire league. Especially so when it’s been noticeably worse every time he’s missed time.



Murray was good, but he carried nothing. Pittsburgh played strong offensive and defensive hockey throughout their whole lineup, much like we do
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Completely disagree but that's ok .. we all watch and played differently .. Pittsburgh was not better team in 2 of those series in Murray's 1st run .. they ONLY won because of him otherwise they were gone in round 2 to Caps .. don't you remember game 4 and 6 .. holy f*ck Caps killed Pens it was a mass destruction .. Murray made 10 10 bellers in both games before OT .. and finals against Sharks they got crushed too
 
Jeffrey Pedler said:
I don't understand why people keep making threads asking if the D is good enough?

1. Forwards play defense too. Whether it's a zone defense, man to man, sagging zone, box plus one. Plus the variety of different defenses in the neutral zone.

2. Fans screamed for defensive defensemen. We brought in two in Schenn and McCabe.

3. We have an abundance of defensemen to play on the powerplay. Gio, McCabe, Rielly, Liljegren, Timmins.
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This is the only thread on that asks this.
 
banks said:
Yes, this defense group is good enough to win a Cup. I seem to be one of the few fans left that likes Rielly, and the depth is the best we've ever had. I'm betting they're about to prove it, too. I'm predicting a long playoff run this year.
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Definitely not unique to this fanbase, but any time a player here has a down year out come the vultures. And it usually goes something like so and so was never good, we should have traded/never signed, he’s not a real x, he can’t shoot/has a muffin, he’s garbage, he’s lazy, he’s fat/out of shape, he doesn’t want to stay, coach killer, he’s sulking because linemates, we can’t win with him etc etc. All of this shouted ad nauseam while completely disregarding the long track record of these things not generally being true at all

Morgan has his flaws and those are definitely magnified when he’s having a down year, but he’s still a very good defenseman. His defensive troubles are dramatically overblown. And his contributions to the team are being consistently maligned by too many
 
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Exactly half of all Conn Smythe trophies have been won by a defenseman or goaltender.

Considering there are a lot more forwards in the league, that says something.

Nobody, and I mean nobody, thinks this defense is good enough. The best defenseman on the team is Morgan Rielly. And half the fan base wants to trade him because they feel he is overpaid for what he brings to the table.

How is this defense good enough?

Is there a Norris caliber defenseman on the team? Someone that can win a playoff series all themselves? A Conn Smythe caliber player that can carry the team on his back?

No.

Of course not. Like I said, Morgan Rielly is the best defenseman on the team. That says a lot more about Dubas than it does Rielly.

Three times in his short career Dubas could have filled that 1RHD spot properly.

Not once. Not twice. But three times Dubas could have done what so many other GM's only wish they could.

Add a true #1RHD.

If the team goes out early in the playoffs again this year, you can be sure that Kyle Dubas' refusal to change direction and fill that 1RHD position properly, despite every shred of evidence pointing to "we can and we will" as being a massive failure, will be reason why.
 
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