Post-Game Talk: Jarry, GMR, and CODY CECI bring their "A" game!

[AuroraBorealis]

The cool thing about Hall is that we can keep him if it works out. All you gotta do is trade Zucker this summer and use Petts + Zucker caphit.

Hall-Sid-Kap
Guentzel-Malkin-Rust

Yeah unless he Hossa's us

 

[Kristopher Letang]

Yeah unless he Hossa's us

Hey we might even be able to get Laine with all the money f*** him.

 

[Pens x]

Sid watching the game, realizing his new wingers will be Rodrigues and Kap when he comes back:

 

[Ryder71]

Hmm tough one. Hall's a rental but this is maybe our last chance to make any noise. If Hall loves it here he could re-sign too and make next year more enjoyable.

Pettersson + McCann + 2021 2nd? I wonder if that's enough. We potentially have Zucker's LTIR money too. Hall does have 1 goal in 20 games this year. Not exactly MVP Hall right now, so maybe the price is at an all-time low.

I really don't want to cough up high draft picks. MP is a young cost controlled blue liner I kinda like. For a pure rental I don't think we're a match. McCann sure, and we'd clearly have to add, but I'm not sure what else. Yeah, he has one goal this season. I'd tread very carefully here.

 

[Ryder71]

TBH and this is probably more related to the Cap thread, but I'd rather we pick up a quality bottom six center and winger then go for a big name. I think better quality depth is the best course to take here.

 

[Son Goku]

TBH and this is probably more related to the Cap thread, but I'd rather we pick up a quality bottom six center and winger then go for a big name. I think better quality depth is the best course to take here.

Acquiring a big name winger moves someone down in the lineup no? There’s your quality depth right there

 

[HandshakeLine]

As always, this board's brain trust is just humbling.

 

[HandshakeLine]

Also, has anyone done a wellness check for Angus yet?

 

[Ryder71]

Acquiring a big name winger moves someone down in the lineup no? There’s your quality depth right there

Here's the problem in doing so. You're not addressing the center position. And our 4C rotation simply isn't good enough. And who knows how long Zucker will be out. I think we need two potential top nine forwards with one of them being able to aptly handle the center position. I love Teddy, but having two such players in the bottom six should fortify the line up. It also helps mitigate our lack of depth there when Sid and Geno are out.

 

[HandshakeLine]

Lol…This is getting weird now.

Pixies' point is only weird if you want to not believe the evidence. Otherwise, it's not really much of a stretch at all.

 

[HandshakeLine]

Also, nobody cares if you like Sid you absolute weirdoes. It's only natural to like Sid!

 

[JRS91]

Zucker + Crosby has basically been a wash. A little above 50% in shooting metrics, exactly even in goal scoring, and below 50% in expected goal scoring.

View attachment 402655

Zucker's numbers with Malkin are very similar
View attachment 402656

Crosby and Rodrigues had great advanced stats together.

So did Simon and Crosby. That doesn't mean I want either of those guys back on Crosby's wing. Sorry but those stats mean little to me.

 

[Smasher]

As a Finn, I'm pretty sure that's not how you spell his name...

 

[TheNorthPenguin]

So in a world where Sully does what’s best, I think you still have a couple decent Sid options, even with Zucker out.

I would personally try and keep Bleuger and Tanev together so you could go Tanev - Sid - Blue or ZAR - Sid - McCann. The former gives you a solid shutdown type line and the latter I think sets you up as a discount Kunitz - Sid - Dupuis type line (at least with ZAR being a little more aggressive and quick this year so far). Not as good of course but it “looks” like guys Sid could potentially mesh with.

KK driving the third line with whatever two are not with Sid I think gives you a dangerous third line but you could of course experiment with Kap and Sid as well.

But Sully’s paid the big bucks so what do I know.

 

[radapex]

The assumption people had was that Malkin was easier to play with until they realized it's not always the case with Zucker as his LW.

I am not a fan of how Malkin's wingers are basically used as placeholders for Crosby's line. I think that's ridiculous to do when you can have 1 consistent line by putting 2 wingers with Geno that work well. Instead, they would rather throw off one line altogether, then rinse and repeat with the RW on the 1st line and watch Jake go through mediocre-hot-cold spells.

I get what you're saying, but I just can't budge on this opinion.

So let's throw Crosby on the 4th line a be done with it? Or try to trade him.

 

[radapex]

You're missing the philosophical point. Guentzel - Malkin - Rust is the best line we can ice. We should ice it. Tampa's best line they can ice is Palat - Point - Kucherov. Boston's best line is Marchand - Bergeron - Pasta.

They ice the best line. They give their team the best chance to win and the build from there.

Instead we are building around what gives Sid the best line. It doesn't matter if Jake and Rust work with Malkin better. It doesn't matter if McCann is successful in a 2nd line role with lots of offensive minutes. It doesn't matter if Malkin is producing 12 pts in 20 games. Sullivan defaults to his guy Sid because Sid is the golden boy and can do anything and everything.

Frankly, he does the same shit with Letang. Look at how good Letang has been since Sullivan made the adjustment and used Matheson and Marino as the match-up D.

What gives the team the best chance to win is for both of their ~$9-mil centers to be set up for success. But that's not possible with the current roster because there are apparently only 2 wingers that work with them.

 

[Icarium]

It's weird how this team is so much better at home, especially the special teams. The PK is 86.7% at home and 63.9% away, the PP is 27.3% home and 9.8% away. We took like 4 really dumb penalties in this game and somehow killed them off, away from home we give up at least one goal and often in the worst time possible. Sure, Jarry stood on his head but still, it's not just that, DeSmith was great in the last away game and we still allowed two goals on the PK.
Very important win, good things happen when your goalie is hot, your special teams are not garbage, you reunite the line with best chemistry and get a timely goal like Kapanen's first. Unbelievable, right? And for a change, going for tic-tac-toe plays worked beautifully twice instead of wasting glorious chances as in the previous games.

 

[radapex]

Going back to the Tampa point. Cooper took f***ing likely HHOF Steven Stamkos out of his center position to put him on wing with a 40 pt center in Cirelli and we can't play Guentzel and Rust with Malkin because Crosby is also good with Guentzel and Rust.

This team is a better team when you have Guentzel - Malkin - Rust as the top dog offensively. We've seen it for a better part of a year now. If we want to put our heads in the sand and act like Crosby is the Lynch pin of our entire team and everything starts and dies with him that's fine. But don't surprised when nothing else works when everything is catered towards him because he isn't 27 anymore.

More like because Crosby's numbers without them over the past few years are actually detrimental to the team (GF% and xGF% both below 50%)

Malkin, on the other hand, does have positive numbers without them.

 

[radapex]

Once again. The Pittsburgh Penguins shouldn't be focused on "bringing out the best" in Crosby. They should be focused on winning f***ing hockey games.

If they want to be the Pittsburgh Crosbys that's fine, but don't be surprised when they crash and burn like every year we've focused on making Crosby the best he can be while robbing the rest of the team of any semblance of success.

And what suggests over the past two years we will have any success with Malkin floundering on the 2nd line? We've seen what happens with a mediocre 2nd and 3rd line with GMR for nearly a year now. I imagine Sid is out Thursday. I bet we see the same performance from this team with GMR together again. Because they buy in and play the game how Sullivan wants it to be played and it allows Sully to throw out lines and dictate play. The game was essentially over after the two PKs for those watching it. PIT was back to the 2019 early 2020 Pens who played with an identity and like a team.

They're going to crash and burn every year because the focus is always one making only one line work, not the whole team. With how the team is built, we've only got enough pieces for one actual top-6 line.

 

[radapex]

With our current injuries? Yes.

Was it nuts when Bowman used Yzerman like that? Was it nuts when Sullivan used Crosby like that in 15-16 while HBK got soft minutes?

I mean, I get it you want Crosby to be the all time best player he always was. But he simply isn't that guy anymore as you said and if he wants this team to be successful he'll assimilate to whatever role is needed. At this point in time with the injuries and roster make-up we have the solution is to run GMR and let the chips fall where they may.

Hopefully you get a RW for him and then Zucker comes back and you can run..

Guentzel - Malkin - Rust
Zucker - Crosby - X
Tanev - McCann - Kapanen
ZAR - Bleuger - Rodrigues

Or whatever. And I'm not saying throw Crosby out there with like 20% OZ starts and only against top line competition. We used GMR as the horse. That gives you Crosby behind to exploit the second pairing and second line.

I think we can both agree that the Crosby we've seen this season isn't exploiting anyone on his own. And neither is Malkin.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

It comes down to whether you want to unleash Guentzel/Crosby while Malkin's line is "meh", or... get more out of Malkin's line, even if it takes away from #87. Jake and Sid are so good that I'd stick with them, and leave next Rust to Geno. Besides, if Crosby is your #1C, then it would be best for him to have at least one of them.

My issue is splitting up Rust and Guentzel makes them less effective. They have really good chemistry... so it’s basically taking a dominant line and watering it down.

I get the idea of giving Crosby and Malkin each a good winger from a dominant line.

However, it would be like King Solomon lacking wisdom and cutting the baby in half to appease everyone.

The difference is a wise man should understand you don’t split the baby (Jake and Rust) apart.

I’d like to see Crosby center Tanev and KK for a spell. I suspect that would be a hell of a line if Crosby and Sullivan were willing to stick with it.

 

[BHD]

My issue is splitting up Rust and Guentzel makes them less effective. They have really good chemistry... so it’s basically taking a dominant line and watering it down.

I get the idea of giving Crosby and Malkin each a good winger from a dominant line.

However, it would be like King Solomon lacking wisdom and cutting the baby in half to appease everyone.

The difference is a wise man should understand you don’t split the baby (Jake and Rust) apart.

I’d like to see Crosby center Tanev and KK for a spell. I suspect that would be a hell of a line if Crosby and Sullivan were willing to stick with it.

That’s a fair take. I don’t think them becoming a one line team is out of the realm of possibility. It’s just a matter of Crosby or Malkin leading the way.

 

[Gold Diamond]

I have to run.. but I want a lot of Geno love. Seeing that guy go beast mode again almost brings a tear to my eye. Lots of love to go around. Jarry was a stud.

I just realized that Ric Flair is the only one of the 4 men in this video who is still alive.

RIP Gene Okerlund, Bobby Heenan, and Curt Hennig.

 

[StutzlesTapeJob]

It’s all good stuff last night. Very positive and hopefully the team builds on the effort and “spirit” (god I hate vague troupes but something was different and not just the fans)

What always bothers and perplexes me is how the team’s mojo changes when Sid is out. I’m not blaming Sid, this isn’t a criticism nor trying to extend to “maybe we’re better without him”. But the sample size of the team going on hot passionate steamy runs when he’s injured is pretty decent (as I recall over years, but maybe I’m wrong. I just would love some insight as to WHY?

- do people just come more ready?
- does sids robotic perfection set a less emotional leadership tone?
- Malkin and the PP seems to be more fluid because there is one less major “defer to this guy” on the ice

anyone else find this curious?

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

That’s a fair take. I don’t think them becoming a one line team is out of the realm of possibility. It’s just a matter of Crosby or Malkin leading the way.

I think we all know it will be Crosby. Very few of us around here are delusional enough to pretend Malkin isn’t second fiddle.

I have no real bias toward either guy though and think the team suffers more when Malkin is struggling, than Crosby.

Hopefully Sullivan will give the KK-Tanev pairing a long look, because that’s a lot of speed and tenacity that someone like Crosby could take advantage of.

Rust was a lot like Tanev once until he got to play with Malkin/Crosby extensively.

Sometimes letting a guy play an offensive role as opposed to a checking line role, will do that.... also, there aren’t any other better options so...