Kasperi Kapanen (Aberg/J Lindgren) Traded to Pittsburgh (15OV/Hallander/E Rod/Warf to Toronto)

[Dipsy Doodle]

Comparing Zucker and Dupuis is just stupid. I know you have a hard on for players that snipe show, but to be honest. The NHL isn't going that way. You score by setting up traffic and tipping pucks. Same thing with the "quarterback PP defenseman" you constantly want. If you needed a RH from the point to slap in goals. Brent Burns and Roman Josi would be winning cups over hand and foot.

I find it funny how people say we need to "work hard and stop playing the permitter" and then get mad when we acquire players that play hockey in front of the net and say we are "predictable".

It's not stupid. Zucker is more talented, but he does well a lot of the things that endeared Dupuis to Crosby and coaches, and the others I mentioned do the same. Skate fast, retrieve pucks for center, try to bang er in.

I just think we have too many of the same type.

And that doesn't mean adding a sniper necessarily, but somebody who can create offense in a different way. When your offense always gets funneled through your centers, it makes it pretty easy for a good defensive coach to gameplan for.

 

[Turin]

Right, but we also have had the two best players in the league for all 3 cups in the 2000s and the arguable best ever for the first couple of cups. Also they kicked our ass in that conference final. I think your missing my point here which isn't about cups its about maintaining a contender while your core is aging which is was Boston has done since they won their cup and we have not since our back to back.

Boston wasn’t a real contender from 14-17 and they got a bit lucky with Marchand turning into a superstar.

 

[66-30-33]

Does this mean our PP is gonna be good again? Kapanen is what we are missing at the left side wall right?

 

[OswaldBates]

Do you like this trade? We pissed away our 15th overall pick without unloading any bloated contracts, for a mediocre player. We picked up another bottom six, $3+ million player. Yay.

I know, he will play in the top 6 because we have crappy wingers.

This was a cap dump for Toronto.

how do you not off yourself everyday with your mindset. They have back2Back cups

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Does this mean our PP is gonna be good again? Kapanen is what we are missing at the left side wall right?

If the goal is to wear the logo off the other goaltender's jersey... sure.

 

[Tacitus Kilgore]

Boston wasn’t a real contender from 14-17 and they got a bit lucky with Marchand turning into a superstar.

They were still a playoff team iirc the Marchand emergence tho is about the only thing i''ll concede on. I didn't think he'd turn into what he did

 

[WheresRamziAbid]

I think your team is doing extremely well if you have KK on your third line.

Again though, if that ends up being the case, JR just paid through the nose for a good third liner.

I definitely disagree with the notion KK is dumb and has a low hockey IQ.

When you are talking low IQ, horse blinders with no hope... that’s a McCann.

KK isn’t McCann like though... he has that Rust full steam ahead with blinders shit at times... but he has his moments where he flashes his IQ.

However, Rust has gotten much better at slowing things down and making plays since he became a top six fixture.

That tells me KK could follow that path as well... I just wish it wasn’t a guessing game for this price though.

agreed

 

[Ray Martyniuk]

Yep. A million times, this.

I just don't get why people have a hard time coming around on this. This isn't a skilled lineup. And Crosby and Malkin are old. They need some bonafide talent. Which I KNOW is easier said than done but you are right -- it's like moving mountains to score goals on this team when the games are tight. You need that ability for a guy to come off the bench now and then, fly down the wing and rip one.

There is no ripping one anymore the Goaltenders with all their Flipping equipment ruined that. I'd be all-for-goaltenders not being able to wear face-masks and see players rip shots around their collective heads so they all become puck-shy!!!LMFAO!!!

 

[Gurglesons]

It's not stupid. Zucker is more talented, but he does well a lot of the things that endeared Dupuis to Crosby and coaches, and the others I mentioned do the same. Skate fast, retrieve pucks for center, try to bang er in.

I just think we have too many of the same type.

And that doesn't mean adding a sniper necessarily, but somebody who can create offense in a different way. When your offense always gets funneled through your centers, it makes it pretty easy for a good defensive coach to gameplan for.

I suggest watching Zucker play if you think he "retrieves pucks" and "bang er in".

18 of his 20 goals were either scored as tip ins or on the rush this year.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

All of Kapanen, Rust and Zucker are substantially more skilled than Dupuis was.

I really don't get this place. Kapanen is like pretty much an exact replica of what you want from a winger for Crosby or Malkin. They don't like playing with the kind of wingers you're complaining about not having.

The problem is that he's one of many replicas.

Our centers like playing with Guentzel - in fact, he's our most in-demand winger - because he's the sort of player who can create and exploit space in ways that the 3 burners can't.

 

[66-30-33]

If the goal is to wear the logo off the other goaltender's jersey... sure.

Well...guess the PP will lack the proper guy forever.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

I suggest watching Zucker play if you think he "retrieves pucks" and "bang er in".

18 of his 20 goals were either scored as tip ins or on the rush this year.

Dupuis could score off the rush, and Kunitz could tip pucks too, pixies. That's not what I'm talking about.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

Does this mean our PP is gonna be good again? Kapanen is what we are missing at the left side wall right?

Yeah, the problem was the left wall, not the brain dead fatso whose name begins with a R who just was let go.

 

[McGroarty2]

Comparing Zucker and Dupuis is just stupid. I know you have a hard on for players that snipe show, but to be honest. The NHL isn't going that way. You score by setting up traffic and tipping pucks. Same thing with the "quarterback PP defenseman" you constantly want. If you needed a RH from the point to slap in goals. Brent Burns and Roman Josi would be winning cups over hand and foot.

I find it funny how people say we need to "work hard and stop playing the permitter" and then get mad when we acquire players that play hockey in front of the net and say we are "predictable".

I think out of anyone on the Pens, Rust is most like Dupuis.

 

[Ray Martyniuk]

He also dealt Kahun for basically nothing.

we wouldn't NEED to be making this trade if we just held on to Kahun.

Kahun for Maatta...wow! Kahun for Sheary...isn't Kahun a centre and isn't Sheary a winger?

 

[Empoleon8771]

Yeah, it should be noted that the last time Kapanen was used solely like a top-6 forward, he had 11 goals and 21 points in 29 games with a 2.52 5v5 points/60, which is a pace of 31 goals and 59 points per 82 games. That was the stat line he put up last year as Nylander was holding out. His production started going down after that point because Nylander took offensive minutes away from him.

I definitely don't think he's going to be a 30-30 player in the Penguins top-6, but I'm expecting at least a 25-25 line out of him to start.

 

[Tacitus Kilgore]

Zucker seems more like a guy who finds the soft spot quietly and scores from there. If memory serves, he seems to do more tap ins tho than wrist shots or snap shots

 

[66-30-33]

Yeah, the problem was the left wall, not the brain dead fatso whose name begins with a R who just was let go.

Rossi was let go?

 

[Gurglesons]

Dupuis could score off the rush, and Kunitz could tip pucks too, pixies. That's not what I'm talking about.

I'm honestly not sure what you are talking about besides expunging your usual we miss Kessel nonsense.

The top six of the Penguins is as talented and skilled as it has ever been in the Crosby Malkin era and defaulting to say that Zucker and Rust are guys that just "bang er in" is one of the dumber statements I've seen.

 

[wej20]

Not sure why we had to add in Hallander as a sweetner. Lindgren and Aberg aren't anything more than call up types (if they come back to North America).

 

[JackFr]

I suggest watching Zucker play if you think he "retrieves pucks" and "bang er in".

18 of his 20 goals were either scored as tip ins or on the rush this year.

Sorry pixies but you're objectively wrong on this one. Not only does Zucker retrieve pucks - he does it more than literally anyone in the NHL.



I absolutely agree that Zucker is comparable to Dupuis in terms of his speed and forechecking ability.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

Yeah, it should be noted that the last time Kapanen was used solely like a top-6 forward, he had 11 goals and 21 points in 29 games with a 2.52 5v5 points/60, which is a pace of 31 goals and 59 points per 82 games. That was the stat line he put up last year as Nylander was holding out. His production started going down after that point because Nylander took offensive minutes away from him.

I definitely don't think he's going to be a 30-30 player in the Penguins top-6, but I'm expecting at least a 25-25 line out of him to start.

idk how you can say you definitely don’t see 30-30 but he’s getting at least 25-25 in the same breath. That’s a pretty contradicting statement.

Statline he put up with Nylander out is encouraging though.

 

[Empoleon8771]

idk how you can say you definitely don’t see 30-30 but he’s getting at least 25-25 in the same breath. That’s a pretty contradicting statement.

Statline he put up with Nylander out is encouraging though.

Let me rephrase, I'm not expecting him to be a 30-30 player, but I am expecting him to be a 25-25 player. I'll be pleasantly surprised if he's a 60 point guy, but I'm expecting him to be a 50 point guy.

 

[Gurglesons]

Sorry pixies but you're objectively wrong on this one. Not only does Zucker retrieve pucks - he does it more than literally anyone in the NHL.



I absolutely agree that Zucker is comparable to Dupuis in terms of his speed and forechecking ability.

My argument isn't that he doesn't retrieve pucks, more so that he isn't a one trick pony with no finishing ability like Dupuis.

Zucker put up 33 goals while being a line driver in Minnesota. He has the ability to score on his own.

 

[WheresRamziAbid]

Honestly I'm a little upset about losing them. I don't like our chances at removing the bottler funk this off-season and would have rather seen how this group responded, and hope we could be strong next year with a lot of kids ready.

But yeah, I accept they don't see it that way, and the value is the issue.



Kapanen being what he is, lindgren being nothing, and both 15OA and Hallander being NHLers with one being Kapanen level - while a better player gets traded for roughly that price - sounds a little more likely to me.

i think expecting a youngish talented guy not to improve when being put in such a good position is overly pessimistic.

if hallander and tge 15th pick are merely NHLers there is a solid avenue to winning this trade. Kapanen at the very least is someone that can accumulate points when playing with talent.

So unless one of those guys is some sort of real impact guy i have no problem rolling the dice while you have crosby and malkin rather than rolling it when their gone.

Kapanen has the pure talent to really pop off if put in the top 6.

that would matter much more than having two solid middle 6ers 4 years from now.

But like i said it could go hard the other way too. Kapanen COULD stall and Tor might get Barzal and Hornqvist 2.0. But that the extreme 2 std dev outcome