Speculation: Penguins off day talk thread: Yes, Sully is still the coach

[Josey Wales]

He has his own blog though, must know his stuff.

hahaha

 

[Gurglesons]

I looked at the wrong column. He doesn't have a single power play goal.

So, how is a pass-first player going to help put the puck in the net for this anemic power play? They'll just pass it around the perimeter like they already do.

The guy has two 20 goal seasons in his entire career, is soft as Charmin, and is on the wrong side of 30.

Put him on a good team, he'll slide down the lineup and his production will crater. His only other productive season in the last decade was when he rode Forsberg and Duchene's coattails on a Nashville team that got stomped in the first round.

Mikael Granlund's problem wasn't Mike Sullivan. Granlund's problem was simply being terrible.

We are about to miss the playoffs twice.

It’s funny how you use this description for Granlund when it’s exactly what Bryan Rust, Rakell and Smith are.

I’d gladly take a Nashville team that makes the playoffs and gets stomped versus a team that can’t even make the dance.

 

[66-30-33]

Matthew Phillips, a 6th round pick who turns 26 in April, has 1g and 4 assists in 27 games on a Capitals team that is in a retool/rebuild season and on his third team in 2yrs. That was a team that gave him a big opportunity and he didn't succeed. He is a diminutive winger that you maybe add as a 3rd or 4th line injury replacement, but big brain Sullivan now has him with Malkin. Refusing to play Puustinen with Malkin or play Gruden, Hinostroza etc over White and Harkins. Phillips sucks, he's fast and small and it's not his fault he's being used this way but the coach's rationalization for why is so idiotic, even someone like Dan Bylsma is seeing that like "what the f***, really?"

Yet blokes want to blame players that struggled here and did better elsewhere?

L
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I hate the Islanders but I really hope they destroy the Penguins.

This is not a team you can even force yourself to cheer for right now with how this coach is shitting all over it.

I stopped watching after the Jets game and will try again when we play Canucks. Same script every game, don’t even make changes and if they do it’s the wrong ones like scratching Pus or Poolparty for some scrub. Pus was doing good with Malkin and pp1 and it’s back to shit again when we f***ed him over.

 

[HandshakeLine]

Making the playoffs? Not nearly as cool as not making the playoffs the right way.

 

[Gurglesons]

Making the playoffs? Not nearly as cool as not making the playoffs the right way.

Why play people in roles they may be successful when you can force Guentzel- Crosby - Rust as a line when they have had no success for 6 years?

I tell you what.. those players aren’t producing because they were given top Powerplay and top six minutes on a bad team.

 

[DesertedPenguin]

We are about to miss the playoffs twice.

It’s funny how you use this description for Granlund when it’s exactly what Bryan Rust, Rakell and Smith are.

I’d gladly take a Nashville team that makes the playoffs and gets stomped versus a team that can’t even make the dance.

Mikael Granlund does not help this team make the playoffs, with or without Sullivan bench the bench.

And I've been advocating trading Rakell and Smith for different style players, so I don't see the problem.

 

[HandshakeLine]

DP, you don't see any problems until they're impossible to ignore.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

The GF/xGF stats that I'm looking at suggest that DOC-Malkin-Puustinen would be decent. Please, try it.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

The GF/xGF stats that I'm looking at suggest that DOC-Malkin-Puustinen would be decent. Please, try it.

Well you're getting half your wish.

It's not going well.

Puus would help a lot I think from what I saw. But evidently he and Eller are now a Duo™ or something.

 

[Burrowsaurus]

Don’t know where to post this. But what did you guys think of Cody Ceci ? Andiscussion is going on and there seems to be some acceptance that Sens fan and leafs fans were not big fans. But he played better? For you guys and you guys liked him quite a bit. Is this true?

 

[Randy Butternubs]

But he played better? For you guys and you guys liked him quite a bit. Is this true?

This is true. But he priced himself out of Pittsburgh.

 

[The Old Master]

The GF/xGF stats that I'm looking at suggest that DOC-Malkin-Puustinen would be decent. Please, try it.

oh, foolish one. the all-knowing sully sees far beyond the goals scored and assist given. and unlike the rest of us mere mortals he can ........ oh crap! he an idiot. i tried sorry sully i you.

 

[Jesse]

Don’t know where to post this. But what did you guys think of Cody Ceci ? Andiscussion is going on and there seems to be some acceptance that Sens fan and leafs fans were not big fans. But he played better? For you guys and you guys liked him quite a bit. Is this true?

This is a conversation about proper deployment, IMO. Ceci sinks when the minutes go beyond his personal capacity for playing defense. If you put him on the third pair, manage his zone starts, and put him in good positions to succeed, you reap good benefits. He takes those lower minutes and turns them into really, really reliable hockey. The more those minutes increase, the more the results diminish. The Penguins didn't suddenly rehabilitate his game, they just put him on the ice in the right situations.

The GF/xGF stats that I'm looking at suggest that DOC-Malkin-Puustinen would be decent. Please, try it.

I don't even think the data needs called upon here. It's just common sense. Look at Puustinen's skillset and the skill value he brings offensively. Now, look at what Malkin does well and how he prefers to play the game. Especially on the breakout. Just via the eye test alone, it should be a hald-decent match. I don't even care who the 3rd sidecar is at this point.

 

[Gurglesons]

This is a conversation about proper deployment, IMO. Ceci sinks when the minutes go beyond his personal capacity for playing defense. If you put him on the third pair, manage his zone starts, and put him in good positions to succeed, you reap good benefits. He takes those lower minutes and turns them into really, really reliable hockey. The more those minutes increase, the more the results diminish. The Penguins didn't suddenly rehabilitate his game, they just put him on the ice in the right situations.

Exactly. And we saw Ceci get exposed in the playoffs when they thought he was the 3rd best defenseman here in the Isles series.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I don't even think the data needs called upon here. It's just common sense. Look at Puustinen's skillset and the skill value he brings offensively. Now, look at what Malkin does well and how he prefers to play the game. Especially on the breakout. Just via the eye test alone, it should be a hald-decent match. I don't even care who the 3rd sidecar is at this point.

Any theories as to why the coaching staff soured on such a natural match?

Like you said I thought it was fairly obvious watching them out on the ice.

 

[SEALBound]

Any theories as to why the coaching staff soured on such a natural match?

Like you said I thought it was fairly obvious watching them out on the ice.

Watching the product on ice, I think the one linchpin there may be DOC. While I like his game, the skills, etc...there just seems to be a "hump" that he can't quite get over. Like, he will get the puck, rush down a lane, but it may be a bit of a lack of hockey sense, or IQ, or puck handling that makes him "unreliable" in making plays happen.

He's an okay farmer in that, he knows how to plow the field, he knows how to plant the seeds, he knows how to water and fertilize, but when the crop comes in, he's not great at reaping and bringing it to market.

I just can't put my finger on what it is specifically so it might just generally be everything.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Watching the product on ice, I think the one linchpin there may be DOC. While I like his game, the skills, etc...there just seems to be a "hump" that he can't quite get over. Like, he will get the puck, rush down a lane, but it may be a bit of a lack of hockey sense, or IQ, or puck handling that makes him "unreliable" in making plays happen.

He's an okay farmer in that, he knows how to plow the field, he knows how to plant the seeds, he knows how to water and fertilize, but when the crop comes in, he's not great at reaping and bringing it to market.

I just can't put my finger on what it is specifically so it might just generally be everything.

I meant more why is the coaching staff so adverse to keeping Puus and Malkin together as they seem to compliment each other well, enjoy playing on the same line and had production to back it up. But I agree with you on DOC FWIW

 

[HandshakeLine]

Watching the product on ice, I think the one linchpin there may be DOC. While I like his game, the skills, etc...there just seems to be a "hump" that he can't quite get over. Like, he will get the puck, rush down a lane, but it may be a bit of a lack of hockey sense, or IQ, or puck handling that makes him "unreliable" in making plays happen.

He's an okay farmer in that, he knows how to plow the field, he knows how to plant the seeds, he knows how to water and fertilize, but when the crop comes in, he's not great at reaping and bringing it to market.

I just can't put my finger on what it is specifically so it might just generally be everything.

Which incidentally goes back to pretty much every complimentary winger not named Jake. DOC reminds me a lot of players like Kennedy and Talbot in the sense that they're just not good at being an offensive player in the NHL, but with the right line setup are perfectly fine as complimentary pieces to prime Sid and Geno.

But Sid and Geno are not in their prime and we don't really have enough talent in the top 6 to make them as effective as they would have been, say 5 years ago.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

DP, you don't see any problems until they're impossible to ignore.

And even then there's usually an excuse for why it's not THAT big of a problem.

 

[Andy99]

Watching the product on ice, I think the one linchpin there may be DOC. While I like his game, the skills, etc...there just seems to be a "hump" that he can't quite get over. Like, he will get the puck, rush down a lane, but it may be a bit of a lack of hockey sense, or IQ, or puck handling that makes him "unreliable" in making plays happen.

He's an okay farmer in that, he knows how to plow the field, he knows how to plant the seeds, he knows how to water and fertilize, but when the crop comes in, he's not great at reaping and bringing it to market.

I just can't put my finger on what it is specifically so it might just generally be everything.

That’s a lot of sentences to say he’s not top six material lol…he’d been fine in the bottom six but we suck so he’s in the top six

 

[Gurglesons]

Watching the product on ice, I think the one linchpin there may be DOC. While I like his game, the skills, etc...there just seems to be a "hump" that he can't quite get over. Like, he will get the puck, rush down a lane, but it may be a bit of a lack of hockey sense, or IQ, or puck handling that makes him "unreliable" in making plays happen.

He's an okay farmer in that, he knows how to plow the field, he knows how to plant the seeds, he knows how to water and fertilize, but when the crop comes in, he's not great at reaping and bringing it to market.

I just can't put my finger on what it is specifically so it might just generally be everything.

DOC is a third wheel being used like a scoring option.

 

[HandshakeLine]

DOC is a third wheel being used like a scoring option.

Exactly.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Well you're getting half your wish.

It's not going well.

Puus would help a lot I think from what I saw. But evidently he and Eller are now a Duo™ or something.

It's times like this I blame Puustinen's parents for not moving to the Northeast USA just before he was born. He'd be stapled to Malkin's wing if he was born in Baw-sten.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

DOC is a third wheel being used like a scoring option.

This team's ability to properly assess players is embarrassing.

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

DP, you don't see any problems until they're impossible to ignore.

To be fair, his commentary on Granlund is accurate. He didn't/doesn't have a place on this team.

He's not a shutdown center. He's not a finisher. He's not a line driver. He's a 3rd wheel on a team with about 20 3rd wheels. "Ill-fitting" doesn't even begin to describe the situation.