Salary Cap: Pens '24-'25 Salary Thread: The Crosbicles Volume XIX

[Ulf5]

But he's a real good penalty killer! That's the most important thing in an NHL player according to the people who run the Penguins circa 2016 to infinity.

Hey Mike, we're 10th in the league in pk. We're 26th in the league overall. Your priorities are out of whack, jack.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

I've never despised a professional sports coach like I despise Sullivan, man. Just irritating, unlikable as shit *and* a f***ing failure to boot.

I've been a Bills fan since 1990. I've seen some truly dreadful teams, and some absolutely incompetent coaches in my time. Chan Gailey, Greg Williams, Dick Jauron, Mike Mularkey. Dudes who are just close to braindead. None of them hold a candle to Sullivan with regard to being repulsively unlikable, and spitefully stubborn.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Someone needs to show Dubas Moneyball, particularly this scene:



They may be giving Nieto the games out of respect but realistically, the sooner this guy is in the AHL to become a journeyman, the sooner his career potential will be realized. The entire point of Eller being moved was to open up slots for young guys. Nieto out does that as well.

You knew with Sullivan, the moment Nieto was healthy, he was in the line up asap. It allows him to scratch Puustinen and also Puljujarvi if he can. With Quinn there, who coached Nieto in his second stint with the Sharks, I'm not shocked.

I'd wager the line up will be something stupid like...

Beauvillier, Crosby, Rakell
Bunting, Malkin, Rust
O'Connor, Acciari, Poulin
Nieto, Ponomarev, Puljujarvi

Hey Mike, we're 10th in the league in pk. We're 26th in the league overall. Your priorities are out of whack, jack.

Sullivan - Must destroy Puljujarvi, Puustinen, and Ponomarev...

 

[SEALBound]

But he's a real good penalty killer! That's the most important thing in an NHL player according to the people who run the Penguins circa 2016 to infinity.

I guess in that respect, he IS taking the burden off of Sid and Malkin.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

I've never despised a professional sports coach like I despise Sullivan, man. Just irritating, unlikable as shit *and* a f***ing failure to boot.

I've been a Bills fan since 1990. I've seen some truly dreadful teams, and some absolutely incompetent coaches in my time. Chan Gailey, Greg Williams, Dick Jauron, Mike Mularkey. Dudes who are just close to braindead. None of them hold a candle to Sullivan with regard to being repulsively unlikable, and spitefully stubborn.

Yeah I get where you're at with Sullivan. His arrogance and ignorance with an insane amount of stubbornness is very easy to despise him.

In complete sentences.

But he's a real good penalty killer! That's the most important thing in an NHL player according to the people who run the Penguins circa 2016 to infinity.

The blokes a dipshit like Sullivan tabs as players Vellucci can use on the PK are odd too. He has Beauvillier as one at some point which is not a choice a coach with brain cells would make.

Nieto is a North American veteran that has no offense left in his game and is a grinder pk, that's like porn to Sullivan.

 

[SEALBound]

Rakell-Sid-Rust
Bunting-Geno-Puustinen
DOC-Pono-Puljujarvi
Nieto-Acciari-Beauvillier

Thats what I would do.

 

[pistolpete11]

The Geno hatred over his career, the lazy Russian shit, has always been hysterical. Geno's never played a game in his life where he wasn't busting his ass. He's had awful, just dreadful games, but I cannot recall a single time where I thought to myself "Man, dude just looks like he's on zombie autopilot out there. He's skating around standing straight up and not taking more than like 8 strides a shift." like I have with Sid at times. /shrug

I don't think he's any worse than any other star player, probably better than most, but when he is lazy, it manifests as him being real lackadaisical with the puck and/or dumb stick penalties. Which gets noticed by fans more than Sid just disappearing. Probably add in a little xenophobia, too.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

McG-Sid-Koivunen
Poulin-Geno-Martone
Pono-Broz-Puljujarvi
Who f***ing Cares

LD-Letang
Graves-RD
Pickering-Brunicke

Blomqvist
Ned

And a new coaching staff. Gimme that shit come October. (This will never, ever, ever happen)

 

[Pancakes]

McG-Sid-Koivunen
Poulin-Geno-Martone
Pono-Broz-Puljujarvi
Who f***ing Cares

LD-Letang
Graves-RD
Pickering-Brunicke

Blomqvist
Ned

And a new coaching staff. Gimme that shit come October. (This will never, ever, ever happen)

That lineup would be poised to get McKenna as well....


Which I'm fine with

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

I don't think he's any worse than any other star player, probably better than most, but when he is lazy, it manifests as him being real lackadaisical with the puck and/or dumb stick penalties. Which gets noticed by fans more than Sid just disappearing. Probably add in a little xenophobia, too.

I think the stick penalties are just the dude being dumb, and being lax with the puck is usually a case of him trying to do too much. But yeah, I dunno. We've seen Sid quit games over the years. I can't really remember Geno just outright giving up or not even trying from the hop to begin with. /shrug

That lineup would be poised to get McKenna as well....


Which I'm fine with

Yep. Good. Go after Dupont too. f*** it.

-edit- People want a quick retool on the fly, well, that's how you do it as a team like the Pens. Strip things down to studs and bolts, get a few top-5 picks, cross your fingers they pan out and they're ready to jump into the NHL while they can still learn from the likes of Sid and Geno for a year or two.

 

[Malkinstheman]

One extreme weak point of the Penguins since JR left is our inability to move on from players that shouldn't be here. Nieto should be in the AHL unless he gets claimed on waivers.

There is just soooooooooo little case for him being up in the NHL.

Not to mention why is a random player like Nieto being thrown in immediately after a 10 month injury? With European players it's "we have a plan to work him up to speed". With Sullivan pets, they get their full icetime back immediately

 

[vikingGoalie]

I think the stick penalties are just the dude being dumb, and being lax with the puck is usually a case of him trying to do too much. But yeah, I dunno. We've seen Sid quit games over the years. I can't really remember Geno just outright giving up or not even trying from the hop to begin with. /shrug


Yep. Good. Go after Dupont too. f*** it.

-edit- People want a quick retool on the fly, well, that's how you do it as a team like the Pens. Strip things down to studs and bolts, get a few top-5 picks, cross your fingers they pan out and they're ready to jump into the NHL while they can still learn from the likes of Sid and Geno for a year or two.

100% tank with purpose, teams who are bubble playoff teams stay mired in mediocrity typically.
Makes the most sense to try and get the future in here before crosby retires

 

[BusinessGoose]

That one sequence when we had three straight penalties vs the caps really messed Sullivan up

TBF, it WAS terrifying

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Yeah anyone who wants to try to sell fans some company line about "needing to bring guys up to speed" can take one look at Matt Nieto and blow it out their ass.

 

[Turin]

Was hoping Nieto would have to retire tbh.

I hate this team.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

100% tank with purpose, teams who are bubble playoff teams stay mired in mediocrity typically.
Makes the most sense to try and get the future in here before crosby retires

From your lips to FSG and Dubas' ears.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

Not to mention why is a random player like Nieto being thrown in immediately after a 10 month injury? With European players it's "we have a plan to work him up to speed". With Sullivan pets, they get their full icetime back immediately

Wouldn't call it immediate. He played 2 games in Wilkes and has been practicing with the team for a long time.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Yeah anyone who wants to try to sell fans some company line about "needing to bring guys up to speed" can take one look at Matt Nieto and blow it out their ass.

Gotta ease 'em back in unless they remind Sullivan of himself or they're Bryan "Sullivan's Special Boy™" Rust.

 

[Jacob]

Not gonna knock the guy on a personal level but Nieto was probably not going to make this team even if healthy out of camp. He would've been our 15th or 16th best forward.

 

[pistolpete11]

Yeah anyone who wants to try to sell fans some company line about "needing to bring guys up to speed" can take one look at Matt Nieto and blow it out their ass.

Or that they traded Eller to free up roster spots for the young guys.

Can't wait for Hayes and Lizotte to come back and see them put immediately back into the lineup.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Or that they traded Eller to free up roster spots for the young guys.

Can't wait for Hayes and Lizotte to come back and see them put immediately back into the lineup.

People actually believe that calling up young players just to sit them for games and/or play them limited minutes with zero role is somehow beneficial to them in any way outside of an increased paycheck. So they'll believe a lot of things.

"Watching games from the pressbox can actually really benefit young players."

Oh? I've watched a RIDICULOUS amount of hockey. Why am I not awesome? Is it the elevation? Special nachos?

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

People actually believe that calling up young players just to sit them for games and/or play them limited minutes with zero role is somehow beneficial to them in any way outside of an increased paycheck. So they'll believe a lot of things.

"Watching games from the pressbox can actually really benefit young players."

Oh? I've watched a RIDICULOUS amount of hockey. Why am I not awesome? Is it the elevation? Special nachos?

Can you f***in' PK, maggot? Didn't think so!

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

If nothing else all of this should be a good learning/refresher experience on how almost everything said by head coaches is a giant load of cliched horseshit and not to be taken seriously even in the best of times. These are not explanations... they are shiny keys to wave at you while they just do whatever they want.

"We wanted to give <Poor Bastard Player X> an opportunity to practice with NHL players and take in the game from a unique perspective as it's a great way for young players to learn what it takes in this league to win."

That sounds a lot better than "lol I'm not playing that guy. That sounds like work."

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

This team's shown, for years, they have no issue with not only signing/trading for complete trash, but playing them. There's been like a dozen guys over the past couple of years that you could remove and replace, and either end up in a better spot regardless of who you replaced them with, or simply wouldn't miss their presence whatsoever.

No idea why they refuse to strip away pieces with any value, even marginal value, and just run barebones to try and get some legitimate stud prospects while they can still learn from the likes of Sid and Geno.

-edit- Anyway, I dunno why--it's probably the drugs--but I have a gut feeling missing for a third year in a row finally gets Sullivan canned. Can't speak to who his replacement would be or if it'd be a good pick, but somethin' tells me by the end of this season we're gonna be seeing some real sparse crowds and those that do show up will be vocal about their displeasure, and the team finally relents on this whole Sullivan worship bullshit. Hopefully. Maybe. Fingers crossed.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

-edit- Anyway, I dunno why--it's probably the drugs--but I have a gut feeling missing for a third year in a row finally gets Sullivan canned.

Damn dude they just legalized here in OH and I seriously doubt I could find anything as strong as what you evidently have, there. I mean... based on this statement, at least.

I would say puff puff pass but I don't want none of that. I gotta get through this life, man.