Salary Cap: Pens Salary Thread: Pens Ownership "Dubas... that Coca-Cola machine. I want you to shoot the lock off it. There may be some waiver players in there."
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BlindWillyMcHurt
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- May 31, 2004
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I mean... this is how I WANT to feel. But these guys are so unbelievably hopeless and unwilling to do anything that I just can't even care enough to pretend that there could be a way to do a quick retool and see what happens. Shit man... I don't want them to suck until it's necessary and I do think that there are ways to keep this team at least playoff-worthy. But they refuse to do what needs to be done and I'm sick and tired of feeling like a sucker by telling myself "well surely after THAT latest embarrassment they'll get their asses in gear and get serious."
This is not a serious team. Sullivan is complicit, Dubas is complicit and the do-nothing, enabling, clueless ownership group are complicit. It didn't have to be this way but here we are. At this point I'd rather just see them toss everything overboard that isn't bolted down and maybe... just maybe... gather enough futures so that even THIS moronic team can actually develop a player or two down the road for whatever is next.
Gurglesons
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Ron Hextall had way more of a plan than Dubas had.
People are giving Dubas credit for "pivoting". So dumb.
molon labe
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That team and this team are utterly irrelevant to one another
The Penguins won back to back cups by cashing in on ELC's, Sid's true prime, and a style of play the league was unaccustomed to at the time.
I'll avoid the upper/lower case nonsense myself by pointing out the whole back to back nonsense as a reason to shape this roster in 2024 and/or keeping Sullivan around makes you sound more like a yinzer than anyone.
If we had the option, sure:
- Rewind the clock 7 years for Sid/Geno
- Get Murray performance out of Ned when Jarry flubs
- Land Laine to play on the third line
- Replace Carter with a younger version of himself for 4C
- Replace Graves with an Ian Cole type defender who will block shots, hit hard, and actually clear pucks
- Put Rust/Guentzel on ELC's.
*** Have half the league stuck on 2010's roster building while we and maybe 2 others focus on speed ***
...then sure, 2016 Penguins mold all day long. Stupid takes.
There are zero moves you're making to keep up with the speed of today's teams. Especially if you want actual skilled guys to boot. You win in this league by forcing YOUR style down the other teams' throat. Vegas did that most recently. Boston (somehow) does it nightly. This team is built to freaking trade chances but with Harkins on our side and Drai/Kane/Hyman on the other. It's an outright idiotic way to construct a roster knowing the variables you have to deal with.
Scandale du Jour
JordanStaal#1Fan
Sure. That does not mean you have to go the bullshit physicality way. It is such an idiotic cop up for the lack of talent.
The reality is: this core want win another one. So we have two choices, we ride them until the end and the next 2-3 years are an extend farewell tour OR you trade everybody and start the rebuild now.
Adding physicality does not make this team a contender. It changes nothing. It is just a stupid cliché.
They tried to be more physical after the Cups and it was an adject failure.
molon labe
Registered User
The team should be blown up. We got blown out last night, and not for the first time - and NOBODY played with any give a F. Zero players got pissed or nasty. They all accepted it.
I said it about 15 games in - but this roster is full of losers. I'd happily blow the whole damn thing up.
Yeah - trade the whole bottom 6. They freaking suck.
Top 6? Smith? Sucks. Eat it, sorry. You went round and round and round with the whole damn lot of us this past Summer saying how he wasn't Zucker. He is. Guentzel? You trade him for assets. It's necessary. That leaves what? Rust/Rakell?
...anyway, to trade them all and not hurt us. What kind of....what is that? Hurt us how? We're a bottom feeder man. AND we're trending downward.
Scandale du Jour
JordanStaal#1Fan
I do not disagree that you have to change the make up. My gripe is with the physicality cop out. It is not a solution that makes you a contender. The reality is, there is no way this team can contend in the next 2-3 years. You can had all the goons you want, won't change shit. The physical players worth something AND that would make a difference won't be available to us... unless we draft them.... which will not help the current core.
It is done. We can do a longer rebuild by keeping the Big 3 or we can burn it down. There is no path for THIS core to contend while Sid and Geno are still around.
CheckingLineCenter
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- Aug 10, 2018
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Gurglesons
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molon labe
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How do you evaluate Vegas? I'm curious.
Florida?
The two teams that went the furthest last year and are favorites again - how do you evaluate them?
Because adding Reaves and adding Tkachuks/Bennetts/Barbashev's, etc. are totally different things.
Zero teams are afraid to retrieve pucks against he Pens. Zero teams are in a hurry to dish a puck. There is zero forechecking on this club with any sort of tenacity and folks are left wondering why so many breakaways happen and so many 'time and space' situations happen. When Bennett is bearing down on you, you dish the puck or slow down heading into the wall. The Pens? I'm just gonna keep skating.
Getting physical and adding fighters are not the same thing my goodness. We just don't need these 4 foot nothing guys and utter lack of give a f players on this team anymore. This crappy style is costing us and it's got Sully's fingerprints all over it.
Remember Kunitz? He was physical. Remember how much that changed the DNA of the Pens?
BlindWillyMcHurt
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I don't have much of an opinion on WHAT style/philosophy can make the team more successful.
I just know that SAYING "speed/skill!!!" over and over while actually going out there here in reality and playing like a bunch of risk-adverse geriatrics obsessed with set plays isn't actually a real team philosophy. It's cowardly garbage.
I just know that SAYING "speed/skill!!!" over and over while actually going out there here in reality and playing like a bunch of risk-adverse geriatrics obsessed with set plays isn't actually a real team philosophy. It's cowardly garbage.
Gurglesons
Registered User
Scandale du Jour
JordanStaal#1Fan
I'd take a Tkachuk in a heartbeat... but he won't be available to us. Let's say Brady Tkachuk was available, and he might be, we do not have the assets to get him... and if we do, that is just postponing the inevitable without making us a contender.
Kunitz, Dupuis, heck, even Crosby, are awesome forecheckers and can keep possession in the cycle. That, yes, we need. Big hits and "fear", meh.
BlindWillyMcHurt
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Gurglesons
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According to our coach our identity line is Harks - Acciari - Carter.
Been that way going back to 2019 when we assembled the best 4th line in hockey via ZAR - Blueger - Tanev.
vodeni
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BlindWillyMcHurt
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lol it's just so NHL coach in general and Mike Sullivan in particular to make one of the worst f***ing lines I've ever seen put out on NHL ice your identity line. And people wonder why this team looks like a bunch of confused, shiftless, stone-handed, helpless goofs most nights.
ChaosAgent
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- May 8, 2018
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It is definitely weird and maybe a self-reinforcing cycle. Both coaches are similar.
McGroarty2
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Physicality is part of hockey. Not advocating 4 lines of thugs but one or two on a 23 man roster isn't a bad thing.
Gurglesons
Registered User
Nah that was McCann - Carter - Gaudreau when they played with the best defenseman in the world John Marino.
But Hextall doesn't get any credit for that line, because JR was responsible for the 20-21 roster.
If only we had Matheson, Marino and McCann this team would have another cup!
BlindWillyMcHurt
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I think the whole "appeal to authority" thing is sort of ingrained in sports fandom in general.
But there really is something about Pittsburgh fans, man. Or maybe just Pittsburgh media/commentary? They need absolutely no demand or prompting when it comes to licking coach boot.
Gurglesons
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pistolpete11
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- Apr 27, 2013
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I'd also add that you don't need to make everyone on the roster the same style. In fact, you shouldn't. The Pens won back-to-back Cups because they had a mixture of talent (Crosby, Malkin, Kessel, Guentzel for second one, Letang for the first one), physicality (Kunitz, Hornqvist, Cole), and speedsters (Hags, young Rust, Sheary) throughout the lineup.
Scandale du Jour
JordanStaal#1Fan
If it is the Ryan Reaves type, yes, it is a bad thing. If it is a Tkachuck or even a Wilson, then, yes, it is an asset.
Empoleon8771
Registered User
Friedman also said something similar today. Basically these last 2 losses are "game over" for their season.
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