Softest team in league history

[WayneSid9987]

Other than the obvious, Despres, the Pens needed better hockey players and not more toughness in their lineup.

Glass, Adams, Sill, Downie were never gonna be tilt the odds of winning hockey games or keeping other players safe in our favor.

Again, the only player that really hurts to lose is Despres. Not cuz of his toughness but because he's a good hockey player.

 

[WayneSid9987]

I wouldn't consider Chicago soft. Their forecheck is designed to swarm but not initiate contact, which leads to low hit totals. But they're a big, heavy team to play against.

They are/were far from a big, heavy hockey team.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

The best option is balance. Right now we don't have anyone who's proven capable of physically wearing down opposition defenses in the NHL. Plot, Sundqvist, or Farnham might be capable of that, and if they are, we're in decent shape on that front. If not, it's something we should address.

On defense, we don't have anyone capable of clearing the crease. Unless McNeill's ready for that this year, that's another area we need to be on the lookout to upgrade.

It's a capped league, and no team's perfect. But we could absolutely stand to add some beef to our line-up. I don't think we ought to dismiss that shortcoming simply by pointing out that Chicago's soft. We ain't Chicago.

 

[eXile59]

This is a dated concept. The most successful teams have not had overly physical teams.

And yes the Hawks are soff in the way it's being used. Talent and depth wins Cups now. Some people are stuck in the old way of thinking.

 

[Ogrezilla]

This is a dated concept. The most successful teams have not had overly physical teams.

And yes the Hawks are soff in the way it's being used. Talent and depth wins Cups now. Some people are stuck in the old way of thinking.

one guy to clear the crease like Seabrook is still very valuable. That's the one piece of quality physicality we may be missing.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

This is a dated concept. The most successful teams have not had overly physical teams.

And yes the Hawks are soff in the way it's being used. Talent and depth wins Cups now. Some people are stuck in the old way of thinking.

I don't really understand how the idea is dated. It's practically back and forth every year between physical and soft teams.

Further, I don't think anyone's suggesting we go into full Broad Street Bullies mode. But adding some muscle to help in specific areas would help.

 

[shureshot66]

So who will answer when Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin gets cheap-shotted?

“The power play,” came the quick answer from Rutherford, with a smile.

“That’s where you do it,” Botterill agreed right away. “Look at the rest of the league. Tampa. Chicago. Rangers. Who did they have taking care of that stuff? Really, it was just that they’d punish you with being good on the power play.”

That’s a fair point by both. If you recall the opening month of last season, when the Penguins’ power play was at around 40 percent, no one even breathed on them until they got to Winnipeg in early November and the Jets got all nasty.

“OK, that’s true,” Botterrill said. “But if you remember, in Winnipeg, it was Dustin Byfuglien and Evander Kane and the Jets’ high-end guys doing the instigating. It’s not like it was their fourth-line guys. So our front-line guys had to match theirs.”

Which they did, admirably, in the Penguins’ shootout victory.

But it’s unreasonable, isn’t it, to ask the stars to take care of themselves nightly?

“There are really only a couple of teams you have to think about like that,” Rutherford said.

Another fair point. So, the Flyers and … um, the next time you play the Flyers?

“We’ll be fine,” the GM added. “The game is changing.”

http://dkonpittsburghsports.com/2015/07/17/penguins-development-camp-toughness-anyone/

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

http://dkonpittsburghsports.com/2015/07/17/penguins-development-camp-toughness-anyone/

The most obvious question here is:

What if the refs don't call anything?

Because you basically had to shoot a Pens superstar to get any kind of call last year.

 

[WayneSid9987]

The most obvious question here is:

What if the refs don't call anything?

Because you basically had to shoot a Pens superstar to get any kind of call last year.

My answer would be: just don't whine about it and keep playing. Gain the respect of the referees back.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

http://dkonpittsburghsports.com/2015/07/17/penguins-development-camp-toughness-anyone/

Who the **** on the Flyers is suppose to be scary again? Rinaldo was a punk ass who was going to take cheap shots anyway. The ******* is gone so...

Who exactly are these big scaries on the Flyers they have to worry about?

It's all mental BS. Flyers are not a tough team.

 

[mpp9]

Who the **** on the Flyers is suppose to be scary again? Rinaldo was a punk ass who was going to take cheap shots anyway. The ******* is gone so...

Who exactly are these big scaries on the Flyers they have to worry about?

It's all mental BS. Flyers are not a tough team.

If Kessel does anything for this team in the regular season, I hope he lights that ****ing team up. Just play hockey against them. They suck at that.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

My answer would be: just don't whine about it and keep playing. Gain the respect of the referees back.

I really don't understand this idea that we complain to the refs any more than any other team. Has nobody watched how other teams complain about calls?

 

[Corvidae]

Chicago 29th in hits last year

Stanley Cup Champs

Skill trumps Grit any day of the week

But unlike the Penguins, they actually have some composure. A soft team that lacks composure is a very unique and terrible thing.

 

[M0NTY26]

Who the **** on the Flyers is suppose to be scary again? Rinaldo was a punk ass who was going to take cheap shots anyway. The ******* is gone so...

Who exactly are these big scaries on the Flyers they have to worry about?

It's all mental BS. Flyers are not a tough team.

Tell that to the officer Mr. Giroux smacked. Rumor has it, he couldn't sit down for a month!

 

[Terrapin]

http://dkonpittsburghsports.com/2015/07/17/penguins-development-camp-toughness-anyone/

Yep, it's deja vu all over again. I seem to recall the same smugness from Mario and Burkle after last years interview with DK. Worked out wonderfully

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

If Kessel does anything for this team in the regular season, I hope he lights that ****ing team up. Just play hockey against them. They suck at that.

Kessel isn't much for extracurricular ****. Maybe somehow the Flyers get under his skin, but he ignores that **** as well as anyone can in this league.

Tell that to the officer Mr. Giroux smacked. Rumor has it, he couldn't sit down for a month!

And Scooter looks like Jack Lambert!

Jack Lambert was tough! Killed QBs all dead and stuff because they wore skirts!

 

[Honour Over Glory]

http://dkonpittsburghsports.com/2015/07/17/penguins-development-camp-toughness-anyone/

It's why I want Sundqvist and Farnham to make it and if Biggs is healthy and shows he can play, rotate him in and out on the 4th line.

But a 4th of: Farnham, Sundqvist, Dupuis should be fun as hell to watch.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

None was added?

Again ignoring Plotnikov...

*sigh*

Also ignoring the chances of Farnham being a regular and Andersen added to the team, both bring snarl to the line-up in addition to Plotnikov. You don't need idiots on the team that will fight and just do that, finding guys that can do both and have them stay potent is harder these days, Lucic doesn't even fight that often anymore, which is why Boston was not willing to keep him around anymore, he lost that lustre of being a hard hitting fighter that could score.

Again, to the guy that responded to my post. You don't need an abundance of grit, you need some sprinkled in. The team has it, it just depends on a few guys making it to add more to it. If the Pens can stay away from responding to stupid stuff, they will get some respect back from the refs and the powerplay now has more wealth to spread around into the 2nd unit.

1st unit will have - Sid, Geno, Kessel, Hornqvist, Letang
2nd unit will have - Perron, Sutter, Kunitz, potentially Plotnikov, Bennett, Maatta, Dumoulin, etc.

 

[Your Boy Troy]

You can state that a powerplay is a deterrent; which can be at times. However, if a game gets lopsided on the scoreboard; what's going to stop a Wayne Simmonds, Tom Wilson, Matt Martin, Zac Rinaldo, or a Chris Neil from going after someone? Nothing. It's open season for this team. It's one thing to state that the team doesn't need an enforcer; it's significantly worse to even suggest that the team doesn't need to acquire any toughness whatsoever.

I cannot stand when people compare the Pens to the Blackhawks, or the Lightning to try to minimize the thoughts of acquiring toughness. They don't have the composure that the Blackhawks have. They've tried that method before and it hasn't worked. Not only that, but the Blackhawks and Lightning have some players who are not afraid to stick up for their teammates. Obviously they aren't close to being the toughest teams in the NHL. Although they do have a pack mentality; which is very important.

I'm not convinced Pittsburgh can be successful being a softer team. Balance is key. Having the toughest team is not necessary; having some toughness is.

 

[Penguinator]

But a 4th of: Farnham, Sundqvist, Dupuis should be fun as hell to watch.

Big Oskar surrounded by grit & speed with Duper providing extra goals.

Though 4th to play against, i like it. Farnham won't play a full season though, which is a good thing.

 

[BeautiPhil]

I don't care if we're soft. As long as we're tenacious, then we can be successful without being tough. With our core players, we should be structured as a more skill-oriented team, not gooning our way to a cup like LA/Boston.

 

[hooverdam]

IIRC, none of the new guys really had problems with the Flyers last year except for Downie, who had problems with everybody. Most of the shenanigans came from Letang getting messed with, Geno getting messed with, etc. Kunitz was the one who shot the puck at their empty net and made them all freak out like rabid animals. Scuderi had that (legal, surprising) hip check that made Voracek jump him.

It's the core with a Flyers problem, not the supporting cast. Sid at least stayed out of stuff, but he wasn't as productive as he's been. If the rest of the team would just get the core to play their game, we'd be fine.

I think teamwide hatred for the Caps is starting to creep back in though, judging by comments after those games.

 

[billybudd]

This is a dated concept. The most successful teams have not had overly physical teams.

And yes the Hawks are soff in the way it's being used. Talent and depth wins Cups now. Some people are stuck in the old way of thinking.

Kings have won two of the last four cups and they're very probably the most-physical team over that period of time.

Do I have to link to the post-game thread from the beginning of the year where as soon as the Kings went down they spent the rest of the game slashing Crosby on the wrist, hitting Letang 5 seconds late and sending guys to fight Malkin? People who were under the bogus impression that the Kings play a skill game were really mad when they were violently disabused of that notion.

If you go back to the Bruins win, 3 of 6 cups went to the most-physical club. The most-physical club in the NHL last year, the Anaheim Ducks, lost in a game 7 of a conference final against the eventual champion.

 

[WayneSid9987]

Yep, it's deja vu all over again. I seem to recall the same smugness from Mario and Burkle after last years interview with DK. Worked out wonderfully

Downie and Comeau took alot of really dumb penalties though and Sid/Tanger again had to be taught a lesson by the stripes to stop trying to show them up.

What they're saying is right but the stars of this team have to set the example.

 

[mpp9]

Kings have won two of the last four cups and they're very probably the most-physical team over that period of time.

Do I have to link to the post-game thread from the beginning of the year where as soon as the Kings went down they spent the rest of the game slashing Crosby on the wrist, hitting Letang 5 seconds late and sending guys to fight Malkin? People who were under the bogus impression that the Kings play a skill game were really mad when they were violently disabused of that notion.

If you go back to the Bruins win, 3 of 6 cups went to the most-physical club. The most-physical club in the NHL last year, the Anaheim Ducks, lost in a game 7 of a conference final against the eventual champion.

Don't disagree, but at this point, we're better off just trying to best surround Crosby and Malkin with talent and let them get us as far as possible.

We're not going to build another LA or Boston here. That ended in 2011.