The Erik "Gudzilla" Gudbranson Thread

[Big Friggin Dummy]

I might prefer Gudbranson’s contract over JJ’s lol

Two more years of a terrible defenseman making $4 million a year, versus four more years of a terrible defenseman making a shade over $3 million a year.

I think you're right.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

We never needed enforcers to begin with. We won two cups on speed and skill and never should have gotten away from that. JR during that two year run never would have acquired the likes of Gudbranson, Oleksiak, Bjugstad, etc. It was all about speed and skill.

Serious question.

How many fights are there in the playoffs? Unless you are morons focused on the wrong things like that Pens/Flyers series a few years ago.

I thought that we learned that when it counted enforcers were less than useless. Most are in the press box or minors that time of year.

I guess that JR was drunk during those two cup wins and did not learn the lessons that the Pens taught everyone else.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Serious question.

How many fights are there in the playoffs? Unless you are morons focused on the wrong things like that Pens/Flyers series a few years ago.

I thought that we learned that when it counted enforcers were less than useless. Most are in the press box or minors that time of year.

I guess that JR was drunk during those two cup wins and did not learn the lessons that the Pens taught everyone else.

I'm a full-on, card carrying, tinfoil hat wearing supporter of the theory that Botterill actually ran the ship and was responsible for the post-Shero turnaround.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

I’ve gone from miserable to curious what Gudbranson can bring. I honestly could see him being a Cole like presence with Pettersson and forcing the Penguins forwards to play a tighter game. Will be interesting. Still hate the deal.

Ya whatever happens at this point I don’t care. I was more pissed JR bungled a good situation with Hags deal to this.

However, it’s done and I hope he does well. No point being angry about it anymore until issues arise this summer with the cap implications.

Getting Pearson gone gets my boy back up, so I guess I should be happy about that aspect.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Ya whatever happens at this point I don’t care. I was more pissed JR bungled a good situation with Hags deal to this.

However, it’s done and I hope he does well. No point being angry about it anymore until issues arise this summer with the cap implications.

That's it, really. Expect and prepare for the worst, but hope for the best, because his success is the Pens' success now.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

That's it, really. Expect and prepare for the worst, but hope for the best, because his success is the Pens' success now.

I suspect sometimes people want to be right to the detriment of the team. Ie JJ has been playing well the last few games... lots of JJ haters out there so are they happy or mad he’s playing well?

If Guds plays well will he get his due? I dunno.

I couldn’t stand ZAR, but he may be turning a corner and that helps the Pens, so I’m glad to be wrong about him. I’m still not convinced with him though, but I’m certainly not rooting agt him.

 

[Gurglesons]

I suspect sometimes people want to be right to the detriment of the team. Ie JJ has been playing well the last few games... lots of JJ haters out there so are they happy or mad he’s playing well?

If Guds plays well will he get his due? I dunno.

I couldn’t stand ZAR, but he may be turning a corner and that helps the Pens, so I’m glad to be wrong about him. I’m still not convinced with him though, but I’m certainly not rooting agt him.

I hate JJ. Happy with his game the last two games.

If anything my hate is on the FO for purposely putting themselves in cap hell when they didn’t need to. #4,5 and 6 Ds are the cheapest asset outside of wings in the league and we have 12.25 mil tied up in three.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

I suspect sometimes people want to be right to the detriment of the team. Ie JJ has been playing well the last few games... lots of JJ haters out there so are they happy or mad he’s playing well?

If Guds plays well will he get his due? I dunno.

I couldn’t stand ZAR, but he may be turning a corner and that helps the Pens, so I’m glad to be wrong about him. I’m still not convinced with him though, but I’m certainly not rooting agt him.

I think even in their own way, the people who are raking players over coals and ready to leap at their throat for the slightest mistake sort of do it because of their love for the team. It's odd, but minds have been made up that these players are bad and are hurting the team, and if/when they hurt the team, it might be one step closer to undoing the mistake of signing or trading for them, I guess.

I'm guilty of having preconceived notions about several players on this roster, but I'm never gleefully wringing my hands and smiling like Mr. Burns when they f*** up.

Who knows, man... Maybe Gubranson is a solid bottom pairing guy who brings muscle (along the boards and around the net, as opposed to the punchy kind) and JJ finally finds a niche that sees him play a solid game (for the first time in his decade-plus in the league, but hey ).

 

[Pancakes]

Serious question.

How many fights are there in the playoffs? Unless you are morons focused on the wrong things like that Pens/Flyers series a few years ago.

I thought that we learned that when it counted enforcers were less than useless. Most are in the press box or minors that time of year.

I guess that JR was drunk during those two cup wins and did not learn the lessons that the Pens taught everyone else.

There aren't really any and in the rare time there are it's fights between actual good players. Nobody will play enforcer types in the playoffs since they dont contribute to winning games.

I suppose I can see the argument to have an enforcer on the roster in the regular season for the rare game where you fear for Crosby/Malkin. Like if we had Reaves and only dressed him against Columbus or Philly and only in the regular season....sure I'm fine with that. I still wouldn't prefer it, but I could live with it.

But otherwise, they're just not that useful to have and in cases like Gudbranson will probably actively hurt you by being bad at actually playing the game.

I get why JR did it since Crosby and Malkin have taken some shots and get more shit than I would like but enforcers don't stop that from happening anyways. The only "bonus" to having a Gudbranson or someone like that is if our stars do get hurt they can try and exact some vengeance. But I don't give a crap about vengeance. Say we had Gudbranson during the Flyers game. Dumo and Letang still get hurt and then Gudbranson maybe spends part of the game trying to throw big hits of his own. Maybe let's say he gets Giroux. Great. He paid the Flyers back. But who cares? They aren't making the playoffs, and Gudbranson braining Giroux does not bring Letang and Dumoulin back, and I don't believe it deters future hits either.

The best revenge is and has always been on the score board and they way to get that is by having good players and not wasting spots on goons.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

I think even in their own way, the people who are raking players over coals and ready to leap at their throat for the slightest mistake sort of do it because of their love for the team. It's odd, but minds have been made up that these players are bad and are hurting the team, and if/when they hurt the team, it might be one step closer to undoing the mistake of signing or trading for them, I guess.

I'm guilty of having preconceived notions about several players on this roster, but I'm never gleefully wringing my hands and smiling like Mr. Burns when they **** up.

Who knows, man... Maybe Gubranson is a solid bottom pairing guy who brings muscle (along the boards and around the net, as opposed to the punchy kind) and JJ finally finds a niche that sees him play a solid game (for the first time in his decade-plus in the league, but hey ).

I don’t think I’ve ever had preconceived notions about a player, as I prefer to watch them first, then decide. However, I have dug in my heels with my opinion enough times after watching a guy.

I never was bothered being wrong though, because pro scouts who do this for a living are wrong more than they are right, but mostly, again, if I’m wrong on a guy I dislike it means he’s helping the Pens.

 

[Empoleon8771]

@Empoleon8771

In Mackey's chat today, he did not say that Gudbranson was a "rental" (as you put it).

Thanks, I hate it

I can't wait to see Maatta traded for futures and a Johnson-Schultz 2nd pair and a Pettersson-Gudbranson 3rd pair. I'm fine with one of those pairs, but why both?

 

[Pancakes]

Thanks, I hate it

I can't wait to see Maatta traded for futures and a Johnson-Schultz 2nd pair and a Pettersson-Gudbranson 3rd pair. I'm fine with one of those pairs, but why both?

I wouldn't read too much into that. JR has shown a willingness to move players he has only recently acquired if they don't pan out. Look at Sheahan and Brassard.

If Gudbranson stinks he'll get flipped next year.

Of course if JR keeps throwing shit at the wall like this he'll be getting flipped himself by Mario before long.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

I wouldn't read too much into that. JR has shown a willingness to move players he has only recently acquired if they don't pan out. Look at Sheahan and Brassard.

If Gudbranson stinks he'll get flipped next year.

Of course if JR keeps throwing **** at the wall like this he'll be getting flipped himself by Mario before long.

I agree with the first part, but how often does he talk up guys like JJ and Gudbranson? These are guys are players he specifically went after, calling them his guys, saying he's wanted each for a long time, etc.

Makes me think they're here for their full contracts, assuming JR isn't fired before then.

 

[TooManyHumans]

Wilson never took any bad runs when Reaves was a Pen. I’m sure that would have changed in the playoffs, but there was still value in that.

Wilson certainly won’t stop taking dirty cheapshots now with Gudbranson there. I’m just saying he won’t be able to do it all game long and skate past the Pens bench laughing at them because their toughest guy was like, Kunitz and ****.

Now he will have to answer for those hits. Does it matter? A little I guess... better than nothing.

It would make watching our guys get run a little less annoying if we then got to see their guys get run. Not sure it really helps anything from a perspective of winning games though.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

It would make watching our guys get run a little less annoying if we then got to see their guys get run. Not sure it really helps anything from a perspective of winning games though.

When do you remember Reaves running anyone in response to a cheap hit? Mostly I remember him politely challenging them to fight, them more often than not saying no thank you, and him saying 'ok then'.

 

[Peat]

We never needed enforcers to begin with. We won two cups on speed and skill and never should have gotten away from that. JR during that two year run never would have acquired the likes of Gudbranson, Oleksiak, Bjugstad, etc. It was all about speed and skill.

Bjugstad is just the premium version of Eric Fehr and by premium I mean faster and handsier as well as bigger. Oleksiak isn't that different from Cole except for IQ - he may have even been faster.


There's been a change but its not all that different.

 

[TooManyHumans]

When do you remember Reaves running anyone in response to a cheap hit? Mostly I remember him politely challenging them to fight, them more often than not saying no thank you, and him saying 'ok then'.

Yeah, that was the flaw with Reaves as an enforcer. He was too nice and respectful. If we are going to bother with having one (something I do not think is necessary) then our enforcer needs to be a maniac with no regard for fellow human beings.

 

[WayneSid9987]

Watched a bunch of extended highlights of Canuck games from the start of this season cuz some Nuck fans itt said he a good opening stretch and i'm in the same boat as Pixies now that i'm more curious now vs miserable with Guds.

I know Rig was a big dummy and softie in his own end of the rink and theres a chance Guds uses his size and reach better with the added bonus of being right handed vs left.

 

[Turin]

Bjugstad is just the premium version of Eric Fehr and by premium I mean faster and handsier as well as bigger. Oleksiak isn't that different from Cole except for IQ - he may have even been faster.


There's been a change but its not all that different.

Cole was way better than Oleksiak. Reaves, Oleksiak, Johnson and Gudbranson would have never made the 2016 Pens. Having Johnson in the Daley spot makes the biggest difference. Having Gudbranson in the Lovejoy spot now will probably make an even bigger difference..

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I can't decide if my favorite part of this acquisition are the Canucks fans coming in here every couple of days to celebrate or the contingent of Penguins fans that keep assuring us that we'll never suffer a cheapshot again if we'd just field a whole roster of these meatheads.

You can't win without them, you know. Except that whole B2B Stanley Cup thing.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

I can't decide if my favorite part of this acquisition are the Canucks fans coming in here every couple of days to celebrate or the contingent of Penguins fans that keep assuring us that we'll never suffer a cheapshot again if we'd just field a whole roster of these meatheads.

You can't win without them, you know. Except that whole B2B Stanley Cup thing.

Shhhh you.

They are just coming in to give us a scouting report on him. I asked and they assured me that was it, not gloating.

 

[Peat]

Cole was way better than Oleksiak. Reaves, Oleksiak, Johnson and Gudbranson would have never made the 2016 Pens. Having Johnson in the Daley spot makes the biggest difference. Having Gudbranson in the Lovejoy spot now will probably make an even bigger difference..

Well yeah he was, and 90% of that was IQ. The other 10% was his pass. Speed and shot, Oleksiak had him beat.

And yeah, Oleksiak wouldn't have made the '16 Pens, but that's because he wasn't good enough, not that he couldn't skate.

You're damn right that Johnson and Gudbranson instead of Daley and Lovejoy makes a big difference. An utterly rancid difference.

 

[Riptide]

I hate JJ. Happy with his game the last two games.

If anything my hate is on the FO for purposely putting themselves in cap hell when they didn’t need to. #4,5 and 6 Ds are the cheapest asset outside of wings in the league and we have 12.25 mil tied up in three.

I disagree that a #4 is one of the cheapest assets in the league to obtain/retain. As for a 5/6, I think it depends on the quality of the D in question as not all are equal. You can get a 5/6D who are competent and cheap 5/6D. However not all of those are guys who you want to play in an elevated role under any circumstances. JJ is that type who can play a larger role (although he's only been decent/okay there in about half his games for us this season), and as such you pay more for him then you do someone else who can fill that 5/6 role but you do not want playing higher then that under any circumstances.

As for the expensive blueline, I think to an extent the outcry here is overblown. Is Gudbranson at 4m an overpaid #6D? Sure. However given that we know some sort of change will come to the blueline this summer given that we will need to shed 2-3m of salary to sign our RFAs, I'm not going to get that worked up about what Maatta, Johnson and Gudbrason are getting paid until I see how the summer pans out. Changes will happen, so lets see what that is before freaking out. But given the shit and abuse that Maatta has received here over the years (even after good seasons), I'm not sure that minor changes to the blueline (which is what I'd label only 1 of those 3 getting moved) would move the needle for anyone as most already have their mind already made up.

 

[Riptide]

When do you remember Reaves running anyone in response to a cheap hit? Mostly I remember him politely challenging them to fight, them more often than not saying no thank you, and him saying 'ok then'.

While I agree with this, I do think that we saw a lot less shit last season while Reaves was still here then what we've seen much of this season and much of the seasons prior to last season.

 

[Gurglesons]

I disagree that a #4 is one of the cheapest assets in the league to obtain/retain. As for a 5/6, I think it depends on the quality of the D in question as not all are equal. You can get a 5/6D who are competent and cheap 5/6D. However not all of those are guys who you want to play in an elevated role under any circumstances. JJ is that type who can play a larger role (although he's only been decent/okay there in about half his games for us this season), and as such you pay more for him then you do someone else who can fill that 5/6 role but you do not want playing higher then that under any circumstances.

As for the expensive blueline, I think to an extent the outcry here is overblown. Is Gudbranson at 4m an overpaid #6D? Sure. However given that we know some sort of change will come to the blueline this summer given that we will need to shed 2-3m of salary to sign our RFAs, I'm not going to get that worked up about what Maatta, Johnson and Gudbrason are getting paid until I see how the summer pans out. Changes will happen, so lets see what that is before freaking out. But given the **** and abuse that Maatta has received here over the years (even after good seasons), I'm not sure that minor changes to the blueline (which is what I'd label only 1 of those 3 getting moved) would move the needle for anyone as most already have their mind already made up.

Do you consider Jensen a top four D? Kempny, Hainsey, Schultz, etc.