The Erik "Gudzilla" Gudbranson Thread

[ownal]

How many bad turn over goals will we average a game now?

 

[Peat]

I think the problem is he still looking for something he can’t get. He’s never going to get the result of stopping **** happening to his players and stars.

Reaves a 4th liner and top end enforcer was going to stop it. He didn’t.
Oleksiak would play more than a 4th liner and would be more likely to be on the ice with Crosby and Malkin. Wilson got him after JR honestly put the guy in a bad spot.
Johnson is big and tough or something. I’m sure other teams like seeing him on the ice and somehow Pettersson is more fighty than him.
Now Gudbranson will be another failure for that.
A blast from the past. Downie would be a deterrent because he was insanely and a nuclear option. Go to penalized a lot.


He doesn’t want tough guys that can play. He’s had those tough guys who can play, he’s only short trying a top 6 winger version since they brilliantly play Johnson so much and act like he can play. He wants someone to stop other players from being dirty against the Pens and that isn’t possible.

He better not **** up the 1st looking for his very own Wilson. Wilson also doesn’t prevent anything.

I think - I hope - that you're reading this wrong. Reaves and Oleksiak were repeatedly HSes towards the end of their Pens careers here. Couldn't stick. I don't think he's expecting perfect deterrence; he's looking for something from someone who'll earn a spot every night.

Or so I think and hope.

Don't think Johnson was signed in the hope of fighting either.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

How many bad turn over goals will we average a game now?

The number's gonna go down. You need the puck in the first place in order to turn it over, my friend.

 

[Andy99]

I think - I hope - that you're reading this wrong. Reaves and Oleksiak were repeatedly HSes towards the end of their Pens careers here. Couldn't stick. I don't think he's expecting perfect deterrence; he's looking for something from someone who'll earn a spot every night.

Or so I think and hope.

Don't think Johnson was signed in the hope of fighting either.

The good news is that every player Sully has HSed for awhile who’s not a young guy has been traded by JR...maybe he doesn’t get the message until then....so all we need is to convince Sully to HS JJ and Guds and we’re good...

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

I just don't get it. He took a successful formula, threw it away, and replaced it with a formula that HIS SUCCESSFUL FORMULA beat twice in 2 years.

In what world is that sane?

Not only that, but other teams saw that formula was successful, and modeled themselves after it. Now they are some of the most successful teams in the league.

W.
T.
F.

I was told there was a mandate from above to get protection for their stars in the summer of 2017, so I assume that was why he got Reaves?

Why he’s gone off the deep end beyond that I struggle to understand. I can’t imagine if that order came from say, Lemieux, he told JR to keep getting slower and more gritty.

Doesn’t sound like something Lemieux wants, given his own words when he brought JR aboard.

It’s bananas that JR went the opposite way, and even more frustrating like you said because others are following his blueprint and succeeding with it still.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I suppose that's where we disagree. I see the justification in acquiring a warm body to occupy a roster spot due to injury, for sure. This is a business and regardless of what we the fans think about the season following Dumo/Letang's injuries, JR's job is to win games and at least make the playoffs. He can't just pack it in and run with Prow and Trotman as his replacements for the remainder of a desperate and difficult push to the playoffs. But there were several players dealt that were cheaper, on expiring contracts, or simply better options than Gudbranson. It's the who, not the why, that I take issue with, I think. I don't think this was a "we need somebody" move, I think this was a "I want Gudbranson" move. That's what's so bewildering about it.

They wanted a tough guy to prevent their stars from needing to fight back and they needed some help on defense with the injuries. It's not too hard to connect the two.

I just had a thought for what JR's end game here is. He doesn't want a tough guy to "prevent the stars from taking cheap shots", he wants a tough guy to fight other teams if/when they cheap shot guys on the Penguins, instead of their stars fighting. I have a feeling that they don't want a "deterrent", they just don't want their good players fighting. That's why he wants an everyday player who can fight, he wants someone to deal with all of that **** while not hurting the team.

That's probably not right, they probably wanted tough guys to protect their stars, but I think he could at least justify it a little bit better if he used that argument.

 

[Hockey4Lyfe]

What about the next 2 years though?

Him or Johnson have to go in the summer. There’s no way around it.

 

[Bingo71]

What's he going to yell?

I suck, quit playing like me!!

Pull the old Orpik and call everyone else but himself out.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

They wanted a tough guy to prevent their stars from needing to fight back and they needed some help on defense with the injuries. It's not too hard to connect the two.

I just had a thought for what JR's end game here is. He doesn't want a tough guy to "prevent the stars from taking cheap shots", he wants a tough guy to fight other teams if/when they cheap shot guys on the Penguins, instead of their stars fighting. I have a feeling that they don't want a "deterrent", they just don't want their good players fighting. That's why he wants an everyday player who can fight, he wants someone to deal with all of that **** while not hurting the team.

That's probably not right, they probably wanted tough guys to protect their stars, but I think he could at least justify it a little bit better if he used that argument.

That's an upsetting angle. We've had those guys numerous times in the past, and it neither prevented, not reduced the cheapshots, nor did it keep our guys from jumping in during scraps. Nobody's going to stop Letang from engaging in a scrum after he sees his defense partner's head pasted into the glass. Letang's going to engage regardless of who is on the ice at the time. If a fan (albeit irrationally devoted/diehard fan) like you or I can see that, how can a man paid handsomely to run a team and evaluate things see that? JR's not Chayka, he's been around for decades. He's assuredly got a better pulse on his team and players than we do, yet he's still making these odd, shortsighted moves that accomplish nothing but waste roster spots, and eat up precious cap space in a time in the Sid/Geno era where those things are at an even higher premium than ever before.

For the record, I don't disagree with your assessment of the reasoning. I disagree with the reasoning itself. I've completely lost any and all faith in JR over the past year, year and a half. I'm no longer able to give him the benefit of the doubt or wait and see, as numerous moves he's made since Botterill's departure (interestingly enough) have been met with "trust the process" and "wait, let's see how it plays out" only to result in exactly the same outcome anyone with a rational mind could come to at the time of the initial move anyway.

 

[Hockey4Lyfe]

Obviously I can’t tell the future, I can only make an educated guess at what will happen.

We have way too much money tied up for next year. Salary has to be shed somewhere.

These guys on the backend of our D is main spot where any GM or armchair GM can see that needs to be shed.

If our GM doesn’t see this, during the summer, than yes, Mario needs to fire him on the spot, no questions asked.

But if he does get rid of Gudbranson and/or Johnson, Is it truly that bad? Let’s forget about Johnson for a second, if he gets rid of Gudbransons salary this summer, is this trade truly awful?

I think he 100% has to get rid of one of them. May be even both. It’s either that or trade one of our actual good players. He can’t be that dumb. And if he is, he won’t have a job and our next GM will get rid of them.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

I was told there was a mandate from above to get protection for their stars in the summer of 2017, so I assume that was why he got Reaves?

Why he’s gone off the deep end beyond that I struggle to understand. I can’t imagine if that order came from say, Lemieux, he told JR to keep getting slower and more gritty.

Doesn’t sound like something Lemieux wants, given his own words when he brought JR aboard.

It’s bananas that JR went the opposite way, and even more frustrating like you said because others are following his blueprint and succeeding with it still.

Someone upstairs asked for a muffin and JR bought a wedding cake, I guess.

 

[Gurglesons]

Obviously I can’t tell the future, I can only make an educated guess at what will happen.

We have way too much money tied up for next year. Salary has to be shed somewhere.

These guys on the backend of our D is main spot where any GM or armchair GM can see that needs to be shed.

If our GM doesn’t see this, during the summer, than yes, Mario needs to fire him on the spot, no questions asked.

But if he does get rid of Gudbranson and/or Johnson, Is it truly that bad? Let’s forget about Johnson for a second, if he gets rid of Gudbransons salary this summer, is this trade truly awful?

I think he 100% has to get rid of one of them. May be even both. It’s either that or trade one of our actual good players. He can’t be that dumb. And if he is, he won’t have a job and our next GM will get rid of them.

If you had to buy a house. Would you consider paying value for a new house than selling it for lesser value and getting a condo a positive transaction?

 

[Dangles78]

9 pages already and the guy probably isn't even in the country lol

 

[Hockey4Lyfe]

If you had to buy a house. Would you consider paying value for a new house than selling it for lesser value and getting a condo a positive transaction?

No, obviously you know the answer to that. But you are also infering that I believe the intial trade was a good decision.

Rutherford made a rash decision that was stupid on its face. I’m not denying that. All I am saying is that if he is able to get out of the contract this summer, and yes it will probably cost value to something, but if he is able to, than this trade won’t be absolutely horrendous.

 

[Gurglesons]

No, obviously you know the answer to that. But you are also infering that I believe the intial trade was a good decision.

Rutherford made a rash decision that was stupid on its face. I’m not denying that. All I am saying is that if he is able to get out of the contract this summer, and yes it will probably cost value to something, but if he is able to, than this trade won’t be absolutely horrendous.

Go look at the article I posted. He’s creating issues all the time with his trades and creating issues that eventually won’t be able
to be fixed.

Are you willing to lose ZAR or Simon to move Gunbrandson?

There’s honestly no defending it anymore. Rutherford is a bad GM that has been in the league long enough to luck into three cups.

 

[Hockey4Lyfe]

It’s like one of the very first life lessons we learn from our parents or from whatever situation you found yourself in growing up.

Everyone makes mistakes. You need to learn from them, accept the consequences and move on.

It’s either Rutherford accepts the consequences of Johnson and this trade or he won’t have anywhere to move on to.

 

[Hockey4Lyfe]

Go look at the article I posted. He’s creating issues all the time with his trades and creating issues that eventually won’t be able
to be fixed.

Are you willing to lose ZAR or Simon to move Gunbrandson?

There’s honestly no defending it anymore. Rutherford is a bad GM that has been in the league long enough to luck into three cups.

I’ve said it already. Gudbranson will be apart of the Kessel trade this summer. And yes, we will have to accept less than what we could get from a solo Kessel trade to get rid of him.

 

[Gurglesons]

I’ve said it already. Gudbranson will be apart of the Kessel trade this summer. And yes, we will have to accept less than what we could get from a solo Kessel trade to get rid of him.

Which is insane.

Moving Kessel was suppose to restock the cupboards. Now our GM has signed and traded for two contracts that will empty any cupboards we are able to fill.

It is a completely indefensible move.

 

[MrBurghundy]

Him or Johnson have to go in the summer. There’s no way around it.

And who's going to take them? And what for? We'll have to be bringing back salary most likely. Either that or we'll have to trade away other more valuable assets.

 

[Woodrow]

I think it will be to hard to trade Gudbranson simply because when we traded for him the entire hockey world basically said "ooooof Gudbranson is bad. That's a bad trade." Even idiot GMs had to have noticed that reaction to the trade.

Kind of a similar thing when Alzner signed with the Habs and he became unmovable.

 

[TNT87]

I literally just read a comment where a Pens fan said it was a great trade. He actually used that adjective. The only thing I can think of is that he must have thought the Pens traded for Erik Karlsson. At least that's what I'm going to tell myself so I don't think anyone can be that delusional.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I think it will be to hard to trade Gudbranson simply because when we traded for him the entire hockey world basically said "ooooof Gudbranson is bad. That's a bad trade." Even idiot GMs had to have noticed that reaction to the trade.

Kind of a similar thing when Alzner signed with the Habs and he became unmovable.

Didn't they even try to waive him with no takers?

Damn... it's like looking into the future.

 

[Shady Machine]

Nice to know you can tell the future. Want to share tomorrow's lottery numbers?

I see no reason to expect Gudbranson to be here beyond this year, based on the rest of the roster and the salary cap. So until he's here beyond this year, I'm not going to assume he'll be here. It makes no logical sense for him to be here past this season, so I don't see any reason to start screaming about him being here long term right now.

Okay haha.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Didn't they even try to waive him with no takers?

Damn... it's like looking into the future.

Source for this?

I think it will be to hard to trade Gudbranson simply because when we traded for him the entire hockey world basically said "ooooof Gudbranson is bad. That's a bad trade." Even idiot GMs had to have noticed that reaction to the trade.

Kind of a similar thing when Alzner signed with the Habs and he became unmovable.

If GMs make decisions based on how fans react to trades, they deserved to be fired on the spot.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I'm asking. I'm not telling. Because I don't know off the top of my head.