The Pittsburgh Penguins: last in the *East* after *9* games.

[BallardEra]

Honestly, it may be the best possible outcome for the Penguins. They are too old to win and this all may force the starting of the rebuild a couple years before planned.

They have a bunch on NTC’s but really no horrific contracts like some other aging teams. They have a few that can fetch a bunch at the deadline if this play continues.

Hopefully they start taking offers instead of trying to stay afloat.

I think the core all came back to take a couple of runs at it together. I don’t think they are interested in playing elsewhere.

 

[BillyOcean]

You are the one who feels pain. Does it suck.

18,000+ posts too. Yep you're one of them. Practically live and breathe for this sport and it's nothing but failure. That's tough.

 

[KCC]

Not surprising. I said they weren't a playoff team to begin with when Karlsson got traded (got dog piled on for it) but that if everything went right this year that they could scrape by as a bubble team. Too old, too many holes. But seems like the old guys are sticking together until the end so ride it out in mediocrity I guess and then blow it up.

 

[Hockey4Lyfe]

I think the core all came back to take a couple of runs at it together. I don’t think they are interested in playing elsewhere.

Well that can still happen while the team is transformed around them. Those couple guys don’t have contracts that are debilitating the team.

 

[Leaf Fans]

18,000+ posts too. Yep you're one of them. Practically live and breathe for this sport and it's nothing but failure. That's tough.

What do you mean? You claim that you feel pain not me.

 

[John Strachan]

Erik Karlsson coughed another puck up yesterday which led to the game winning goal with 20 seconds left in regulation. That's a "yikes" that's going to keep happening this season.

Hey, that‘s the reigning Norris defenseman of the year champion who managed to pull his team within 35 points of a playoff position last year with plays like that.

 

[TheAngryHank]

I should probably post something in this thread but not my style to kick someone when their down.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

I should probably post something in this thread but not my style to kick someone when their down.

You're still mad about 2009 bud. You think we Pens fans don't remember you?

Also most of us knew Sullivan was going to screw this team for an astounding 6th year in a row. We're not shocked in the least. You lot are for some reason.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

You're still mad about 2009 bud. You think we Pens fans don't remember you?

Also most of us knew Sullivan was going to screw this team for an astounding 6th year in a row. We're not shocked in the least. You lot are for some reason.

Because HF seems to think Sullivan is a good coach, just like they insisted Bylsma was even when Pens fans kept calling for his head.

 

[Harvey Birdman]

Pens don't play again til Saturday. Lots of time for Dubas to think about coaching decision

Unfortunately Fenway will most likely not allow Sully to be fired. At least not this season. I’d expect the earliest FSG will allow Sullivan to be fired would be if next season falls on its face also.

I would remove Sully. I think he is a talented coach that would go some where else and have huge success. He’s just hit his expectation point here and change is needed.

But after the extension and expressions in Pittsburgh media that FSG loves Sully. I highly doubt he is fired until like I said next season also falls on its face.

 

[orby]

I was more sympathetic to Sullivan than many Pens fans, but he's long past his expiration date in Pittsburgh. The squad Dubas assembled might not be a world-beater, but they shouldn't be struggling this hard. Sullivan's system has looked worse and worse every year since 2017-18, and the Pens regularly get clowned by teams they should wallop. His game plan is stale and he has no answers; Sully's gotta go.

 

[TooManyHumans]

Unfortunately Fenway will most likely not allow Sully to be fired. At least not this season. I’d expect the earliest FSG will allow Sullivan to be fired would be if next season falls on its face also.

I would remove Sully. I think he is a talented coach that would go some where else and have huge success. He’s just hit his expectation point here and change is needed.

But after the extension and expressions in Pittsburgh media that FSG loves Sully. I highly doubt he is fired until like I said next season also falls on its face.

Yeah, I don't think Dubas is free to fire him on his own. I agree that Sullivan is a good coach who has reached the end in Pittsburgh. It has been clear for at least several years that he has no answers with this team.

 

[EdmFlyersfan]

Old Yeller them

 

[nbwingsfan]

Where do they even go from here if they need to rebuild? Outside of Guentzel, who really has much value?
Obviously Crosby/Malkin do but they only leave if they say so.

At the same time, keeping those two plus Karlsson keeps them from bottoming out/getting good picks so it seems like there is a longgg rebuild coming for them

 

[HockeyVirus]

Dubas is not at fault for the results but is absolutely at fault for making the problem worse with Karlsson. Another expensive, too old soon to be cap dump to make things even harder. He's also at fault for giving Jarry that contract.

End of the day, the Penguins are going to be forced to rebuild like the Sharks. Sharks fans about to get revenge for trading the Stutzle pick by pulling off the same fleecing against the Penguins.

 

[GeeoffBrown]

if I'm a Penguins fan, I'm completely content with 3 Stanley Cups from this core. TBH I wouldn't want a rebuild until Sid retires. Like if you're a Pens fan, would you really want to see Sid pull on another jersey?

 

[Caps8112]

You're still mad about 2009 bud. You think we Pens fans don't remember you?

Also most of us knew Sullivan was going to screw this team for an astounding 6th year in a row. We're not shocked in the least. You lot are for some reason.

You're not still going on about the 76 playoffs are you? Oh... come on, O.C., that was like three years ago!

 

[dalewood12]

I think they pick up a bit of steam and compete for a wild card spot down the stretch. But this isn't, and never was, a team to get past the first round.

 

[NYRKing]

On paper it’s still a good roster - I mean at least better than their record imo. The ‘old guys’ are producing. A coaching change is needed if they continue to struggle, and there needs to be a fix in goal. Jarry stinks.

 

[CBJx614]

With Crosby on the roster I don't think you can count the Pens out of the race.

That being said, I don't think you'll find a single Jackets fan shedding a single tear for the Pens (hopeful) fall from grace.

 

[Headshot77]

if I'm a Penguins fan, I'm completely content with 3 Stanley Cups from this core. TBH I wouldn't want a rebuild until Sid retires. Like if you're a Pens fan, would you really want to see Sid pull on another jersey?

It depends. I think you can rebuild with Crosby. The contracts currently are staggered on the team. Crosby's ends on 2025, Malkin 2026, Letang 2027, Karlsson 2028.

I can't say this with any definitiveness but Crosby seems like one of those workaholic types that could adjust his game and play until his mid-40s. If he retires at age 43 that's 2030. Malkin and Letang will definitely not make it that long. Karlsson will likely be traded before his deal ends. I foresee us being mid-to-bad for the next three seasons. Malkin retires after 2026. Letang gets sent to Robidas Island for something. Karlsson is traded at 50% retention that summer and in 26-27 and 27-28 the Pens are Horror-bad.

Would a 43 year old Crosby mentoring a young up-and-coming 29-30 Pens squad be out of the question?

 

[Tripledeke333]

He hasn't been in Pittsburgh long enough to do much and is not free to do whatever the heck he wants to do anyway given the core. Anyone deciding that he has already failed in Pittsburgh came into this with a massive agenda.

I am not saying that he already failed in Pittsburg. I am saying that based on his tenure in Toronto, he was an epic failure and he has done nothing in Pittsburg to suggest that he will be anything other an than epic failure for them too.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

They’re a bit worse than I expected. But I thought that given that the stars are all one year older that the team would decline this year. So not shocked by their performance so far.

 

[Tripledeke333]

Hes a good talker, but an average gm. Hes nothing special, but he can do a good job convincing you that he is. Once the mist wears off you see the real thing. He has a lot of weaknesses and blind spots as a gm (just like practically every other gm). His ways have shown to not have much success, yet hes doin the same stuff in Pitts that he did in Toronto.

I remember when he was first named gm in Toronto and all the media would go on about how much out of the box thinker he is, how hes really good at finding undervalued players etc. But by the end of his tenure, none of that really ever seemed to happen lol. He had some decent moves, but also a lot of blunders.

I 100% agree with everything except that he was "average". He has to be bleow average. In all those years in Toronto all he achieved was one playoff series win, no serious cup runs, a depleted prospect pool and the team up against the cap.

 

[Gurglesons]

They’re a bit worse than I expected. But I thought that given that the stars are all one year older that the team would decline this year. So not shocked by their performance so far.

I wish the stars were the issue. Would make this a lot easier to stomach.