2019-20 Penguins and NHL Offseason

[Uncle Ben]

I hate to see the core of this team go but.... If attitudes don't change, they aren't going to win another cup. At the very best a 2 year window could be there. The attitude I'm specifically talking about was Letang's at his exit interview. Unwillingness to change your game after getting swept At least Malkin admitted he had a sub par year. Then there's the lack of commitment to a 200 foot game. All this can be fixed but teaching older entitled dogs new tricks isn't going to be easy.

I'm all for blowing it up but not just for the sake of doing it. Malkin in a bad year is still an incredible talent. Letang played much of the year at Norris Trophy levels. Kessel, well he just pisses me off. Trades are all about the return. If moving any of these guys makes the team better, then do it.

GMJR isn't done yet. I think the lowered cap may have made him pause. I am OK with giving this roster a chance. If it turns out lousy, Sell like hell at the deadline.

 

[Vader]

I hate to see the core of this team go but.... If attitudes don't change, they aren't going to win another cup. At the very best a 2 year window could be there. The attitude I'm specifically talking about was Letang's at his exit interview. Unwillingness to change your game after getting swept At least Malkin admitted he had a sub par year. Then there's the lack of commitment to a 200 foot game. All this can be fixed but teaching older entitled dogs new tricks isn't going to be easy.

I'm all for blowing it up but not just for the sake of doing it. Malkin in a bad year is still an incredible talent. Letang played much of the year at Norris Trophy levels. Kessel, well he just pisses me off. Trades are all about the return. If moving any of these guys makes the team better, then do it.

GMJR isn't done yet. I think the lowered cap may have made him pause. I am OK with giving this roster a chance. If it turns out lousy, Sell like hell at the deadline.

I couldn't blow up a team that has Sid on it while he is still in his prime. He's turns 32 in August. Malkin's almost 33. You don't trade stars like that for "the future".

I don't see Letang as a core guy even though I know he is friends with Sid and probably many others. My untouchables right now are only Sid, Malkin, and Guentzel. On defense you could probably add Dumoulin. I like several of the new guys but they aren't untouchable.

 

[JMM]

Excellent discussions, points of view, .02 cents and strategies for the future.

It would be awesome to be able to bend Mario's ear and get his honest evaluation of where he thinks his team is at currently and what needs to be done to once again make it a contender.

Maybe its just a matter of adding younger hungrier players to the roster. One things for sure when they were trying to win every game there at the end of the regular season and they called up a bunch of young talent to fill in, they played with a passion up and down the lines. Once the regulars were all back in the lineup, they looked dysfunctional and didn't care.

 

[Uncle Ben]

I couldn't blow up a team that has Sid on it while he is still in his prime. He's turns 32 in August. Malkin's almost 33. You don't trade stars like that for "the future".

I don't see Letang as a core guy even though I know he is friends with Sid and probably many others. My untouchables right now are only Sid, Malkin, and Guentzel. On defense you could probably add Dumoulin. I like several of the new guys but they aren't untouchable.

I like your untouchable list and I think the only one we disagree on is Malkin. Heck, if they can't find value for Kessel, they'll never find it for Geno. The simple solution is for everyone not named Sid to play more responsibly on both ends of the ice. Check the ego's at the door.

 

[Steelr4evr]

I like your untouchable list and I think the only one we disagree on is Malkin. Heck, if they can't find value for Kessel, they'll never find it for Geno. The simple solution is for everyone not named Sid to play more responsibly on both ends of the ice. Check the ego's at the door.

All the proper mindset. If you're content with what you've done in the past,then your future is pretty much going to be mediocre.

What people appreciate most is effort to win. That's what they pay for.The little things go a long way. As a fan i can always deal with losing when everyone gives 100% and will do whatever it takes.

Half assing leads to a whole *** of mediocrity. Way too much talent and experience to go that route

 

[Sarge]

Brooks Orpik retired.

https://www.nhl.com/capitals/news/brooks-orpik-announces-retirement-after-15-nhl-seasons/c-308042362

 

[MTC]

Orpik was always a big hitter.
Enjoy retirement

 

[Vader]

Good for Orpik. Always liked him.

 

[Uncle Ben]

In case anyone is interested. The Pens are live streaming the 3 on 3 tournament tonight starting at 7:00. The will be a link on the Penguins website (free). I've gone to see it the past couple years and it's worth watching to get a snapshot of the prospect pool.

 

[Uncle Ben]

Clark Donatelli resigned from his position as head coach of the WBS Pens for personal reasons. I hope is is OK. Maybe the personal reason is missing the playoffs for the first time in like 20 years. Shame because he had almost nothing to work with.

Pens hired Mike Vellucci to replace him. Being that he just won the Calder Cup with the Checkers. This seems like a message to Sully to get his **** together.

 

[SteelerFan448]

Word is Kessel is heading to Arizona.


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[SteelerFan448]

PO Joseph and Galchenyuk to Pittsburgh for Kessel and a 4th round pick per Dreger.


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[slashsteel]

PO Joseph and Galchenyuk to Pittsburgh for Kessel and a 4th round pick per Dreger.


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What are your feelings on this trade?

 

[SteelerFan448]

What are your feelings on this trade?

It felt like they sold low on Kessel, but I was also of the opinion to get rid of him a year early rather than a year late. The top guy back has decent numbers and you hope he can maximize his potential with the Pens. With a depleted system, getting a young, former first rounder back doesn’t seem too bad. Given it freed up cap space, I’ll hold off full judgement until O see what they do with the money. Also, Rutherford has made some bad moves in recent years to put the team in this position, so we’ll see.


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[Uncle Ben]

Galchenyuk was drafted Round 1, 3rd Overall in 2012 by MTL. He has the hands to score but has been playing for some lousy teams. He did score 30 in 15/16. Defensively he is adequate at best. The good thing is he is 25 and coachable. GMJR was all over him before he got traded to Arizona.

Pierre Olivier Joseph drafted Round 1, 23rd Overall by Arizona in 2017. A puck mover with not much of a shot. Supposed to be strong defensively. I would think he would be in WBS this year. He needs to fill out a little before he sees the NHL. This should move Kessel's money off the cap minus $4,9M that Chucky makes.

GMJR wanted Phil gone and now he is. I'll miss Phil but this probably needed to happen.

 

[Uncle Ben]

My thoughts on this deal.... Phil's time here expired just like it did in Toronto and Boston. He won't play the " Right Way" for the team to be successful. He is stubborn and hard to coach. The Pens will be better through the addition by subtraction. ( I hope). I agree that the Pens sold low but a player with a limited move is usually going to end that way. If Joseph turns out and Chucky is as good as he can be, the deal will be a good one. The Pens got younger and saved some cap.

That said, Phil came here a the right time and helped us win 2 Cups. He's quirky and that along with his scoring skill made him fun to watch. He played well because Tocchet spoke his language. He will do well in Arizona.

 

[thesteelcity]

I think the trade is good for both the Pens and Phil/AZ. We get two young guys back with first round pedigree and can maybe bring in a FA on Mon or Tues to fill a hole. I like Phil, will never forget his contributions to B2B, but this is the shake-up the GMJR has talked about. A lot of fans will be pissed, but they can't see the forest beyond the tress. They want to hold onto players too long because they have their jersey. Phil is 31 and they just brought back two good players to freshen up the team that is becoming stale. Many players are fat and happy. They need youth and hungrier players, Phil should do well in AZ with HCRT.

 

[JMM]

I'd feel bad about Phil moving on if he hadn't totally disappeared the past two playoffs. Later Phil

 

[jitter77]

Defense is being ignored and that makes me nervous. I was against moving Kessel. Not this year's playoffs, but the previous year, there is no way he was not hurt. I blame the coaching staff for even having him out there. In this year's playoffs many players disappeared. Unless Phil was killing team chemistry and this was an addition by subtraction trade we got worse on offense and taking a flyer on D.

 

[Steelr4evr]

Thanks for the cups! HBK.

 

[Djfan]

Jitter nailed it.

Bummer is that I bought a Phil jersey for Mrs. Fan last year. Now she gets another one.

 

[Sarge]

I still think Sullivan is the issue when it comes to Phil Kessel. If he would have just left Phil with Geno, I think the results are much different. I think the Pens got a decent return. Not great, but decent. The young defenseman they acquired is the main piece here. Galchenyuk put up 19 goals and 41 points in Arizona, so he can produce. I also read that he had substance abuse problems in Montreal, so here’s hoping he is past that.

 

[thesteelcity]

With the cap savings, maybe they bring in a dman. I've listened to interviews and it seems like they are content on D. Maybe it's fluff, but GMJR also said he wasn't shopping Phil, then he was, then wasn't and then just did. I think he's a gambler GM and is not happy unless he's wheeling and dealing. We'll see what happens over the next week. Like many has said, doubt that he's not done tweeking.

 

[Sarge]

I just read that the Pens are looking at trying to bring in Corey Perry.

 

[Uncle Ben]

I just read that the Pens are looking at trying to bring in Corey Perry.

Perry hasn't been above 30 goals since 15/16. Granted he was playing for the Ducks. He missed about 50 games last year with a knee injury BUT he was a 2003 Round one, 28th pick. Notice the trend. He is one dirty gritty son of a *****. At 34 years old, there goes the getting younger. In other words perfect for GMJR and not for Sullivan.