OT - Pens and JR

[vegasgreed]

today is a big day in the nhl with it being the draft. not because of the players drafted, but the vets that will be moved today. memo to JR, don't screw up the pens for years to come today. please tell me all this kessel rumors is just that a rumor. we don't need 54% of our cap in 4 players. not to mention that kessel is a coaching killer. i hear he's demanding a lifetime supply of kfc.

when burkle and mario hired JR, it appeared as a head scratcher. fast forward a year, mario is trying to sell the team. looks to me like they were looking for a guy who they looked at as a "safe" play. longer this unsettled ownership goes, the worse it is for the pens.

another thing JR....not interested in semin...no matter how much money the canes eat.

JR's goal for the day.....don't screw it up.

 

[ratking17]

Agree on Kessel. There's a reason Babcock wants nothing to do with him. If I am pens, I take that cheap Russian to play with malkin for a million. But my biggest priority is to shed dead salary. However I am worried JR is going to try to leave a legacy his last year and do the Shero big splash

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

I don't trust Rutherford and think he was a horrible hire.

The ONLY way you can get Kessel onto this team, is if you move Kunitz back to the Leafs. This way that mitigates Kessel's salary somewhat, and makes him more like $4.5 million player. But why would the Leafs want that? Remember though, Babcock chose Kunitz on the Canadian Olympic team.

I am not taking about a straight up deal, but as a package of say a young Dman, Sutter, Kunitz and maybe a 2nd rd pick.

Still....not thrilled.

That being said, the Pens lost fourt 2-1 games to the Rangers, and last year's playoffs they lost in similar fashion. Those thinking the Pens are some high flying offensive machine who don't play defense hasn't been paying attention the past few seasons.

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

the general consensus in the Raleigh area when the Pens hired Rutherford was "seriously, why would a seemingly good franchise hire him?"

Alexander Semin is all I have to say.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

the general consensus in the Raleigh area when the Pens hired Rutherford was "seriously, why would a seemingly good franchise hire him?"

Alexander Semin is all I have to say.

That is pretty much all you need to say.

 

[vegasgreed]

More cities than just Raleigh. Semin or another dumb move wouldn't be a shock.

the general consensus in the Raleigh area when the Pens hired Rutherford was "seriously, why would a seemingly good franchise hire him?"

Alexander Semin is all I have to say.

 

[Dr. von Yinzer]

They're not going to sign Semin. Semin and Geno don't get along.

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

They're not going to sign Semin. Semin and Geno don't get along.

Not semin as a target..
I mean drastically over paying for a player who doesn't produce, crippling a franchise with an awful contract.
Semin may have got paid a million dollars for every goal he scored last year. And that's only a slight exaggeration.

That's the point.

 

[wbrpanther]

Not semin as a target..
I mean drastically over paying for a player who doesn't produce, crippling a franchise with an awful contract.
Semin may have got paid a million dollars for every goal he scored last year. And that's only a slight exaggeration.

That's the point.

So far JR hasn't done anything dumb because he hasn't done anything. I'm for somehow dumping Scuderi and Martin to clear some space to sign free agents and finally letting our young defense guys play.

 

[King Of All Message Boards]

Rutherford is a buffoon and all these assistant GMs they have can't be good either. They'll

So far JR hasn't done anything dumb because he hasn't done anything. I'm for somehow dumping Scuderi and Martin to clear some space to sign free agents and finally letting our young defense guys play.

Martin is a free agent and likely gone. Good luck finding someone to take Scuderi's contract. They'd be better off without Kunitz at this point as well but his contract is prohibitive as well.

 

[wbrpanther]

Rutherford is a buffoon and all these assistant GMs they have can't be good either. They'll


Martin is a free agent and likely gone. Good luck finding someone to take Scuderi's contract. They'd be better off without Kunitz at this point as well but his contract is prohibitive as well.

Yeah, some moves have been made in the past 4 or 5 years that have put the Pens up against it but I am definitely not for giving away our young talent chasing guys who may or may not help.

 

[vegasgreed]

One GM and 19 assistant GMs. Disaster.

 

[Dr. von Yinzer]

The GM you should be cursing out is the one in New Jersey, not the one in Pittsburgh.

 

[vegasgreed]

not entirely true. i agree with the thought on the guy in new jersey. the one here now sucks. we now know he was brought in as a place holder until the team is sold.

mark this down von....pens will never win a cup w/jr here. before you come back with....he has won a cup. ok, he was lucky once. look at the years and years of a track record as a gm.

we probably have already agreed in principle w/ the russians to make geno happy.

one other thing, david morehouse sucks as well. this opinion shared by many, not just mine.

 

[vegasgreed]

jr has been all over the map on who he is targeting.



According to Rob Rossi on ‪#‎TSN‬ Radio the Pittsburgh ‪#‎Penguins‬ reportedly offered their 2016 1st round pick + Derrick Pouliot + Chris Kunitz + Rob Scuderi for Phil Kessel. The ‪#‎MapleLeafs‬ declined.

as of now, the fat man is staying in toronto.

their was a heated argument between jr and his assistants. probably has to do with this deal or some other deal jr was going to screw up...

 

[King Of All Message Boards]

http://thepensblog.com/2014-archives/is-this-the-david-morehouse-era.html

More generally the fact that this team has only won one cup with 2 of the best players in the world is mine blowing. And it's not like there was no talent behind them. Something may be rotten in Denmark and maybe a sale will help.

This town has kissed Mario's behind as if he was some savior. He did what he had to do to try and get what he was owed by Baldwin (who was a buffoon of an even higher order). If that would have meant moving the Pens to Kansas City or Seattle or anywhere you can bet your sweet ass he would have. It just happened to work out they stayed here. I'm glad they did don't get me wrong. But Mario was out for Mario - not Pittsburgh - and I guess I don't blame him. Baldwin did shaft him pretty hard.

 

[OriginalEther]

="vegasgreed, post: 181236, member: 1476"
mark this down von....pens will never win a cup w/jr here.

I won't go that far, though I agree in that I don't have a lot of confidence in the whole organization right now. (though I think the manner in which they have lost in previous years is far more damning than the issue of "they only won 1 Cup")
Funny how things have changed.

I for one kept cringing every time I read about Rutherford desperately (for lack of a better word) wanting to make some sort of splash deal.

 

[Pittbaseball11]

Agree on Kessel. There's a reason Babcock wants nothing to do with him. If I am pens, I take that cheap Russian to play with malkin for a million. But my biggest priority is to shed dead salary. However I am worried JR is going to try to leave a legacy his last year and do the Shero big splash

My biggest fear with him is that he doesn't think the fanbase has learned from Shero's trade day "wins" (in the sense that he got the biggest name that casual fans recognize). They were quick to praise Shero previously but I don't think that would be the case with Rutherford, if he is indeed trying to placate the fanbase instead of doing what is best for the franchise's long-term success. The rumored Kessel trade would appear to be another instance of Shero's smokescreens, though.

Combine that with their adoption of the Steelers' philosophy of signing popular players to dumb, unnecessary contracts and they've done a nice job of squandering Sid and Geno's prime years.

They should've diverted their resources and invested in analytics as soon as the Blackhawks jumped in on them. Much like Butler under Brad Stevens and the San Antonio Spurs, their first mover advantage has been massive as the rest of the teams drag their feet.

 

[Dr. von Yinzer]

jr has been all over the map on who he is targeting.



According to Rob Rossi on ‪#‎TSN‬ Radio the Pittsburgh ‪#‎Penguins‬ reportedly offered their 2016 1st round pick + Derrick Pouliot + Chris Kunitz + Rob Scuderi for Phil Kessel. The ‪#‎MapleLeafs‬ declined.

as of now, the fat man is staying in toronto.

their was a heated argument between jr and his assistants. probably has to do with this deal or some other deal jr was going to screw up...

The next truthful thing Rob Rossi reports on the Penguins will be the first. I would take that report with a MOUNTAIN of salt.

 

[Pittbaseball11]

The next truthful thing Rob Rossi reports on the Penguins will be the first. I would take that report with a MOUNTAIN of salt.

It makes me legitimately sad how terrible the Pittsburgh sports media is at everything. I would love to be able to listen to podcasts or read a newspaper or something but it's nearly impossible. National coverage blows the local coverage out of the water. It shouldn't be that way.

 

[goalieman]

Pens 1st pick in this years draft was forward Daniel Sprong taken in the 2nd round ..... from the Netherlands but family moved to Canada when he was 7 years old ...... did very well in the QMJHL last season ........ looks like a decent prospect ...... supposed to be a very good skater, has a very good shot, high skill set, creative in playmaking ....... lacks some defensively but a very good offensive player ...... hopefully he continues to develop into a good player for the Pens.

 

[wbrpanther]

http://thepensblog.com/2014-archives/is-this-the-david-morehouse-era.html

More generally the fact that this team has only won one cup with 2 of the best players in the world is mine blowing. And it's not like there was no talent behind them. Something may be rotten in Denmark and maybe a sale will help.

This town has kissed Mario's behind as if he was some savior. He did what he had to do to try and get what he was owed by Baldwin (who was a buffoon of an even higher order). If that would have meant moving the Pens to Kansas City or Seattle or anywhere you can bet your sweet ass he would have. It just happened to work out they stayed here. I'm glad they did don't get me wrong. But Mario was out for Mario - not Pittsburgh - and I guess I don't blame him. Baldwin did shaft him pretty hard.

If Mario hadn't fallen into Pittsburgh's lap in 1984 the Pens would have been gone 30 years ago. Again when he became an owner. You can hate on him all you want but he indeed was a savior. Twice as a matter of fact.

 

[VJPITT]

when burkle and mario hired JR, it appeared as a head scratcher. .

After the draft it is apparent they are going to get as much money OUT of the team in the SHORTEST time possible, before they DUMP IT, in the LAPS of the CITIZENS of PITTSBURGH, AGAIN!

Remember what the Mayor Peturdo said. "The PENS are NOT leaving this CITY". He forgot to add, "AT ANY COST" ( to Allegheny County citizens).

 

[King Of All Message Boards]

If Mario hadn't fallen into Pittsburgh's lap in 1984 the Pens would have been gone 30 years ago. Again when he became an owner. You can hate on him all you want but he indeed was a savior. Twice as a matter of fact.

Didn't mean to come across as hateful. It just so happened he was the "savior". But I don't believe for a second he gave 2 craps where the team ended up when he became an owner. It's possible he slightly preferred Pittsburgh but he was after his money and he should have been.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

I want to give a shout out to Jim Rutherford and 39 member GM team for not making a rash move to make a move's sake. I think the fact that they didn't make a splash deal on a winger who would be questionable at best, and also drafting Daniel Sprong made this draft as successful as it could be given their situation.

 

[vegasgreed]

Wow is JR really bring the fat man to the Burg. He has a ton of years left on that deal.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

WOW. I cannot believe the Pens just pulled that off. I know people will be screaming THE FUTURE!!! but they were able to get Kessel without giving up Pouliot and Matta. Kasperi Kapanen may be a great player, he also may be a Beau Bennett. We don't know. And the #1 pick?? The Pens are protected that if they miss the playoffs the next 2 years, the Pens will not give up their #1 pick.

Great trade. Added an elite talent, ELITE talent without really removing anything from the roster.

 

[eyebugs]

WOW. I cannot believe the Pens just pulled that off. I know people will be screaming THE FUTURE!!! but they were able to get Kessel without giving up Pouliot and Matta. Kasperi Kapanen may be a great player, he also may be a Beau Bennett. We don't know. And the #1 pick?? The Pens are protected that if they miss the playoffs the next 2 years, the Pens will not give up their #1 pick.

Great trade. Added an elite talent, ELITE talent without really removing anything from the roster.

on paper great trade... in reality horrible trade... Yes Kessel has skill, goal scorer, but is a lazy malcontent... The pens have chemistry issues as it is , adding him may destroy that locker room. I would have persued Saad and not have needed to give up as much... Respectfully disagree.. only way I would have made this trade would have been throwing Scuderi or Kunitz in toronto ..

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

on paper great trade... in reality horrible trade... Yes Kessel has skill, goal scorer, but is a lazy malcontent... The pens have chemistry issues as it is , adding him may destroy that locker room. I would have persued Saad and not have needed to give up as much... Respectfully disagree.. only way I would have made this trade would have been throwing Scuderi or Kunitz in toronto ..

Or.....maybe Kessel is now really motivated and amps his game up even more.

 

[Dr. von Yinzer]

I have mixed emotions on this trade.

On its face and in a vacuum, how could anyone possibly not like this trade? We are getting an elite goal scorer without touching the current roster.

However, a big part of our problem in recent years is that we have traded away too many draft picks and young players. We learn year after year, after year, after year, that you need to have young players on your roster who outperform their contracts. You have to do that to win the Cup in a salary-cap system.

We have taken yet more candidates to do just that and traded them away after pulling off similar moves for most of the past five years. That credit card mentality has definitely caught up with us and it will continue to hurt us going forward.

At some point we are going to become really, really bad because of all of these shortsighted decisions.

That said, how many times are you going to have two elite players in their prime on your roster? Our future is now and contrary to what many seem to think, I do not believe that the Penguins are very far away from competing for a Stanley Cup.

I don't buy the locker room or chemistry issues. I think that's mostly being fed by local provocateur Rob Rossi, who has been caught lying time and again covering this team. He is honestly the most useless beat writer/columnist I have ever seen. I have no idea why people continue to believe anything that guy says? I think of him as the Penguins' equivalent of the Dude from West Virginia.

His scoops are always the most negative and/or alarmist position possible and it is almost always demonizing of Sidney Crosby.

What it really is from my standpoint is a desperate need to get everyone's attention and a willingness to say whatever it takes to garner that attention.

Over the past five years Kessel has scored more goals than any other NHL player except Alexander Ovechkin, Steven Stamkos, and Corey Perry. That is some pretty excellent company. And unlike those other guys, he has not had the luxury of having a legitimate first line center setting him up. His center for most of that time has been Tyler Bozak and occasionally Nazem Kadri - not exactly a Who's Who of NHL centers. Now, he will have two elite centers setting him up. He will have much more room than he had ever had in his entire career.

If the Pens are smart, they will use Washington's power-play set up and put Kessel in the Ovechkin spot on the left circle hammering home one-timers. Also, the fact that he is a right-handed shot will make that work even better. That should be very difficult for opposing teams to stop with Malkin and Crosby rotating along the half wall.

I will be shocked if Kessel plays an entire season and doesn't score at least 30 goals. Honestly, he stays healthy I think he has a legitimate shot at the Rocket Richard Trophy.

I do worry about the other side of the puck. David Perron is one of the most irresponsible defensive forwards I've ever seen and drives me completely crazy. Phil Kessel is said to be similarly poor in that regard. I'm not sure if you can put those two guys on the ice at the same time. They may each score 30 goals and somehow still be a -30.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

I have mixed emotions on this trade.

On its face and in a vacuum, how could anyone possibly not like this trade? We are getting an elite goal scorer without touching the current roster.

However, a big part of our problem in recent years is that we have traded away too many draft picks and young players. We learn year after year, after year, after year, that you need to have young players on your roster who outperform their contracts. You have to do that to win the Cup in a salary-cap system.

We have taken yet more candidates to do just that and traded them away after pulling off similar moves for most of the past five years. That credit card mentality has definitely caught up with us and it will continue to hurt us going forward.

At some point we are going to become really, really bad because of all of these shortsighted decisions.

That said, how many times are you going to have two elite players in their prime on your roster? Our future is now and contrary to what many seem to think, I do not believe that the Penguins are very far away from competing for a Stanley Cup.

I don't buy the locker room or chemistry issues. I think that's mostly being fed by local provocateur Rob Rossi, who has been caught lying time and again covering this team. He is honestly the most useless beat writer/columnist I have ever seen. I have no idea why people continue to believe anything that guy says? I think of him as the Penguins' equivalent of the Dude from West Virginia.

His scoops are always the most negative and/or alarmist position possible and it is almost always demonizing of Sidney Crosby.

What it really is from my standpoint is a desperate need to get everyone's attention and a willingness to say whatever it takes to garner that attention.

Over the past five years Kessel has scored more goals than any other NHL player except Alexander Ovechkin, Steven Stamkos, and Corey Perry. That is some pretty excellent company. And unlike those other guys, he has not had the luxury of having a legitimate first line center setting him up. His center for most of that time has been Tyler Bozak and occasionally Nazem Kadri - not exactly a Who's Who of NHL centers. Now, he will have two elite centers setting him up. He will have much more room than he had ever had in his entire career.

If the Pens are smart, they will use Washington's power-play set up and put Kessel in the Ovechkin spot on the left circle hammering home one-timers. Also, the fact that he is a right-handed shot will make that work even better. That should be very difficult for opposing teams to stop with Malkin and Crosby rotating along the half wall.

I will be shocked if Kessel plays an entire season and doesn't score at least 30 goals. Honestly, he stays healthy I think he has a legitimate shot at the Rocket Richard Trophy.

I do worry about the other side of the puck. David Perron is one of the most irresponsible defensive forwards I've ever seen and drives me completely crazy. Phil Kessel is said to be similarly poor in that regard. I'm not sure if you can put those two guys on the ice at the same time. They may each score 30 goals and somehow still be a -30.

Doc as always good stuff and lots to digest.

As for the mortgaging the future comment.....I really think that was fait accompli anyways, so why not accept this in 5 years and do what you can for the years proceeding up to that? I do think that the "in case of disaster break glass" clause that was included with the 1st rd pick was prudent, as it almost bit us this year. And getting a 2nd with Kessel, at least that helps us. We actually have 4 picks in the first 3 rounds next year, though no #1.

As for Kessel, well we know the Toronto media is like the NYC media times 4 when it comes to the Leafs. Kessel is not one who wants to be the face of the team. I don't know what Rossi's problem is, but his hard on for the Pens is getting way old. I don't care what he says. I think local radio shows give him airtime because he has almost become a caricature of a "reporter".

I like the trade. I didn't like it having to give up Pouliot or especially Matta. While I didn't want to give up Kapanen, you have to give up something and Kessel certainly more than mitigates the loss of what Kapanen could bring.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Some more things on the loss of "prospects", Pens draft picks. There is no doubt the Pens have backed themselves into a corner by not having sufficient young (cheap) talent able to come up and take the reigns and slot into key positions. That the Pens have had to trade assets (picks/prospects) for guys to fill this role. Some of these trades were good, Hossa, Iginla, (Neal was a hockey trade on both ends) some were not, Despres, Winnick, some were gratuitous and overkill Murray and Morrow.

But let's look at who the Pens gave up. Angelo Esposito. Joe Morrow. Ben Hanowski Kenny D'Agostino. All who have a grand total of 3 NHL goals, combined.

Simon Despres was a mistake. Beau Bennett is also another #1 pick (incidentally picked one spot after the Leafs picked Tyler Biggs who is now a Pen) and he has all of 10 goals in his career.

The traded #1 picks was 2013 #28 Morgan Klimchuk, Kaspari Kapenen, and 2008 #29 overall, the great Dalton Levielle.

My point here, it is not just trading way picks and prospects, it has been poor drafting. Outside of 2012, where it is apparent, Ray Shero was kidnapped, the Pens have drafted crap.

 

[vegasgreed]

yeah, our drafting in the last several years has been complete crap. maybe the worst in the entire nhl.

the leafs hired one of the best coaches in the game and they were desperate to get him out of town. the question is why? phil has a track record in boston and for the leafs as a cancer in the locker room.

this trade has high reward potential and high risk.

the pens are now beyond top heavy when it comes to the cap. an injury to a top guy or two and season is in serious jeopardy. we've had plenty of missed time since we moved into the new arena.

 

[Dr. von Yinzer]

What I keep coming back to here - and why I do like the trade - is the state of mind in which he is going to arrive. Just about everyone in the entire hockey world is taking potshots at Kessel on his way out the door. Everyone and their mother is calling him fat and lazy and a malcontent and every other pejorative they can muster. Who knows, maybe they're all right? Maybe he'll flop here. If he does, his career will be in serious jeopardy.

However, I don't care how talented you are, you don't get to be that good and have as much success as he has had in the greatest league in the world without having a strong competitive streak. People saying he does it entirely on talent alone have no idea what they're talking about. There is no question he has wondrous offensive gifts but the European leagues are filled with players odf similar such skills but who didn't/wouldn't put in the work to reach this level in the world's top league.

If I'm Rutherford and his management team, I sit Kessel down right away and give him the mother of all pep talks. I tell him that I've admired his career from afar for a long time and think he's an elite player in this league. I also tell him this is the opportunity of a lifetime for him. This is his shot at proving all his critics wrong and cementing his legacy in the game.

Further, I would make the point that his situation is a lot like the team's overall situation. Everyone has this group dead and buried as well - as an elite team capable of winning the Stanley Cup. Then I tell him, guess what? They're all dead wrong on both counts and you are going to help us prove it and we are going to help you prove it too. Toronto may not have wanted you but we sure did and we gave up a lot to bring you here. You are absolutely an elite player and we are absolutely an elite team...however, we have to work our butts off to prove it and that starts now. I'm sure you and Gary Roberts know each other well. He's downstairs now. Let's go chat with him for a bit about where to go from here.

Finally, Kessel is definitely a strange duck. He has also been accused of being a little lazy at times. The latter of those two things is the most troubling. However, this Penguins group is a driven bunch and he is going to have no choice but to bust his behind here or risk his own career.

However, it is important to note that Boston did not consider him to be a malcontent. They were worried his testicular cancer would resurface and wanted to sell an asset high. They ended up getting two HIGH lottery picks for him that turned into Tyler Sequin and Dougie Hamilton. That trade had nothing to do with Kessel's admittedly odd personality. It was more a case of Brian Burke feeling the heat in Toronto and overpaying for what he perceived to be a foundational piece for his organization.

Also, when the Toronto media call him a malcontent, I don't think they mean locker room trouble maker. I think they mean that he is frustrating for them to deal with because he doesn't like doing interviews and therefore often shirks that responsibility.

Personally, I don't care if Kessel does a sit down with Josh Yohe or Dave Molinari to discuss his childhood. I just want someone to open up more ice for nos. 87 and 71 and I think he can definitely do just that. The last winger Pittsburgh had who could create his own shot was Marian Hossa. That is a BIG deal for a team that already has two centers who can set up their teammates.

If Maatta and Pouliot can each develop their offensive games this year, and if the top nine forwards stay healthy, Pittsburgh is going to score a TON of goals next season.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Doc, others, not trying to convince yinz, because you already know. But people look at the Pens with Sid, Geno and Letang like they are the 85 Oilers. In their last 7 playoff losses to the Rangers (same team) they scored 1 goal in each of those losses.

That is why this deal was so important to Rutherford. You not just got a goal scorer, but a dynamic goal scorer who can create his own shot, create his own space, and open up things for everyone else.

 

[Jpripper88]

Doc, others, not trying to convince yinz, because you already know. But people look at the Pens with Sid, Geno and Letang like they are the 85 Oilers. In their last 7 playoff losses to the Rangers (same team) they scored 1 goal in each of those losses.

That is why this deal was so important to Rutherford. You not just got a goal scorer, but a dynamic goal scorer who can create his own shot, create his own space, and open up things for everyone else.

Agree. And really, at this point, with the "future" so heavily mortgaged, go for what you think could lead you to a title and worry about the rest in 3-5 years. At that point, I just hope the leadership knows when it is time to rebuild and maximize the value of aging stars and send them out for assets that give them a chance to get back up as quickly as possible.

The Kessel move definitely means they have to count on young D, but if they play well (and what really matters is the stretch run and playoffs because there will be bumps) the top 6 is no about as formidable as you can get and the 3rd line at least has options that could be really great if Duper comes back and Kunitz bounces back. That is about all you can ask for. Plus, they still have about $2-3M to play with to round out the bottom 6, even if they don't buyout Scuderi.

 

[Dr. von Yinzer]

I do worry about playing so many young D all at once but it is what it is. I think the Lovejoy/Despres trade is going to hurt more this year than it did last year.

That said, here's how I see the lines:
L1: Kunitz - Crosby - Hornqvist
L2: Plotnikov - Malkin - Kessel
L3: Perron - Sutter - Dupuis
L4: Wilson - Rust - Bennett

D1: Letang - Maatta
D2: Lovejoy - Pouliot
D3: Scuderi - Cole
Extras: Dumoulin, Erixon

That's a good F core and a decent D core...but they have to be healthy.

 

[goalieman]

I do worry about playing so many young D all at once but it is what it is. I think the Lovejoy/Despres trade is going to hurt more this year than it did last year.

That said, here's how I see the lines:
L1: Kunitz - Crosby - Hornqvist
L2: Plotnikov - Malkin - Kessel
L3: Perron - Sutter - Dupuis
L4: Wilson - Rust - Bennett

D1: Letang - Maatta
D2: Lovejoy - Pouliot
D3: Scuderi - Cole
Extras: Dumoulin, Erixon

That's a good F core and a decent D core...but they have to be healthy.

- First, I like the Kessel trade and I think it is a good trade for both teams ...... Kessel is the exact type winger we were hoping to get and needed to get ..... he not only makes the 1st line better but the ripple down effect also strengthens the 2nd and 3rd lines..... we gave up Spaling who would be a good 4th line player next season for the Pens but expendable, Kapanen who is a very good prospect and I think well be a good NHL player but I think the Pens were very happy to get Daniel Sprong in the 2nd round this year who they believe is a 1st rounder in quality and that eased the loss of Kapanen, and Harrington who looks like he will be a solid NHL D-men but Erixon who we got in the deal is only 2 years older then Harrington, has more NHL experience and is more NHL ready and has just as much potential as Harrington and we didn't have to give up Maatta or Pouliot...... Briggs, the other player that we got, is a former 1st round pick but has been pretty much a total bust so far not even producing much at the AHL level ..... still he is a young kid with good size and likes to play physical so maybe he will develop into a good 4th liner in the near future..... the Pens gave up 3rd and 1st round picks and received a 2nd round pick in the deal which hurts us some for the future.

- Second, I don't know how the lines will turn out, we'll have to see what happens in fall camp and early in the season but here is what I'm thinking at present ......

L1 - Kessel - Crosby - Hornqvist
L2 - Kunitz - Malkin - Plotnikov
L3 - Perron - Sutter - DuPuis
You could also put Hornqvist on the 2nd line with Malkin and Plotnikov and have Kessel and Kunitz on Crosby's line ...... all kinds of possibilities.

L4 - is a work in progress ..... I think the Pens are still looking for a center for the 4th line .... they want to pick someone up who is a veteran, good face-off man, is a good penalty killer, and hopefully has some grit ..... I also don't think Bennett is a good fit for the 4th line but I could be wrong ..... there are others who may fit the bill like Wilson, Rust, Farnham, Briggs, and maybe even start Sundqvist out on the 4th line (hopefully someday he will be a top 2 line player) .... they have signed a few other wingers recently and maybe some would be candidates for the 4th line..... in any event, it is easier to fill a 4th line then a 1st or 2nd line.

- Third, the defense isn't that young and the D-Men that are young are good and stars in the making ...... Letang, Lovejoy, Scuderi, and Cole are seasoned veterans ..... Maatta is young but played 78 games two seasons ago and 20 games last year before his surgery and if he is healthy should be our 2nd best D-Men (age is not a factor with Maatta) ...... Pouliot is young but played a significant number of games with the Pens last season and really improved as the season progressed .... he looks to be another star in the making ..... Erixon is 24 years old but has played to some extent in the NHL for the past 4 seasons and played 42 games in the NHL last year ..... he is not a rookie ..... Dumoulin played a few games last season with the Pens, he is inexperienced, but looks like he will be a solid NHL D-Men with time ....... we have a group of D-Men that are good puck moving players which is what the team needs .... I'm not so concerned about youth of the D-Men as I am of the ability to be physical in our own end. I will admit that losing Martin and Ehrhoff does hurt but hopefully we have the players to make up for them.

- Fourth, Fleury will be back in goal after having an excellent season (regular and playoffs) ..... it drops off after that so hopefully Fleury stays healthy ..... Zatkoff will be the backup and IMO is as good as Greiss with less salary ...... Murray and Jarry are developing and project as the potential goalies of the future.

 

[Jpripper88]

-I don't think there is a chance Perron is on L3.

-Definitely still need a L4 Center. Would be great if Sundqvist stepped up to be that guy, but it is unlikely and he still may be better off down a level just for ice time to prepare to takeover for Sutter next year.

-Bennett doesn't really fit well as a 4th line W, but we can't trust all those guys staying healthy, so having him as our #7 W is pretty solid. Unfortunately, the dropoff after that is just terrible.

 

[Dr. von Yinzer]

-I don't think there is a chance Perron is on L3.

-Definitely still need a L4 Center. Would be great if Sundqvist stepped up to be that guy, but it is unlikely and he still may be better off down a level just for ice time to prepare to takeover for Sutter next year.

-Bennett doesn't really fit well as a 4th line W, but we can't trust all those guys staying healthy, so having him as our #7 W is pretty solid. Unfortunately, the dropoff after that is just terrible.

I'm not sure if Perron fits on L3 either but I am fairly certain he doesn't fit on L1 or L2 either. He was playing on EDM's L3 when they traded him here.

I hope this doesn't come across as too harsh but Perron is just so INCREDIBLY BAD defensively and he is careless with the puck in the neutral zone - especially when he presses. He's also a step slow. I do like his skill and his tenacity - he really gets under people's skin. However, I was decidedly underwhelmed with what I saw from him last year. He doesn't fit this team well at all. Trading a first rounder for a guy who was playing on the third line of arguably the worst team in hockey was BY FAR the biggest head scratcher Rutherford made last year - including trading Despres for Lovejoy (which was also a really bad move).

If Kessel is nearly as bad defensively as many reports suggest then Perron simply cannot play on that line, period. Otherwise whomever centers those two will be a minus 100. Even a hobbled Chris Kunitz is a better option, IMHO.

As for Bennett, I'm not really concerned about him. He's just another guy at this point - like Brian Rust and Scott Wilson. I'm not convinced he's even an NHL player. I think they'll package him in a deal at some point and give him a fresh start elsewhere. It's not going to happen for him here. I'm told he's a really nice kid so I am pulling for him to prove me wrong but I just don't see the potential that so many others insist they see. I see a smallish, skinny kid who is weak on the puck and who has great hands but an average shot and average hockey sense. Basically, I see a guy who would probably be really good in Sweden or in the KHL but not as good here.