OT Pens GM Search

[Phillypanther2]

I would love to be in the room for the GM interviews. Based on Morehouse’s comments they still think they can win now. So does that mean they are only interested in candidates that tell them Crosby, Malkin, Letang are still one of the best cores in the league, and they can compete for the Cup with a little tweaking?
I surely hope that is not the case. I’m just afraid the best candidates will rightly tell them, that they need to start rebuilding because they have no chance to win the Cup anytime soon, and then those candidates will then be eliminated.
Unfortunately, it almost seems like the best case scenario, is for the top candidates to lie to them tell and explain what they need to do to win now, knowing it’s not true. Then after they are hired the team quickly tanks, and the new GM can say they’ve reevaluated the situation and talks Morehouse, Lemiuex, and Crosby into some form of rebuilding.
Of course I could be reading them all wrong, and maybe they’ve figured out that we need to start rebuilding, and that’s why GMJR is gone?

 

[HailToPitt725]

 

[JD1976]

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I posted this in the larger “Pens” thread, but Elliotte Friedman just tweeted that the Pens are negotiating with Hextall.

 

[King Of All Message Boards]

Wonder if he’d hire Robbie Brown

 

[BillyWestFan]

The Hex...first goalie to score a goal in the NHL with a direct shot...

 

[Phillypanther2]

Wonder if he’d hire Robbie Brown

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Love that video!!!

 

[Duneaux Harm]

What I love about a Hextall hiring is that he would have no soft spot in his heart for any Pens tradition of who sticks around or doesn’t. Sullivan might make it through the season but probably not past it.

 

[USN_Panther]

Wonder if he’d hire Robbie Brown

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He really should have attacked his own defenseman. That defensive play was criminally bad.

 

[CaptainMurphy]

What I love about a Hextall hiring is that he would have no soft spot in his heart for any Pens tradition of who sticks around or doesn’t. Sullivan might make it through the season but probably not past it.

How does he handle this aging roster though? Do you keep Crosby and try to deal Malkin and Letang? Would anyone really want them enough to give up anything decent? Such a tough spot. This team should probably be blown up if not for Sid.

But I do like the hire. Must irritate Flyers fans that one of their most beloved players is now a Pen.

 

[HailToPitt725]

How does he handle this aging roster though? Do you keep Crosby and try to deal Malkin and Letang? Would anyone really want them enough to give up anything decent? Such a tough spot. This team should probably be blown up if not for Sid.

But I do like the hire. Must irritate Flyers fans that one of their most beloved players is now a Pen.

Hate to say it, but we may be stuck in neutral in the short term. IIRC, he was against tanking as the Flyers’ GM. I’m not sure how you reconstruct the current roster. He does have an undeniable eye for talent, though, which will be crucial if we’re going to continue having mid-to-late round draft picks.

 

[CaptainMurphy]

Hate to say it, but we may be stuck in neutral in the short term. IIRC, he was against tanking as the Flyers’ GM. I’m not sure how you reconstruct the current roster. He does have an undeniable eye for talent, though, which will be crucial if we’re going to continue having mid-to-late round draft picks.

Can you convince Sid that you want to take a quick rebuild with the focus on 2-3 years from now? Otherwise the end of his career may look like Mario's....years of toiling away on a declining team. Or do you actually consider dealing Crosby eventually? Seems wrong to even say it.

 

[JD1976]

How does he handle this aging roster though? Do you keep Crosby and try to deal Malkin and Letang? Would anyone really want them enough to give up anything decent? Such a tough spot. This team should probably be blown up if not for Sid.

But I do like the hire. Must irritate Flyers fans that one of their most beloved players is now a Pen.

It’s already been said by ownership that Malkin is going to retire a Penguin (or at least that’s the viewpoint from Mario and Morehouse) so if you focus on Letang I do think he will be marketable to a contender. He’s a right-shot, PP1 defenseman who can play 25+ minutes a night, still skates really well, is a good locker room guy and has Cup-winning experience. He does have injury concerns, but near a trade deadline GMs tend to overlook that and overpay (see Rutherford, Jim) especially for someone with Letang’s resume. If Marino can shake off his so-so start and show that he is a worthy D1 along with Joseph’s continued development I think you could deal Letang and acquire younger, cheaper assets without going into full rebuild mode, which ownership wants to avoid.

 

[HailToPitt725]

Can you convince Sid that you want to take a quick rebuild with the focus on 2-3 years from now? Otherwise the end of his career may look like Mario's....years of toiling away on a declining team. Or do you actually consider dealing Crosby eventually? Seems wrong to even say it.

I’d have to think that Crosby is off the table if the rumors of Rutherford attempting to trade Malkin or Letang are true. Just doesn’t seem conceivable to me; he’ll always be our best chance at winning.

Speaking of Marino, what we have going for us is that, in addition to the three names above, we have young guys that we can build around such as Guentzel, Rust, POJ, and Marino. Our best bet is to hope that Poulin and Legare can contribute when they reach the majors and do a quick fixer-upper with the rest of the roster via trades and free agency. GMJR did a similar retool when he acquired Bonino, Fehr, Hagelin, and Schultz within a few months. I left out Kessel because I don’t see where we could make a major trade like that right now.

 

[HOF Coach]

 

[HailToPitt725]

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Over/under on how many fights our goalies initiate the rest of the season?

 

[HOF Coach]

 

[HOF Coach]

 

[HailToPitt725]

What I find fascinating about Burkie is that Morehouse emphasized how this team can still win Stanley Cups, yet Burke said in November that our championship window has closed. What gives? He must’ve wowed them with his plan to crack it open again.

 

[wbrpanther]

Love that video!!!

Fun days.

 

[JD1976]

What I find fascinating about Burkie is that Morehouse emphasized how this team can still win Stanley Cups, yet Burke said in November that our championship window has closed. What gives? He must’ve wowed them with his plan to crack it open again.

People on Twitter already posting comments Burke made recently. He said these things working as the top talking head for Sportsnet, which is the home of Hockey Night in Canada. He was paid to say his opinion, which is known by everyone in the hockey world to be unfiltered. I am sure he still believes that, but also probably presented a plan to keep the window open while still making some necessary changes.

 

[HailToPitt725]

People on Twitter already posting comments Burke made recently. He said these things working as the top talking head for Sportsnet, which is the home of Hockey Night in Canada. He was paid to say his opinion, which is known by everyone in the hockey world to be unfiltered. I am sure he still believes that, but also probably presented a plan to keep the window open while still making some necessary changes.

“A few more Canadian boys and some truculence should do the trick.”

 

[HOF Coach]

My initial reaction is that Burke and Hextall were hired to be change agents. But I haven't thought about how that will happen because after fans are permitted to attend again, tbe Pens will need to sell season tickets.

 

[HOF Coach]

People on Twitter already posting comments Burke made recently. He said these things working as the top talking head for Sportsnet, which is the home of Hockey Night in Canada. He was paid to say his opinion, which is known by everyone in the hockey world to be unfiltered. I am sure he still believes that, but also probably presented a plan to keep the window open while still making some necessary changes.

 

[Jakey_John]

Good for him.

 

[CaptainMurphy]

Hextall seems like a good hire. Seems odd that he'd need to report to another former GM. I don't understand the reasoning behind this structure.

 

[HailToPitt725]

Hextall seems like a good hire. Seems odd that he'd need to report to another former GM. I don't understand the reasoning behind this structure.

IMO, it seems like they want more structure/oversight in the organization after reports of Rutherford accumulating a lot of power over the past few seasons.

 

[CaptainMurphy]

IMO, it seems like they want more structure/oversight in the organization after reports of Rutherford accumulating a lot of power over the past few seasons.

Yes but doesn't that just shift power up to Burke if Hextall is reporting to him?

 

[HailToPitt725]

Yes but doesn't that just shift power up to Burke if Hextall is reporting to him?

I think Burke is going to almost be like a liaison between Hextall and Morehouse. I think Burke will be more like an advisor and talk big picture with Hextall. Then Hextall will make the transactions while Burke reports it to Morehouse. Could be wrong, though.

 

[HOF Coach]

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Wonder if he’d hire Robbie Brown

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I was at that game!

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

I was at that game!

Me too. That was hilarious.

 

[FireballZ]

This is amazing as a Flyers fan. I'd enjoy nothing more than seeing an all time great run the Pens right back into the ground. He was pretty much a disaster as our GM.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

This is amazing as a Flyers fan. I'd enjoy nothing more than seeing an all time great run the Pens right back into the ground. He was pretty much a disaster as our GM.

Yeah? Most of the guys the Flyers have, he drafted or acquired.
He drafted:
Travis Sanheim
Oskar Lindblom
Ivan Provolov
Travis Konechny
Carter Hart
Joel Farabee
Nolan Patrick.

Yeah, real bad job he did.

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

This is amazing as a Flyers fan. I'd enjoy nothing more than seeing an all time great run the Pens right back into the ground. He was pretty much a disaster as our GM.

Asking this not to be a smart ass, but to get a Flyer fan's perspective. How did he run them into the ground and how have things gotten better since he was fired?

 

[FireballZ]

Asking this not to be a smart ass, but to get a Flyer fan's perspective. How did he run them into the ground and how have things gotten better since he was fired?

Quite simply - always looking five years ahead.

It seems to be paying off a bit now with his patience with developing and stockpiling, but the rebuild was tedious and slow. Wouldn't make trades and wouldn't accept bad coaching hires.

He did well in LA, so who knows. I don't know the Pens well enough to know what kind of pro roster, farm system and cap space he'd be starting with.

Here's a good article outlining the pluses and minuses: Hextall

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

Quite simply - always looking five years ahead.

It seems to be paying off a bit now with his patience with developing and stockpiling, but the rebuild was tedious and slow. Wouldn't make trades and wouldn't accept bad coaching hires.

He did well in LA, so who knows. I don't know the Pens well enough to know what kind of pro roster, farm system and cap space he'd be starting with.

Here's a good article outlining the pluses and minuses:

Their farm system is barren from all the trading of prospects and draft picks by Rutherford.

 

[razzaba]

Wonder if he’d hire Robbie Brown

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5-year old me was at that game. I actually got Ron Hextall’s autograph from before the game (and quite a few of the other players from both teams... used to do that a lot as a kid). His pen/marker ran out mid-signature and my old man made some quip about it being an omen that his luck was running out. To this day he takes credit for that

If I recall, there was also a “hex towel” of some sort that was given out. I am pretty sure I still have it in a box somewhere.

 

[andypappas]

I was at that game!

Me too

 

[Phillypanther2]

5-year old me was at that game. I actually got Ron Hextall’s autograph from before the game (and quite a few of the other players from both teams... used to do that a lot as a kid). His pen/marker ran out mid-signature and my old man made some quip about it being an omen that his luck was running out. To this day he takes credit for that

If I recall, there was also a “hex towel” of some sort that was given out. I am pretty sure I still have it in a box somewhere.

For those too young to remember, that game is a reminder of what an unbelievable player Lemieux was. It was game 5 of a 2nd round playoff series that was tied at 2 games a piece. He scored either 3 or 4 goals in the FIRST period of the game. Plus he had been hurt in the 3rd period of the previous game and was questionable going into the game.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

For those too young to remember, that game is a reminder of what an unbelievable player Lemieux was. It was game 5 of a 2nd round playoff series that was tied at 2 games a piece. He scored either 3 or 4 goals in the FIRST period of the game. Plus he had been hurt in the 3rd period of the previous game and was questionable going into the game.

It's a shame that young folks may not appreciate how great Lemieux was. As I said in the pantheon of Pittsburgh athletes or sports figures, Mario is #1 and #2 should be blank because despite all the greats that came through here, no one is close.

The guy retired for 3 and 1/2 years, starts training for a month, comes back his first games scores 3 points then ends up scoring 35 goals. 76 points. Think about that. Projected over a full season that is 67 goals and 145 points. In an era where the NHL was defense, 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Put that in your Ovy or Connor McDavid pipe and smoke that. Retired for 3 and 1/2 years at 35, he would go on to score at a pace not seen since or prior to when Lemieux was in his prime. He was special, special, special!!