Sarcasm font
- usethe1-2-2

But everything you said was true?!?

No it was a gigantic picture, took up the whole thread; it was funny; it may have crossed the line but it wasn't offensive.
- nbartley9

I missed it. He was here for literally 3 days. He will be back right around training camp

The Sutter name is about fundamental play, tight checking, and timely scoring. Not glitzy point totals.

Sutter isn't being paid 2nd line money, unless he got a raise to 5 or 6 mil a year.

And he's far outproducing any 4th line center in the league.

So I take it back, one thing was right - Sutter plays on the 3rd line.
- hardnosed

Do you think that Sutter does these things?

I watch 2-3 games a night, and I will tell you this he is the worst, most ineffective, passionless hockey player in the entire league. I would gladly pay his cap hit and let him walk for nothing; you will find out when he is gone the negative effect he is having on this club.

Lots of new usernames today
- nbartley9

FTFY.

Guaranteed these are folks (or one dude agreeing with himself?) we know already.

No it was a gigantic picture, took up the whole thread; it was funny; it may have crossed the line but it wasn't offensive.
- nbartley9

Honestly, if you get mad someone posts a picture of you then you have issues. Does he ban people in real life that see him too?

Really? It's Sutter (and probably Spalings too in your mind) shortcomings and over spending that's killing this team? All 1-2M that MIGHT be overspent????

Here are the Islanders (below)...ahead of us in the standings and OWNING US during the regular season so far...why?

Because they have better depth via corsi and fenwick numbers?

There's only a couple of other teams in the NHL that has as similar TWO FORWARD STUD model...the Blackhawks being the one team that most closely resembles the Penguins in terms of money spent and where (two high priced forwards...big money on D and in goal).

We all know they are in a world of hurt with salary come next year when Kane and Toews get paid like Malkin and Crosby. Can't afford all that DEPTH...when you pay that big money to so few players.

So either those big guys earn their big pay...or you divide the riches among more able bodied players you acquire by changing the model...right?

The reason the Penguins suffer the same problems now as they did before is because they keep Malkin and Crosby. Which is fine to me if you get $20M worth of performance out of them. And when Malkin and Crosby don't play like the 1st and second best players in the league...this team can't win a cup as constructed.

It's that simple to me.

This team is ahead of us in the standings...

John Tavares
Kyle Okposo
Ryan Strome
Brock Nelson
Frans Nielsen
Johnny Boychuk
Josh Bailey
Nick Leddy
Anders Lee
Nikolay Kulemin
Mikhail Grabovski
Travis Hamonic
Thomas Hickey
Lubomir Visnovsky
Cal Clutterbuck
Calvin de Haan
Casey Cizikas
Matt Martin
Michael Grabner
Brian Strait
Matt Donovan
Cory Conacher
Colin McDonald
Griffin Reinhart
Eric Boulton
Harry Zolnierczyk
- icedog97

Nope, we have better depth and better players through the line up.

FTFY.

Guaranteed these are folks (or one dude agreeing with himself?) we know already.
- hardnosed

Haha I never thought of that, seriously if true that would be really funny.

Wow. That's what you got out of that?!?
- hardnosed

Why not? Everytime somebody criticizes the 4th line, you respond with something along the lines of "if the Pens are relying on the 4th line to carry the offense then they are in trouble." Because apparently criticizing them for being bad NHL players is the same as saying they should be carrying the offensive load.

Crosby and Malkin are not the problem with this team. They are two of the best players in the world, but you can't expect them to carry the team every night of the season. Especially if you are of the mindset that the Playoffs is what matters. Do you really want those two burning themselves out the entire season for a few more points?

Literally not one portion of that sentence makes any sense.
- hardnosed

I'll break it down for you piece by piece then.

He is overrated due to his last name. He was the 11th overall pick in 2007 for that reason and has not developed at all since he came into the league. Yet many, like yourself most likely, still believe he is a capable #3 center. His salary is half a million less than what Perron, Kunitz, and Dupuis earn. Comparably, 2014 free agents such as Perreault and Richards were paid less and are vastly superior players. He plays as a 3rd line center and in >18 minutes/game which is unfortunate given how poorly he plays. His results are 4th line quality and speak for themselves and you are welcome to challenge that conclusion. The only evidence anyone has of Sutter being a capable player is when he had a ridiculously high PDO (103) centering Jokinen and Neal for a major portion of the NYR series. He was pathetic in the 2013 playoffs. I don't think Sutter passes the eye or data test.

How is Winnik a better overall player exactly? Advanced stats BS?
- hardnosed

4 goals and 16 assists, a +12 on a team that is -12 on the season. How is he worse?
He kills penalties and plays a more physical game. He is a better center for this team than Sutter and has a better cap hit.

Honestly, if you get mad someone posts a picture of you then you have issues. Does he ban people in real life that see him too?
- znagle

Well this is the problem having a blogger that used to be a cocky poster, it just doesn't work; all this crap stems from when he was a poster.

Holier than thou attitude gets old quick.

Nope, we have better depth and better players through the line up.
- Cptmjl

Your forward core is sick. Years of building that thing is paying off. Hopefully you guys get through the Okposso injury, seem to hit a mid season snag like us recently.

Nope, we have better depth and better players through the line up.
- Cptmjl

Hey winning a few regular season games in December and January doesn't mean a thing; lets revisit this in a few months.

Honestly, if you get mad someone posts a picture of you then you have issues. Does he ban people in real life that see him too?
- znagle

Perhaps this blogger should have used that opportunity to plug his Twitter account, since it was his avatar last month...possibly even lately.

I think this new jk guy is Killian. I can sense the hostility

I think this new jk guy is Killian. I can sense the hostility
- Topshelf Mountain

I've never posted on here before. I'm just bored at work and want to make sure my antipathy for Sutter is expressed in every forum I can find.

Perhaps this blogger should have used that opportunity to plug his Twitter account, since it was his avatar last month...possibly even lately.

I think this new jk guy is Killian. I can sense the hostility
- Topshelf Mountain

Trust me, its not; unless he didn't tell me about it.

Hey winning a few regular season games in December and January doesn't mean a thing; lets revisit this in a few months.
- nbartley9

No problem. Hopefully we can!

I've never posted on here before. I'm just bored at work and want to make sure my antipathy for Sutter is expressed in every forum I can find.
- jfkst1

Now I believe ya, I think maybe. I don't recall Killian having antipathy in his vocabulary here.

So we all want the 3rd and 4th lines improved.

We don't have many draft picks to move in the next 2 seasons.

Even if we had them, we don't have any cap space.

Most folks on these boards don't want to move 58 or 71 to return multiple assets.

We have really few tradable assets on the big club (most are one of untradeable, suck, pending UFA's).

We have nothing in WBS coming any time soon.

So, what to do?

Unless GMJR is willing to move a core piece and get multiple assets back or if he can somehow convince some other GM to accept one of our current 3/4 line players and give us a better one coming back, I guess we kinda f'd. You're not trading Despres, DP for 3/4 line depth.

Is it sinking in now gang? Not much that can be done this year unless a core piece is moved.
- 87_71_11_29

If you are trading Malkin and Letang to improve your third and fourth lines, you are doing it wrong.

Especially when those lines could be easily improved through free agency. Especially that fourth line.

Also I just want to point out that the Islanders 3rd and 4th lines make the Penguins look terrible. The Martin-Czikas-Clutterbuck line makes the Adams-Lapierre-Sill line look like a beer league unit.

Your forward core is sick. Years of building that thing is paying off. Hopefully you guys get through the Okposso injury, seem to hit a mid season snag like us recently.
- usethe1-2-2

It's not just Okposo unfortunately we lost Grabs and Clutter now too. Okposo is a loss but our depth should hold us together . The kids like Strome and Nelson are in a rut right now too once they straighten out it should get better.... Hopefully.

If you are trading Malkin and Letang to improve your third and fourth lines, you are doing it wrong.

Especially when those lines could be easily improved through free agency. Especially that fourth line.

Also I just want to point out that the Islanders 3rd and 4th lines make the Penguins look terrible. The Martin-Czikas-Clutterbuck line makes the Adams-Lapierre-Sill line look like a beer league unit.
- Ben37

Adams and Sill will be watching from the press box pretty soon, Comeau and whoever takes Bennett's spot will have a very nice trickle down effect for our 4th line, Downie-Lapps-Spaling is just as good if not better than M-C-C

The Penguins have a route to get back to cup contender. The cap improves significantly next year for the Penguins. The strength of the Penguins is the lack of bad contracts and in some cases like Letang its starting to look like a really good contract.

We will need to be healthy next year. If we resign Erhoff we should still have cap room to add a good top 9 forward. If you plug Dupuis and a $4-5 million top 9 guy into our 3rd line then we should be in pretty good shape to have forward depth next year. Of course we also need Maata/Pouliot to be our 4th/5th defenseman next year which is possible. Basically need one top 4 guy and a very good 5th defenseman between those two.

If you have a top 9 including Malkin, Crosby, Hornqvists, Perron, Kunitz, Dupuis, $5 million/year signing - combo of Sutter/Comeau/Bennet then you are in pretty good shape. Probably have a spare piece to boost your 4th line.

The bigger question mark will be whether a top 5 defense of Letang, Erhoff, Depres, Maata, Pouliot will be adequate. Depending on a lot of youth.

Adams and Sill will be watching from the press box pretty soon, Comeau and whoever takes Bennett's spot will have a very nice trickle down effect for our 4th line, Downie-Lapps-Spaling is just as good if not better than M-C-C
- nbartley9

Do you really believe that? How has Lapierre been?

Honestly, if you get mad someone posts a picture of you then you have issues. Does he ban people in real life that see him too?
- znagle

Posting pictures of people in a stalking or unwanted way on the Internet is actually a crime.

I'll break it down for you piece by piece then.

He is overrated due to his last name. He was the 11th overall pick in 2007 for that reason and has not developed at all since he came into the league. Yet many, like yourself most likely, still believe he is a capable #3 center. His salary is half a million less than what Perron, Kunitz, and Dupuis earn. Comparably, 2014 free agents such as Perreault and Richards were paid less and are vastly superior players. He plays as a 3rd line center and in >18 minutes/game which is unfortunate given how poorly he plays. His results are 4th line quality and speak for themselves and you are welcome to challenge that conclusion. The only evidence anyone has of Sutter being a capable player is when he had a ridiculously high PDO (103) centering Jokinen and Neal for a major portion of the NYR series. He was pathetic in the 2013 playoffs. I don't think Sutter passes the eye or data test.
- jfkst1

You said PDO like I care about PDO.

Sutter is a 3rd line center whether you like it or not.