Hard to believe. No more Despres..

Let's be honest though, if Maata had not been out for the year, Depres would be at best be the 6th D-man and if you wanted Pouliot to be playing and getting experience, he would probably be a healthy scratch most nights.

So if the Pens had there top 6 playing it would have been:

58 and 7
3 and 4
10 and 51

reserves: 41 and 47

I'm not even saying I would have made this trade, but I think the value people are giving Despres is maybe more than he deserves.

How exactly did HCDB wreck Depres career? He and Coach Reirden worked with him through his time in W-B/S and into the big club. They tried to help him become a true Pro D-man and fix flaws in his game. Because he never took it upon himself to fix what he could you'd blame the Coach?
- Doogs

He's gone now, lets drop this argument for good. I'm sick of hearing it.

Acquisitions and departures under GMJR

Perron
Winnik
Lovejoy
Cole
Lapierre

Off season
Hornqvist
Spaling
Downie
Comeau
Ehrhoff
Greiss

for

Off season
James Neal

Despres
1st rounder
2nd rounder
Goc
Bortuzzo
Sill
4th rounder
7th rounder
Samuelson
- znagle

Those are great tradeoffs. Bigger and Better. I like what JR is doing

Uh I know it's a lil late but......hasn't our defence been pretty good lately. less than 2 goals a game over the last 10. What's with this defence over haul?

I'm not pissed like most of you all seem to be......the worst part is that pouliat is almost certainly not playing In the nhl anymore....which SUCKS!

He's gone now, lets drop this argument for good. I'm sick of hearing it.
- usethe1-2-2

Did I take up too much room on this discussion thread about Depres getting traded with too much talk of Depres?

The only thing I can think of is faceoffs. But what makes Lappy a good pick up? I have honestly not seen any of what I was promised - hits, intensity, ability to get under other players' skin. At times I could swear he was avoiding hitting ...
- chimpira

It seems Lapierre needs to be given an assignment to be effective. The best game he played for us this year was against Edm when he was playing against the RNH line......similar to going against Sid when he was with MTL

Did I miss anything today?

Feel like writing a book but I'll keep my initial reaction as brief as possible

Bortuzzo for Cole...doesn't really move the needle, pretty lateral but Cole has a chance to play spot top4 duty which Bortz did not

Despres for Lovejoy...lateral move this season and terrible waste of a prime asset for the future. I think Despres was showing some regression in the past month. I figured it was fatigue. But there is a skill set and pedigree that should have made him a very valuable commodity. If our D was set up well next year, Despres could have been expendable and fetched us a young top 6 winger, no doubt in my mind. Despres is not expendable when we still have Scuderi on the roster, imo. Also concerned we lost the only players with a physical edge on the back end.

"an over rated defensemen that has a penchant for making mistakes "

Here I thought you were talking about #58. For all the posts/ comments about #47's mistakes, turn-overs, and/or puck management decisions, I hope the same standard is applied to #58, #87, #71 and any other player as well.

Call this management team Jason and the Argonauts because they're used to getting fleeced.

Let's be honest though, if Maata had not been out for the year, Depres would be at best be the 6th D-man and if you wanted Pouliot to be playing and getting experience, he would probably be a healthy scratch most nights.

So if the Pens had there top 6 playing it would have been:

58 and 7
3 and 4
10 and 51

reserves: 41 and 47

I'm not even saying I would have made this trade, but I think the value people are giving Despres is maybe more than he deserves.
- stevens87

It's no different than BB. Some people remember that 1 goal of the 9 that he's had in his NHL career and think "what might be"? But in reality they can be replaced by about 2 or 3 dozen other players in the NHL and after a week or 2, nobody would know the difference.

Did I miss anything today?

Feel like writing a book but I'll keep my initial reaction as brief as possible

Bortuzzo for Cole...doesn't really move the needle, pretty lateral but Cole has a chance to play spot top4 duty which Bortz did not

Despres for Lovejoy...lateral move this season and terrible waste of a prime asset for the future. I think Despres was showing some regression in the past month. I figured it was fatigue. But there is a skill set and pedigree that should have made him a very valuable commodity. If our D was set up well next year, Despres could have been expendable and fetched us a young top 6 winger, no doubt in my mind. Despres is not expendable when we still have Scuderi on the roster, imo. Also concerned we lost the only players with a physical edge on the back end.
- YouMeAndDupuis9

Depres is not fetching a young top 6 anything. But spot on with he rest.

I'm not even saying I would have made this trade, but I think the value people are giving Despres is maybe more than he deserves.
- stevens87

Agreed

Agreed
- brienstel

X2

Agreed
- brienstel

In 15 years, Simon(e) Despres' name will be synonymous with Paul Coffey's and Larry Muphy's ... just you watch

"an over rated defensemen that has a penchant for making mistakes "

Here I thought you were talking about #58. For all the posts/ comments about #47's mistakes, turn-overs, and/or puck management decisions, I hope the same standard is applied to #58, #87, #71 and any other player as well.
- out_of_market

The Letang mistakes you are referring to are mistakes that his former coaches put him into time and time again. You don't see many of those mistakes returning due to a completely different system being run. But yes, that standard should be applied to all players.

"an over rated defensemen that has a penchant for making mistakes "

Here I thought you were talking about #58. For all the posts/ comments about #47's mistakes, turn-overs, and/or puck management decisions, I hope the same standard is applied to #58, #87, #71 and any other player as well.
- out_of_market

It will once he's even nominated for Norris, Hart, Ted Lindsay, Conn Smyth, Art Ross or any award for that matter.

In the mean time he'll be held to the same standard as every other player not considered elite in the games history or current days position.

I get your point though. Its frustrating and has been especially common of the last month and a half.

Both Cole and Lovejoy give us more sound defensively aware and conscientious D men to compensate for those guys.

Did I take up too much room on this discussion thread about Depres getting traded with too much talk of Depres?
- Doogs

*Despres

Basically, as a Flyers fan, there is absolutely no reason whatsoever that the Penguins should routinely lose to the Flyers. There just isn't. But for whatever reason, the Penguins always feel the need to show the Flyers that they won't be pushed around, start getting stupid, and the Flyers make them pay. Same thing with Boston. Same thing with Columbus and NYR.
- jmatchett383

As a Pens fan I'll admit they get suckered into stupid stuff when they play the Flyers. But at the same time if the refs call the games by the book but without the ticky tack calls and keep control of the game the games between those two wouldn't get out of hand like they often do. I think when one team is what seems to be allowed to do whatever they want and get away with it for the most part it takes it's toll on the opposing players and they get frustrated and try to return the favor. Not trying to sound like a Pens homer but everyone here including the league know what the Flyers game plan is when they play the Pens.

As far as the trades I don't mind them. I thought they could of at least got a draft pick as well in the Lovejoy/Despre trade. People on here that don't like that trade are over valuing Despre's worth as well as other guys on the team

When Lovejoy was traded it didn't bother me at all. Trading Despres does. He's only 23 and is getting better. He's better than Lovejoy right now and a lot of times it take until late 20's/early 30's for defensemen to come into their own, to fully develop. Despres had a great skill set AND is big and physical.

You can look at this season's regular stats, you can look at this season's fancy stats or you can just use a good o'le fashioned eye test. Despres is better, still getting better and much younger.

Also worth noting for a salary cap strapped team: He's cheaper

In 15 years, Simon(e) Despres' name will be synonymous with Paul Coffey's and Larry Muphy's ... just you watch

- chimpira

Honestly, for him, I hope so.

But I like what we got today for this year and next.

Depres is not fetching a young top 6 anything. But spot on with he rest.
- Doogs

I certainly think Despres could have netted us a guy like Brett Connolly. Again, I think we're fine this year, just not sure about the value of the trade and future. Despres should have netted Lovejoy + 2nd/Etem because of age, upside, contract, etc. Maybe add something to Despres but the value needed to be evened out somehow, imo

*Despres
- usethe1-2-2

Oops

If GMJR does anything today, I think it will be something out of blue. One of those trades where everyone will be on the fence. I just hope he ate his Wheaties this morning.

From this morning. Guess I was wrong about the fence, and the Wheaties.

Has JR ever cleared his throat?