Crosby and ogre will go down as the most
Underachieving duo and team in sports
History when all is said and done and done
With only 1 cup
- rinaldo

Not really.

1. Manning Colts
2. Buffalo Bills
3. 70's Vikings
4. 90's Atlanta Braves
5. Oklahoma City Thunder (Durant and Westbrook)


That's just a few. Sid and ogre have 1 more ring than many of those.

But you premise is correct. If they retire having 1 Cup and 1 other Finals appearance, yes it would be disappointing.

Cant argue with that dude.

I am getting more and more pissed about this cap issue and the 5 D thing. IMO GMJR gots some splainin to do on that one. Major f-up IMO. Major f-up.

Here we are supposedly loaded with defensive depth. GMJR knows how fragile this team is. Yet, he spends every last dime to the cap. And now we have a gassed top 5 with decent depth players in WBS ready to play. Yet nothing we can do.

I've never seen a team have to play a guy short for multiple weeks. I think that directly factored into the Ottawa game and this game.
- 87_71_11_29

Youre delusional if you think any GM is going to keep salary in reserve just in case we have 4 D Men out within the last 10 games. The odds of that happening are probably very low. We just seem to have the best of luck lately.

Just from an outsiders point of view. It may be time to re-evaluate the general look of this team.

Bad luck is one thing, but the Penguins have been too injury prone as a group for much longer than this year.

May be time to see what is out there for Malkin at the draft.
- flyer_nutter

Not going to happen, and you are stupid for suggesting it.

Would love if they did this. And Letang.

I want to see the culture of a Crosby lead team without Malkin.
- brienstel

Then youre just as stupid as the last guy. Why the hell would you give up a guy who averages over a point per game? You think Malkin is the one who drags this team down? 90% of the games, he plays with more heart and passion than anyone.

It will take one more year of self talk, everyone saying it will get better, before the Pens faithful grasp that the core of this team just gets another year older and farther removed from peak performance.

Nobody has any illusions that this team is any longer capable of an extended Cup run. Next year will likely prove the same. If nothing changes, nothing changes. Trading Malkin this June (draft week) would produce a rich harvest of picks and prospects. The harvest will be reduced significantly if the Pens go another year on this downward cycle.

The smart thing to do is to move Malkin to a young team that is ready to go on a Cup run over the next few years (eg Islanders). But we all know it won't happen. Fans and management would rather watch the decaying carcass of a once great team rather than make the hard choices essential to moving forward. There is way too much loyalty to the memory of what it used to be like.
- spatso

Why are you still here spouting this nonsense? You have said the same thing for days now and still...nobody gives a crap what you think.

Your absolutely right. LA Kings dominate the possession and other fancy stats. The Pens need to be more like the Corsi Kings from LA. Not sure if the presentation of the Corsi Cup is televised this year.

One of the great revelations of the coming summer will be the exposure of fancy stats as pure flim flam.
- spatso

Only for the innumerate. Lombardi has made many poor decisions. Like retaining players on higher than warranted salaries well past their primes. That's why they are out of the postseason. "Fancy stats" = common sense. Get the most cost-effective players possible on the roster and don't allow subjectivity to interfere with the roster construction. Penguins haven't been strong in this so they will continue to underwhelm.

So we can get a Kris Beech, or a Martin Gelinas, no thanks we already have a team full of them.

I do agree we need a new attitude at the top. We simply have too many guys who are past their prime and are still in prominent rolls. We need to get younger and to do that we need to let all the UFA's walk, trade as many of the others who are over 30 as you can and the ones you can't need to play less minutes.
- Thunderbolt

But then we would have to stop trying to "win now". And then how would we justify trading away young players that we don't have the patience to wait for to develop? We need "experience" right?

Not really.

1. Manning Colts
2. Buffalo Bills
3. 70's Vikings
4. 90's Atlanta Braves
5. Oklahoma City Thunder (Durant and Westbrook)


That's just a few. Sid and ogre have 1 more ring than many of those.

But you premise is correct. If they retire having 1 Cup and 1 other Finals appearance, yes it would be disappointing.
- 87_71_11_29

It'll definitely be considered an overall underachievement if Crosby and Malkin aren't able to win one other SC.

One guy is injured and your all doom and gloom? I realize you arent winning games but last year we lost our last 6 games and 6, yes 6, of our top 9 forwards were injured before the playoffs. We did loose to Chicago but it was a HELL of a series. These players all have a switch that turns on in the playoffs. You guys will make it and will do fine.
- cuethenoise

Dupuis, Maataa, Pouliot, Letang and Erhoff. Much more than one player. We are missing 4/5 of our starting D men.

I think my biggest takeaway from this year is that Tocchet has to go. Our powerplay is so god damn awful it makes me mad and I think its been the biggest deciding factor in games for us.

I feel like its a 50/50 chance of us scoring, or the other team getting a SH goal at any given time and that's just unacceptable.

Crosby and ogre will go down as the most
Underachieving duo and team in sports
History when all is said and done and done
With only 1 cup
- rinaldo

This is a joke right. They have tasted a Cup. Now a franchise that has not won a cup since 1975, that is in the realm of epic fail.

I think my biggest takeaway from this year is that Tocchet has to go. Our powerplay is so god damn awful it makes me mad and I think its been the biggest deciding factor in games for us.

I feel like its a 50/50 chance of us scoring, or the other team getting a SH goal at any given time and that's just unacceptable.
- thickman1178

My biggest take away is they have to be more ruthlessly efficient in their roster decisions. No more overpaid players. Rutherford, or the next GM, will have a chance to reverse a lot of the issues this offseason. We'll see what direction they take. I'm worried the wrong one.

Hahahaha I love the Pens Blog. Madden sitting there spouting off about trading Malkin or Crosby, but he cant say who he would want back in return. Then he has a total hissy fit like a little female dog.

That guy is such a hack its amazing anyone listens to him or thinks anything he says carries an ounce of weight.

Terrible news on letang. Id like to hear more details about how he's doing. I find it interesting that they completely ruled him out already.

Hahahaha I love the Pens Blog. Madden sitting there spouting off about trading Malkin or Crosby, but he cant say who he would want back in return. Then he has a total hissy fit like a little female dog.

That guy is such a hack its amazing anyone listens to him or thinks anything he says carries an ounce of weight.
- thickman1178

MM should be a food critic. I don't know why anyone listens to him either.

My biggest take away is they have to be more ruthlessly efficient in their roster decisions. No more overpaid players. Rutherford, or the next GM, will have a chance to reverse a lot of the issues this offseason. We'll see what direction they take. I'm worried the wrong one.
- jfkst1

I personally think the FO needs to be more like Detroit with respect to the minor leagues

Detroit lets guys over ripen in the AHL and their transition to the NHL is typically smooth.

I think we have some guys who can contribute in the NHL in a few years but if you judge a player on his effectiveness in his first 2-3 years as a pro, you're going to miss out on some late bloomers.

Guys like Scott Wilson, Bryan Rust, Tom Kunhackl could be effective cheap bottom 6 players in a few seasons if you give them the chance to get there. Not everyone needs to be a 20 goal scorer to be helpful to a team. Just the threat of scoring or skating past someone is enough.

Grabner has elite speed.... he also has 8 goals this year... I can't help but think most fans would be calling for his head if he was a Penguin

Can we say that Pouliott is healthy but we are sending him to WBS and we promise that he won't re-aggravate his injury on the ride. *wink, wink, nudge, nudge, know what I mean.*

I personally think the FO needs to be more like Detroit with respect to the minor leagues

Detroit lets guys over ripen in the AHL and their transition to the NHL is typically smooth.

I think we have some guys who can contribute in the NHL in a few years but if you judge a player on his effectiveness in his first 2-3 years as a pro, you're going to miss out on some late bloomers.

Guys like Scott Wilson, Bryan Rust, Tom Kunhackl could be effective cheap bottom 6 players in a few seasons if you give them the chance to get there. Not everyone needs to be a 20 goal scorer to be helpful to a team. Just the threat of scoring or skating past someone is enough.

Grabner has elite speed.... he also has 8 goals this year... I can't help but think most fans would be calling for his head if he was a Penguin
- Yonk1216

Holland is probably one of the only GMs that is consistently better than random in terms of drafting/developing. He still makes suspect decisions though. Weiss is one. Going after Phaneuf is another (though I understand some of that is unloading Weiss in the trade). By the time this FO was operating like Detroit's, the core will be well past it's prime. With health, which is a must, and some cost efficiency, the roster can be competitive again.

Can we say that Pouliott is healthy but we are sending him to WBS and we promise that he won't re-aggravate his injury on the ride. *wink, wink, nudge, nudge, know what I mean.*
- Thunderbolt

Pens already tried. And even though its not against the CBA regulations to do it since he isn't on IR, the league still told the Pens no.

Holland is probably one of the only GMs that is consistently better than random in terms of drafting/developing. He still makes suspect decisions though. Weiss is one. Going after Phaneuf is another (though I understand some of that is unloading Weiss in the trade). By the time this FO was operating like Detroit's, the core will be well past it's prime. With health, which is a must, and some cost efficiency, the roster can be competitive again.
- jfkst1

Understood but my point is we try and force round pegs into square holes. ... Brian gibbons wasn't the second coming of Marty st louis.... but for a million bucks a year I bet everyone wound rather have him than adams lapierre among others and his speed alone makes teams respect on the fore check.... less d men pinching to the dots when someone on the ice could blow by you

Hahahaha I love the Pens Blog. Madden sitting there spouting off about trading Malkin or Crosby, but he cant say who he would want back in return. Then he has a total hissy fit like a little female dog.

That guy is such a hack its amazing anyone listens to him or thinks anything he says carries an ounce of weight.
- thickman1178

When he suggested trading Malkin for draft picks... Wow, what an idiot.

When he suggested trading Malkin for draft picks... Wow, what an idiot.
- madmike71

The only draft pick I would remotely consider trading Malkin for would be the McDavid pick, but that team would be a fool to do that.

We could play the Savard/Pronger game every year...
- stackthepads

this has its issues (namely, it hurts the cap situation in the offseason)

Not sure if Johnston is completely at fault, his system seems decent, but he has seemed in over his head at some points.

But, if they can him, outside of overpaying Babcock (would ownership want to pay a big ticket coach, while still paying two others?), who would take the job? It's literally win it all or bust

Gary Agnew or John Hynes are probably your only two options at this point.

I personally think the FO needs to be more like Detroit with respect to the minor leagues

Detroit lets guys over ripen in the AHL and their transition to the NHL is typically smooth.

I think we have some guys who can contribute in the NHL in a few years but if you judge a player on his effectiveness in his first 2-3 years as a pro, you're going to miss out on some late bloomers.

Guys like Scott Wilson, Bryan Rust, Tom Kunhackl could be effective cheap bottom 6 players in a few seasons if you give them the chance to get there. Not everyone needs to be a 20 goal scorer to be helpful to a team. Just the threat of scoring or skating past someone is enough.

Grabner has elite speed.... he also has 8 goals this year... I can't help but think most fans would be calling for his head if he was a Penguin
- Yonk1216

Grabner also had a hernia this year. He missed a good chunk of the season.