I would love the NHL to finally rid themselves of the Dubinsky, Neal, Marchand (Marchand actually has skill but just tends to play up the nuisance card), M. Staal type players. It's beyond ridiculous how they corrupt the game.

Spurgeon resigned to around 5 mil AAV for four years. Not bad

That's where I'm at with this now...I agree, I tried to give the NHL a shot at actually enforcing rules/conduct but they obviously don't care or are just plain stupid...so then we bring up Sesito or sign Robbie Lawler to a 1 game contract and have him beat Dubinsky into the ground!
- iworkatinitech

It's funny to me... The Pens wonder why Crosby shy's away from the dirty areas these days. Why he's not the same player. How about maybe he feels like it's open season on his brain. Other teams know there's no retribution (either from the team or NHL) for trying to take him out so why would they not cheap shot him? As much as people say this is a different NHL, it's still run by the same as*holes.

Well I'll be at the game tonight. Try to bring home a win. No Sid no letang no flower should be fun lol

Did you not read the Mike Kelly twitter quote at the bottom of the blog?
- jmatchett383

Sorry no, I stopped reading the blog when it got to the graphs, no offense meant just joking around.

It's funny to me... The Pens wonder why Crosby shy's away from the dirty areas these days. Why he's not the same player. How about maybe he feels like it's open season on his brain. Other teams know there's no retribution (either from the team or NHL) for trying to take him out so why would they not cheap shot him? As much as people say this is a different NHL, it's still run by the same as*holes.
- madmike71

Couldn't agree more, this league the ways its being run is a farce! Don't get me wrong I'm not looking at this as a homer...I think all of these idiots need to be removed, I never like Neal with his crap, same with Cooke, etc.

I would love the NHL to finally rid themselves of the Dubinsky, Neal, Marchand (Marchand actually has skill but just tends to play up the nuisance card), M. Staal type players. It's beyond ridiculous how they corrupt the game.
- iworkatinitech

and neal don't?

Couldn't agree more, this league the ways its being run is a farce! Don't get me wrong I'm not looking at this as a homer...I think all of these idiots need to be removed, I never like Neal with his crap, same with Cooke, etc.
- iworkatinitech

Absolutely. If the league refuses to dish out punishment for dirtbags, it's up to the teams to handle it themselves. At least Matt Cooke had the stones to face Thorton and take his beating. Dubi's a pus*y.

I hope when we get a new GM next year, we get a guy that realizes the more things change, the more things stay the same. Get some damn bigger players.

Any brave predictions on tonight's game?

What if...there is a Christmas Miracle...and the Pens win?

Imagine how the Crosby Trade Talk will boil over if the Pens win and look good doing it?!?

And if Malkin leads the way!!

4-3 Pens...Malkin with 2g-2a

(yeah...okay...realistically...Jackets 3 Pens 1)
- icedog97

High scoring game tonite, Ass Jackets without Crosby probably won't try & rock the boat too much - Dubinsky apparently is only a grub against the Pens so he has a reputation to uphold!!

Well... The Yandle trade was panned by just about everyone the second it was made, if Bickle were moveable Saad would still be a Hawk, and the Hamilton decision was made by a club with a track record of zero tolerance for youthful egos (Seguin) deciding that Hamilton's head had grown to big for his body and that trade was emidiately panned as well.

Those aren't the three best examples in the world.
- Victoro311

How are those bad examples? Granted they were just the first 3 that came to mind of the many trades we see every year where young assets are moved to acquire older vets that fill more immediate needs. Who panned the Yankee trade? The fans and the media who have created this fantasy that youth is Godly because youth is exciting and more entertaining. If youth was this asset you can't win without I'm sure Chicago could have found a way to move Hossa or Seabrook to make room for Saad but in the end they valued having those players over Saad, if it was so vital to winning I'm sure Boston would have found a way to mend things with Hamilton but they knew they could move on from him and still win with the older guys they have.

The fact is the media started driving this "youth is king" mindset because there were some exciting young players they could market around and the fans cobbled it up like it was the word of God because it's exciting to have a new crop of players to root for every year. Age is all but irrelevant to winning/losing in the NHL.

I would love the NHL to finally rid themselves of the Dubinsky, Neal, Marchand (Marchand actually has skill but just tends to play up the nuisance card), M. Staal type players. It's beyond ridiculous how they corrupt the game.
- iworkatinitech

If the players cared and wanted those guys out, someone would self sacrifice a suspension and Tie Domi them behind the play. But its always been part of the game and always will be. Not once has Crosby or anyone complained about it. Better to learn to combat against it than cry and moan how the NHL doesn't do anything.

It's funny to me... The Pens wonder why Crosby shy's away from the dirty areas these days. Why he's not the same player. How about maybe he feels like it's open season on his brain. Other teams know there's no retribution (either from the team or NHL) for trying to take him out so why would they not cheap shot him? As much as people say this is a different NHL, it's still run by the same as*holes.
- madmike71

How has that changed since his 1st year in the league? Crosby as all star players are targeted since day 1, Sid took the same type of abuse 3-4 years ago when we had guys like Engelland, Boortuzzo, Glass, Asham, Cooke and whoever else on the roster. This notion that team do it because there's no fear of retribution is so absurd because it still happened when there was fear of retribution.

I'm sorry, but anyone watching Sid on a regular basis can tell you he isn't playing well. Period. I don't care what the advanced metrics say, if you watch the games, he is just simply not the same player we have grown used to seeing. I watched him every shift in person at the game on Saturday. He rarely carries the puck anymore, and almost never takes it to the net. As soon as he gets the puck, he is loking to dish. He does not even considering challenging a guy 1 on 1. For whatever reason, he has turned himself into a one note, Craig Janney type player, and defenses are no longer showing him any kind of respect because of it. The antidote for this is not to get better players for him, he simply needs to play better. Period, end of story. Until they start awarding points in the standings for having the best corsi and fenclose, it doesn't really matter how the Penguins perform in this areas. They need to start scoring, and Crosby is at the root of the causes as to why that is not happening. Period, end of story.

I'm sorry, but anyone watching Sid on a regular basis can tell you he isn't playing well. Period. I don't care what the advanced metrics say, if you watch the games, he is just simply not the same player we have grown used to seeing. I watched him every shift in person at the game on Saturday. He rarely carries the puck anymore, and almost never takes it to the net. As soon as he gets the puck, he is loking to dish. He does not even considering challenging a guy 1 on 1. For whatever reason, he has turned himself into a one note, Craig Janney type player, and defenses are no longer showing him any kind of respect because of it. The antidote for this is not to get better players for him, he simply needs to play better. Period, end of story. Until they start awarding points in the standings for having the best corsi and fenclose, it doesn't really matter how the Penguins perform in this areas. They need to start scoring, and Crosby is at the root of the causes as to why that is not happening. Period, end of story.
- Emperor Filonius

We haven't even been doing that well in the possession metrics aspects. We've done better under Sullivan, but we haven't gotten back to the dominant possession team we've been in years past. The metric RW used for this particular argument was P/60, in which Crosby has gone from abysmal to meh. The metrics still say there's a problem as well. Metrics and the eye test really don't often disagree that much.

We haven't even been doing that well in the possession metrics aspects. We've done better under Sullivan, but we haven't gotten back to the dominant possession team we've been in years past. The metric RW used for this particular argument was P/60, in which Crosby has gone from abysmal to meh. The metrics still say there's a problem as well. Metrics and the eye test really don't often disagree that much.
- Victoro311

Fair enough, I guess what got me going was the title saying Crosby is "rounding into form" followed by a fancy stats graph. Anyone who actually watches these games would agree that isn't the case. He might be generating more points, but I don't think he's actually playing any better than he did in game 1. I don't even really have an issue with fancy stats, but more with the line of thinking that RW uses that they should be the primary consideration in roster construction. We heard all about how guys like Perron, Kessel, Bonino, Cole, etc were going to drive possession (and how awful the guys they replaced were) and its just not happening. The Penguins have become a soft, finesse team with zero jam and no physicality outside of Eric Fehr. There's not one guy on the roster who brings tenacity, physicality, and simple intimidation into play. The only one who plays with any fire is Malkin, and he can't carry the whole team.

I'm sorry, but anyone watching Sid on a regular basis can tell you he isn't playing well. Period. I don't care what the advanced metrics say, if you watch the games, he is just simply not the same player we have grown used to seeing. I watched him every shift in person at the game on Saturday. He rarely carries the puck anymore, and almost never takes it to the net. As soon as he gets the puck, he is loking to dish. He does not even considering challenging a guy 1 on 1. For whatever reason, he has turned himself into a one note, Craig Janney type player, and defenses are no longer showing him any kind of respect because of it. The antidote for this is not to get better players for him, he simply needs to play better. Period, end of story. Until they start awarding points in the standings for having the best corsi and fenclose, it doesn't really matter how the Penguins perform in this areas. They need to start scoring, and Crosby is at the root of the causes as to why that is not happening. Period, end of story.
- Emperor Filonius

It doesn't matter if you use advanced metrics, boxcar numbers, or eye test. They all say the same thing. Crosby, and the team as a whole this season, aren't even close to being capable of contending.

Fair enough, I guess what got me going was the title saying Crosby is "rounding into form". Anyone who actually watches these games would agree that isn't the case. He might be generating more points, but I don't think he's actually playing any better than he did in game 1.
- Emperor Filonius

2.0 pts/60 is what I expect from a good 2C. If that is the best Crosby has to give, then it is time to trade him because that isn't even close to acceptable for his cap hit.

Fair enough, I guess what got me going was the title saying Crosby is "rounding into form". Anyone who actually watches these games would agree that isn't the case. He might be generating more points, but I don't think he's actually playing any better than he did in game 1.
- Emperor Filonius

And even if he were, as someone else pointed out, it's a truly sad state of affairs if we're gonna call a ~2.0 P/60 rounding back into form for Sidney Crosby. Saying that sentence is basically admitting defeat and acknowledging that Crosby is finished as a top player in the league.

And even if he were, as someone else pointed out, it's a truly sad state of affairs if we're gonna call a ~2.0 P/60 rounding back into form for Sidney Crosby. Saying that sentence is basically admitting defeat and acknowledging that Crosby is finished as a top player in the league.
- Victoro311

Agreed. They are a big stinking pile of poo right now. Letang coming back isn't going to help. Unless 87 raises his game, they are toast, and even with that, this roster has shown to be horribly flawed.

The Steelers played a full game yesterday? I'm pretty sure they were putrid in the 1st half and were trailing 27-13 at halftime before playing an amazing 2nd half and winning the game.
- jaydogg1974

The idea here is they did not give up. OK? Ease up. They won, be happy.

I have a prediction. If Sid does not play, Dub-dirt-insky will be placed on Malkin.
I expect Malkin will either rock his world or otherwise let him know he is not happy with his dirt/BS. I can hope. And then I predict a major scum with both goalies slugging it out as well. I can dream, can't I?

High scoring game tonite, Ass Jackets without Crosby probably won't try & rock the boat too much - Dubinsky apparently is only a grub against the Pens so he has a reputation to uphold!!
- Aussiepenguin

I think our Flyer friends disagree with that statement at the moment.

2.0 pts/60 is what I expect from a good 2C. If that is the best Crosby has to give, then it is time to trade him because that isn't even close to acceptable for his cap hit.
- jfkst1

Maybe the NYR guy was right all along-Crosby has been hurt all year. I know he was just being a jerk but maybe just maybe he was right.

Maybe the NYR guy was right all along-Crosby has been hurt all year. I know he was just being a jerk but maybe just maybe he was right.
- Thunderbolt

It's really the only plausible explanation for what we're seeing.

Maybe the NYR guy was right all along-Crosby has been hurt all year. I know he was just being a jerk but maybe just maybe he was right.
- Thunderbolt

I feel like that wouldn't make it much better. This would be like the third year in a row he's had a nagging injury if true. At least its conceivable Sid can bounce back from a bad season like Ovi did. If its injuries then he's probably gonna have something or another for the rest of his career.