"Has it occurred to people that Malkin is not a moron and can see Sidney Crosby gets the Dumoulin-Letang treatment every single game and with that comes distinct advantages? Not getting the prime deployment has drastic consequences with how this roster is constructed."

What, is this a situation unique to the Pens? Is this something new? And how much of this is Geno, or RW? I mean, how many teams have TWO all-star D pairs in order to feed their $9.5M 2C perfect passes? Not many I think.

I've lobbied for the Pens to offer 71 and 58 to try and get younger and faster. Ok, so we keep Geno and Kris to start anew with 58, 8 and 4 as three of your top four D.

How and where do you acquire that 2nd pair LD? I don't see Guddy, Horny, JJ and their contracts bringing it back. Maybe Ollie has a career comeback season in 19-20 !!
- Cousinskrid

Maatta-Letang
Dumo-Schultz
Pettersson-Guddy

Problem solved.

"Has it occurred to people that Malkin is not a moron and can see Sidney Crosby gets the Dumoulin-Letang treatment every single game and with that comes distinct advantages? Not getting the prime deployment has drastic consequences with how this roster is constructed."

What, is this a situation unique to the Pens? Is this something new? And how much of this is Geno, or RW? I mean, how many teams have TWO all-star D pairs in order to feed their $9.5M 2C perfect passes? Not many I think.

I've lobbied for the Pens to offer 71 and 58 to try and get younger and faster. Ok, so we keep Geno and Kris to start anew with 58, 8 and 4 as three of your top four D.

How and where do you acquire that 2nd pair LD? I don't see Guddy, Horny, JJ and their contracts bringing it back. Maybe Ollie has a career comeback season in 19-20 !!
- Cousinskrid

You don’t need a 1D on each pairing. You just need to do a better (frank)ing job of icing an actual competent second pairing that actually plays at a top 4 level. We didn’t have anything close to that this season

Phil Haters: Please show me a realistic scenario where the Pens trade him and do not get worse. I’m all ears.

Phil Haters: Please show me a realistic scenario where the Pens trade him and do not get worse. I’m all ears.
- Za Warudo

Easy

Phil Kessel, Olli Maatta, and 2020 2nd round pick to Nashville for Viktor Arvidsson with $2M retained

Sign Artemi Panarin at $9.5M for 7 years

Kessel was a +8 at 5v5 this season.
Malkin was a -2 at 5v5 this season.

People act like they were horrible at even strength when that’s simply not the case.
- j.boyd919

For 9.5mm you think anything close to even is fine?

For 9.5mm you think anything close to even is fine?
- WSCTeton17

Connor McDavid makes $12M per and was a +3.

So, by this logic, McDavid is a terrible return on value.

Mostly agree that GMJR has his fingerprints all over this season. However, not sure the players did him or HCMS any favors with attitude/work ethic. Not one player, including Sid, had a good year. Can’t think of one player that had a career year. Mostly below expectations for many.
- Dr Blob

Ummm...Jakey hit 40 goals...Crosby had one of his highest point seasons and best 5 on 5 productions of his career...Kessel had one of the best seasons of his career....Letang was on pace for one of his best but was sidelined...and Geno was over a ppg....

Ummm...Jakey hit 40 goals...Crosby had one of his highest point seasons and best 5 on 5 productions of his career...Kessel had one of the best seasons of his career....Letang was on pace for one of his best but was sidelined...and Geno was over a ppg....
- MattStrat

Now Matt, in Blob’s defense you can’t quantify work ethic on a stat sheet lol

Now Matt, in Blob’s defense you can’t quantify work ethic on a stat sheet lol
- WSCTeton17

I didn't know that people used "work ethic" when they said "career year." I thought that term had to do with statistical output.

I mean, OMG WE NEED TO TRADE ALL OF OUR GOOD PLAYERS FOR OTHER, YOUNGER, CHEAPER STAR PLAYERS!

For 9.5mm you think anything close to even is fine?
- WSCTeton17

When you’re saddled with the likes of JJ for the majority of the season, yes.

Kessel was a +25 all situations.
Geno was a +14 all situations.

Looking strictly at their situations without realizing that the Pens D was often injured and plagued by poor players, it’s pretty easy to see why they had a “down year” at even strength.

For reference...
Last year:
Geno was a +6 at 5v5
Kessel was a -5 at 5v5.

2015-16 (first cup Sully)
Geno was a +3 at 5v5
Kessel was a +15 at 5v5


This is pretty much par for the course with those two over the last 4-5 years. Where they always pull away is in their PP points. That’s why they’re elite. Not all elite players are elite two way players and trying to force them to be is a mistake imo.

Also I believe those 5v5 numbers also include empty net goals against because NST doesn’t have a filter for those per their Twitter when I asked a few months ago.

The team roster is 100% on the GM. The coach and GM do not seem to be on the same page. Who does ownership like more? Coach or GM? Who does Sid like more? While Rutherford 3 year extension doesnt start until July 1, is there any chance they break up early? Ron Francis is a Mario guy, no?

JR is a man of action, he isn’t afraid to try to make his teams better.
In his tenor with the Pens he brought us back to back cups, how many GMs in history have that on their resume?
- stackthepads

We are happy with most of what JR did for the Canes. In our experience here the wonderful ride up was followed by a painful ride down. The ride down was accompanied by a lot of conflict between JR and the then owner Pete Karmanos. Just saying article above was a bit of a deja vu from Raleigh.

Easy

Phil Kessel, Olli Maatta, and 2020 2nd round pick to Nashville for Viktor Arvidsson with $2M retained

Sign Artemi Panarin at $9.5M for 7 years
- jmatchett383

Your proposal is at least somewhat realistic, but it doesn’t make the Pens better. And unless Manhattan or South Beach mysteriously arrives on the North Shore in the next 60 days, Bread will never come to the Pens.

Your proposal is at least somewhat realistic, but it doesn’t make the Pens better. And unless Manhattan or South Beach mysteriously arrives on the North Shore in the next 60 days, Bread will never come to the Pens.
- Za Warudo

I would argue that Panarin + Arvidsson (-$2M) is better than Kessel + Maatta + 2nd.

Edit: It would also make the cumulatively 2 years younger.

I would argue that Panarin + Arvidsson (-$2M) is better than Kessel + Maatta + 2nd.
- jmatchett383

And I would argue that Panarin is a complete pipe dream

And I would argue that Panarin is a complete pipe dream
- Za Warudo

Most likely.

Only way they could get him would be to trade for his rights prior to UFA to entice him with the 8th year.

Edit: I'm against trading the big 4.

I really think that Jason Botterill was the architect of the Cup teams, or at least GMJR took his advice most of the time. Once he left for Buffalo, all of the questionable trades & signings started and not one of them positively impacted the roster. The only exception I can think of is McCann being the Dupuis of that trade.

I really think that Jason Botterill was the architect of the Cup teams, or at least GMJR took his advice most of the time. Once he left for Buffalo, all of the questionable trades & signings started and not one of them positively impacted the roster. The only exception I can think of is McCann being the Dupuis of that trade.
- spotlight636

The Botterill talk is so annoying... what has he done in 2 years in Buffalo?

He gave away OReilly, hired and fired his coach, took on salary dumps for picks. Skinner was a nice trade, but they bought a rental and never came close to the playoffs.

Let's not act like he is some savant GM... despite getting Dahlin, the Sabres look like they are going backwards.

Most likely.

Only way they could get him would be to trade for his rights prior to UFA to entice him with the 8th year.

Edit: I'm against trading the big 4.
- jmatchett383

Media conjecture is it's a foregone conclusion that he signs anywhere else but with the Rangers.

Wasn't the plan at the start of the season Dumo/Letang and Maatta/Schultz? That's a pretty decent top 4. Schultz got hurt 2 minutes into the season basically wrecking the plan. Very few teams can reach into their back pocket and pull out another good PMD. Obviously the JJ mess was awful, but let's not act like there were tons of options once Schultz went down.

As far as wingers go... Up until Guentzal came on the last two years, Malkin got the best snipers in the Crosby/Malkin era. Neal and Kessel (sans two months of Hossa).

If I had to guess why Geno is frustrated.... I think he's a bit of a hot head when things aren't going his way......that kind of sh!t will snowball on an emotional person. He's not the same player he was 10 years ago and he hasn't figured out how to adjust his game. Some of those dangles he got away with in the past isn't working these days.

The Botterill talk is so annoying... what has he done in 2 years in Buffalo?

He gave away OReilly, hired and fired his coach, took on salary dumps for picks. Skinner was a nice trade, but they bought a rental and never came close to the playoffs.

Let's not act like he is some savant GM... despite getting Dahlin, the Sabres look like they are going backwards.
- MacPatty

He inherited a mess and a meddling owner. That owner forced the RoR trade. Who’d have done better?

My best case scenario now is that Pegula prematurely cans Botts next summer, which allows us to kick Grandpa Lampshade upstairs and put Botterill where he should have been from June 2017-on.

This assumes JR’s mouth doesn’t get him fired in the next few weeks, mind you....

The Botterill talk is so annoying... what has he done in 2 years in Buffalo?

He gave away OReilly, hired and fired his coach, took on salary dumps for picks. Skinner was a nice trade, but they bought a rental and never came close to the playoffs.

Let's not act like he is some savant GM... despite getting Dahlin, the Sabres look like they are going backwards.
- MacPatty

Does Peg have the space to sign Kyle Conner and deal with Trouba?

Phil Haters: Please show me a realistic scenario where the Pens trade him and do not get worse. I’m all ears.
- Za Warudo

Kessel & JJ for Brodin. Trade Maata for a pick. Sign Skinner with Cap savings.

Kessel for Chuchryn & Crouse. Trade Maata for a pick, sign Zucc.

Kessel for Trochek, trade Maata for Kovalchuk and a prospect.

Kessel for Nurse & Puljujarvi.

Kessel for Turris and a 1st.

I really think that Jason Botterill was the architect of the Cup teams, or at least GMJR took his advice most of the time. Once he left for Buffalo, all of the questionable trades & signings started and not one of them positively impacted the roster. The only exception I can think of is McCann being the Dupuis of that trade.
- spotlight636

Not true. Bringing Kessel, Hornqvist and Hags here was all JR. Too much revisionist history going on these days. Botts traded two of his best players for lottery tickets and crap players.