Well when they started getting bounced in the 1st round every year. Z was 31 and Dats was 33.

Crosby is 33 and Geno is 34.
- Feds91Stammer

Waaaay too many factors and variables, too many to even think of, really, to just draw up a straight comparison like that haha

Waaaay too many factors and variables, too many to even think of, really, to just draw up a straight comparison like that haha
- MattStrat

Hahaha I thought that would for sure be taken as sarcasm 100%. I even added in a no museums clause to ensure it would be ugh

Well denial is stage one of DABDA.
- Feds91Stammer

Isn't Dabda one of the top European prospects at the Worlds this year? We should sign him. He will fit here so well!

Super simple offseason... trade Jake for Gibson, sign landeskog, Oleksiak and dougy Hamilton (no museums clause) Trade Letang and Pettersson for Marcus Foligno and cap space. Matheson will need pinky surgery and be out for the season but back for game 1 of playoffs!
See it’s easy! All good now!
- pens4life-66

Yeah makes total sense for Landy and Dougie to leave more successful teams to join the aging penguins poop show.

The team is in a position where everything has to go right in order to have playoff success.
- Feds91Stammer

This is the case for every team to win the cup. Bounces, calls, players health, players hot at right time, etc a lot of things have to go right.

Having said all of that perhaps even more so for a team with bare cupboards and aging stars...

Isn't Dabda one of the top European prospects at the Worlds this year? We should sign him. He will fit here so well!
- chimpira

No but Eklund is gonna be a top 10 pick.

God I love Pens fans
- Murphy_Dump

But the “super simple offseason”, “no museums clause”, “Matheson out for the season with pinky surgery”, “see it’s easy” was all good for you!? Hahaha

This is the case for every team to win the cup. Bounces, calls, players health, players hot at right time, etc a lot of things have to go right.

Having said all of that perhaps even more so for a team with bare cupboards and aging stars...
- MattStrat

Tampa won without Stamkos because Point Kuch Hedman and Vasy are that good.

Im talking myself more and more into the idea of trading Jake. I think he has great value now but could have problems aging given his size and the beating he has taken over the years.

If a deal involving John Gibson for Jake is on the table.. the Penguins need to take a hard look at it.

I think you replace Jake with someone like Saad or another LWer you can find in FA.
- SuperHenderson13

Jake Guentzel this postseason:

25 shots (1st on Penguins)
23 scoring chances (2nd)
11 high-danger chances (1st)
2.08 expected goals (1st)

If Jarry could make a save we wouldn't be having this discussion.

Also its 6 games weird things can happen. Flukey blind tip save off sorokins pad. Sid hits a post in the third. Last year he hits a crossbar past Price. With that said I do think there's a trend over last few years of making goalies look amazing. Easier looks. Easier saves. Less rebounds. The stats above are fine for Jake but a) small sample and b) playoffs tightens up so perhaps not as many opportunistic dirty rebounds or shots to thru traffic.

But still I think all the Jake trade thoughts are an overraction. Tread carefully

Yeah makes total sense for Landy and Dougie to leave more successful teams to join the aging penguins poop show.
- Feds91Stammer

In all fairness here, I think Hamilton is gonna be gone somewhere. Not sure where but I think he’s a goner like pietrangelo last year. Landeskog no.
*This is a serious no sarcasm post*

Waaaay too many factors and variables, too many to even think of, really, to just draw up a straight comparison like that haha
- MattStrat

2013-14 red wings vs 2020-21 pens

Datsyuk - Crosby
Zetterberg - Malkin
Alfredsson - Carter
Nyquist - Guentzel
Tatar - Rust
Franzen - Kapanen
Abdelkader - Tanev
Sheahan - Blueger
Helm - McCann
Andersson - ZAR
Legwand - Zucker
Jurco - Gaudreau

Kronwall - Letang
Dekeyser - Dumo
Smith - Marino
Kindl - Pettersson
Quincey - Matheson
Lashoff - Ceci

Howard - Jarry
Gustsvsson - Desmith

It’s waaayyyyyy closer than you think.

In all fairness here, I think Hamilton is gonna be gone somewhere. Not sure where but I think he’s a goner like pietrangelo last year. Landeskog no.
*This is a serious no sarcasm post*
- pens4life-66

Hamilton actually seems like someone who'd like a small market low key place like Pittsburgh... not that I think he's going to end up there... Just saying

In all fairness here, I think Hamilton is gonna be gone somewhere. Not sure where but I think he’s a goner like pietrangelo last year. Landeskog no.
*This is a serious no sarcasm post*
- pens4life-66

Oh I know you were joking. But yeah I can see someone giving Hamilton a horrible 7 year deal for 9+ per.

This is the case for every team to win the cup. Bounces, calls, players health, players hot at right time, etc a lot of things have to go right.

Having said all of that perhaps even more so for a team with bare cupboards and aging stars...
- MattStrat

We are at the point where the Pens need to thread the needle to win another cup

stay the course and somehow get an absolutely unreal level of cheap goaltending out of nowhere for 4 rounds (think Khubodin last year) in one of the next 3 seasons

Go absolutely All-In next year, trade 2022, 2023, 2024 1sts and every prospect at the TDL (throw in some fake Malkin/Matheson LTIR to make the cap work) and then blow it up.

I don't really see how shuffling a few deck chairs like Zucker, Matheson, Petts and replacing them with the type of FA's the would come here (note, we never get top tier FA's) gets this roster better than Tampa, Carolina, Boston, Toronto over the short term

Even Florida and the NYR are going to start to become problems

and that's just the East

2013-14 red wings vs 2020-21 pens

Datsyuk - Crosby
Zetterberg - Malkin
Alfredsson - Carter
Nyquist - Guentzel
Tatar - Rust
Franzen - Kapanen
Abdelkader - Tanev
Sheahan - Blueger
Helm - McCann
Andersson - ZAR
Legwand - Zucker
Jurco - Gaudreau

Kronwall - Letang
Dekeyser - Dumo
Smith - Marino
Kindl - Pettersson
Quincey - Matheson
Lashoff - Ceci

Howard - Jarry
Gustsvsson - Desmith

It’s waaayyyyyy closer than you think.
- Feds91Stammer

At first glance that Wings roster looks a fair bit older than this year's Pens... I could be wrong

At first glance that Wings roster looks a fair bit older than this year's Pens... I could be wrong
- MattStrat

Tatar nyquist sheahan Jurco all rookies.

The important 3 though

Datsyuk 35
Zetterberg 33
Kronwall 33

Crosby 33
Malkin 34
Letang 33

Honestly, in hindsight, I don't think there was really anything Sully could have done to win that series. That's how bad Jarry was. Maybe shuffle the lines a bunch but I really don't think it would have mattered. Systematically I don't even know how many changes they could have made, I feel like a lot of the Isles goals were off the rush, so it's not even like their in-zone coverage was poor.
- j.boyd919

I think a healthy DeSmith wins a game or two. Enough to get through the series. Unfortunately, they'd need to get through 3 more rounds against MUCH tougher competition.

This is why I'm not all broken up by getting bounced in the 1st round. That tandem was never getting through 4 rounds against some great teams with a mediocre or below set of tenders.

Hamilton actually seems like someone who'd like a small market low key place like Pittsburgh... not that I think he's going to end up there... Just saying
- MattStrat

small market/low key is not something I would describe Pittsburgh. Media and fans there are (frank)ing brutal.

Yeah makes total sense for Landy and Dougie to leave more successful teams to join the aging penguins poop show.
- Feds91Stammer

I mean look, if you stack a roster around Sid and Geno that includes Vezina-level goaltending, you have a legit shot at winning a cup in the next year or two, but the reality is they don't have the money to make any of that happen.

Oh I know you were joking. But yeah I can see someone giving Hamilton a horrible 7 year deal for 9+ per.
- Feds91Stammer

It's not a matter of "seeing" it happen. It will happen.

Hamilton actually seems like someone who'd like a small market low key place like Pittsburgh... not that I think he's going to end up there... Just saying
- MattStrat

Ya could be. I read it somewhere they got nowhere in contract talks. Canes wanted VERY short term offer around 2 years under 7mill per and Hamilton wanted long term like 6 years around 8 mill. I have no idea on the sitch just seems very weird they got nowhere with no ongoing talks for someone that good and I think he’s still only 27?

Ya could be. I read it somewhere they got nowhere in contract talks. Canes wanted VERY short term offer around 2 years under 7mill per and Hamilton wanted long term like 6 years around 8 mill. I have no idea on the sitch just seems very weird they got nowhere with no ongoing talks for someone that good and I think he’s still only 27?
- pens4life-66

Winning a cup also changes things drastically. If the Canes win or at least make it to the cup, he may be willing to do a bridge deal if he believes they can win a cup and if they do, his asking price skyrockets when the cap goes back up.

What concerns me about Jake is in his last 14 playoff games (last three years), he has three goals and three assists.
- Rinosaur

What concerns me about Jake is 1 5v5 goal the last 3 years, and it was back in 2019. Dude looks at the refs for a penalty almost every play. As great as he was his 1st 2 playoff years, he just looks like a guy who gets rattled easily by physical play. Sometimes that is something that doesn't bother guys early in their careers but takes it's toll later.

Maybe he cones back on fire next year, but it's a bit of a concern when a guy I consider one of the league's top 5v5 goal scorers can't score 5v5 in the playoffs for 3 straight years.

Yeah makes total sense for Landy and Dougie to leave more successful teams to join the aging penguins poop show.
- Feds91Stammer

Well when you factor in the tens of millions we have in cap space... we can overpay them.

Reminds me of 2012 when the Penguins thought the world was ending when Suter and Parise went to Minnesota. Parise's wife saved us from cap hell.

It's not a matter of "seeing" it happen. It will happen.
- Rinosaur

Well remember he’s weird and quirky so it’s not guaranteed like Pietrangelo.