Location: I root for draft picks but not the team, apparently, NY Joined: 10.24.2006
Jun 13 @ 11:06 AM ET
Interesting read on The Athletic about Ron Hextall's time in Pitt. On the surface it is easy to classify Hextall as an awful GM (because he is), but the thing in Pitt was not all his fault. The plan when he became GM was to (rightly) not sign Letang, Malkin and some of the other grey beards. When the new ownership came in, they mandated that the vets be re-signed. I can't imagine paying those guys into their 40s. Either way, that franchise is going to be screwed for years.
Location: I root for draft picks but not the team, apparently, NY Joined: 10.24.2006
Jun 13 @ 11:08 AM ET
Mmmm because 1980s and early 1990s hockey and 2023 hockey are very similar.
Hell goalies didn’t move in 1988 and didn’t go down in the butterfly.
They stuck a leg pad out to hopefully stop the puck.
See infamous May Day goal - ImThatGuy
2023 was actually the closest we've come to the 80s in a long time. 80s hockey was glorious, but I digress...
Not sure why you think that goal was a good example of your point. May deked the goalie on a breakaway - I don't think a breakaway is where a goalie will be going into the butterfly.
Interesting read on The Athletic about Ron Hextall's time in Pitt. On the surface it is easy to classify Hextall as an awful GM (because he is), but the thing in Pitt was not all his fault. The plan when he became GM was to (rightly) not sign Letang, Malkin and some of the other grey beards. When the new ownership came in, they mandated that the vets be re-signed. I can't imagine paying those guys into their 40s. Either way, that franchise is going to be screwed for years. - Slump Buster
Except Crosby, Malkin, and Letang weren’t issues.
Why did Hextall trade John Marino for nothing ? He lost the Mike Matheson trade.
Decided his big offseason add would be a 400 year old Jeff Petry and his big deadline move was a declining Mikael Granlund.
If he had just done nothing at all, the Pens very well would have made the playoffs.
Location: I AM MY OWN DAMN SOURCE!, NY Joined: 11.04.2010
Jun 13 @ 11:15 AM ET
2023 was actually the closest we've come to the 80s in a long time. 80s hockey was glorious, but I digress...
Not sure why you think that goal was a good example of your point. May deked the goalie on a breakaway - I don't think a breakaway is where a goalie will be going into the butterfly. - Slump Buster
That post was towards you dummies not liking Ullmark back in the day. And now are praying for a goalie to put up league average #'s. We had a top goalie in the league but you guys couldn't see it.
UPL is far better than you guys give him credit for. Hes young. He's inconsistent. If he can find that consistency I believe he could be a good goalie in this league.
I've also stated just last week it would be a bad idea to role those 2 out there this year if the goal is the playoffs which I hope it is. - DirtyDan
Good post
Upl puts the Sabres in a bind kinda.
Do they stay the course and play kids important minutes?
Do they upgrade a very crucial position, even a few extra points with a veteran?
Location: I root for draft picks but not the team, apparently, NY Joined: 10.24.2006
Jun 13 @ 11:18 AM ET
Except Crosby, Malkin, and Letang weren’t issues.
Why did Hextall trade John Marino for nothing ? He lost the Mike Matheson trade.
Decided his big offseason add would be a 400 year old Jeff Petry and his big deadline move was a declining Mikael Granlund.
If he had just done nothing at all, the Pens very well would have made the playoffs.
His activity created an even worse roster - Swedish_Jesus
Well, right. The original mistake was to bring back the vets on terrible contracts. He then doubled down on that by making some unbelievably bad mistakes in the offseason and later in the season at the deadline. I don't know what they were thinking by hiring him in the first place - he had already shown that he was a bad GM with terrible people skills.
Location: I root for draft picks but not the team, apparently, NY Joined: 10.24.2006
Jun 13 @ 11:20 AM ET
The Sabres won despite UPL not because of UPL. - ImThatGuy
He certainly wasn't great at times last year, but he did legit steal a handful of victories last year. For whatever reason, the team seemed to play better when he was in net. He wasn't great last year but he did have a good winning percentage. That isn't everything, but it isn't nothing either.
Well, right. The original mistake was to bring back the vets on terrible contracts. He then doubled down on that by making some unbelievably bad mistakes in the offseason and later in the season at the deadline. I don't know what they were thinking by hiring him in the first place - he had already shown that he was a bad GM with terrible people skills. - Slump Buster
part of the biggest problem was before hextall arrived
