Ryan Wilson: Rutherford trying to undo his latest obvious mistakes Rutherford trying to undo his latest obvious mistakes

1st

To my understanding, it was a unanimously impressive showing from Marino. If that was all they were waiting for, one of them should be gone. But we all know it won’t happen for a while.

The blogger needs to consider something. When a GM like Rutherford, who knows that the team he has is built for now, not for the long term future, will make moves that may not be good for the team long term to take a shot at the Cup. If they feel they need a defensive body, they'll make a a move like adding Johnson and Gudbranson. If they don't win now, the GM won't be around for the future.

Not sure how much of plan you can have when your core has won back to back stanley cups and only have a few years of being real contenders left. You dont really make plans, you try and add pieces that help and compliment/remove pieces that hinder the championship core.

He's made more bad moves than good since since the 2nd B2B cup but there has been some good too.

Anyways, with regards to last night, its hard for the lines to be ok when you start with 11 forwards and go to 9 for a stretch then back to 10. This, while not having your 2C and 3C for the first game. Despite this they won the possession, shots and HDSC's battles and by fairly large margin. I think if Murray had a solid game they would of pulled out a W. He wasn't good last night and warrants that being said about him, unlike game 1 or 2, when he was outstanding.

Honestly....I dont see any reason to add another forward to this roster. the return on JJ and Gudbranson just needs to be cap space. Even with these injuries, we're deep enough at forward.

Trading for a Victor Rask, for example, is just creating a problem we don't need.

side note: I feel like GMJR has already put a call in on Brian Boyle...

...and before someone chimes in and says score effects, after 2 periods they were leading in all of that too....in the 3rd they just did so ridiculously....and thats more so score effects, in the 3rd.

I'm still holding out a tad longer for ZAR, I'm one of the last fans of his on this board. He's run out of excuses now with a full healthy off-season and he's looking like he could easily be replaced with someone from WBS. He has those flashes where he looks like a monster but he's been invisible for a while now.

Same with Schultz. He's been mediocre for far too long. In armchair GM land, I would trade Schultz if I could get a RHD for Horny.

The unfortunate thing about Geno’s injury is that it will be the excuse that prevents needed change at the top from happening next Summer.

I heard Bob say 4-6 weeks for Malkin and 4 weeks for Bjugstad. That is a lot better than what I was thinking. If you can play .500 hockey in that time frame, the Penguins will be fine.

Marino is younger, cheaper, and more mobile than either Johnson and Gudbranson. Putting him in the Top 6 shouldnt be that tough of a choice. My guess is rutherford is telling Sullivan both Johnson & Gudbranson have to play. It would be that much harder to trade a guy who is getting a seat in the press box by game 3.

Trade Gudbranson and Johnson gets you close to the cap you need to sign Taylor Hall in the offseason.

Not sure how much of plan you can have when your core has won back to back stanley cups and only have a few years of being real contenders left. You dont really make plans, you try and add pieces that help and compliment/remove pieces that hinder the championship core.

He's made more bad moves than good since since the 2nd B2B cup but there has been some good too.

Anyways, with regards to last night, its hard for the lines to be ok when you start with 11 forwards and go to 9 for a stretch then back to 10. This, while not having your 2C and 3C for the first game. Despite this they won the possession, shots and HDSC's battles and by fairly large margin. I think if Murray had a solid game they would of pulled out a W. He wasn't good last night and warrants that being said about him, unlike game 1 or 2, when he was outstanding.
- MattStrat

First part last...

I’m always hesitant to critique Murray because, like last night, it sets off a chain of irrational Murray comments, but here goes; Murray was bad last night and while that whole lineup was a mess, he needed to be better and he wasn’t. I’m not necessarily saying he’s the reason they lost, but he could have given them more of a chance. Simply one bad game.

To your first comment, you can ABSOLUTELY have a plan. Your plan should be to keep the identity of what’s worked for this team. You execute that plan by keeping or bringing in players who fit that bill. You can even attempt to upgrade.

JR initially had a plan to make this team tougher and it backfired. He then made a series of irrational moves that further strayed from that plan.

Over and over and over and over... the same old story... glad there's comments to read here, for cryin' out loud.

GMJR sucks, JJ sucks, Guds sucks...

Personally, I thought 58 wasn't much better last night, nor this season so far.

I thought the Pens played a spirited, high energy game last night with little result (Hellebuk played well, it happens).

It's early in the season... let's give this team with a TON of new faces some time to gel.

After this last round of Johnson rumors I’m not even going to pay attention.

Gudbranson shouldn’t be too difficult to move. We can nitpick some bad decisions, but overall he’s been solid, but at the end of the day he will never be good enough to justify his cap hit.

Gambling on Marino though? He’s got the goods, but I still think he’s a step behind and needs a little more seasoning in the A.

First part last...

I’m always hesitant to critique Murray because, like last night, it sets off a chain of irrational Murray comments, but here goes; Murray was bad last night and while that whole lineup was a mess, he needed to be better and he wasn’t. I’m not necessarily saying he’s the reason they lost, but he could have given them more of a chance. Simply one bad game.

To your first comment, you can ABSOLUTELY have a plan. Your plan should be to keep the identity of what’s worked for this team. You execute that plan by keeping or bringing in players who fit that bill. You can even attempt to upgrade.

JR initially had a plan to make this team tougher and it backfired. He then made a series of irrational moves that further strayed from that plan.
- Rinosaur

Murray is not a bad goalie, but I would not put him in the Elite goalie category. And I think the Penguins - with all the roster gaps - need an Elite caliber goalie to stay afloat in the standings because the defense is so porous.

Not just roster mismanagement on GMJR. It’s also lack of adjusting from HCMS. And some of the players the Pens were counting on just haven’t delivered. All told, this team is a mess. Looks like a long season.

Murray is not a bad goalie, but I would not put him in the Elite goalie category. And I think the Penguins - with all the roster gaps - need an Elite caliber goalie to stay afloat in the standings because the defense is so porous.
- chimpira

Well that's a huge leap. I don't think anyone is calling him elite and making $6M-$7M doesn't imply he's elite. It's just the market value for good goalies now.

Well that's a huge leap. I don't think anyone is calling him elite and making $6M-$7M doesn't imply he's elite. It's just the market value for good goalies now.
- Rinosaur

I am just preparing myself for another lost season. Roster mismanagement, injuries, coaching issues do not bode well for a Cup run. Another year of Sid/Geno might be going down the drain. I know it's early, but I am preparing for it. I was advocating for trading Geno and Letang, using Sid/Jake and starting a rebuild early. Because it will be painful when Sid, Geno, and Letang dwindle altogether.

Over and over and over and over... the same old story... glad there's comments to read here, for cryin' out loud.

GMJR sucks, JJ sucks, Guds sucks...

Personally, I thought 58 wasn't much better last night, nor this season so far.

I thought the Pens played a spirited, high energy game last night with little result (Hellebuk played well, it happens).

It's early in the season... let's give this team with a TON of new faces some time to gel.
- Cousinskrid

I'm not sure what really can be done at this point. Yeah, some new faced need to time to gel, but injury bugs can absolutely sink a team's chances and the Pens basically have the West Nile Virus of injury bugs right now.

Moving Guds and JJ will open cap space depending on the moves, but if the intention is to open up the space to make more moves then regardless they are going to have to give up a lot to make those moves.

This team needs two basic things to happen right now:

1) Sid needs to go into beast mode
2) Murray needs to stand on his head

The Pens need to "find ways to win" even if they're ugly games where they lose the fancy stats every night.

After this last round of Johnson rumors I’m not even going to pay attention.

Gudbranson shouldn’t be too difficult to move. We can nitpick some bad decisions, but overall he’s been solid, but at the end of the day he will never be good enough to justify his cap hit.

Gambling on Marino though? He’s got the goods, but I still think he’s a step behind and needs a little more seasoning in the A.
- Rinosaur

It would benefit all parties, most notably the player himself, if we slow our roll on Marino.

After this last round of Johnson rumors I’m not even going to pay attention.

Gudbranson shouldn’t be too difficult to move. We can nitpick some bad decisions, but overall he’s been solid, but at the end of the day he will never be good enough to justify his cap hit.

Gambling on Marino though? He’s got the goods, but I still think he’s a step behind and needs a little more seasoning in the A.
- Rinosaur

I’d rather have Marino on the third pair than Johnson, Guddy, Rikolla, or Rhuwedel. Dude can skate and he has the ability to make short passes in tight areas when trying to exit the zone, which means he’s more likely to try that than to go high off the glass and give it back to the opposition.

Murray is not a bad goalie, but I would not put him in the Elite goalie category. And I think the Penguins - with all the roster gaps - need an Elite caliber goalie to stay afloat in the standings because the defense is so porous.
- chimpira

There’s like 3 goalies in the elite category lol

There’s like 3 goalies in the elite category lol
- j.boyd919

Yup. And I think the Pens will need one of those this season to stay relevant with the current D corps. Maybe I am wrong, but maybe I'm right.

I am just preparing myself for another lost season. Roster mismanagement, injuries, coaching issues do not bode well for a Cup run. Another year of Sid/Geno might be going down the drain. I know it's early, but I am preparing for it. I was advocating for trading Geno and Letang, using Sid/Jake and starting a rebuild early. Because it will be painful when Sid, Geno, and Letang dwindle altogether.
- chimpira

When you lose your 2nd and 3rd centers you can only blame mismanagement of the roster so much. Add on the fact you now lose two of your better forwards? This is significant. Even if the Pens were spending $4M on two bottom pairing dman than $7M it's not going to make much difference when you need to make the type of moves that would save them.

The moves have to be there to be made. Even if the Pens had the space, what players are available? What teams are looking to move these players? It's easy to think if JJ or Guds were't here that the Pens could just go out and make a few moves to stop the bleeding until they get healthy, but it's just not that easy.

I’d rather have Marino on the third pair than Johnson, Guddy, Rikolla, or Rhuwedel. Dude can skate and he has the ability to make short passes in tight areas when trying to exit the zone, which means he’s more likely to try that than to go high off the glass and give it back to the opposition.
- j.boyd919

I don't disagree. I'm just trying to emphasize there's no GREAT decision here other than JJ getting moved. Also, if they somehow find a way to move both JJ and Guds, you're looking at a Riikola/Marino tandem.

Over and over and over and over... the same old story... glad there's comments to read here, for cryin' out loud.

GMJR sucks, JJ sucks, Guds sucks...

Personally, I thought 58 wasn't much better last night, nor this season so far.

I thought the Pens played a spirited, high energy game last night with little result (Hellebuk played well, it happens).

It's early in the season... let's give this team with a TON of new faces some time to gel.
- Cousinskrid

Honestly, I think the biggest let-down of the season so far is Letang and Dumo. Both have been shaky defensively. Letang has made at least 20 awful decisions so far. Gonna need to stock up on more glass if Dumo keeps shooting the puck. Still a fan of both players but the Pens have no chance if that pairing struggles.