Ryan Wilson: Penguins are division champs + revisiting preseason predictions Penguins are division champs + revisiting preseason predictions

I love the advanced stats hating of Shooting %.

Just thought I'd repost this from the last thread...

Some interesting tidbits from Jesse Marshall today about Pettersson's accomplishments this season:

-Finished with the highest expected goals for share on the Pens
-Lowest 5v5 xGA/60 of any defenseman on the team
-He also allowed the least amount of shot-attempts per 60 at even-strength

So to all of you Pettersson-haters... you were wrong. lol

Yeah I know his play is actually pretty decent. 2nd pair D is exactly what he is and he pretty much makes exactly what he should. He’s not going to elevate but also won’t be an anchor. He just irks me.

That being said I also don’t think he is by any means irreplaceable. But the downside is unless the team is 100% ready to move on with a poj/Friedman/rikko in his place it’s going to be a lateral move at best.

I imagine zucker will have to go just based on his price, as well as one of petts or Mm for flexibility.
- 10inchTerror

Being irreplaceable and having the means of replacing a player are two different things. I think too often fans think their team can just go out get said replacement. If that were possible every team would have what they need.

Now, do I think the Pens have some in-house replacements? Yes. I think POJ is NHL-ready, but do I think he's 100% ready for top-four duty? No. He flourished on the third pair, but began to crack when placed up with Letang. In an ideal world Pettersson would remain tethered to Marino for the Pens 2nd pair with POJ on the left side of a 3rd pair, and Riikola hanging around one more year for depth.

As Tojo and I discussed the Pens may not have to move too much out to keep the Pens with some key players, but to keep them with quality depth it will be a bit trickier and yes, Zucker will likely have to depart this team.

Of all the possible opponents I think the Pens match up the best against the Capitals, particularly due to their weak goaltending. Of course, that scenario was just about impossible. The big issue with them would have been getting out of the series with few injuries.

The worst possible match up would have been the Bruins. They have most of the physicality of the Capitals but with much better goaltending and can play a good defensive system. Then of course is the fact that the Pens went eight years without winning in Boston, finally winning there last month.

The Islanders are certainly preferable over the Bruins but will present their own set of challenges. They have the best coach in the league and play playoff-style hockey most of the time in the regular season. And of course it has only been two years since the Pens were swept by them and their current team isn't that much different from their 2019 team.

The loss of Anders Lee has had a bigger impact on them than I thought it would but they upgraded their offense at the trade deadline by getting Palmeiri and Zajac (I am a bit surprised that NJ would trade these two to a divisional rival). At the time of the deadline I thought they made the biggest improvement but have been shocked by how good Carter has been.

The potency of the Pens' third line (thanks to Carter) is something they did not have in 2019 and might be enough to push them over the top this time. The first few games of that 2019 Islanders series were close and after losing them I think the Pens gave in to their frustrations and got swept. They just have to play good defense and be patient.

No matter what, it will be great seeing the Capitals and Bruins bash each other's brains in .

A couple alternate titles

Toddler GM builds division winning team!

Toddler GM fleeces Dubas (aka best GM in nhl history) in Kapanen trade.

Just thought I'd repost this from the last thread...

Some interesting tidbits from Jesse Marshall today about Pettersson's accomplishments this season:

-Finished with the highest expected goals for share on the Pens
-Lowest 5v5 xGA/60 of any defenseman on the team
-He also allowed the least amount of shot-attempts per 60 at even-strength

So to all of you Pettersson-haters... you were wrong. lol
- Rinosaur

Or, those stats don’t hold as much water as people think. Pettersson can easily be traded without adverse affect to our d core.

Adding up all the extra players we are carrying will save a fair bit of money. I kind of like the taxi squad system for extras and not being against the cap, but it would also be nice if some players, like Maniscalco, had a full year in the A to develop. Cam Lee looked pretty good in the beginning 15-20 games or so. I haven’t paid attention to wbs since.

I’m fairly excited for next years camp. I know we don’t have grade A prospects but to see how Lee, Maniscalco, O’Connor, Poulin, Légaré, Bjorkquist, and Puusy look after another year will be fun. The cupboards aren’t completely bare haha

Or, those stats don’t hold as much water as people think. Pettersson can easily be traded without adverse affect to our d core.
- stackthepads

Or exactly the opposite.

Just thought I'd repost this from the last thread...

Some interesting tidbits from Jesse Marshall today about Pettersson's accomplishments this season:

-Finished with the highest expected goals for share on the Pens
-Lowest 5v5 xGA/60 of any defenseman on the team
-He also allowed the least amount of shot-attempts per 60 at even-strength

So to all of you Pettersson-haters... you were wrong. lol
- Rinosaur

Those are some nice stats. Pettersson is a weird whipping boy around here.

Can they trade him? Sure. They need to make room for POJ on the left side and clear out a salary. Too bad they didn't do a bridge deal with him.

Adding up all the extra players we are carrying will save a fair bit of money. I kind of like the taxi squad system for extras and not being against the cap, but it would also be nice if some players, like Maniscalco, had a full year in the A to develop. Cam Lee looked pretty good in the beginning 15-20 games or so. I haven’t paid attention to wbs since.

I’m fairly excited for next years camp. I know we don’t have grade A prospects but to see how Lee, Maniscalco, O’Connor, Poulin, Légaré, Bjorkquist, and Puusy look after another year will be fun. The cupboards aren’t completely bare haha
- 10inchTerror

The talent that could be in WBS next year, while lacking a truly elite prospect, has a lot of interesting players to follow. Unless you're excited about the goalies, there just doesn't look to be much for next year or two after that.

Just thought I'd repost this from the last thread...

Some interesting tidbits from Jesse Marshall today about Pettersson's accomplishments this season:

-Finished with the highest expected goals for share on the Pens
-Lowest 5v5 xGA/60 of any defenseman on the team
-He also allowed the least amount of shot-attempts per 60 at even-strength

So to all of you Pettersson-haters... you were wrong. lol
- Rinosaur

I have nothing against Pettersson, I think the trade for him was a good one (despite Sprong showing life in Washington).

It's just a numbers game. I dont think you can afford to pay both Matheson and Pettersson top 4 salaries for one of them to be a bottom pairing defenseman. I doubt you could get a trade for Matheson or convince Seattle to take him (I would give them the option by exposing him in the draft). So Pettersson is the logical choice.

What Pettersson could fetch us is interesting. With how little it took for a team to give up a 1st round pick at the TD, I have to think that is what Hextall is thinking.

A couple alternate titles

Toddler GM builds division winning team!

Toddler GM fleeces Dubas (aka best GM in nhl history) in Kapanen trade.
- stackthepads

THIS

I'd say Kapanen for the 20-25th? pick in the 2021 draft is tremendous value (Assuming we would have given the 2020 pick to Minnesota for Zucker)

Heck, even Kapanen for the 15th pick in 2020, given he was NHL ready top 6 is exactly what we needed

I have nothing against Pettersson, I think the trade for him was a good one (despite Sprong showing life in Washington).

It's just a numbers game. I dont think you can afford to pay both Matheson and Pettersson top 4 salaries for one of them to be a bottom pairing defenseman. I doubt you could get a trade for Matheson or convince Seattle to take him (I would give them the option by exposing him in the draft). So Pettersson is the logical choice.

What Pettersson could fetch us is interesting. With how little it took for a team to give up a 1st round pick at the TD, I have to think that is what Hextall is thinking.
- SuperHenderson13

I don't disagree with this logic. The Pens are in a position where tough decisions will need to be made. I think the big question mark is if Matheson has played well enough to make moveable.

Those are some nice stats. Pettersson is a weird whipping boy around here.

Can they trade him? Sure. They need to make room for POJ on the left side and clear out a salary. Too bad they didn't do a bridge deal with him.
- Tojo.

In a perfect-ish world we'd keep Petts allowing POJ a full season on the third pair to develop. Here's what I put together on capfriendly. Mind you, part of what I did is in the expectation that Hex will get one or two 'truculent' players lol.

lawson crouse sucks ass

lawson crouse sucks ass
- DeflatedPucks

He fits the bill of what Hex wants; he's big, decent wheels and hits everything in sight. Personally, I'd rather them get some gorilla who doesn't take up a roster spot and they can just slot in the lineup when they deem necessary.

Kapanen had a good season by his standards and he was important to the team this season.

Unfortunately, this is an anomaly due to "puck-luck." The absurdly high shooting percentage will not continue. His weighted stats show he is an undesirable player, who succeeded only due to this season's abnormally high shooting%. His goals helped tremendously this season, but when his shooting% levels, his failure to comprehend plays combined with his noted intellectual deficits will renders him a liability rather than an asset.

However, if the Pens can win the Cup this season none of this will matter.

Also, Burke will undoubtedly take all of the credit for winning the Cup along with credit for Kapanen's atypical season.

I have nothing against Pettersson, I think the trade for him was a good one (despite Sprong showing life in Washington).

It's just a numbers game. I dont think you can afford to pay both Matheson and Pettersson top 4 salaries for one of them to be a bottom pairing defenseman. I doubt you could get a trade for Matheson or convince Seattle to take him (I would give them the option by exposing him in the draft). So Pettersson is the logical choice.

What Pettersson could fetch us is interesting. With how little it took for a team to give up a 1st round pick at the TD, I have to think that is what Hextall is thinking.
- SuperHenderson13

I'd love to see them find a way to get MM taken in expansion. That being unlikely, I might even decide to put Pettersson out there as bait to protect our forwards.

Kapanen had a good season by his standards and he was important to the team this season.

Unfortunately, this is an anomaly due to "puck-luck." The absurdly high shooting percentage will not continue. His weighted stats show he is an undesirable player, who succeeded only due to this season's abnormally high shooting%. His goals helped tremendously this season, but when his shooting% levels, his failure to comprehend plays combined with his noted intellectual deficits will renders him a liability rather than an asset.

However, if the Pens can win the Cup this season none of this will matter.

Also, Burke will undoubtedly take all of the credit for winning the Cup along with credit for Kapanen's atypical season.

- Jackie Daytona

I don't get the hate for Kappy! The narrative from Toronto that he does think the game the right way or he has no finishing ability is absurd. This guy can change the game on any one shift, very few players can create what he does. Good job JR...Toronto was not a good fit...

how bout ma boy mccann dis season

how bout ma boy mccann dis season
- DeflatedPucks

McCann had a very good season, he picked the team up at the end of the year on the power play when Malkin went down. He was the player most wanted to trade to bring in a top 6 winger. Probably the best trade not made...

This season was wild. I had fun enjoying hockey, unlike last year.

This season was wild. I had fun enjoying hockey, unlike last year.
- Victoro311

It really was a fun and remarkable season. To pull off what they did given all the circumstances was amazing to watch.

It really was a fun and remarkable season. To pull off what they did given all the circumstances was amazing to watch.
- Rinosaur

Pretty great weekend for me all around. Penguins and Sixers clenched their division and conference respectively within hours of each other. Chelsea advanced to the Champions League final and beat Man City playing a B team squad, and Dortmund retook control of their own destiny to qualify for Champions League. Things are looking way up. Looking forward to crashing down soon.