LET'S GO PENS!

So disappointing. This team has no depth, barely any defense and no goaltending. Please get rid of Hextall.

 

Ditto

 

Pens fire 3 at the very top. OUT = Hextall, Burke and Pryor.

I like it when teams take immediate action after determining very poor performance.

Hextall hiring was a failure from the very beginning.

https://www.nhl.com/news/pittsburgh...on-hextall-after-missing-playoffs/c-343541130

 

I was angry as hell after that fiasco with the Hawks. I knew it was the end of the line for Hextall and Burke. Hell, I never knew exactly what it was that Burke was hired to do. Hextall was a disaster, for the most part. His best (by far) acquisition was Rakell. Yeah, so he managed to retain Malkin and Letang and both played well this year. However, he handed out horrible contracts to Carter, Kapanen and signed two guys that never seemed to fit here and couldn't stay healthy in Petry and Rutta. The bottom six flat out sucked this year. Everyone not named Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Guentzel, Rakell, Pettersson and Zucker should be worried. Rust is still a decent player, but he disappears at times. O'Connor deserves another look but with competent linemates. Poehling is meh. Could be better if he could stay healthy. Both goalies need to go. Jarry has talent, but he's hurt too much and doesn't come up big when the team needs him most. Desmith is a third string, borderline AHL goalie.

However, this is probably my favorite sports time of the year. I love the Stanley Cup playoffs. It just sucks that the Pens are out, but I think this had to happen. Massive changes need to be made in both personnel and philosophy. I can put up with a couple of lean years, especially if the team is stocked with young players that want to win and hustle, hit and play hard.

 

All in all the Penguin organization did a damn good job of 14 straight Playoff years with 3 Cups.

Thank you PENS!!!!!!

 

Zucker is a free agent. With Granlund's 5M cap it for next two years and needing a FA starting goalie, I am not optimistic about his return. He was really the only energy guy on the team this year, with talk he was deserving of team MVP.

Might be pretty lean next year. Hopefully Carter waives his no movement clause so they can clear his cap hit on the way to retirement.

 

New POHO Kyle Dubas is adamant that they want to change the roster make-up while remaining competitive. They really have to find some cap space to do so. Hope he has a plan.

 

Gotta buyout Granlund, trade for a goalie, and somehow come up with a bottom six and a D corps. An actual plan would be a novel idea. Never felt that way with the last GM and then he made excuses about the cap after bonehead moves put them there

 

Wow lazy Sunday just got interesting. Pens get out of some questionable trades made by Hextal in the final months of last season and make some other questionable trades for an aging veteran blueliner. They have completely gutted the blueline, dumped the #2 goalie, potentially lost Sid's best wingman for the first month or two of the season and created more depth issues in the farm system. But hey Erik Karlsson yippie.

 

The only good thing about this trade is ridding themselves of Petry, Rutta, Granlund and Desmith. They lose a first rounder in '24 and a decent prospect in Legare. Karlsson doesn't make them a contender although he might make them better in that he will improve the power play. I would rather have seen Dubas make the team more physically difficult to play against since they no longer possess team wide elite speed. I don't know where the cap is now but based on that, Dubas may not be done. What are they going to do with Carter? What will the defensive pairings be and to your point, Thorny, who do they put on Sid's left side the first third (or more) of the season?

 

If I had to bet I'd say Sully tries Rust and Rakell until Jake is back to 100% then the revolving door with Geno and see what sticks with him, I don't see Eller or Jonnson as being a good match but it could happen. The bottom six is a crap shoot, they lost depth and grit in free agency and just gambled on magic beans because if Tanger and Karllson get banged up it's a shooting gallery again.

 

Eller is a center by trade, most centers can play either wing. They could try him up there. At least he isn't afraid to mix it up. Defense is going to be in flux for awhile.

 

You talk about underachievers?

 

I see that FSG is forming Sportsnet Pittsburgh to broadcast the games. FSG has the Bruins in 4K for home games so it will be interesting to see if they offer 4K for Penguins.

And they are working on upgrading the arena. I am not sure I like the giant scoreboards though. They tend to distract me from watching what I am there to see, the players. I guess I am old school in not wanting to be bombarded by advertising.

 

I only look at the scoreboard for time remaining in a period, penalty or power play time remaining, replays (of course) and if there is something interesting on it during a stop in play. So yes, to your point, the bigger the scoreboard the more distracting they are. Hockey is great on TV. It's much better appreciated live.

They canned Errey and Mears. My choice would be to move Getzloff and Borque to TV. The old 29'er is an excellent color analyst. Errey is a good dude and I loved how he played, but he flat out drove me crazy. He acted as if he had to talk constantly. Borque makes his point and lets the play-by-play guy do his job. Madden recommended Pierre McGuire for TV. Oh hell no. He knows the game and the players, but he is beyond annoying.

 

Getzloff made it to TV but not the old 29er. TV color analyst still not named

https://www.dkpittsburghsports.com/live/penguins-nhl-news-feed-late-august-2023-dk

 

Yeah, I saw that. I'm dosappointed.

 

They announced rotating in game color - Bourque, Colby, and Rupp. Kinda interesting - I guess less likely you get tired of any one of them.

https://pittsburghhockeynow.com/pit...-bourque-rupp-armstrong-caufield-tv-analysts/

 

I like Armstrong and Rupp. Rupp is a straight shooter. He speaks his mind without being overbearing. Armstrong is entertaining and funny. Both are very good at what they do.

 

Three minutes in to the first preseason game and Bourqie is already pointing out that this team needs more push back against physical/rough play. I'm going to enjoy him on the TV side.

 

3rd preseason game vs Detroit tonight. My early takes on the WBS players that are getting a look tonight and the bottom 6 players who are playing, Zahorna while being big and still being able to move plays like a
Russian or European player, his game isn't physical which is sad because he is a big guy and I enjoy good two way hockey. If he makes the roster Ovechkin is going to lay him out.

PO Joseph still needs to change his edges as he maybe fast but still falls when leaned on hard.

The Wings are controlling play and it isn't even their big name players. The Penguins giving up a ton of shots and chasing their tails. Sully can't expect a 200 ft game from these guys because the talent isn't there for it. The are losing focus in their own end.

 

Lets go Pens

 

New faces, same old problems. Shaky defense, Jarry giving up some juicy rebounds, the 8 passes on the PP rule still in effect, Sully trying to play 200ft defense with aging horses.

 

Went to bed after the 2nd period just knowing that the team would probably show its age in the 3rd against these much younger boys in the NHL. Woke up wondering why I didn’t put money on that belief. Gonna be a long season ladies and gents.

 

Don't complain to much about the Pens. Had an amazing run. They are not going to be able to keep up with the young studs. Hell, that new punk on the Blackhawks (#98) doesn't look like he shaves yet.

I remember the joy when we got Crosby. Blackhawk fans got to be pumped about their future.