Pittsburgh Penguins Thread

[PhilBluff 0]

Zach, you should probably just move here with all the traveling you do here.Golo's deal is solid, im not sure how hes gonna pan out in the NHL, but could be a valuable bargaining chip for trades.

[IBFT 0]

speaking of bargaining chips, I can't remember which outlet it was, either espn or sportsnet, saying they thought it would be a good idea for the pens to use jodan staal as trade bait for a stud defensemen.......yea, that sounds like a great idea, kids.

[MapleLeafpoker 1,462]

speaking of bargaining chips, I can't remember which outlet it was, either espn or sportsnet, saying they thought it would be a good idea for the pens to use jodan staal as trade bait for a stud defensemen.......yea, that sounds like a great idea, kids.

my opinion is that, at some point, trading Staal will make sense.not sure what the need will be, but Im guessing a winger who can score is it.they wont be able to carry Crosby+Malkin+Staal into their mid 20's, without stunting Staals "possible" growth.

[Piddle Duck 0]

Great idea, til Draper slashes him in the knee.

lol this was good!

[serge 904]

Nice pics and thanks. Also not all Leaf fans are like Serge.

pics suck...And i dont appreciate the shot...Screw them..Let them choke on it.

[doox 15]

I'm not sure if it's possible to choke on happiness and satisfaction, but I'll sure give it a shot.I'm actually fairly happy with the defensive core for next year, provided we resign Scuderi for a reasonable amount.

[ajs510 122]

pics suck...And i dont appreciate the shot...Screw them..Let them choke on it.

Regular basket of kittens this week, aren't ya?I can only imagine the bitchy queen that would emerge if Detroit had won again, Bettman would be the uber villain for "making sure" that Lidstrom & Co got one more before their disbanding.

[fryer98 30]

Nothing great, and turn your volume down, but a video from Sat night in a different bar than we saw then in:

[IBFT 0]

my opinion is that, at some point, trading Staal will make sense.not sure what the need will be, but Im guessing a winger who can score is it.they wont be able to carry Crosby+Malkin+Staal into their mid 20's, without stunting Staals "possible" growth.

I have this deep feeling that Im gonna get flamed for this, but I think if push came to shove and the pens needed a blue chip winger, id rather move malkin to the wing and staal to second line centre. What it comes down to for me is, I think Staal would be a number 1 centre on a lot of teams, the scorer you would have to get back for him would have to be a top notch two way player.Still wish the pens hadnt done the hossa trade (I was on record as not liking it at the time it happened, just hated what they gave up for him, especially to have him walk (which was probably a good thing))))))

[fryer98 30]

just hated what they gave up for him,

What did they really give up for him?A scorer that couldn't score. A role player that we have a ton of. A prospect that has underachieved.

[Zach6668 513]

The Gogo deal is 3 years, 5.5 million... 1.83/year.

[fryer98 30]

Mario can walk on water!

[Speed Limit 0]

Was there any doubt?

[IBFT 0]

What did they really give up for him?A scorer that couldn't score. A role player that we have a ton of. A prospect that has underachieved.

I guess its the football side of me - I hate giving up young players and draft picks for older players/rentals. I think a lot of it had to do with Hossa. I was never a real big hossa fan. He's probably a big reason why they were the number 2 seed that year, allowing them to survive without Crosby for that long stretch, and he didn't completely disappear in the playoffs, but I've just never been a big fan. The only thing that was good about the trade is they got the best player involved.Any word on how Angelo Esposito is doing for atlanta? I'm assuming he isnt even in the NHL yet?

[fryer98 30]

Any word on how Angelo Esposito is doing for atlanta? I'm assuming he isnt even in the NHL yet?

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=89534

[Zach6668 513]

Not only did Hossa not disappear in the playoffs, he was a HUGE contributor at both ends of the ice. Without Hossa, this team doesn't get to within 2 wins of the Stanley Cup in 2008, and it's not remotely close.While Armstrong is a nice 3rd liner, with some fringe top 6 potential, we had a serious surplus of those guys, and really still do.Christensen is soft as shit, and even though he found a home in Anaheim, he couldn't help but get demoted to the 4th line when he was very consistent in not producing. He's absolutely useless outside of the top 6, and isn't nearly good enough to get there. He's not strong or gritty enough to be a bottom 6 guy.Esposito's stock has been falling since before he got drafted, which is why he slipped to Pittsburgh in the middle of the 1st round, and it's why he only finally made his first U18 team this past year in his final (and 4th) year of eligibility. While he looked good there, the age thing plays a big part in the WJC.Hossa didn't do a lot in the regular season for the Penguins, as he was injured in his first game, and Sid came back just after that, so it wasn't his doing that the Pens were 2nd in the East, but his playoff dominance should not be overlooked. He was a HUGE contributor for all 4 rounds, something that even Evgeni Malkin couldn't say in 2008.I would make that trade over again 1,000,000 times if I had the chance.Don't forget we got a decent 3rd liner in the deal as well, with Pascal Dupuis, so he eased the pain of losing the 3rd liner of Army, even if it's a bit of a downgrade.

[doox 15]

I had a dream last night that Colby was back with the Pens. Then I woke up

[MapleLeafpoker 1,462]

I have this deep feeling that Im gonna get flamed for this, but I think if push came to shove and the pens needed a blue chip winger, id rather move malkin to the wing and staal to second line centre. What it comes down to for me is, I think Staal would be a number 1 centre on a lot of teams, the scorer you would have to get back for him would have to be a top notch two way player.Still wish the pens hadnt done the hossa trade (I was on record as not liking it at the time it happened, just hated what they gave up for him, especially to have him walk (which was probably a good thing))))))

I dont doubt your assessment of Staal, I like his potential too, though Im not sure he quite has #1 Centre skills, especially right now. Good all around game, but he shouldnt be most teams #1 C. Yet. Whether it will come (the finesse and skill his brother shows almost nightly), I cant say for certain.And to be honest, I think maybe you CAN get a top scoring young winger for Staal. Sometimes, the right opportunity just presents itself, and a team realizes that trading a Radulov/Filatov/BRyan/Perry for J.Staal might be the best move. just using examples, dont jump down my throat

[Zach6668 513]

Can you guys believe Staal is 20!?He's had 3 full NHL seasons already. Most people are just developing at his age.Right now, his offensive skills are very very raw, but he's getting better, and he'll only get better as he gets older. He might not have the hands and skill Eric has, but he'll come close to it when he gets a bit older.Meanwhile, his defensive game is unthinkable for someone his age (well, at least it was when he broke in 3 seasons ago).I love Staal, but if he's your top center, your team probably has some depth problems, but there's no reason he can't develop into it, or be a very good 2nd line center in the NHL (and maybe already is).

[MapleLeafpoker 1,462]

Can you guys believe Staal is 20!?He's had 3 full NHL seasons already. Most people are just developing at his age.Right now, his offensive skills are very very raw, but he's getting better, and he'll only get better as he gets older. He might not have the hands and skill Eric has, but he'll come close to it when he gets a bit older.Meanwhile, his defensive game is unthinkable for someone his age (well, at least it was when he broke in 3 seasons ago).I love Staal, but if he's your top center, your team probably has some depth problems, but there's no reason he can't develop into it, or be a very good 2nd line center in the NHL (and maybe already is).

this is exactly where I think he is. At this point, if Malkin/Crosby goes down for any length of time, I think you would see Staal really show some production and blossom if given the task of scoring more. Hed be the ideal fantasy pick for next year, methinks.

[Zach6668 513]

What do you guys think of a 3 year, 2.4 M per season contract for Ruslan Fedotenko?It's a rumor Madden apparently heard or made up.I'm so-so on it. The thing with Feds is what we learned in these playoffs. People are going to hate him if he's the guy doing the dirty work on his line. When Sykora or Satan were there, Feds was the grit, and had to be extra responsible defensively, so his numbers suffered a lot. When they moved Talbot up, though, he started scoring again, and was just a lot more involved offensively. Basically, the deal is worth it, if they get a good grinder for that line (better than Talbot, who has trouble with the regular season). He can be a physical-ish, sniper-ish, kinda player, but it takes the right guy on the other side. Maybe a Tyler Kennedy or someone from within who has a bit more of an offensive upside than Talbot had.

[strategy 4]

that's going to be a posterboy contract if and when the penguins have a rough spell in the future. not that I think listening to the media about who they believe is overpaid is a worthwhile use of one's time, but still.

[Zach6668 513]

I mean, he made 2.0 this year, and the Pens gave Satan 3.5, but those were 1-year deals, of course.

[IBFT 0]

Im sorry, I think I probably had my homer glasses on calling him a sure-fire #1 C on other teams, but the guys ceiling is incredibly high. As has been stated, he's amazing defensively. His offensive game will come (and hell, I think part of his problem is he's playing with 3rd line wingers). He still needs to work on his face offs, also. But he has one thing that can't be taught, developed or learned: Size. He's big, powerful, well-balanced. And as Zach said, he's young. How long is his deal, btw? 4 a year is a bargain for his skill set, imo.

[IBFT 0]

Thats something I wanted to ask, who do you guys see on the wing next year? Does Kunitz stay with the pens? 3.5 for him is high, imo. He really did nothing in the playoffs, minus his one big goal in the CAR series.Adams (played pretty well imo), Fedotenko (played well), Billy Guerin, LUCIFER (Satan), Sykora (bye bye) are all UFAs.on teh blue line, I know that with his new deal, Golo is probably one of the top 6 and that probably means the SLOWEST MAN IN THE HISTORY OF THE NHL (Gill) is probably gone, but I'm really hoping that Scuderi doesn't want too much. Outside of that one horrible turnover at the end of the period against detroit he had a great playoff. He's smart and he just wants to win. Love Rob. So if they can keep Scuderi, they'll have their 6 D with Golo now, so they seem set there. Letang's development this post season will really help. Just have to keep Gonch healthy for the whole year next season. Do you guys think they end up signing him to an extension? Hopefully at something a little cheaper than 5M, even though he could probably get more from a team a team like the Sens or Habs that really need a puck moving defensemen.Be nice if the league would ditch phoenix so that revenue would go up and they could get some cap room.Was kind of a jumbled post. Sorry:)