Letang, Despres, Maatta or...

[JustAsking]

Whom do you think the Pens will deal? In the offseason I mentioned I heard rumors regarding the Oilers... Oilers always seem to be on the Pens radar as well as the Jets...

Personally I would attempt to trade Kris Letang for Evander Kane. I hear the Jets are in interested in Maatta and Oilers are looking at Despres... IMO it would be a mistake to trade either of those two instead of Letang.

What do you armchair GMs think?

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

Probably Despres, hopefully Letang.

 

[scoutyjones2]

Move Letang to wing...problem solved. No trade needed.

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

Move Letang to wing...problem solved. No trade needed.

True scouty, just have him work the point on the PP.

 

[element1286]

Move Letang to wing...problem solved. No trade needed.

Not really, cause he isn't a winger, and the transition ti wing isn't flipping a switch, and why would you want a 7.5 cap hit at wing anyway? I can't think of any wings that make 7.5 million aside from Ovechkin, James Neal makes 5.

Its completely illogical from a hockey standpoint, and from a cap standpoint.

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

Not really, cause he isn't a winger, and the transition ti wing isn't flipping a switch, and why would you want a 7.5 cap hit at wing anyway? I can't think of any wings that make 7.5 million aside from Ovechkin, James Neal makes 5.

Its completely illogical from a hockey standpoint, and from a cap standpoint.

True, probably best to trade Tang, if we could.

 

[thedddd]

Not really, cause he isn't a winger, and the transition ti wing isn't flipping a switch, and why would you want a 7.5 cap hit at wing anyway? I can't think of any wings that make 7.5 million aside from Ovechkin, James Neal makes 5.

Its completely illogical from a hockey standpoint, and from a cap standpoint.

Totally agree that is too much for a guy that is no guarantee to be a top winger but with that said didn't he transition to Defense in Juniors? I swear I read or watched that somewhere.

If they deal a d-man it will be either Letang or Despres, truly feel it will be Despres because not many teams want that cap hit on Letang.

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

We should've traded Tang when we had the chance

 

[thedddd]

^Oh yeah but at the time who would have known the value of Maatta.
With Letang they will just have to keep working until they find him the right partner who has a high hockey IQ. Dumoulin might fit that role after Martin -then Scuderi are gone.

 

[element1286]

Totally agree that is too much for a guy that is no guarantee to be a top winger but with that said didn't he transition to Defense in Juniors? I swear I read or watched that somewhere.

If they deal a d-man it will be either Letang or Despres, truly feel it will be Despres because not many teams want that cap hit on Letang.

Yeah, I have no idea about when he was changed. I know Brent Burns was moved to forward from defense, but I believe he had played forward in the minors.

 

[element1286]

^Oh yeah but at the time who would have known the value of Maatta.
With Letang they will just have to keep working until they find him the right partner who has a high hockey IQ. Dumoulin might fit that role after Martin -then Scuderi are gone.

Honestly, they need to reign him in. They let him play the powerplay and don't match him against the other team's top unit. I think that should be switched, and take him off the powerplay, and make him play more defense. If he is ever going to be a 7.5 million dollar defensemen he needs to play much better in his own end.

They are doing it with Despres right now, Engelland is ahead of Despres on the pp depth chart. DB doesn't like young guys and lets older players get away with a lot, two standards is one thing I don't like about his style.

 

[thedddd]

Yeah, I have no idea about when he was changed. I know Brent Burns was moved to forward from defense, but I believe he had played forward in the minors.

Yeah Burns made sense he played forward recently but even at his cap hit not sure he is even worth the move the wing?

 

[thedddd]

Honestly, they need to reign him in. They let him play the powerplay and don't match him against the other team's top unit. I think that should be switched, and take him off the powerplay, and make him play more defense. If he is ever going to be a 7.5 million dollar defensemen he needs to play much better in his own end.

They are doing it with Despres right now, Engelland is ahead of Despres on the pp depth chart. DB doesn't like young guys and lets older players get away with a lot, two standards is one thing I don't like about his style.

Yeah that makes total sense thats why I brought up about the timing of his move to Defense originally. I am wondering in Juniors how much they truly stressed defense to him or just let him rack up the points to get a better draft position? And only playing 11 games in the AHL they never truly worked on making him an NHL defenseman.

 

[element1286]

Yeah Burns made sense he played forward recently but even at his cap hit not sure he is even worth the move the wing?

True, but 5.8 million is high, but he is playing well so far.

 

[scoutyjones2]

Wait...so engelland can switch between d and wing (in the same game!), but the defensively challenged, offensively gifted Letang can't?! LOL

 

[thedddd]

Wait...so engelland can switch between d and wing (in the same game!), but the defensively challenged, offensively gifted Letang can't?! LOL

There is a huge difference of 7.2 million dollars next year. Engelland is gone and Letang is on the hook for that starting next year. Do you want a 7.2 million dollar winger who in all possibility probably will not score like Ovechkin?

Engelland on the other hand is nothing more than an extra d-man who they put on the 4th line to do nothing more than play the enforcer role.

 

[element1286]

Wait...so engelland can switch between d and wing (in the same game!), but the defensively challenged, offensively gifted Letang can't?! LOL

Engelland was playing 4th line and 8 minutes, and he isn't a good 4th liner just a warm body.

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

I really feel bad for us when I think about Tang's contract. I was cool with Tang not playing D until he signed that contract. Granted there's a lot of offensive upside in his game, a certain physical element as well, but such a liability on defense, it's not worth it.

 

[element1286]

I really feel bad for us when I think about Tang's contract. I was cool with Tang not playing D until he signed that contract. Granted there's a lot of offensive upside in his game, a certain physical element as well, but such a liability on defense, it's not worth it.

Watching him play last night, he is so cavalier with the puck when on the breakout, he'll hold it too long and invite the forecheck, and sometimes he throws a random pass to a spot, there is no control in his game, he just does whatever. This is something that can be taught and changed. He might never be the best in his own zone, but he plays with reckless abandon, when the rest of the team is becoming more controlled. I think that is why he looks so much worse this year.

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

Watching him play last night, he is so cavalier with the puck when on the breakout, he'll hold it too long and invite the forecheck, and sometimes he throws a random pass to a spot, there is no control in his game, he just does whatever. This is something that can be taught and changed. He might never be the best in his own zone, but he plays with reckless abandon, when the rest of the team is becoming more controlled. I think that is why he looks so much worse this year.

I like how he kept sending those long outlets to Adams, Glass, & Engelland. Those are exactly the players I want to send those long outlets to.