Penguins offseason thread

[Todd1a]

Next year will be funny, you'll see half the league trying to suck as bad as possible. Maybe they should just clone Connor McDavid so that every team could have him. Cloner McDavid?

i'd have no problem tanking the season for mcdavid as a tampa fan! we would have three superstars! drouin, Stamkos and mcdavid! but I can't see it unless lindback is are starter! which he won't be bishop or vasi will handle that role. But what the penguins need to do is dump contracts like you said! rebuild around crosby and malkin.

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

i'd have no problem tanking the season for mcdavid as a tampa fan! we would have three superstars! drouin, Stamkos and mcdavid! but I can't see it unless lindback is are starter! which he won't be bishop or vasi will handle that role. But what the penguins need to do is dump contracts like you said! rebuild around crosby and malkin.

I agree, clean house and rebuild around Sid & Geno. Even if we don't land McDavid, next year figured to be a very strong draft. Get a good draft pick and I think we could put together a strong team for years to come. I really don't want us to make the playoffs next season.

 

[scoutyjones2]

They don't need to rebuild, they have the tools, they just need to use them better...especially D

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

They don't need to rebuild, they have the tools, they just need to use them better...especially D

Rebuilding isn't a bad thing, also, it doesn't take more than a season. This is a golden opportunity, we have to take advantage. Otherwise, nothing changes.

 

[element1286]

They don't need to rebuild, they have the tools, they just need to use them better...especially D

Agree, they don't need a rebuild. Just start playing young guys, and get a little harder to play against.

Despres and Borts need to play 70 games next year. Ideally Scuderi goes, so you can give Doumolin or Samuelsson a shot too. Figure out what you have in Harry Z, Gibbons, Megna, etc in the bottom six. Bring in some gritty guys that are actually hard to play against and can play the game. Start moving older guys out of town, no more signing mid 30's players to 3 and 4 year deals.

They already have younger guys in the system that need minutes, play them, and draft for 2-3 years down the line when Kunitz and Dupuis are going to be gone and need replacements.

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

Flyers management has always been in denial when it's time to rebuild, now they're going on 39 years without a Cup. Sometimes you have to realize that you're not good & it's time to start over.

 

[Darkstone42]

Flyers management has always been in denial when it's time to rebuild, now they're going on 39 years without a Cup. Sometimes you have to realize that you're not good & it's time to start over.

We are good. We just need better coaching and to use our young talent. It's ridiculous to suggest we're not good, we've gone to 3 of the last 7 ECFs, and were just one win away from a fourth. Obviously, we're not that far off of being a Cup-caliber team.

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

We are good. We just need better coaching and to use our young talent. It's ridiculous to suggest we're not good, we've gone to 3 of the last 7 ECFs, and were just one win away from a fourth. Obviously, we're not that far off of being a Cup-caliber team.

You could look at it that way, but look how we've played since the Olympic break, look how we struggled against the Blue Jackets (particularly with a 2+ goal lead), look how we played against the Rangers after going up 3-1 in the series. You guys might think this is a good team but we 're really mediocre at best. We'll probably miss the playoffs next season if this type of play continues. Good thing for the fast start or else we probably would've missed the playoffs this season as well.

 

[Darkstone42]

You could look at it that way, but look how we've played since the Olympic break, look how we struggled against the Blue Jackets (particularly with a 2+ goal lead), look how we played against the Rangers after going up 3-1 in the series. You guys might think this is a good team but we 're really mediocre at best. We'll probably miss the playoffs next season if this type of play continues. Good thing for the fast start or else we probably would've missed the playoffs this season as well.

We are poorly coached and lack depth, but the core talent is very clearly there. The core talent is the same core talent which has given us playoff success in the past.

"Mediocre at best" teams do not get within one game of their second consecutive ECF appearance. It simply doesn't work that way. "Mediocre at best" teams squeak into the playoffs and don't advance.

Post Olympic break is a very small sample size compared to the past seven years, by the way. I'll trust the information provided by the latter.

 

[evolver115]

We are good. We just need better coaching and to use our young talent. It's ridiculous to suggest we're not good, we've gone to 3 of the last 7 ECFs, and were just one win away from a fourth. Obviously, we're not that far off of being a Cup-caliber team.

To your bolded, DS

They arguably have the deepest, most talented blue line in the entire minor leagues.

Dumoulin, Harrington, Samuelsson, Despres and Pouliot. Those five players, plus Olli Maatta and Bortuzzo, and the future of this organization from a defenseman standpoint set for years. The subsequent savings they represent from a salary cap standpoint is massive. This could allow whomever it is that they hire this off-season as the new GM to become creative with making trades from the current roster, and bringing in much needed reinforcements to the forwards.

The young defensemen must be given the green light and allowed to be developed at the top level, and I would say there is a very strong likelihood that Pouliot, Dumoulin and Despres could be skating meaningful minutes for Pittsburgh in 2014-15.

Maatta, Bortuzzo, Pouliot, Dumoulin and Harrington at the NHL level for 2014-15 would give the Pens a combined cap hit of $3.77 milllion dollars. (Despres not included as he's currently a RFA)

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

We are poorly coached and lack depth, but the core talent is very clearly there. The core talent is the same core talent which has given us playoff success in the past.

"Mediocre at best" teams do not get within one game of their second consecutive ECF appearance. It simply doesn't work that way. "Mediocre at best" teams squeak into the playoffs and don't advance.

Post Olympic break is a very small sample size compared to the past seven years, by the way. I'll trust the information provided by the latter.

Pens were very luck to have faced the Blue Jackets in round 1. Any other team would've have the skillsets & talent to have taken advantage of our poor play. Rangers went down 3-1 early on because they were tired from the previous series. Everything we accomplished in the playoffs was purely circumstantial. Don't be fooled by the results, we were very lucky to have gotten as far as we did.

 

[Darkstone42]

Pens were very luck to have faced the Blue Jackets in round 1. Any other team would've have the skillsets & talent to have taken advantage of our poor play. Rangers went down 3-1 early on because they were tired from the previous series. Everything we accomplished in the playoffs was purely circumstantial. Don't be fooled by the results, we were very lucky to have gotten as far as we did.

And how exactly did we put ourselves in a position to draw a good first-round matchup? By being better than every team in the Eastern Conference except Boston during the regular season is how.

We're clearly a good, talented team. I don't know why you don't even want to see the team for which you root as a good team when they are one.

You must be miserable in actual down years...

 

[Todd1a]

Flyers management has always been in denial when it's time to rebuild, now they're going on 39 years without a Cup. Sometimes you have to realize that you're not good & it's time to start over.

yep and I bet tampa gets another cup before philly does we had one in 2004 so we are on a 10 year drought.

 

[Todd1a]

penguins need to do a rebuild on the fly just don't deal 1st or 2nd round picks anymore and play more kids!

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

And how exactly did we put ourselves in a position to draw a good first-round matchup? By being better than every team in the Eastern Conference except Boston during the regular season is how.

We're clearly a good, talented team. I don't know why you don't even want to see the team for which you root as a good team when they are one.

You must be miserable in actual down years...

I actually enjoyed the 2003-04 season, only downer was the possibility of losing the team, but I had very little expectations, tickets were cheap & easy to get, & there was a lot of underrated talent on that team as well. Not a Debbie downer, I just see a golden opportunity to change course & I think we should take it.

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

penguins need to do a rebuild on the fly just don't deal 1st or 2nd round picks anymore and play more kids!

we have all the tools to rebuild quickly. People act like it was all on Bylsma, but it was a roster issue as well (there's a reason we fired Ray Shero). Time to erase Ray's mistakes. Won't be that hard, just make a 1 year commitment to rebuilding.

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

yep and I bet tampa gets another cup before philly does we had one in 2004 so we are on a 10 year drought.

Flyers are their own worst enemy, they put so much pressure to compete every year they ignore that they have to rebuild. As a result, their drought just continues. Blackhawks, Kings, & Bruins have all had to rebuild recently. What do those 3 teams have in common in recent history?

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

From the Doobster's perspective

-our goaltending is iffy
-our defense is atrocious
-we lack forward depth
-we can't score greasy goals
-we have no cap space

These aren't signs of a good team. These are signs of a very overrated teams. Won't be able to address these problems by just firing the coach & playing the kids. It's going to require a 1 year commitment to rebuilding. All I'm asking for is 1 off year so we could get our house in order. Hardly unreasonable.

 

[Darkstone42]

From the Doobster's perspective

-our goaltending is iffy
-our defense is atrocious
-we lack forward depth
-we can't score greasy goals
-we have no cap space

These aren't signs of a good team. These are signs of a very overrated teams. Won't be able to address these problems by just firing the coach & playing the kids. It's going to require a 1 year commitment to rebuilding. All I'm asking for is 1 off year so we could get our house in order. Hardly unreasonable.

No, it's completely unreasonable from every conceivable perspective. Professional sports franchises are not supposed to "take a year off." You do not rebuild two years after a conference final appearance when your core is intact. It's bad business (the fans wouldn't be buying tickets and merchandise for a tanking team), it contradicts the players' inherent competitiveness, it drives down perception across the league, which will make trading and signing free agents more difficult.

We have talent on the blue line, and we're going to have some cap space soon, depending on how this off-season goes. Fleury seems to be fine now that he has a reasonable goaltending coach, though he's only under contract for one more year anyway. We should retool, not rebuild. We just need to address the complementary players, really.

 

[scoutyjones2]

1. Goaltending is the best the Pens have ever had...ever!
2. Defensive game plan and actual playing of D, is atrocious. Move Letang to forward, opens up spot for true, stay at home, D first minded player
3. Plenty of forwards to fill out a balanced 4 line team...ones that know their roles.
4. Crosby can't score greasy goals...he needs to man up, show some leadership and take over games. No more shooting from the side of the net or hanging out below the goal. Stake your claim in front and do more center drives as a team. They penetrate too far and drive PAST the goal.
5. Cap space isn't an issue...plenty on the Pens buffet table to fill out their team.


Pens need a true defensive minded coach or assistant where Abysmal only fills out the card and steers clear of anything Defensive or goaltending related.