I don't see a gaping hole.
- Topshelf Mountain

We have Dupuis playing on the first line. He wasn't ideal before the injury, but he did well, so yes, up until the injury I would agree. Now he is coming off a major injury and is another year older. People who aren't thinking about option 2 for Sid's right wing are crazy.

This all assumes that Bennett stays healthy and productive, because if not, we have two holes. Don't get me wrong, our team is better as a whole from last year, but our top six is much worse off with the loss of Neal and Jokinen. Hornqvist was a good addition, and will be an excellent net front guy for Geno, but we have a serious dearth of scoring wingers.

And I agree that that is not worth it. Ryan was the only rental that I could really think of that would be worth pursuing to fill a top 6 roll for a cup run. I have no interest in another Lee Stempniak who would be better served as a third liner than on Sid or Geno's wing.

As I see it we only have two options:

Make a hockey trade, which is unlikely because we can't really put together an appealing package unless its for a guy with a NTC that can essentially choose us as his destination.

Or stay put and try to manage with this gaping hole in the top 6, which is what I think we'll have to do. I really don't see Kapenen being ready this year. Maybe another prospect will surprise? I doubt it.
- Victoro311

I hate to say it but this year feels as if it is almost a one year rebuild. one year contracts, young players gonna develop. lose some hefty contracts next year. if scuds is awful again and not top 6 material I could see them buy out the last two years. hit FA next year for a big name or two. it feels like they are trying to remain competitive but are making small fixes in anticipation of something

No more than a 100 foot pass.

You can fake a 10 foot pass and take another step and chances are high the other player will have shaken his defender and the angle of the pass will be changed.

You can't really effectively fake a stretch pass.
- Ryan_Wilson

If the players have good, yes I'm gonna say it, chemistry and read each other well then those passes are great. more passes = more opportunity for mistakes/great plays by other team. look, I'm not trying to say they should stick to what they were doing, yucky, but it could be ugo for awhile. how about the bottom lines.... dump and chase?

We have Dupuis playing on the first line. He wasn't ideal before the injury, but he did well, so yes, up until the injury I would agree. Now he is coming off a major injury and is another year older. People who aren't thinking about option 2 for Sid's right wing are crazy.

This all assumes that Bennett stays healthy and productive, because if not, we have two holes. Don't get me wrong, our team is better as a whole from last year, but our top six is much worse off with the loss of Neal and Jokinen. Hornqvist was a good addition, and will be an excellent net front guy for Geno, but we have a serious dearth of scoring wingers.
- Victoro311

Dupious, if he is up there , will be the least of our worries. he will play just fine. Bennett is much greater of a risk. I do agree we could use another guy who could jump up. sign penner, or whitney, or booth to give you some options. trade despres for a similer prospect with potential to a team with a glut of o prospects and a lack of d ones

We have Dupuis playing on the first line. He wasn't ideal before the injury, but he did well, so yes, up until the injury I would agree. Now he is coming off a major injury and is another year older. People who aren't thinking about option 2 for Sid's right wing are crazy.

- Victoro311

Last three seasons, goals per game:

Ryan: .33
Dupuis: .31

Duper's knee doesn't concern me at all. ACL injuries aren't what they used to be, Dupuis is always in great shape and he's a tireless worker. And even if he's lost a half-stride, he's still faster than 95% of the players in the league.

Nor do I. And apparently, neither does the FO.

It's kind of getting old talking about it, actually.

Reality is that between Duper/Bennett/Kapanen/Downie, the Penguins have a ton more options for the top 6 than they did last year.

I mean, this time last year folks were angling for a pipe dream winger because they wanted Jokinen centering the third line, thinking he wasn't good enough to ride with Malkin.
- hardnosed

All four of the people you just named are huge gambles. Like I said, Dupuis is coming off of a major injury and is one year older. The chances that he'll be as productive as before are slim.

Bennett could be injured out as soon as the preseason.

Kapanen is 18 and hasn't logged a minute in our AHL affiliate. The chances that he is NHL ready AND will pick up our system quickly enough to be inserted into the top 6 are slim.

Downie isn't a top 6 player. This idea that he can fill the roll comes from a pipe dream that Tocchet can cast some magic spell to turn Downie into the player that he was several years ago before the injuries and when he played in a different system. I don't see it.

If even two of these guys work out, I'll concede that we are fine. I'm just not getting my hopes up. It all remains to be seen, I guess.

I hate to say it but this year feels as if it is almost a one year rebuild. one year contracts, young players gonna develop. lose some hefty contracts next year. if scuds is awful again and not top 6 material I could see them buy out the last two years. hit FA next year for a big name or two. it feels like they are trying to remain competitive but are making small fixes in anticipation of something
- ChrisMS

I agree. They're trying to be as competitive as possible, but they're not going to mortgage the future to make it happen. Doing things like getting desperate for any big-name, expensive winger is mortgaging the future.

That's why they went after a Hornqvist with term (because they love his game and see him as a core long-term component), but barely kicked the tires on Kulemin.

We have Dupuis playing on the first line. He wasn't ideal before the injury, but he did well, so yes, up until the injury I would agree. Now he is coming off a major injury and is another year older. People who aren't thinking about option 2 for Sid's right wing are crazy.

This all assumes that Bennett stays healthy and productive, because if not, we have two holes. Don't get me wrong, our team is better as a whole from last year, but our top six is much worse off with the loss of Neal and Jokinen. Hornqvist was a good addition, and will be an excellent net front guy for Geno, but we have a serious dearth of scoring wingers.
- Victoro311

The improvement of the bottom six negates the two losses up top.

All four of the people you just named are huge gambles. Like I said, Dupuis is coming off of a major injury and is one year older. The chances that he'll be as productive as before are slim.

Bennett could be injured out as soon as the preseason.

Kapanen is 18 and hasn't logged a minute in our AHL affiliate. The chances that he is NHL ready AND will pick up our system quickly enough to be inserted into the top 6 are slim.

Downie isn't a top 6 player. This idea that he can fill the roll comes from a pipe dream that Tocchet can cast some magic spell to turn Downie into the player that he was several years ago before the injuries and when he played in a different system. I don't see it.

If even two of these guys work out, I'll concede that we are fine. I'm just not getting my hopes up. It all remains to be seen, I guess.
- Victoro311

Everything is a gamble. The cap means you can't have all-stars at every position. That's reality. Duper/Bennett/Kapanen/Downie as available options/depth to fill two F spots is a crew that other teams would pine for.

Last year the depth options were guys like Megna and Connor. Downie is a much safer bet. Kapanen's potential alone dwarfs those guys.

The improvement of the bottom six negates the two losses up top.
- Topshelf Mountain

I agree with this. Like I said, we are a better team now than we were last year, but that doesn't mean that we have a good chance at the cup. Can we really be big time contenders without a strong top 6? I hope our new found depth will affect us more than I think it will, but I'm not so sure the necessary primary scoring will be there. Like I said, this is all speculation and we will see come October.

There won't be a blog today. I'll have something tomorrow.

There won't be a blog today. I'll have something tomorrow.
- Ryan_Wilson

Slacker.

There won't be a blog today. I'll have something tomorrow.
- Ryan_Wilson

but... but... but... offseason SO BORING!

I agree. They're trying to be as competitive as possible, but they're not going to mortgage the future to make it happen. Doing things like getting desperate for any big-name, expensive winger is mortgaging the future.

That's why they went after a Hornqvist with term (because they love his game and see him as a core long-term component), but barely kicked the tires on Kulemin.
- hardnosed

The currently built team is a contender. Capable of taking out the West, we'll see. Certainly able to win the East.

There won't be a blog today. I'll have something tomorrow.
- Ryan_Wilson

Title: Sidney Crosby Prefers Cereal Over Oatmeal

Body: Nuff said, have at it.

Signature: Thanks For Reading! Ryan Wilson

Results: 400+ Responses of Pure Splendor

Anyone have any thoughts on Loktionov?

So... No surgery for Sid.

Depends on several things. First and foremost is the contract Sutter ends up getting. If we lock him up long term to 3.5 of lower, then I'm out of this trade. If he goes over 4, or if he ends up only getting a two year contract I'm back on trying to make this deal because with our new found depth this year, Sutter is expendable.

Second, if its Despres, Samuelsson, or Harrington, I'm ok with it. I see Despres as being our most expendable top notch D prospect because he never really panned out in our system, but his potential is still palpable. I think teams would still love to add him and a change of scenery and system would do wonders for his career. I don't think Samuelsson has enough value to get this done, and I'd rather not get rid of Harrington. But when its all said and done, we have more D prospects than we have room on our roster for moving forward. At some point we're going to have to trade at least one.

The pick is the worst part of this deal and what makes it such a huge gamble. We need forwards in our pipeline, but at the same time, the time to do that was a few years ago when Shero was either trading those picks or using them on D men. Sid and Geno are aging. What are the realistic chances that a forward prospect can seriously help us out while Sid and Geno's window are still open.

In short, its a huge gamble. If a trade of Sutter, Despres, and a 1st is made and Ryan resigns, I think most will agree that it was well worth it. If he walks, it will be seen as blunder of seismic proportions even if we win the cup. It comes down to GMJR's cojones and what he thinks the realistic chances of retaining Bobby Ryan are.
- Victoro311

I agree with you here. It's easy to point out Hossa..but he would still be looking quite good on Sid's line today if we could have re-signed him long term.

It's just a really steep price for a rental. With Sutter moving out, we most likely could afford Ryan's contract this year. Martin's stupid trade clause would mean he'd never want to go to Ottawa. Otherwise, he would make sense in a package deal. I'm fine with losing the those assets and the first rounder for 5 years of Bobby Ryan but not for 1 season of Bobby Ryan. I wish we could do a deal that would be conditional on whether or not Ryan signs. Like Sutter, Despres, and a 3rd for Ryan if he doesn't re-sign. 3rd becomes a 1st if he re-signs. Don't see how Ottawa benefits from a conditional deal though.

Can you trade for someone conditional on signing a long term deal on the spot
? Like we propose a trade for Ryan, conditional on working out a deal to to lock him up this offseason. We work out a deal and then the trade goes through. I have no idea just spitballing here.

Yeah you're right. It probably won't happen. Just like with Evander Kane, there's likely many other teams that can up our offer, and Ryan doesn't have a NTC to use as leverage. At the end of the day, Sutter, Despres, and a low 1st just isn't that appealing when you're talking about a guy like Ryan.

But you never know what will happen when GMs start talking
- Victoro311

Not necessarily true...the cheapskate owner we are speaking of is unlikely to extend Ryan long term. So it's likely that Ryan would be leaving OTT. And being an RFA...its just like how we talk about Martin's value being much lower based on the contract. Bottom line -- its likely Ryan doesn't remain in OTT, his value is not nearly as high as it would be if he were locked up long term, and other teams can still most likely offer more for him.

Nor do I. And apparently, neither does the FO.

It's kind of getting old talking about it, actually.

Reality is that between Duper/Bennett/Kapanen/Downie, the Penguins have a ton more options for the top 6 than they did last year.

I mean, this time last year folks were angling for a pipe dream winger because they wanted Jokinen centering the third line, thinking he wasn't good enough to ride with Malkin.
- hardnosed

I mean, 4 question marks to fill TWO top 6 spots seems like a bit of an issue, IMO

So... No surgery for Sid.
- madmike71

He's a Ferrari

Man, not a huge Ribeiro fan, but i would have taken him for what Nashville paid him.

Everything is a gamble. The cap means you can't have all-stars at every position. That's reality. Duper/Bennett/Kapanen/Downie as available options/depth to fill two F spots is a crew that other teams would pine for.

Last year the depth options were guys like Megna and Connor. Downie is a much safer bet. Kapanen's potential alone dwarfs those guys.
- hardnosed

Maybe two 3rd line spots.

The depth options were worse last year but we had Neal and Jokinen on the team in the top 6. We strengthened the bottom 6, and lessened the top 6. I don't really care if Crosby can make an average player better...that not an excuse to get him the best possible wingers.

Pens re-sign Harry Z...I mean Farnham

Pens re-sign Harry Z...I mean Farnham
- YouMeAndDupuis9

That's a little unfair to Zolnierczyk. He actually proved to be valuable to WBS. Farnham is just a poop starter.