Lundqvist
Holtby
Halak
Fleury
Mason
Bobrovsky
Schneider
Ward

Out of curiosity, why did you have Mason so low?
- jmatchett383

I feel he has more to prove. Unreal rookie year... brutal until trade to Philly... been pretty good this season. Couple more years like the last 2 and he goes up.

The Penguins have been without Olli Maata, Christian Ehrhoff, Patrick Hornqvist, and Pascal Dupuis for long stretches this season and are still in a secure playoff position. That's pretty damn good, if you ask me.
- jmatchett383

I think that speaks more to how good Crosby and Malkin are than their depth. They simply aren't a deep team and how Crosby and Malkin go is how the Pens go. Fleury has also been outstanding this year.

Who is saying this???
- YouMeAndDupuis9

I think people are getting the notion that they are based on a few of us saying that it would be huge if somehow, someway they can come produce in the AHL first and possibly the playoffs, although highly unlikely. I think we are fine as is. Any team would get a huge boost if their over seas players could come in and produce. Not sure where the "Kap and Sundqvist will save us and lead us to a Cup win" is coming from.

I think that speaks more to how good Crosby and Malkin are than their depth. They simply aren't a deep team and how Crosby and Malkin go is how the Pens go. Fleury has also been outstanding this year.
- rangerdanger94

That's exactly what I said (in the post before the one you quoted). Those 2 are good enough to make up for depth (and for their cap hits, they'd better be). But my point is, before the Islanders added Halak/Leddy/Boychuk, their defense and goaltending were a gaping black hole.

The Penguins have been without Olli Maata, Christian Ehrhoff, Patrick Hornqvist, and Pascal Dupuis for long stretches this season and are still in a secure playoff position. That's pretty damn good, if you ask me.
- jmatchett383

Not to mention Comeau long term as well as basically every player on our roster at one time or another.

The perception that I am getting is that Oskar is going to replace Sutter and that Kap is going to be top six next year. And that they'll 'produce' in the playoffs.

They are talking about the NHL Penguins and not the Baby Penguins. This is folly unless the organization wants to Morozov these players.
- Johnny Wrath

I wouldn't jump the gun on full time NHL'ers next year obviously until we see more from them. And, carrying over from what I said on the last blog, I feel that they can be used in the playoffs THIS year. Not asking them to be (or saying that they will be) the saving grace, but they could succeed as role players.

Penguins fans:

How would you rank these goalies from best to worst:

Cam Ward
Cory Schneider
Brayden Holtby
Marc-Andre Fleury
Jaroslav Halak
Steve Mason
Henrik Lundqvist
Sergei Bobrovsky
- jmatchett383

Lundqvist
Bobrovsky
Schneider
Mason
Halak
Fleury
Ward
Holtby

Since 2011 Detroits avg draft position is 26th which is lowered somewhat due to the fact they didn't have 1st in 2011 or 2012
- willi

I'm talking roster players and all rounds.

I feel he has more to prove. Unreal rookie year... brutal until trade to Philly... been pretty good this season. Couple more years like the last 2 and he goes up.
- Willaged

He's been pretty unreal in his 2+ seasons there. He's 6th in save % of an absolutely atrocious Flyers team, and he was the sole reason they got to (and almost won) Game 7 versus the Rangers last season.

I think his CBJ career after his rookie season gives him this league-wide blemish that he'll never shake no matter what.

Penguins fans:

How would you rank these goalies from best to worst:

Cam Ward
Cory Schneider
Brayden Holtby
Marc-Andre Fleury
Jaroslav Halak
Steve Mason
Henrik Lundqvist
Sergei Bobrovsky
- jmatchett383

Lundqvist/Bobrovsky/Schneider are probably 1-3, and Ward is probably at the bottom at this point. After that, it's all based on who is playing well. Not all that different between them (Holtby, Fleury, Halak & Mason).

Late to the discussion here, but.....

I have no issue with a team "tanking". First off, don't forget, they players on the ice are going to play hard every night because they have pride in what they do, and none of them would lose intentionally. The "tank" comes from how the team is constructed by ownership and the GM. Bottom line is it is their business and if the business chooses not to put the best possible team on the ice in the hopes of landing a mega talent in return, then that is their choice. Teams that tank in this day in age take a huge risk of alienating the fans and having attendance drop all for a possibility to draft an elite player, who may or may not even pan out.

The Penguins absolutely tanked to get Mario, but the Devils were tanking right along with them. No denying any of that. But I'm here to tell you it was a painful, awful process, and even with Mario, it took the Penguins another 5 years to even make the playoffs. Nothing was anything close to guaranteed in terms of success in the early Mario era.

But the notion that the Penguins "tanked" to get Crosby and Malkin is revisionist history. The team flat out stunk on its own merits because they were in financial trouble and had to trade away the core of a team that had gone to the conference championship in 2000. They were in financial trouble mostly due to the mismanagement of the Baldwin/Marino ownership group, and partially because the fundamental finances underpinning the NHL business model were hopelessly broken and needed a lockout and salary cap to fix.

-In 2002-2003, the Penguins were actually competeing for a playoff spot when they traded away Kovalev in February, and then a whole chunk of other complementary players for peanuts at the deadline. They simply had to do this because of the way Marino had run the team into the ground financially. They finished next to last overall but via the lottery were slated to pick 3rd. They has to acquire the first overall pick via trade with Florida and subsequently took Fluery. This was a dumb move on Florida's part but so be it. The 3rd pick in that draft turned into Nathan Horton. How different would the Pens be if Patrick had not moved up to pick MAF and had stood pat and taken Horton, who is a nice player, but not had anywhere close to MAF's impact.
-The year the Penguins finished last overall (2004) because of all the frantic cost cutting trades the season before and they drafted Malkin, but people forget that they "lost" the lottery for Ovechkin to Washington. There was NO guarantee that Malkin would become the player he was, or even come over from Russia. He was very much an unknown factor and there was far from any rejoicing about a bright future at that point.
-The 2005 Crosby pick was the result of lottery, and despite all the jokes about Bettman rigging it, had only a 3 in 48 chance of picking Crosby. Simply put, they got lucky.

My whole point here is that: Any team that "tanks" also has to get a huge amount of luck to be successful, and there is no guarantee it will work in your favor. The Penguins didn't so much tank as they got exceedingly lucky in the way that things fell, and made some astute moves along the way. For one reason or another, things haven't worked out in the same fashion for Edmonton. They may or may not happen for Buffalo and Arizona either, so in my opinion, there does not need to be any substantive change to the process, its a risky enough play as it is for any team sitting at the bottom of the barrel.

He's been pretty unreal in his 2+ seasons there. He's 6th in save % of an absolutely atrocious Flyers team, and he was the sole reason they got to (and almost won) Game 7 versus the Rangers last season.

I think his CBJ career after his rookie season gives him this league-wide blemish that he'll never shake no matter what.
- jmatchett383

Fair enough. And to be honest, your list is tough... Lundqvist of ocurse is the tops... the rest are either young and still have more to prove.. or established, average goalies (Fleury, Halak,ect)... SO yeah.. Lundqvist..than pretty much inter chasngable after that based on who is having a good season.

Fair enough. And to be honest, your list is tough... Lundqvist of ocurse is the tops... the rest are either young and still have more to prove.. or established, average goalies (Fleury, Halak,ect)... SO yeah.. Lundqvist..than pretty much inter chasngable after that based on who is having a good season.
- Willaged

Yeah, like rival22 said, you put Ward at the bottom. Lundqvist goes to the top. Then you'd basically got a host of good goalies that go in between. I was actually just curious to see how MAF/Mason/Halak/Holtby stacked up for the most part.

Penguins fans:

How would you rank these goalies from best to worst:

Cam Ward
Cory Schneider
Brayden Holtby
Marc-Andre Fleury
Jaroslav Halak
Steve Mason
Henrik Lundqvist
Sergei Bobrovsky
- jmatchett383

Henrik, and then everyone else is a crapshoot.

Henrik, and then everyone else is a crapshoot.
- Emperor Filonius

Sold to the wise man in Yellow & Black....

Henrik, and then everyone else is a crapshoot.
- Emperor Filonius

Lundqvist and Nash for MAF and Malkin

What say you?

Lundqvist and Nash for MAF and Malkin

What say you?
- jmatchett383

No way.

Lundqvist and Nash for MAF and Malkin

What say you?
- jmatchett383

I think I'd do that

Lundqvist and Nash for MAF and Malkin

What say you?
- jmatchett383

It would have to be more like:

Lundqvist, Nash, and Stepan/Brassard for MAF, Malkin, and Perron/Hornqvist

It would have to be more like:

Lundqvist, Nash, and Stepan/Brassard for MAF, Malkin, and Perron/Hornqvist
- Feds91Stammer

Lundqvist and Nash for MAF and Malkin

What say you?
- jmatchett383

I'd seriously think about it if Crosby wasn't always one concussion away from the end of his career. As it stands now, I probably wouldn't be able to do it.

Lundqvist and Nash for MAF and Malkin

What say you?
- jmatchett383

I personally think Malkin is more vital to the Penguins success than Crosby...

Yea and we'll see if they continue to take those steps forward next season.
- rangerdanger94

Not sure they can make as big a leap as this year but I don't see anything that suggests they won't be as strong again.

Lundqvist and Nash for MAF and Malkin

What say you?
- jmatchett383

Penguins get the better goalie and the Rangers will get a top player who actually contributes when it counts in the playoffs. Nash is starting his postseason slump a little early this season I see

Lundqvist


Out of curiosity, why did you have Mason so low?
- jmatchett383

If you knew anything about goaltending and the Flyers you wouldn't ask such a silly question.