Trades can always be made... could just be bad game(s) by the players we want to make the top 6 D since its the preseason, and havn't had a full forward group to compliment them yesterday. However, outside of Tuesday's game, I've really only been impressed with Murray overall... flashes from Beau was nice and Sundy looks good after the injury (STILL don't want to rush him and have another Beau).
- Guile

I liked Sundqvist. I'm fine with him on the team until Fehr is back. Does anyone know what is up with Bonino?

If anyone is interested in fantasy hockey. here is a link to a fun league.

http://games.espn.go.com/...eId=33929&inviteKey=9519c

If anyone is interested in fantasy hockey. here is a link to a fun league.

http://games.espn.go.com/...eId=33929&inviteKey=9519c
- so_buzz11

For contrast, you should also give us a link to a boring league.

I liked Sundqvist. I'm fine with him on the team until Fehr is back. Does anyone know what is up with Bonino?
- so_buzz11

Sounds like he is just sick. A cold or something ... He is/was due to skate today but in with the group that is playing tomorrow.

I am guessing that every single professional hockey player has given out a dirty hit at least once in his career. Even rookies almost definitely gave them out in juniors. The only question is how frequently they give them out. A player like Tanner Glass doesn't give them out enough for there to be an issue with him. His main roles on a team are giving out clean, hard hits and fighting (fairly). The only issue with him right now is whether or not he is still good enough to play in the NHL on a fourth line (that is up to the Rangers to decide).

Now with Rinaldo, his whole career is based on delivering dirty hits and deliberately trying to injure other players. He is not a good fighter and his clean hits are not anything special. He ended his junior career on an indefinite suspension for deliberately elbowing a ref. He was suspended four times in one season in the AHL. Every time he steps on the ice in the NHL it seems like he is looking to take someone's head off and last night was no exception. Rinaldo doesn't bring anything to the table that justifies his presence in the NHL. Even Carcillo at his peak was a reliable third line player.

For contrast, you should also give us a link to a boring league.
- chimpira

Any standard ESPN hockey stats league is boring. Goalie points are too high, very little points for special teams, and construction of a team or "lines" is not taken into consideration in the standard scoring.

I would love to see Seth Jones in a Pen's uniform. How do we get him? It would take more than BB and Scuds.
- so_buzz11

I was joking. There's no way in hell. Unless Bennett shows he's got what it takes to play off wing top six and the Preds are dumb enough to do Jones for Perron straight up

I like scuds comments. What do you want him to say? "Ryan Wilson has these charts and I looked at them and I think I'll just retire" Hes not a nancy boy. He shouldnt play but I still like what he said.

Lets at least have a full 6 D play a preseason game before labeling all but Maatta and Letang worthy. Our issue right now, is that we likely have only 1 mid pair worthy D man, in Cole. Dumo is iffy... Pouliot's defense almost looks regressed a step from last year, and Lovejoy's showing last night was far from confidence building. Clendening looked good, but I'm not considering him for the mid pair by any stretch either.

Everyone else on D.... ugh
- Guile

Defense was by far the biggest question mark for the Pens heading into training camp and it seems it was for good reason.

You will not win the Cup with that defense.

I was joking. There's no way in hell. Unless Bennett shows he's got what it takes to play off wing top six and the Preds are dumb enough to do Jones for Perron straight up
- Victoro311

I don't think the Preds would do Jones for Kessel straight up

Defense was by far the biggest question mark for the Pens heading into training camp and it seems it was for good reason.

You will not win the Cup with that defense.
- rangerdanger94

We'll trade you Scuderi and a second for McD.

Defense was by far the biggest question mark for the Pens heading into training camp and it seems it was for good reason.

You will not win the Cup with that defense.
- rangerdanger94

You guys would be the recent experts on what it takes to not win a cup

I don't think the Preds would do Jones for Kessel straight up
- rangerdanger94

Penguins dont need Seth Jones, at least at the price it'd cost.

Penguins need to go out and get a solid middle pairing dman in his late 20s/early 30s. hoping GMJR doesnt overthink this.

if only we havent traded despres.

Defense was by far the biggest question mark for the Pens heading into training camp and it seems it was for good reason.

You will not win the Cup with that defense.
- rangerdanger94

you dont need any star dmen beyond your first pairing.

what you need is a solid d corps that plays on the same page and has the chemistry.

Letang/Maatta can be the workload pairing. Just need the other 4 dmen to provide solid minutes every night.

I think the defense as is is sufficient, but we are one injury away from being in trouble.

You guys would be the recent experts on what it takes to not win a cup
- Guile

More like the recent experts on how to eliminate the Penguins from the playoffs

More like the recent experts on how to eliminate the Penguins from the playoffs
- rangerdanger94

And all you have to show for it... was worse positioning with your own draft picks.

If you don't win it all, you just lower your draft stock.

Defense was by far the biggest question mark for the Pens heading into training camp and it seems it was for good reason.

You will not win the Cup with that defense.
- rangerdanger94

Your team will not win with yours either. Not as long as Girardi is playing that much.

And all you have to show for it... was worse positioning with your own draft picks.

If you don't win it all, you just lower your draft stock.
- Guile

Lol I guess

My god Ryan is on a crusade to change hockey... Everyone knows you want Tim Brent's and Chris Connor's of the world on 4th lines instead of Grit guys. I think that has been made clear 50 times. I remember the graph's that said Goc was good. That was the only place he was any good. I would take Tanner Glass running guys and wearing them down over a 7 game series than Goc/Connor/AHL legend.

Nothing wrong with the game we grew up watching. Inconsistent officiating is the biggest problem in the NHL.

I am guessing that every single professional hockey player has given out a dirty hit at least once in his career. Even rookies almost definitely gave them out in juniors. The only question is how frequently they give them out. A player like Tanner Glass doesn't give them out enough for there to be an issue with him. His main roles on a team are giving out clean, hard hits and fighting (fairly). The only issue with him right now is whether or not he is still good enough to play in the NHL on a fourth line (that is up to the Rangers to decide).

Now with Rinaldo, his whole career is based on delivering dirty hits and deliberately trying to injure other players. He is not a good fighter and his clean hits are not anything special. He ended his junior career on an indefinite suspension for deliberately elbowing a ref. He was suspended four times in one season in the AHL. Every time he steps on the ice in the NHL it seems like he is looking to take someone's head off and last night was no exception. Rinaldo doesn't bring anything to the table that justifies his presence in the NHL. Even Carcillo at his peak was a reliable third line player.
- PghPens668771

I would like to know the exact point of the article. Was it specifically to degrade Glass or to degrade all players who play physical?

I believe it was strictly to degrade Glass, because apparently what Rinaldo did was OK as Mr. Wilson did not print one word to the contrary.

IMHO, there will always be a place in the game for the Tanner Glass' of the world but no place for the Zac Rinaldo's. It appears that I am wrong though as their appears to be more and more Zac Rinaldo's and less and less Tanner Glass'.

I would like to know the exact point of the article. Was it specifically to degrade Glass or to degrade all players who play physical?

I believe it was strictly to degrade Glass, because apparently what Rinaldo did was OK as Mr. Wilson did not print one word to the contrary.

IMHO, there will always be a place in the game for the Tanner Glass' of the world but no place for the Zac Rinaldo's. It appears that I am wrong though as their appears to be more and more Zac Rinaldo's and less and less Tanner Glass'.
- Thunderbolt

I think you missed the point. The point of the article is that having tough guys on the roster doesn't deter cheap shot artists like Rinaldo from doing what they do and injuring guys so if the tough guys aren't deterring, and they can't contribute to the actual hockey being played, then what's the point?

I would like to know the exact point of the article. Was it specifically to degrade Glass or to degrade all players who play physical?

I believe it was strictly to degrade Glass, because apparently what Rinaldo did was OK as Mr. Wilson did not print one word to the contrary.

IMHO, there will always be a place in the game for the Tanner Glass' of the world but no place for the Zac Rinaldo's. It appears that I am wrong though as their appears to be more and more Zac Rinaldo's and less and less Tanner Glass'.
- Thunderbolt

No matter how many times RW rewrites the same article, grit guys still have a job. While players like Goc who have a good fancy stat are playing in Europe.

Penguins dont need Seth Jones, at least at the price it'd cost.

Penguins need to go out and get a solid middle pairing dman in his late 20s/early 30s. hoping GMJR doesnt overthink this.

if only we havent traded despres.
- SuperHenderson13

Yup, I'd feel a whole lot better if he were still with the Pens. That was an unforced error.

I agree with that assessment.... Don't need to hit a home run, just need somebody reliable.

I know a thing or 2 about hitting & being hit - rugby league is a great game. The velocity is different but the actions are similar & we don't wear protection.

If you think Doan doesn't move from his left to right 'after' the puck has gone to hit Letang who changed his direction to try & avoid (not very well) contact we aren't watching the same event. Doan could just as easily either continued straight or gone to his left but he followed (read that as chased) Letang after the puck had gone. Does it happen every game? Yes. Does it cause injury every game? No. Can it be avoided so it doesn't cause injury ever? Yes. Would Letang scored a goal if Doan didn't hit him? Probably not.

Would hockey be any less entertaining if these types of impacts were eliminated? Would it increase the speed of the game?
- Aussiepenguin

You know a thing or 2 about hitting. Really, comparing a straight line game with hockey in a hitting sense is misguided. I wouldn't even compare hitting in the AFL to hockey and it's a sport that moves in 360 degrees.

I've said for a while this game needs the players to understand there will be consequences if they go for a big hit and it "goes wrong".

I love the big hits but the good ones require speed from both moving parts so getting rid of the interference away from the puck will help increase the speed.

My god Ryan is on a crusade to change hockey... Everyone knows you want Tim Brent's and Chris Connor's of the world on 4th lines instead of Grit guys. I think that has been made clear 50 times. I remember the graph's that said Goc was good. That was the only place he was any good. I would take Tanner Glass running guys and wearing them down over a 7 game series than Goc/Connor/AHL legend.

Nothing wrong with the game we grew up watching. Inconsistent officiating is the biggest problem in the NHL.
- lloyd095

This is very good... Many others on this thread have pointed out the problems and inconsistencies with advanced stats (better then me)... I have no doubt that the data collected is/ or can be useful in certain contexts... But when RW blogs about how great Kunitz possession numbers are, or how bad the Iles 4th line is this seems to defy the logic we see watching the games every night.

Bottom line is Hockey is a Science and its Art... RW and others who promote " advanced stats" can only account for the Science aspect... and even then it can be problematic.... Quite simply there are to many factors outside the control of the data... How the refs are calling penalties for example...
As far as Art...How does one measure Art? How do we quantify it? Sorry I does not work that way...

"advanced stats" like standardized tests are one measure, not THE measure