not even reliably mediocre and slightly palatable?
- stayinthefnnet

How about "serviceable"? Let's call him serviceable. Plus his post-game interviews are enlightening.

So, if someone is consistently not very good, how is that reliable?
- Oneonta Penguin

He's not terrible. He's not gonna throw every puck against the glass like Scuderi or have major positioning errors like Pouliot. He's also not going to make a great outlet pass or insert himself into the offense like Pouliot either.

So, if someone is consistently not very good, how is that reliable?
- Oneonta Penguin

Well, he is also not very bad. In our case, that's the best we got to put in our 2nd pairing.

We'd be in so much better shape of Martin had just one more year in his contract
- Victoro311

Would have been easier to just keep Ehrhoff. Not as good as martin but is much cheaper. Also if healthy hes a decent #4 d-man. But I think fans and the team didnt want him back.

Would have been easier to just keep Ehrhoff. Not as good as martin but is much cheaper. Also if healthy hes a decent #4 d-man. But I think fans and the team didnt want him back.
- Zac_O

I was very excited about him joining the Pens, but he had a mediocre showing. Add his injuries on top of that. It would have been a risk to resign him and it would have cost a lot of money. There is no way he would have re-signed here for 1.5 mil (what he got from LAK).

I would think that the Pens know they are going to win by scoring often in the first half of the season. Let the defense try and gel and see what you got. Not to worried about it right now. I think it will look different come playoff time.

Would have been easier to just keep Ehrhoff. Not as good as martin but is much cheaper. Also if healthy hes a decent #4 d-man. But I think fans and the team didnt want him back.
- Zac_O

I doubt Ehrhoff wanted to come back in the first place.

I doubt Ehrhoff wanted to come back in the first place.
- jfkst1

Honestly, besides his one slap shot goal against the Senators ( this one - http://video.penguins.nhl...ocenter/console?id=692315) I don't remember much of his play. Mostly remember about him being injured all the time. I guess Ovechkin laying him out is another "highlight" that I remember.

Yeah as a top 10 pick, I expect Pouliot to be a difference maker on the ice. Especially when they passed up Forsberg, an already elite winger, for him. His numbers weren't bad last year, but they weren't great either. He needs to show some improvement. It's all mental with him IMO.
- jfkst1

Should have taken Trouba.

How about "serviceable"? Let's call him serviceable. Plus his post-game interviews are enlightening.
- chimpira

serviceable works for me.

put it this way. hes not the reason the defensive ranks are going to be great, but hes not gonna sink the ship either.

if he's in the top four, its pretty underwhelming. if he's on a bottom pair, you could do a hell of a lot worse.

I doubt Ehrhoff wanted to come back in the first place.
- jfkst1

I think he put his house on the market before the season was even over. I think that pretty much said it all. From what I read the Pens were seriously worried about his concussion problems.

He's reliable. He's just consistently not very good.
- jfkst1

Thats... a really contradictory statement, and I'm a Lovejoy defender.


Better way to put it... Lovejoy is the Nick Spaling of our Defense (not overpayed though, thank God). Average 3rd line forward, much better used for the 4th line. Average vanilla mid pairing D, better for the bottom pairing.

Should have taken Trouba.
- YouMeAndDupuis9

I don't follow prospects at all. But I know two guys who do and they both said Pens should have taken Forsberg. Then again Shero wouldn't draft a Euro forward if his life depended on it.

I doubt Ehrhoff wanted to come back in the first place.
- jfkst1

With how long he was a free agent I'd bet he wouldn't be against joining any team. I think the pens let him walk because they had so many young guys they expect to play this season on defense. If the pens offered him the deal he got with the king (1.5 million) I bet he'd have taken it. But that's just speculation so I don't know.

serviceable works for me.

put it this way. hes not the reason the defensive ranks are going to be great, but hes not gonna sink the ship either.

if he's in the top four, its pretty underwhelming. if he's on a bottom pair, you could do a hell of a lot worse.
- stayinthefnnet

If someone from another NHL team says they wouldn't want Lovejoy in their bottom pairing, they are just trolling... Cannot beat that at 1.1 million.

If someone from another NHL team says they wouldn't want Lovejoy in their bottom pairing, they are just trolling... Cannot beat that at 1.1 million.
- Guile

Our problem is if he's asked to jump up to a bigger role. He's hardly the only bottom pairing D that can't make that transition, but with the fragility of our D, it's more likely than not that he'll see an increased roll.

Our problem is if he's asked to jump up to a bigger role. He's hardly the only bottom pairing D that can't make that transition, but with the fragility of our D, it's more likely than not that he'll see an increased roll.
- madmike71

Yeah... quite aware that as it stands right now, hes the likely man paired with Cole, which isn't good.

Might be better to stick Dumo or Clendening with Cole, and make them work it out with having Lovejoy and Pouliot take the easier bottom pairing minutes and just ride it out.

Yeah... quite aware that as it stands right now, hes the likely man paired with Cole, which isn't good.

Might be better to stick Dumo or Clendening with Cole, and make them work it out with having Lovejoy and Pouliot take the easier bottom pairing minutes and just ride it out.
- Guile

You know... Clendening has actually played well this preseason. Outplayed Dumoulin and Pouliot anyways. Why not reward him? Stick him with Cole and let him sink or swim. Our defense is gonna be shaky anyways at the beginning of the season. Why not see if AC can step up?

Maatta-Letang
Cole-Clendening
Dumoulin-Lovejoy
Scuderi

If Erixon is hurt we probably won't lose him to wavers if we send him down. Send Pouliot down as a "get your head on straight, kid" message even though he probably can't learn much down there.

You know... Clendening has actually played well this preseason. Outplayed Dumoulin and Pouliot anyways. Why not reward him? Stick him with Cole and let him sink or swim. Our defense is gonna be shaky anyways at the beginning of the season. Why not see if AC can step up?

Maatta-Letang
Cole-Clendening
Dumoulin-Lovejoy
Scuderi

If Erixon is hurt we probably won't lose him to wavers if we send him down. Send Pouliot down as a "get your head on straight, kid" message even though he probably can't learn much down there.
- Victoro311

So you finally see what I was saying when I said to put pouliot in the AHL? Because this is not very far away from what I was saying a few weeks ago. Only difference is I believe he can learn down there. Not learn everything he needs to, but learn a bit more at certain areas like stay at home defense when its needed.

You know... Clendening has actually played well this preseason. Outplayed Dumoulin and Pouliot anyways. Why not reward him? Stick him with Cole and let him sink or swim. Our defense is gonna be shaky anyways at the beginning of the season. Why not see if AC can step up?

Maatta-Letang
Cole-Clendening
Dumoulin-Lovejoy
Scuderi

If Erixon is hurt we probably won't lose him to wavers if we send him down. Send Pouliot down as a "get your head on straight, kid" message even though he probably can't learn much down there.
- Victoro311

Määttä - Letang
Cole - Dumoulin
Clendening - Lovejoy
Scuderi

That's how I'd probably start the season. Or just go with Pouliot up there straight up.

So you finally see what I was saying when I said to put pouliot in the AHL? Because this is not very far away from what I was saying a few weeks ago. Only difference is I believe he can learn down there. Not learn everything he needs to, but learn a bit more at certain areas like stay at home defense when its needed.
- Zac_O

Last year he was called upon because of injuries and he did a decent job. Everyone saw flashes of Letang in his play. He does need to learn how to defend and do it consistently. In the NHL, if he plays regularly, he will just get exposed and it might hurt his progress. I think a full year in the AHL playing top line minutes might just do it (He played ~30 games in the AHL last year and ~0 game sin the NHL).

So you finally see what I was saying when I said to put pouliot in the AHL? Because this is not very far away from what I was saying a few weeks ago. Only difference is I believe he can learn down there. Not learn everything he needs to, but learn a bit more at certain areas like stay at home defense when its needed.
- Zac_O

Pouliot goes to the AHL only if they force Gonchar onto the team so we don't lose Dumo/Clendening to waivers really. Since they said they are keeping 8 defensemen, maybe spot starts and just more practice with the club would be better than the AHL.

Letang - Maatta
Cole - Clend
Dumo - Lovejoy

Scuds - Pouliot

Erixon, the word is hes been hurt? Can't say I care about him being a "Penguin" before the season even starts, we have enough injury prone players.

DP has done nothing to show that he deserves to be in the NHL let alone in a Top 4 role. I, like many people here, was very wrong to think that he could handle a Top 4 role. I thought he could walk in and take one of the top 4 roles but he clearly isnt ready.

I was really interested in the Perron-Bonino-Dupuis 3rd line last night. I would personally swap Perron and Plotnikov. I think Plotnikov would make for a harder working and better 3rd line with Perron being the skill on Malkin's wing.

Our Top 9 no matter what we do is straight up dirty. Really excited to watch this team at full strength when the season starts. defense needs work, i think everyone can agree to that.

Pouliot goes to the AHL only if they force Gonachar onto the team so we don't lose Dumo/Clendening to waivers really. Since they said they are keeping 8 defensemen, maybe spot starts and just more practice with the club would be better than the AHL.

Letang - Maatta
Cole - Clend
Dumo - Lovejoy

Scuds - Pouliot

Erixon, the word is hes been hurt? Can't say I care about him being a "Penguin" before the season even starts, we have enough injury prone players.
- Guile

Keep pouliot as a #7-#8 d-man? Frank no! Like I said before. Let him play top minutes in the AHL before putting him on bottom pairing in the NHL. He is the top prospect the pens have, why would they sit him in the NHL when he could play in the AHL?

So you finally see what I was saying when I said to put pouliot in the AHL? Because this is not very far away from what I was saying a few weeks ago. Only difference is I believe he can learn down there. Not learn everything he needs to, but learn a bit more at certain areas like stay at home defense when its needed.
- Zac_O

No we still disagree. I have reservations about sending Pouliot down because he undoubtedly dominated last season in the AHL while there and playing against completely inferior competition can really screw with someone's development. They pick up bad habits that work against their lessers but won't against their equals.

Think Jahlil Okafor. He spent the entire regular season using his massive frame to bully the smaller NCAA big men instead of developing his post moves. He got to the tourney and his lack of post moves were exploited by opposing coaches' game plans and the more talented big men he faced deeper into the tourney resulting in a lack luster post season by his standards and why Tyus and Justise got all the praise.

Same holds true for Pouliot, and we saw it in the rookie tourney on several plays where he challeneged the opposing five players single handedly because he knew he could. If he spends too much time in the AHL and pulls that poop night in and night out, it's gonna be really hard to get him to break that habit once it's formed which would be a disaster against NHL competition.

I want to send Pouliot down as a warning shot across his bow, not to send him back to the oven to cook.