Just say no to any rental. The Pens are in a bit of trouble because they traded Despres for a wise vet, they traded a ton of draft picks for veterans and rentals and because they failed to develop the young players they had.

Emelin for Perron straight up

Emelin for Perron straight up
- HardPuck

Is anyone one else from your family going to comment here today? Your brother WellHung was here earlier.

Any news of what team will be iced tomorrow?

Looks like Plot, Geno & Horny are the 2nd line going by the Pens website. Do we all agree that's a good start or should Plot start lower? I think seeing he has improved every game give him that show of confidence & let him work himself into the role.

F D trades.

Any news of what team will be iced tomorrow?

Looks like Plot, Geno & Horny are the 2nd line going by the Pens website. Do we all agree that's a good start or should Plot start lower? I think seeing he has improved every game give him that show of confidence & let him work himself into the role.

F D trades.
- Aussiepenguin

If Plotnikov proves he can hang I'm all for it. He needs to be productive though. Pens can't just have a 3rd wheel on the line that doesn't generate some of his own offense. There are too many other options to insert in there that can be Comeau-like plugs.

Any news of what team will be iced tomorrow?

Looks like Plot, Geno & Horny are the 2nd line going by the Pens website. Do we all agree that's a good start or should Plot start lower? I think seeing he has improved every game give him that show of confidence & let him work himself into the role.

F D trades.
- Aussiepenguin

Its tough to gauge... Plot definitely looks better on the 2nd line than he did on the 3rd or 4th... but so have MANY players when up with Malkin or Crosby.

But, by having Plot up there (and assuming Geno likes him on the line since hes complained about not getting the best linemates before) we get a trickle down effect into the bottom 6 of better overall quality players.


So... if it works, let him be with Malkin.

F SCUDS??? He is still a decent 5-7 guy ... well ... maybe 7-8 ... maybe a serviceable 9.

I dunno, he looks like a 5 to me. If he got that nose fixed, he could be a 6 or 7.

I dunno, he looks like a 5 to me. If he got that nose fixed, he could be a 6 or 7.
- thickman1178

Hes a West Virginia 8.5, maybe even a 9, in my book

Drafting for my fantasy hockey a wee bit inebriated. Im driving from South Bend to Greenville SC for the ND game tomorrow since ND never plays in my home state so I started the weekend early. Pray for and hope I get Geno

I'm somewhat perplexed by this whole "let's wait to see what happens when the rosters are all NHL players" idea, while I agree that the preseason means very little in the grand scheme of things, if a player can't keep up with the speed of the game(Gonchar) or can't handle simple positioning and reads(Pouliot) playing against a bunch of prospects and AHL players what would make someone think those things would improve when playing against nothing but elite players?

It's a waste to have Sprong on the 4th line. He's only played RW from what I understand so unless he beats out Kessel or Hornqvist, I don't see why he should stay longer than a 9 game tryout.
- jfkst1

Agreed 100 percent if he's staying longer then 9 games its on the 3rd line or at LW

I'm somewhat perplexed by this whole "let's wait to see what happens when the rosters are all NHL players" idea, while I agree that the preseason means very little in the grand scheme of things, if a player can't keep up with the speed of the game(Gonchar) or can't handle simple positioning and reads(Pouliot) playing against a bunch of prospects and AHL players what would make someone think those things would improve when playing against nothing but elite players?
- jaydogg1974

OK, but Letang, Maatta, Cole, and Clendening have looked solid so I think it's a little inconsistent to only focus on the negatives.

Hes a West Virginia 8.5, maybe even a 9, in my book
- Guile

So how are you two related?

OK, but Letang, Maatta, Cole, and Clendening have looked solid so I think it's a little inconsistent to only focus on the negatives.
- jfkst1

And Pouliot is pressing in preseason with half an NHL roster. Come the regular season, he can stick to his own game a little more while he has more support.

And it's preseason. Total crapshoot as to how it eventually plays out. I've seen Janne Pesonen look like Teemu Selanne in preseason. I've seen Ryan Malone look like a career AHL type.

So how are you two related?
- hardnosed

Smartass

Man they are stringing Gonchar along...unless they are actively trying to get rid of scuds right now... I just don't see how they can have both plus keep cleddening up and possibly have pouliot up if he gets his poop together....

Also i don't agree with trying to use Perron as trade bait. We finally have 2 guys in kessel and perron who pens traded a 1st for and want to stay in Pittsburgh. I'm sick of trading a 1st for rentals who leave. That is why they have no prospects.

And Pouliot is pressing in preseason with half an NHL roster. Come the regular season, he can stick to his own game a little more while he has more support.

And it's preseason. Total crapshoot as to how it eventually plays out. I've seen Janne Pesonen look like Teemu Selanne in preseason. I've seen Ryan Malone look like a career AHL type.
- hardnosed

Right, preseason certainly is nice to get a good look at players, but acting like it's the one and only evaluation needed is illogical. And if someone is going to claim that preseason is that important, then why are they ignoring some of the positives like Bennett scoring at a good rate? Only focusing on the negatives is hypocritical.

Man they are stringing Gonchar along...unless they are actively trying to get rid of scuds right now... I just don't see how they can have both plus keep cleddening up and possibly have pouliot up if he gets his poop together....

Also i don't agree with trying to use Perron as trade bait. We finally have 2 guys in kessel and perron who pens traded a 1st for and want to stay in Pittsburgh. I'm sick of trading a 1st for rentals who leave. That is why they have no prospects.
- nh4442

I would give Gonchar the #7 spot, to get rid of Scuds.

I'm somewhat perplexed by this whole "let's wait to see what happens when the rosters are all NHL players" idea, while I agree that the preseason means very little in the grand scheme of things, if a player can't keep up with the speed of the game(Gonchar) or can't handle simple positioning and reads(Pouliot) playing against a bunch of prospects and AHL players what would make someone think those things would improve when playing against nothing but elite players?
- jaydogg1974

Amen.

The defense isn't going to magically become good. You have seen the best that Lovejoy has to offer - he is only going to get worse. Cole has probably topped out, too, which is a marginal second pairing defenseman (he is not as good as Pens fans have built him up to be). And defensemen rarely come out of nowhere or go from obscure / trade throw-in to second line duties, but I HOPE this is the case with Clendening (but I wouldn't bank on it).

So the Pens have two injury-prone top-pairing defensemen (neither of whom is a "shutdown" defenseman) and a bunch a third pairing D men (never-has-beens/never-will-bes, over-the-hill-should-retires, and a bunch of kids, only ONE of whom looks decent in the PRESEASON playing against mixed squads).

The Pens front office needs to be held accountable. I love Gonchar, but he is a joke right now and never should have been PTOd. Sestito is a joke and never should have been PTOd. Cullen is old, slow, and gets pushed off the puck easily. The entire Pens mindset needs to change. Cullen is about to become 39 years old FFS! Nobody else wanted him! I don't care what the advanced stats say, the Pens need to stop signing geezers. By game 82 (if not game 1), Cullen is going to be worthless. We don't NEED a 4th line center. We NEED a legit defenseman (or 3).

The Pens have gone from Shero ("I will draft nothing but defensemen ever and completely neglect wingers") to Rutherford ("We don't need no stinkin' defensemen"). I understand getting Kessel was a coup and the Sutter trade was good, but at some point you need to get some bona fide, legit defensemen to at least replace Martin and Ehrhoff and/or fill-in for the inevitable injury to Letang and/or Maatta. Winging it is NOT an option for a Cup contender. Throwing a bunch of third liners and kids against the wall to see what sticks is not a viable plan for playoff success.

Mark my words - the Pens are going nowhere with this defensive corps. We have seen this before - the Pens win tons of regular season games 6-4 and 5-3 (even winning the Presidents Trophy this way), then come playoff time, when facing teams with legit defenses who can gameplan against our offense and where the officiating changes and goals are harder to come by, the Pens offense suffers but then they don't have the defense and/or goaltending to compete.

You have seen this horror movie before. You know it's true. You fear it. It is in the back of your mind and you are trying to suppress it, but you can't. Oh, and did I mention that the Pens are soft as hell, mentally weak, and most of whom are psychologically defeated before the season even starts? Horror awaits you...

Amen.

The defense isn't going to magically become good. You have seen the best that Lovejoy has to offer - he is only going to get worse. Cole has probably topped out, too, which is a marginal second pairing defenseman (he is not as good as Pens fans have built him up to be). And defensemen rarely come out of nowhere or go from obscure / trade throw-in to second line duties, but I HOPE this is the case with Clendening (but I wouldn't bank on it).

So the Pens have two injury-prone top-pairing defensemen (neither of whom is a "shutdown" defenseman) and a bunch a third liners (never-has-beens/never-will-bes, over-the-hill-should-retires, and a bunch of kids, only ONE of whom looks decent in the PRESEASON playing against mixed squads).

The Pens front office needs to be held accountable. I love Gonchar, but he is a joke right now and never should have been PTOd. Sestito is a joke and never should have been PTOd. Cullen is old, slow, and gets pushed off the puck easily. The entire Pens mindset needs to change. Cullen is about to become 39 years old FFS! Nobody else wanted him! I don't care what the advanced stats say, the Pens need to stop signing geezers. By game 82 (if not game 1), Cullen is going to be worthless. We don't NEED a 4th line center. We NEED a legit defenseman (or 3).

The Pens have gone from Shero ("I will draft nothing but defensemen ever and completely neglect wingers") to Rutherford ("We don't need no stinkin' defensemen"). I understand getting Kessel was a coup and the Sutter trade was good, but at some point you need to get some bona fide, legit defensemen to at least replace Martin and Ehrhoff and/or fill-in for the inevitable injury to Letang and/or Maatta. Winging it is NOT an option for a Cup contender. Throwing a bunch of third liners and kids against the wall to see what sticks is not a viable plan for playoff success.

Mark my words - the Pens are going nowhere with this defensive corps. We have seen this before - the Pens win tons of regular season games 6-4 and 5-3 (even winning the Presidents Trophy this way), then come playoff time, when facing teams with legit defenses who can gameplan against our offense and where the officiating changes and goals are harder to come by, the Pens offense suffers but then they don't have the defense and/or goaltending to compete.

You have seen this horror movie before. You know it's true. You fear it. It is in the back of your mind and you are trying to suppress it, but you can't. Oh, and did I mention that the Pens are soft as hell, mentally weak, and most of whom are psychologically defeated before the season even starts? Horror awaits you...
- thevelvetfog1

The only one who is psychologically defeated before the season even starts is you. I'd recommend you start on a heavy dose of prozac.

Amen.

The defense isn't going to magically become good. You have seen the best that Lovejoy has to offer - he is only going to get worse. Cole has probably topped out, too, which is a marginal second pairing defenseman (he is not as good as Pens fans have built him up to be). And defensemen rarely come out of nowhere or go from obscure / trade throw-in to second line duties, but I HOPE this is the case with Clendening (but I wouldn't bank on it).

So the Pens have two injury-prone top-pairing defensemen (neither of whom is a "shutdown" defenseman) and a bunch a third liners (never-has-beens/never-will-bes, over-the-hill-should-retires, and a bunch of kids, only ONE of whom looks decent in the PRESEASON playing against mixed squads).

The Pens front office needs to be held accountable. I love Gonchar, but he is a joke right now and never should have been PTOd. Sestito is a joke and never should have been PTOd. Cullen is old, slow, and gets pushed off the puck easily. The entire Pens mindset needs to change. Cullen is about to become 39 years old FFS! Nobody else wanted him! I don't care what the advanced stats say, the Pens need to stop signing geezers. By game 82 (if not game 1), Cullen is going to be worthless. We don't NEED a 4th line center. We NEED a legit defenseman (or 3).

The Pens have gone from Shero ("I will draft nothing but defensemen ever and completely neglect wingers") to Rutherford ("We don't need no stinkin' defensemen"). I understand getting Kessel was a coup and the Sutter trade was good, but at some point you need to get some bona fide, legit defensemen to at least replace Martin and Ehrhoff and/or fill-in for the inevitable injury to Letang and/or Maatta. Winging it is NOT an option for a Cup contender. Throwing a bunch of third liners and kids against the wall to see what sticks is not a viable plan for playoff success.

Mark my words - the Pens are going nowhere with this defensive corps. We have seen this before - the Pens win tons of regular season games 6-4 and 5-3 (even winning the Presidents Trophy this way), then come playoff time, when facing teams with legit defenses who can gameplan against our offense and where the officiating changes and goals are harder to come by, the Pens offense suffers but then they don't have the defense and/or goaltending to compete.

You have seen this horror movie before. You know it's true. You fear it. It is in the back of your mind and you are trying to suppress it, but you can't. Oh, and did I mention that the Pens are soft as hell, mentally weak, and most of whom are psychologically defeated before the season even starts? Horror awaits you...
- thevelvetfog1

So what you're saying is "THE PITTSBURGH PENGUINS WILL BE THE 2016 STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS!!" but in a lengthy way and without the caps lock on.

Also, is your username a homage to Mel Torme? Are you Harry Anderson from Night Court??

Amen.

The defense isn't going to magically become good. You have seen the best that Lovejoy has to offer - he is only going to get worse. Cole has probably topped out, too, which is a marginal second pairing defenseman (he is not as good as Pens fans have built him up to be). And defensemen rarely come out of nowhere or go from obscure / trade throw-in to second line duties, but I HOPE this is the case with Clendening (but I wouldn't bank on it).

So the Pens have two injury-prone top-pairing defensemen (neither of whom is a "shutdown" defenseman) and a bunch a third pairing D men (never-has-beens/never-will-bes, over-the-hill-should-retires, and a bunch of kids, only ONE of whom looks decent in the PRESEASON playing against mixed squads).

The Pens front office needs to be held accountable. I love Gonchar, but he is a joke right now and never should have been PTOd. Sestito is a joke and never should have been PTOd. Cullen is old, slow, and gets pushed off the puck easily. The entire Pens mindset needs to change. Cullen is about to become 39 years old FFS! Nobody else wanted him! I don't care what the advanced stats say, the Pens need to stop signing geezers. By game 82 (if not game 1), Cullen is going to be worthless. We don't NEED a 4th line center. We NEED a legit defenseman (or 3).

The Pens have gone from Shero ("I will draft nothing but defensemen ever and completely neglect wingers") to Rutherford ("We don't need no stinkin' defensemen"). I understand getting Kessel was a coup and the Sutter trade was good, but at some point you need to get some bona fide, legit defensemen to at least replace Martin and Ehrhoff and/or fill-in for the inevitable injury to Letang and/or Maatta. Winging it is NOT an option for a Cup contender. Throwing a bunch of third liners and kids against the wall to see what sticks is not a viable plan for playoff success.

Mark my words - the Pens are going nowhere with this defensive corps. We have seen this before - the Pens win tons of regular season games 6-4 and 5-3 (even winning the Presidents Trophy this way), then come playoff time, when facing teams with legit defenses who can gameplan against our offense and where the officiating changes and goals are harder to come by, the Pens offense suffers but then they don't have the defense and/or goaltending to compete.

You have seen this horror movie before. You know it's true. You fear it. It is in the back of your mind and you are trying to suppress it, but you can't. Oh, and did I mention that the Pens are soft as hell, mentally weak, and most of whom are psychologically defeated before the season even starts? Horror awaits you...
- thevelvetfog1

Ok so we shouldn't try & develop too many D? Is that what you are saying? We have these prospects so we can develop them - 1 of which is highly touted. What would you suggest? We trade a young D for a young F then trade a top F for a top D? That's what we need to do to balance things out OR we do what other teams do & develop the if prospects to save cap space so we can have better high end players. This is NOT I repeat NOT a do or die year for Stanley - WHAT THE (frank) IS YOUR PROBLEM?

As the song says - "calm the hell down, cause were goin 'downtown'"!

So what you're saying is "THE PITTSBURGH PENGUINS WILL BE THE 2016 STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS!!" but in a lengthy way and without the caps lock on.

Also, is your username a homage to Mel Torme? Are you Harry Anderson from Night Court??
- chimpira

Yes, Pens Cup Champs in Bizarro World where the Cup is awarded for outscoring your opponents in "last team to score wins" games during the regular season and the playoffs don't matter.

My username is in relation to Mel Torme, but not really an homage (it's a boring story).

Ok so we shouldn't try & develop too many D? Is that what you are saying? We have these prospects so we can develop them - 1 of which is highly touted. What would you suggest? We trade a young D for a young F then trade a top F for a top D? That's what we need to do to balance things out OR we do what other teams do & develop the if prospects to save cap space so we can have better high end players. This is NOT I repeat NOT a do or die year for Stanley - WHAT THE (frank) IS YOUR PROBLEM?

As the song says - "calm the hell down, cause were goin 'downtown'"!
- Aussiepenguin

Yes, DEVELOP prospects, don't throw them into the fire before they are ready because the team is poorly constructed and lacks adequate depth on D. If either Letang or Maatta go down for any period of time which is almost a given, you will have these raw prospects playing at least 15-20 or 20+ minutes and they will be shell-shocked. You will also have Scuderi playing ~15 minutes and Lovejoy 20-23 minutes. Either way, we won't need to worry about the playoffs at that point.

It may not be a do or die for Stanley this year, but the Crosby/Malkin window is closing. I would at least like to see the front office put the best team possible on the ice, not the worst defensive corps in the Crosby/Malkin era. The Pens could have EASILY signed a legit 2nd pairing defenseman by now. You take Cullen's $800k and add it to the $1.7 mil cap space and you have a quality $2.5 mil defenseman like Ehrhoff, Franson, etc. Instead we are talking about having to play either Lovejoy or a rookie on the second pairing and that's IF Letang and Maatta stay healthy. If not, the second pairing WILL BE Lovejoy AND a rookie (AND Cole playing top-pairing which he is not). That's god-awful. And we could have easily had a WBS player fill-in 4th line center duties until Fehr comes back and bumps Bonino down to the 4th line where he belongs.

Yes, now, because Rutherford has been sitting on his hands regarding the defense, we are pretty much forced to trade a top F or a top prospect + high draft pick(s) for a top D (most likely a rental) if we want to be competitive come playoff time. We completely missed out on the bargain deals when there was NOTHING going on this summer because, apparently, the front office thinks this defense is going to magically come together and be Cup-worthy. Right now it's not even close and that's with everyone healthy.

Yes, DEVELOP prospects, don't throw them into the fire before they are ready because the team is poorly constructed and lacks adequate depth on D. If either Letang or Maatta go down for any period of time which is almost a given, you will have these raw prospects playing at least 15-20 or 20+ minutes and they will be shell-shocked. You will also have Scuderi playing ~15 minutes and Lovejoy 20-23 minutes. Either way, we won't need to worry about the playoffs at that point.

It may not be a do or die for Stanley this year, but the Crosby/Malkin window is closing. I would at least like to see the front office put the best team possible on the ice, not the worst defensive corps in the Crosby/Malkin era. The Pens could have EASILY signed a legit 2nd pairing defenseman by now. You take Cullen's $800k and add it to the $1.7 mil cap space and you have a quality $2.5 mil defenseman like Ehrhoff, Franson, etc. Instead we are talking about having to play either Lovejoy or a rookie on the second pairing and that's IF Letang and Maatta stay healthy. If not, the second pairing WILL BE Lovejoy AND a rookie (AND Cole playing top-pairing which he is not). That's god-awful. And we could have easily had a WBS player fill-in 4th line center duties until Fehr comes back and bumps Bonino down to the 4th line where he belongs.

Yes, now, because Rutherford has been sitting on his hands regarding the defense, we are pretty much forced to trade a top F or a top prospect + high draft pick(s) for a top D (most likely a rental) if we want to be competitive come playoff time. We completely missed out on the bargain deals when there was NOTHING going on this summer because, apparently, the front office thinks this defense is going to magically come together and be Cup-worthy. Right now it's not even close and that's with everyone healthy.
- thevelvetfog1

We had Tanger & Maatta out in the playoffs with Martin absorbing the most time but still the 'rest' overachieving their roles. Now Dumo is 23? so as JR says this year is his year to prove himself. Now if you want to send him down then that's your opinion. I would like to give him a chance to feel no pressure & progress so he becomes a competent NHLer. Do you want to him to come back at 25? Pouliot is only young but still needs to develop, Dinger is appearing to progress as is Cole. Players don't or very few do, become NHLers over night, give these guys a chance which you seem to think is the wrong decision. Who says Ehrhof wanted to play here? Martin? Or even Franson? Do you know if those guys were offered contracts? If so please divulge your information if not well just keep swaying with the fog, the velvet fog!