Off topic.

Simon Despres and Maxim Talbot were left off the Canadian Olympic Team.

Max Lapierre and other former Penguins made the list.
- Ben_66

Man that team is a bunch of hacks ! We are not looking good on this one cant believe they didnt bring any Youngblood at least cale makar and sam steel

Meanwhile in Australia....

http://www.news.com.au/tr...cb65f3b487a98140a1facdbd3
- Aussiepenguin

I really need to get down there for a look...

Disappointed the Pens didnt get Duclair. That deal will really help Hawks.
Guessing an earlier comment hit the nail on the head. Panik and his pedigree has the potential to rediscover his touch or be flipped much more than a guy like Hagelin.
Still think Pens could have offered a better package and still not hurt themselves.
Just hope GM JR doesnt make a trade just for the sake of making a trade....

Disappointed the Pens didnt get Duclair. That deal will really help Hawks.
Guessing an earlier comment hit the nail on the head. Panik and his pedigree has the potential to rediscover his touch or be flipped much more than a guy like Hagelin.
Still think Pens could have offered a better package and still not hurt themselves.
Just hope GM JR doesnt make a trade just for the sake of making a trade....

How long of a leash does Hagelin have!? He has 7 points in 44 games with 2 of the better offensive players in the league on his line.... literally on pace for 13 points in 82 games... look to the start of the year and this offseason and people were complaining saying that was terrible for a 4th line player with 2 bad linemates but now it seems to be ok cuz its hagelin and he played real well 2 years ago. I just dont get how long you can leave someone there doing that poorly? I get the depth and rounding out the roster and lack of early season scoring depth but if that line put up even 10 more points with someone who could finish maybe we have 6 more points on the season which puts us 2nd in division and only 4 points back of 1st....

How long of a leash does Hagelin have!? He has 7 points in 44 games with 2 of the better offensive players in the league on his line.... literally on pace for 13 points in 82 games... look to the start of the year and this offseason and people were complaining saying that was terrible for a 4th line player with 2 bad linemates but now it seems to be ok cuz its hagelin and he played real well 2 years ago. I just dont get how long you can leave someone there doing that poorly? I get the depth and rounding out the roster and lack of early season scoring depth but if that line put up even 10 more points with someone who could finish maybe we have 6 more points on the season which puts us 2nd in division and only 4 points back of 1st....
- pens4life-66

I wonder the same about Reaves.

How long of a leash does Hagelin have!? He has 7 points in 44 games with 2 of the better offensive players in the league on his line.... literally on pace for 13 points in 82 games... look to the start of the year and this offseason and people were complaining saying that was terrible for a 4th line player with 2 bad linemates but now it seems to be ok cuz its hagelin and he played real well 2 years ago. I just dont get how long you can leave someone there doing that poorly? I get the depth and rounding out the roster and lack of early season scoring depth but if that line put up even 10 more points with someone who could finish maybe we have 6 more points on the season which puts us 2nd in division and only 4 points back of 1st....
- pens4life-66

Hags has huge buyout potential

2 years at 1.3 million dead money cap hit

How long of a leash does Hagelin have!? He has 7 points in 44 games with 2 of the better offensive players in the league on his line.... literally on pace for 13 points in 82 games... look to the start of the year and this offseason and people were complaining saying that was terrible for a 4th line player with 2 bad linemates but now it seems to be ok cuz its hagelin and he played real well 2 years ago. I just dont get how long you can leave someone there doing that poorly? I get the depth and rounding out the roster and lack of early season scoring depth but if that line put up even 10 more points with someone who could finish maybe we have 6 more points on the season which puts us 2nd in division and only 4 points back of 1st....
- pens4life-66

I'm not going to argue with anything you said. I'll try to guess what GMJR and Sullivan were/are trying to do with Hags. He had an injury that hurt his greatest asset, his speed. Is he still not 100% - maybe?

I think the Pens were hoping that he could return close to his amazing speed with Kessel that seemed to surprise/frustrate other teams. Hags can PK, pretty well. He has the ability/potential to play on any line, when he uses his speed. He should score more, shoot more especially on the top lines.

Obviously, he has not performed as hoped. What can Pens do now with Hags. Continue to hope he turns it around with the rest of the team in a playoff push, try to package him with other pieces to a team looking for speed, or dump him for a pick and try to use the cap room to improve the team.

My guess is they will keep him, unless they can find another team to take him or in a deal in which they need the salary dump to get an expensive player that they really want!

I haven't read all the comments, but RW and I definitely disagree on the whole PK thing. Some guys just plain aren't as good at it. It's definitely a skill just like how some guys aren't great on the PP (like Evander Kane so far). Some guys just aren't as aggressive, they don't know when to pick their spots, or they're TOO aggressive and it leads to big gaps against a 4 on 3 or get caught 5 on 3.
I know my jr/college experience doesn't directly translate to the NHL (obviously) but these guys definitely have different skill sets and some guys just either aren't that into it or just haven't been coached on it enough. Just like I don't think it's any coincidence that our PK got better when Rowney came back. It's not just an eye test type of thing, it's a fact. Our % increased when he came back, the correlation seemed very real.
Saying that anyone can kill penalties, to me, is like saying anyone can take faceoffs. Yea, sure they can. But they're not all going to be good at it. Why is Bergeron so good at it against so many different centers, clearly he's a specialist in this area

Hags has huge buyout potential

2 years at 1.3 million dead money cap hit
- TheGame316

I think they’ll be able to trade him in the off season. Maybe retain a little bit.

I'm not going to argue with anything you said. I'll try to guess what GMJR and Sullivan were/are trying to do with Hags. He had an injury that hurt his greatest asset, his speed. Is he still not 100% - maybe?

I think the Pens were hoping that he could return close to his amazing speed with Kessel that seemed to surprise/frustrate other teams. Hags can PK, pretty well. He has the ability/potential to play on any line, when he uses his speed. He should score more, shoot more especially on the top lines.

Obviously, he has not performed as hoped. What can Pens do now with Hags. Continue to hope he turns it around with the rest of the team in a playoff push, try to package him with other pieces to a team looking for speed, or dump him for a pick and try to use the cap room to improve the team.

My guess is they will keep him, unless they can find another team to take him or in a deal in which they need the salary dump to get an expensive player that they really want!
- so_buzz11

This has already started my friend. For every player on the team. You can see it without looking at the advanced stats. The games really matter now and a 3peat is on the line. They're gonna win a lot more than they lose from here on.

I wonder the same about Reaves.
- j.boyd919

Id literally bet my house if you put Reaves with Malkin and Kessel all season and he got 10 more minutes of ice time per game he would have more then just 2 extra points.... I dont know for 4 million per year seems like people expect literally 13 point season and its ok?

Is there even a forward in the league that has played 41 games or more, 16 minutes a night with 2 first line caliber players (all stars, Malkin/Kessel) and keeps there spot there? I doubt it

Sorry edit: At a 13 point 82 game pace and stays on the 2nd line?

Id literally bet my house if you put Reaves with Malkin and Kessel all season and he got 10 more minutes of ice time per game he would have more then just 2 extra points.... I dont know for 4 million per year seems like people expect literally 13 point season and its ok?

Is there even a forward in the league that has played 41 games or more, 16 minutes a night with 2 first line caliber players (all stars, Malkin/Kessel) and keeps there spot there? I doubt it

Sorry edit: At a 13 point 82 game pace and stays on the 2nd line?
- pens4life-66

Nah, Hags sucks. I agree with you there, but I believe he still brings more to the game than Reaves. 4m for him sucks ass, it's not really acceptable, but there isn't really anything you can do... he has no value.. he doesn't score.. and his underlying numbers are still decent. I trust him on the ice 100x more than Reaves. I see Hags as a 4th liner, I see Reaves as dog poop.

How long of a leash does Hagelin have!? He has 7 points in 44 games with 2 of the better offensive players in the league on his line.... literally on pace for 13 points in 82 games... look to the start of the year and this offseason and people were complaining saying that was terrible for a 4th line player with 2 bad linemates but now it seems to be ok cuz its hagelin and he played real well 2 years ago. I just dont get how long you can leave someone there doing that poorly? I get the depth and rounding out the roster and lack of early season scoring depth but if that line put up even 10 more points with someone who could finish maybe we have 6 more points on the season which puts us 2nd in division and only 4 points back of 1st....
- pens4life-66

Who’s saying Hagelin has been ok? He’s been one of the worst players this season and deserves a lot of criticism. His poor play is a big reason why our LW depth is bad.

Nah, Hags sucks. I agree with you there, but I believe he still brings more to the game than Reaves. 4m for him sucks ass, it's not really acceptable, but there isn't really anything you can do... he has no value.. he doesn't score.. and his underlying numbers are still decent. I trust him on the ice 100x more than Reaves. I see Hags as a 4th liner, I see Reaves as dog poop.
- j.boyd919

100% agree with everything there! If Hagelin made 900k Id like him on the team 4th line a lot more. Just cut his ice down to 7-10 mins per game.

Who’s saying Hagelin has been ok? He’s been one of the worst players this season and deserves a lot of criticism. His poor play is a big reason why our LW depth is bad.
- Victoro311

Hagelin has not played poorly. His production has been poor.

Hagelin has not played poorly. His production has been poor.
- Rinosaur

At a 4 mil price tag that means he’s played poorly. Poor play is pretty relative, so for a guy who’s supposed to be a 30 ish point guy and who’s being paid like a 45 ish point guy, yeah, he’s played really bad. Like I wouldn’t say Reaves has played poorly, he just sucks. Hagelin has a track record of not sucking and has played bad for about 1.5 seasons now. That’s a huge issue.

Who’s saying Hagelin has been ok? He’s been one of the worst players this season and deserves a lot of criticism. His poor play is a big reason why our LW depth is bad.
- Victoro311

Alot of people in here think our 2nd line LW is totally fine right now and all we need is a 3rd line center. Also my point is Hagelin has been so bad offensively this season its literally hurting the rest of the team. Ive seen it more the past couple games but guys are following malkin and leaving hagelin totally opening and its made Malkin frustrated on a couple of occasions. Im saying at least give ANYONE else for that matter a chance on the 2nd line to even try cuz that isnt working at all. So I guess its Sullivan sayings hes been ok seeing as hes staying on the 2nd line still.

At a 4 mil price tag that means he’s played poorly. Poor play is pretty relative, so for a guy who’s supposed to be a 30 ish point guy and who’s being paid like a 45 ish point guy, yeah, he’s played really bad. Like I wouldn’t say Reaves has played poorly, he just sucks. Hagelin has a track record of not sucking and has played bad for about 1.5 seasons now. That’s a huge issue.
- Victoro311

I’m not looking at the money; that’s an entirely different discussion. Hagelin is a very good hockey player, he just can’t help offensive production anymore.

For the money? Yeah, he’s terrible when you compare him to others making similar salary.

I’m not looking at the money; that’s an entirely different discussion. Hagelin is a very good hockey player, he just can’t help offensive production anymore.

For the money? Yeah, he’s terrible when you compare him to others making similar salary.
- Rinosaur

Hagelin is not a very good hockey player anymore lol

I think they’ll be able to trade him in the off season. Maybe retain a little bit.
- Rinosaur

Difficult part about retaining is you can only retain 50%, so if we ate 2 million to trade him, then he only really costs 2 million to keep

And for 2 million, he's a decent player

He has negative value, so to trade him without retaining you'd have to add pieces, or take back an equally bad contract

Hagelin is not a very good hockey player anymore lol
- j.boyd919

He’s still very good defensively and at zone entries

Difficult part about retaining is you can only retain 50%, so if we ate 2 million to trade him, then he only really costs 2 million to keep

And for 2 million, he's a decent player

He has negative value, so to trade him without retaining you'd have to add pieces, or take back an equally bad contract
- TheGame316

A little backwards logic, but I see your point. I don’t agree with it, but I see it lol.

That two million freed up can make a huge difference and it’s better than taking up a second year for a buyout.

I’m not looking at the money; that’s an entirely different discussion. Hagelin is a very good hockey player, he just can’t help offensive production anymore.

For the money? Yeah, he’s terrible when you compare him to others making similar salary.
- Rinosaur

That’s untrue. Hags is not a very good hockey player now. He used to be a pretty effective offensive player, although not a playmaker or goal scorer. He used to be pretty adept at digging out pucks from the boards and extending plays (which is why a lot of his points were 2As) and he was also pretty good at finding soft spots to put pucks on goal (even if they didn’t always go in). He’s not doing any of that this season. He’s essentially playing no role in the O zone and isn’t putting himself in a position to be helpful on a shift to shift basis by using his hockey smarts like he used to. This is directly tied to his down tick in production.

Right now his play and production level are those of an average to good 4th liner. That’s bad by Hagelin’s standards and really bad value wise in terms of his contract.

That’s untrue. Hags is not a very good hockey player now. He used to be a pretty effective offensive player, although not a playmaker or goal scorer. He used to be pretty adept at digging out pucks from the boards and extending plays (which is why a lot of his points were 2As) and he was also pretty good at finding soft spots to put pucks on goal (even if they didn’t always go in). He’s not doing any of that this season. He’s essentially playing no role in the O zone and isn’t putting himself in a position to be helpful on a shift to shift basis by using his hockey smarts like he used to. This is directly tied to his down tick in production.

Right now his play and production level are those of an average to good 4th liner. That’s bad by Hagelin’s standards and really bad value wise in terms of his contract.
- Victoro311