Ryan Wilson: Are Changes Actually Necessary for Bylsma's "System" ? Bylsma's system has provided high level puck possession numbers, the goaltending has rendered it a moot point.

Goaltending wasn't the reason the Penguins got pasted by the Bruins.

You guys have a great regular season team.

Playoffs? Not so much.

So this article to me has shown the most poor decision Shero has made. And that is staying with Fleury and continuing to keep him on this roster while taking up 5m in cap space. I'm a fan of Fleury the person he is a great guy and well liked but that doesn't win championships. I also think that letting guys like Cooke-Staal-Tk walk or trading them is not helpful for the puck posession style that Bylsma wants to play. I agree Despres and Bennett will help by being inserted into the line up nightly. I'm not a huge fan of Bylsma I look at the Philly series the team was obviously frustrated and maybe most of it stemmed from Fleury but he had no control over them. They ran around like morons for most of that series. He's young in his career and has had a lot of success however he still has a lot of learning to do.

Goaltending wasn't the reason the Penguins got pasted by the Bruins.

You guys have a great regular season team.

Playoffs? Not so much.
- Muskwa

I think if you go back and read it again the additions of Morrow, Murray, and Iginla slowed this team down a lot and took us away from what it is we do best.

Goaltending wasn't the reason the Penguins got pasted by the Bruins.

You guys have a great regular season team.

Playoffs? Not so much.
- Muskwa

10 of the 14 periods played in the series the teams were within 1 goal of each other. Game 2 was a very bad effort by Pittsburgh and accounts for 3 of those periods.

The old adage of "Show me a good goaltender, and I'll show you a good coach."

The worse part about Fleury is that we won't know if there is any improvement in his mental game until playoffs. Chances are he has another 40 win season with decent numbers, and we still will have no idea of his mental state until a bad goal goes in.

In the Cup runs, he put those softies behind him and moved on, now he turns into a hot mess.

I'm indifferent about Bylsma. He definitely has some shortcomings, but the grass isn't always greener. Except maybe Tippet (who didn't seem like he was going anywhere), I had zero confidence that any of the other candidates out there were any better than Bylsma.

So this article to me has shown the most poor decision Shero has made. And that is staying with Fleury and continuing to keep him on this roster while taking up 5m in cap space. I'm a fan of Fleury the person he is a great guy and well liked but that doesn't win championships. I also think that letting guys like Cooke-Staal-Tk walk or trading them is not helpful for the puck posession style that Bylsma wants to play. I agree Despres and Bennett will help by being inserted into the line up nightly. I'm not a huge fan of Bylsma I look at the Philly series the team was obviously frustrated and maybe most of it stemmed from Fleury but he had no control over them. They ran around like morons for most of that series. He's young in his career and has had a lot of success however he still has a lot of learning to do.
- dbell646

$5 million is a ridiculous amount of cap space to be tied up on a guy who might not even play more than one game in the playoffs.

Gunner, I like the blog in general but you forgot to mention how he does not change his system when losing or the right way to use the players.

Bennett and Despres should have been in the whole time, while Iggy should have put on his natural side with sid and dupes, while putting kuni with geno and neal. As well as the wrong players on the pp's. During Boston series pp1 consisted of 4 out of 5 lefties and pp2 had 4 out of 5 righties... there should be a nice mix for when the players cycle and mover around for better shots...

He also doesn't pull Flower enough, he lets him in there let up too many goals before he pulls him.

Shero got him 3 guys that helped as you can see in regular season (yes they were slow but had other attributes to pick up being slow) but come playoffs DB shuffled the lines and was a horrible coach. DB is as much to blame as MAF...

I hope Hartzell or Jarry shows something in a year bc I want Flower out!

Solid stuff again, Gunner.

The statistics show just about everything we need to know. Goalie play and puck management have been the major issues.

This team didn't lose a game in March and a lot of it had to do with a unified effort to move the puck with care up and down the ice. Tons of responsible play and a willingness to play a defense first style. I really wish that stretch had continued into the playoffs.

Gunner, I like the blog in general but you forgot to mention how he does not change his system when losing or the right way to use the players.

Bennett and Despres should have been in the whole time, while Iggy should have put on his natural side with sid and dupes, while putting kuni with geno and neal. As well as the wrong players on the pp's. During Boston series pp1 consisted of 4 out of 5 lefties and pp2 had 4 out of 5 righties... there should be a nice mix for when the players cycle and mover around for better shots...

He also doesn't pull Flower enough, he lets him in there let up too many goals before he pulls him.

Shero got him 3 guys that helped as you can see in regular season (yes they were slow but had other attributes to pick up being slow) but come playoffs DB shuffled the lines and was a horrible coach. DB is as much to blame as MAF...

I hope Hartzell or Jarry shows something in a year bc I want Flower out!
- nh4442

If Hartzell re-signs(not sure if he has yet) then maybe he becomes an option. More likely to see Zatkoff. Jarry and Murray are both going to take time. I'd leave their names out of the discussion.

Forwards who should be looked at camp this yr:
Zlobin
Megna
Sundqvist
Marcantuoni

These guys should be making WB/S and getting called up in a yr or two...

The younger guys are all committed to college already so I excluded them

Gunner, I like the blog in general but you forgot to mention how he does not change his system when losing or the right way to use the players.

Bennett and Despres should have been in the whole time, while Iggy should have put on his natural side with sid and dupes, while putting kuni with geno and neal. As well as the wrong players on the pp's. During Boston series pp1 consisted of 4 out of 5 lefties and pp2 had 4 out of 5 righties... there should be a nice mix for when the players cycle and mover around for better shots...

He also doesn't pull Flower enough, he lets him in there let up too many goals before he pulls him.

Shero got him 3 guys that helped as you can see in regular season (yes they were slow but had other attributes to pick up being slow) but come playoffs DB shuffled the lines and was a horrible coach. DB is as much to blame as MAF...

I hope Hartzell or Jarry shows something in a year bc I want Flower out!
- nh4442

Coaches arent perfect. Not one in the history of sports has been. Expecting every thing to be perfect is such an unrealistic expectation.

Iginla should have never been traded for, he was never a fit, or a need. That falls on Shero.

If Hartzell re-signs(not sure if he has yet) then maybe he becomes an option. More likely to see Zatkoff. Jarry and Murray are both going to take time. I'd leave their names out of the discussion.
- HopintheCordoba

Well right now Zatkoff is our only goalie in wb/s Thessien went to Finland..announced this morning...

edit:Shelly Anderson ‏@pgshelly 1h
(PG+) Thiessen heads to Finland: Former Penguins goaltender Brad Thiessen (right) has joined HIFK of Finland's... http://bit.ly/13kAumQ

Coaches arent perfect. Not one in the history of sports has been. Expecting every thing to be perfect is such an unrealistic expectation.
- Ryan_Wilson

I don't expect everything to be perfect but these are glaring things that have been noticed in last 4 playoffs... and never fixed... Id rather sneak into playoffs in 8th seed but be able to win games in playoffs then get 1 seed every time and then fall in playoffs... they were lucky against nyi and ott and bos found these problems and crushed them on it

I don't expect everything to be perfect but these are glaring things that have been noticed in last 4 playoffs... and never fixed... Id rather sneak into playoffs in 8th seed but be able to win games in playoffs then get 1 seed every time and then fall in playoffs... they were lucky against nyi and ott and bos found these problems and crushed them on it
- nh4442

Not for nothing but you consider Dupuis playing with Crosby a glaring error.

Well right now Zatkoff is our only goalie in wb/s Thessien went to Finland..announced this morning...

edit:Shelly Anderson ‏@pgshelly 1h
(PG+) Thiessen heads to Finland: Former Penguins goaltender Brad Thiessen (right) has joined HIFK of Finland's... http://bit.ly/13kAumQ
- nh4442

Hartzell

Not for nothing but you consider Dupuis playing with Crosby a glaring error.
- Ryan_Wilson

if there is a better option like if they resigned Iggy then yes, bc I think 12-87-19, 14-71-18 and x-16-9 would be better lines.... with iggy out then there is no other player... and yes I think that cap hit and yrs was a horrible decision...

same as if they traded letang for a 1st line player dupes should be bumped and not Bennett... but DB is stuck in this mindset that just bc something was good last yr or a few yrs ago means he has to stick to it. Bennett IMO and others should be with sid not geno and neal... put kuni there and Bennett with sid and dupes...

As a coach DB should see that...

Hartzell
- cap1681

he didn't except his offer yet so he is not in camp

edit:nm he is at camp.. did he except his offer? I never heard, thought he couldn't play or participate in camp if he is still an rfa..

Not for nothing but you consider Dupuis playing with Crosby a glaring error.
- Ryan_Wilson

Why you gotta go there?

he didn't except his offer yet so he is not in camp
- nh4442

Oh, i thought he was going this week to the development camp. He was listed on the Pens website as a participent.

Why you gotta go there?
- dbell646

lol don't worry pens have no other option so I dropped that argument... until reg season when he (frank)s up in games

if there is a better option like if they resigned Iggy then yes, bc I think 12-87-19, 14-71-18 and x-16-9 would be better lines.... with iggy out then there is no other player... and yes I think that cap hit and yrs was a horrible decision...

same as if they traded letang for a 1st line player dupes should be bumped and not Bennett... but DB is stuck in this mindset that just bc something was good last yr or a few yrs ago means he has to stick to it. Bennett IMO and others should be with sid not geno and neal... put kuni there and Bennett with sid and dupes...

As a coach DB should see that...
- nh4442

You have been wrong about Dupuis for a while now. There comes a time when wrong is wrong and you move on.

Bennett just needs to be playing a regular shift in the top 9. He will be effective on any of the first 3 lines. I can already see the uproar if Bennett is playing on the third line. Its not that big of a deal. Would i personally use him in the top 6? Yes. Is it the end of the world if he is on the third line? Definitely not. He just needs to play.

Ryan Miller is available....

You have been wrong about Dupuis for a while now. There comes a time when wrong is wrong and you move on.

Bennett just needs to be playing a regular shift in the top 9. He will be effective on any of the first 3 lines. I can already see the uproar if Bennett is playing on the third line. Its not that big of a deal. Would i personally use him in the top 6? Yes. Is it the end of the world if he is on the third line? Definitely not. He just needs to play.
- Ryan_Wilson

im not going into what I think dupes should be anymore.. its dead bc there are no better options.. last yr there was...but there wont be for 3 more yrs.....

You have been wrong about Dupuis for a while now. There comes a time when wrong is wrong and you move on.

Bennett just needs to be playing a regular shift in the top 9. He will be effective on any of the first 3 lines. I can already see the uproar if Bennett is playing on the third line. Its not that big of a deal. Would i personally use him in the top 6? Yes. Is it the end of the world if he is on the third line? Definitely not. He just needs to play.
- Ryan_Wilson

Can't see anyone on the roster who would beat Bennett out for top 6 role. Jussi maybe because DB is a little reluctant to rely on youngsters so heavily