Ryan Wilson: New look Penguins New look Penguins

Woohoo!

I hope MM is on his game. As the Carolina commentators will tell you multiple times a game, Carolina out shoots everyone.

When is Rust do back?

Im down with these lines.

Just keep it chugging along boys and the goals will come.

Time to go streaking.

I would swap horny n sheary i dont see much value rolling him on the left side. Would b nice to roll over carolina and have matt murray steal a game or 2 on this stretch going into the all star break, when do the pens get their 5 day bye?

dumoulin is the one that took the puck off the dome, right?

I like the idea of Rask and Williams matching up with that Kuhnhakl-Sheahan-Reaves line.

This is getting really old.....

The team only does as well as Letang, Crosby and Malkin do and all 3 are having crap seasons so far. Combine that with below average goaltending (which for some reason was a bigger deal when MAF was here) and you have one of the worst 5on5 teams in the league.

The Pens have fundamental flaws as a team that go way beyond a below average 4th line and its getting really tedious when you beat that same dead horse every blog.

Why don't you take some of that 4th line criticism and apply it to the top 2 lines? Also, if we could stop the Disco Dan line juggling every shift that would be nice too.

I don't know how many of you read Jesse Marshall's article on Sheahan yesterday. Despite being a heavy analytics guy, he and Ryan really differ. He nasically said he's been better then Bonino and is adequately filling the 3C role, even highlighted his passing ability.

Sheahan has some of the best possession numners despite being buried with d zone starts. Been a 30 point guy over his time here and if you're willing to say the first ten games were an adjustment period he's been a 40 point player.

What I'd love to see the Pens do is get an offensive center and rather than have a 3rd and 4th line, have an offensive and defensive line that can both handle 10-12 minutes a night.

This is getting really old.....

The team only does as well as Letang, Crosby and Malkin do and all 3 are having crap seasons so far. Combine that with below average goaltending (which for some reason was a bigger deal when MAF was here) and you have one of the worst 5on5 teams in the league.

The Pens have fundamental flaws as a team that go way beyond a below average 4th line and its getting really tedious when you beat that same dead horse every blog.

Why don't you take some of that 4th line criticism and apply it to the top 2 lines? Also, if we could stop the Disco Dan line juggling every shift that would be nice too.
- Murphy_Dump

Because not having a competent top line is resulting in 30 year old Sidney Crosby being on pace for the 3rd most ice-time of his career.

30 year old Letang is on pace for the most ice-time of his career. 31 year old Hornqvist is averaging more ice-time per game than he has in any season but one.

I don't know how many of you read Jesse Marshall's article on Sheahan yesterday. Despite being a heavy analytics guy, he and Ryan really differ. He nasically said he's been better then Bonino and is adequately filling the 3C role, even highlighted his passing ability.

Sheahan has some of the best possession numners despite being buried with d zone starts. Been a 30 point guy over his time here and if you're willing to say the first ten games were an adjustment period he's been a 40 point player.

What I'd love to see the Pens do is get an offensive center and rather than have a 3rd and 4th line, have an offensive and defensive line that can both handle 10-12 minutes a night.
- Tojo.

I really haven't had an issue with Sheahan. He's good on the dot, positionally and he has patience with the puck. He uses his size fairly well and if he ever got his shooting % up he'd be a steal.

I don't know how many of you read Jesse Marshall's article on Sheahan yesterday. Despite being a heavy analytics guy, he and Ryan really differ. He nasically said he's been better then Bonino and is adequately filling the 3C role, even highlighted his passing ability.

Sheahan has some of the best possession numners despite being buried with d zone starts. Been a 30 point guy over his time here and if you're willing to say the first ten games were an adjustment period he's been a 40 point player.

What I'd love to see the Pens do is get an offensive center and rather than have a 3rd and 4th line, have an offensive and defensive line that can both handle 10-12 minutes a night.
- Tojo.

Bonino scored some big goals, that's how he's remembered

In reality, He was a slow footed PK specialist 3C who had really good production once when he was paired with Kessel and when Hagelin was producing at the best clip of his career

I agree Tojo. I strongly diverge with Wilson on this one. If he’s playing with some talented wingers (any combo of Sheary, Sprong, Hornqvist), I think Sheahan is just fine at 3C. Obviously, itd be sick if we got an even better 3C and could play a third line caliber guy at 4C, but with our assets I don’t know who we can realistically get who’ll be better than Sheahan. Top 9 C’s with term go for a premium and I don’t know if there’s any rentals available. Someone yesterday mentioned Plekanic, which would be interesting...

What is a problem is 4C. We need a far better pivot on that line if we’re gonna make Kuhnhackl and Reaves work as the wingers there. I don’t mind trying Guentzel at 3C to push Sheahan down but that vastly depletes our already not great LW depth and margenalizes G who I think is a much better winger.

If we go that rout, we’ll ultimately have to trade for a top 9 LW. If we don’t go that rout, we’ll have to trade for a bottom 6 C. Either way, we’re gonna have to trade for another forward.

I don't know how many of you read Jesse Marshall's article on Sheahan yesterday. Despite being a heavy analytics guy, he and Ryan really differ. He nasically said he's been better then Bonino and is adequately filling the 3C role, even highlighted his passing ability.

Sheahan has some of the best possession numners despite being buried with d zone starts. Been a 30 point guy over his time here and if you're willing to say the first ten games were an adjustment period he's been a 40 point player.

What I'd love to see the Pens do is get an offensive center and rather than have a 3rd and 4th line, have an offensive and defensive line that can both handle 10-12 minutes a night.
- Tojo.

I completely agree with this phylosophy. Sheahan's been absolutely fine with the Pens.

I don't know how many of you read Jesse Marshall's article on Sheahan yesterday. Despite being a heavy analytics guy, he and Ryan really differ. He nasically said he's been better then Bonino and is adequately filling the 3C role, even highlighted his passing ability.

Sheahan has some of the best possession numners despite being buried with d zone starts. Been a 30 point guy over his time here and if you're willing to say the first ten games were an adjustment period he's been a 40 point player.

What I'd love to see the Pens do is get an offensive center and rather than have a 3rd and 4th line, have an offensive and defensive line that can both handle 10-12 minutes a night.
- Tojo.

My eyes have been telling me I like his play better than Boninos and that's since about 6 or 7 games since he arrived.. I just dont have warm fuzzy nostalgic playoff memories with Sheahan.... Yet anyway...

This is getting really old.....

The team only does as well as Letang, Crosby and Malkin do and all 3 are having crap seasons so far. Combine that with below average goaltending (which for some reason was a bigger deal when MAF was here) and you have one of the worst 5on5 teams in the league.

The Pens have fundamental flaws as a team that go way beyond a below average 4th line and its getting really tedious when you beat that same dead horse every blog.

Why don't you take some of that 4th line criticism and apply it to the top 2 lines? Also, if we could stop the Disco Dan line juggling every shift that would be nice too.
- Murphy_Dump

It’s because the bottom six is one thing we can actually fix by making moves. The rest is just buying time until the stars play out of their slump.

I believe in Simon.

Gustavsson looking good. What can Murray bring us.

Here is to hoping we have three scoring lines and one fourth line and not the other way around.

Oh by the way-hope is not a plan.

This post is so I can quote.

I don't know how many of you read Jesse Marshall's article on Sheahan yesterday. Despite being a heavy analytics guy, he and Ryan really differ. He nasically said he's been better then Bonino and is adequately filling the 3C role, even highlighted his passing ability.

Sheahan has some of the best possession numners despite being buried with d zone starts. Been a 30 point guy over his time here and if you're willing to say the first ten games were an adjustment period he's been a 40 point player.

What I'd love to see the Pens do is get an offensive center and rather than have a 3rd and 4th line, have an offensive and defensive line that can both handle 10-12 minutes a night.
- Tojo.

That's analytics though. Depending on how you use the data, or what data you want to use to support an opinion, you can get 2 completely different opinions.

I'd just stick to the lucky, unlucky data - good teams/players = lucky, bad = unlucky (unless you want to just call 1 poop, then you do that ).

Bonino scored some big goals, that's how he's remembered

In reality, He was a slow footed PK specialist 3C who had really good production once when he was paired with Kessel and when Hagelin was producing at the best clip of his career
- TheGame316

If I remember correctly, in here there were plenty who complained about him through the season. He was a very good playoffs player though.

From Dreger:
“I’m told that Arizona is looking for a like player, so in that age category, and maybe a player who has underachieved with his organization and like Anthony Duclair, wants and needs a fresh start. So it might be a player like that, or I also heard Arizona would happily take a draft pick, hoping for as high as a second-round pick.

“But yesterday I was told it was heating up, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Duclair gets traded – I can’t say in the next couple of days, but I would say that he could be traded within the week.”

Duclair, 22, is on a one-year, $1.2 million contract and will be a restricted free agent eligible for arbitration this summer.


It sounds like the price isnt too high. If he can play LW, I would definitely be willing to throw a 3rd rounder or a prospect like Simon or a roster player like Kuhnhackl for Duclair. Low-risk, high reward. Not sure what the issue has been in Arizona but we all know how a change of scenery can work for a player....and from the Pens POV, change for change sake/new blood without losing much off the current roster could pay dividends.

From Dreger:
“I’m told that Arizona is looking for a like player, so in that age category, and maybe a player who has underachieved with his organization and like Anthony Duclair, wants and needs a fresh start. So it might be a player like that, or I also heard Arizona would happily take a draft pick, hoping for as high as a second-round pick.

“But yesterday I was told it was heating up, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Duclair gets traded – I can’t say in the next couple of days, but I would say that he could be traded within the week.”

Duclair, 22, is on a one-year, $1.2 million contract and will be a restricted free agent eligible for arbitration this summer.

It sounds like the price isnt too high. If he can play LW, I would definitely be willing to throw a 3rd rounder or a prospect like Simon or a roster player like Kuhnhackl for Duclair. Low-risk, high reward. Not sure what the issue has been in Arizona but we all know how a change of scenery can work for a player....and from the Pens POV, change for change sake/new blood without losing much off the current roster could pay dividends.
- YouMeAndDupuis9

This is exactly the type of deal Pouliot had to go in