I would. Jordan Staal as a third line center at 6 million per year for the next XXX years isn't worth it. When you have 35% of your cap invested in three players, adding a third line center making that much money is not smart at all. ROR say way. He would be a third line center making loads of cash and he is a UFA after next year. His negotiating tactics aren't anything Pittsburgh should have any interest in. I really don't get the logic behind wanting ROR or even Jordan Staal. With that, you are in worse shape and its not close.
- Oneonta Penguin

welp, they have 31% tied up in Sid, Malkin, and Sutter right now, so it really isn't thaaat big a difference with the 35% that Staal would bring.

the "they should really have a cheap 3rd line center so that they don't have so much tied up in just Centers" argument can certainly be made. Sutter's 3.3 M just isn't the way to make it. I'm not sure if you're saying that Sutter at 3.3 is fine, but Staal at 6 isn't. But i'm guessing you are. Sorry if i'm wrong.

when you consider that 1 of Martin/Ehrhoff will be gone and replaced by a cheap defense prospect, and the rest of the team won't have to change much, a raise in payroll from Sutter to Staal is pretty doable.

This isn't about Staal nostalgia. I don't even care if it's Staal. I just think 3C is an area that could use an upgrade.

So you think Geno is gone and we rebuild with Fleury as our goalie? The guy known in the Vegas sports books as "Creampuff" because he is so soft and can't outplay goalies on good teams? So your opinion is that we will never win anything with Sutter on this team and Geno being gone but we need to keep Fleury to win???

Oh i forgot MAF is Crosby's buddy and "is great in the locker room" whatever that means?

But don't worry we got four more years of this guy so let's see how many cups we win with this guy in goal.

Don't worry we can blame the defense being young, Crosby and Malkin not scoring, the fact that he's play too many games and is tired, Scudari, Opik, Martin, Sutter, his baby who keeps him up - when does this all stop and the Pens address the real problem?
- Vegasman

MAF is the reason we are still in a playoff spot right now, he is far and away the Pens MVP this season, and that started in the playoffs last season. I respect the fact that you do not like him, and that's fine; but you can't honestly say he hasn't been fantastic this year can you?

welp, they have 31% tied up in Sid, Malkin, and Sutter right now, so it really isn't thaaat big a difference with the 35% that Staal would bring.

the "they should really have a cheap 3rd line center so that they don't have so much tied up in just Centers" argument can certainly be made. Sutter's 3.3 M just isn't the way to make it. I'm not sure if you're saying that Sutter at 3.3 is fine, but Staal at 6 isn't. But i'm guessing you are. Sorry if i'm wrong.

when you consider that 1 of Martin/Ehrhoff will be gone and replaced by a cheap defense prospect, and the rest of the team won't have to change much, a raise in payroll from Sutter to Staal is pretty doable.

This isn't about Staal nostalgia. I don't even care if it's Staal. I just think 3C is an area that could use an upgrade.
- poopmouth

That's what I've been saying. Next years priorities should be one vet D and a 3c upgrade. They can easily do it with the cap space they'll have next year. I don't know if this is our year so I hope they don't make any dumb trades, but I believe next year can be really good with the right moves.

So you think Geno is gone and we rebuild with Fleury as our goalie? The guy known in the Vegas sports books as "Creampuff" because he is so soft and can't outplay goalies on good teams? So your opinion is that we will never win anything with Sutter on this team and Geno being gone but we need to keep Fleury to win???

Oh i forgot MAF is Crosby's buddy and "is great in the locker room" whatever that means?

But don't worry we got four more years of this guy so let's see how many cups we win with this guy in goal.

Don't worry we can blame the defense being young, Crosby and Malkin not scoring, the fact that he's play too many games and is tired, Scudari, Opik, Martin, Sutter, his baby who keeps him up - when does this all stop and the Pens address the real problem?
- Vegasman

Only 2 active goalies have played in more than 2 Confrence finals. Quick is 1....wanna guess the other?

Montreal's looking for a dman, I wonder if Scherbak would be available?

MAF is the reason we are still in a playoff spot right now, he is far and away the Pens MVP this season, and that started in the playoffs last season. I respect the fact that you do not like him, and that's fine; but you can't honestly say he hasn't been fantastic this year can you?
- nbartley9

First of all I don't think a goalie who averaged giving up 3 goal a game in the Columbus series or having a sv% of .9 or less really played well in the playoffs. Did he play better than previous years - yes -but he couldn't be worst than being outplayed by Roloson, Halak, Brz, Nabokov or Lundqvist.

What is his record this year vs Holby, Halak, Lundqvist, etc. Last year his record on the road vs playoff teams was 6-9 with 3 shootout wins and in the other 3 wins the Pens scored an average of 4 goals.

I agree he has been better this year but the concern is that in big game match-ups like Sunday against the Hawks he will play well but lose! He always seem to blink first!

Honestly the team this year in my mind has no shot at winning any cup despite who they trade for. If you are right and he is the MVP he will show in the playoffs and carry this team - if not they will be gone early first/second round.

I would like nothing more than to come on this website in June/July and tell you how wrong I was and how right you were but don't think that's going to happen.

Only 2 active goalies have played in more than 2 Confrence finals. Quick is 1....wanna guess the other?
- willi

Craig Adams has won how many more Stanley cups than others on the team? Seems like he was in the right place at the right time - just like MAF.

How many games/Stanley cups do you think MAF would have played in on Edmonton or Buffalo?

Only 2 active goalies have played in more than 2 Confrence finals. Quick is 1....wanna guess the other?
- willi

Jonas Gustavsson?

welp, they have 31% tied up in Sid, Malkin, and Sutter right now, so it really isn't thaaat big a difference with the 35% that Staal would bring.

the "they should really have a cheap 3rd line center so that they don't have so much tied up in just Centers" argument can certainly be made. Sutter's 3.3 M just isn't the way to make it. I'm not sure if you're saying that Sutter at 3.3 is fine, but Staal at 6 isn't. But i'm guessing you are. Sorry if i'm wrong.

when you consider that 1 of Martin/Ehrhoff will be gone and replaced by a cheap defense prospect, and the rest of the team won't have to change much, a raise in payroll from Sutter to Staal is pretty doable.

This isn't about Staal nostalgia. I don't even care if it's Staal. I just think 3C is an area that could use an upgrade.
- poopmouth

an upgrade? Sure. Sure as hell not an upgrade to a 6 million dollar third line center that has yet to crack anything over 50 points on a single season. It is asinine to have 35% of the cap invested in Malkin, Crosby and Letang and add someone like Staal to the mix at that cap hit.

No, its not that easily doable. We have been down this road before.

delete

Despres, Harrington, Sutter for Hall, Purcell + 3rd pick
- brienstel

You can add another 3 mediocre players to our offer and you don't get a star like Hall.

Craig Adams has won how many more Stanley cups than others on the team? Seems like he was in the right place at the right time - just like MAF.

How many games/Stanley cups do you think MAF would have played in on Edmonton or Buffalo?
- Vegasman

That's so irrelevant. No goalie in the league can will Edmonton or Buffalo to a Stanley Cup. The Rangers are leagues better than those teams and Hank still can't do it with them. 'Tending is important, but at the end of the day a good team can overcome average tending and a bad team will seldom be propelled by out of this world tending. MAF is a solid goalie and he is getting payed what solid goalies in this league get payed. He is currently not the issue and has been Vezina caliber for us this season. Our team has just been legitimately that bad once the injuries started to hit.


Anyways, MAF aside, I'm not worried about next season. I think we have a good amount of tools in house. I think Sundqvist will be ready if this year's camp is any implication and that has HUGE implications for our bottom six. If he's good enough to be our 3C then phenomenal. We have a 3C on an ELC and Spaling can play 4C. If not, well then we'll finally have competent 4C with bite (which Lapierre is not) and we can go dig in the bargain bin to find someone who can bring at least what Sutter does but cheaper. Hell, this could even be Spaling. If hypothetically Sunqvist can take over 3C we can be looking at this:

Perron-Crosby-Hornqvist
Kunitz-Malkin-Bennett
Comeau-Sundqvist-Dupuis
x-Spaling-Downie

People can be moved around here. If Sundqvist can play 3C, then we should have no issue resigning both Comeau and Downie with the savings we get from ridding ourselves of Sutter and use the remaining cap to signe some nice bottom 6 wingers. Maybe even a top 9 guy if Dupuis retires. Also think that the potential of a Comeau/Sundqvist/Downie line would add that son-of-a-female dog factor with skill that everyone has been crying for. That's something that I would LOVE to see.

I hear there's a game tonight.

Or do people not watch those anymore?!?

I hear there's a game tonight.

Or do people not watch those anymore?!?
- hardnosed

Nope. I just like looking at the charts after the game is over and assume things from there.

I hear there's a game tonight.

Or do people not watch those anymore?!?
- hardnosed

MAF stealing the show so far. That first save on the deflection was sick.

an upgrade? Sure. Sure as hell not an upgrade to a 6 million dollar third line center that has yet to crack anything over 50 points on a single season. It is asinine to have 35% of the cap invested in Malkin, Crosby and Letang and add someone like Staal to the mix at that cap hit.

No, its not that easily doable. We have been down this road before.
- Oneonta Penguin

No mores Sutter + press the delete key on Scuderi. Done.

an upgrade? Sure. Sure as hell not an upgrade to a 6 million dollar third line center that has yet to crack anything over 50 points on a single season. It is asinine to have 35% of the cap invested in Malkin, Crosby and Letang and add someone like Staal to the mix at that cap hit.

No, its not that easily doable. We have been down this road before.
- Oneonta Penguin

it's not quite the same. as long as the defense prospects come through as cheap, useful players, it'll be fine to splurge on offense a little bit. Those staal teams had a lot of money tied up on mediocre defense (michalek and orpik made a lot of money). it wouldn't quite be the same.

I'm a huge Pens fan, but I do think it's time we accept that even if we make the playoffs (seems likely at this point) that we are no threat amongst our Division rivals so why waste an asset like Martin? I think you do what you can to package Martin and Sutter and get early round picks and hopefully some talented F's...our team lacks real scoring depth everywhere amongst the 3rd and 4th lines.

This season is not going to end with us and the cup, barring some extreme luck and a whole crap-ton of health which is highly unlikely with this team. When everyone knows how to get our first two lines off their games, and there is no scoring threat on the 3rd and 4th lines I don't see much in the way of a chance of us with the cup. So let's look towards next season, we have assets to move and no draft picks.

Pouliot looking real good out there. All the haters can go (frank) themselves.

Oh and Geno is everywhere.

MAF stealing the show so far. That first save on the deflection was sick.
- madmike71

He's been truly exception lately, under heavy duress most games.

MVP and it's not close.

Pouliot looking real good out there. All the haters can go (frank) themselves.
- ImScore71

I don't think he has any "haters." There are those who aren't sure if he's ready yet.

get a free week of nhl center ice this week from comcast.

typical that i cant find the pens game anywhere on it.



its on nbcsn.

get a free week of nhl center ice this week from comcast.

typical that i cant find the pens game anywhere on it.



its on nbcsn.
- stayinthefnnet

Tripp Tracy makes me want to punch myself in the ears.

And right on cue, Pouliot shows his inexperience.

Fartsmell.

Tripp Tracy makes me want to punch myself in the ears.
- hardnosed

its still enjoyable whenever i dont have to watch on my computer.

and that right there. not hating on pouliot. but that right there shows he isnt all the way into world beater mode just yet.

it happens. but he still has a ways to come.