The Penguins should be more active in signing college FAs.
- acdc1206

They were under Shero, and look at how that turned out. Outside of 1 (maybe 2) guy a year who end up being decent NHL'ers, the vast majority of college FAs are free agents for a reason. And those couple "good" guys usually command more money than the Pens are able (or willing) to give up.

For the Pens, they have plugged organization holes created by bad drafting and lack of picks. If anything, it covered up/enabled their bad asset management.

Add in Tavares and you're a little closer
- znagle

ur funny

How do you prove a team is tanking on purpose? I agree its not really ethical, but it is hard to prove.
- sammy87

You can't really prove it based on the Sabres. You can say that their GM sucks at assembling a good team but is that tanking? The only way you can prove tanking in my mind is if, the Sens for example, would be benching Karlsson & Ryan continuously. Or playing their Top stars under 10 minutes a game while guys like Phillips, Neil & Greening play 25+ minutes a night.

Sabres can just say they are playing as good as they can based on their players, but can you penalize them if Murray didn't sign a better free agent? Or trade to upgrade their D?

You really think he would be writing this blog if this was 8 years or so ago?
- Vukota

I assume he is writing it also because there are a couple teams in the league "mailing it in" to grab a good pick, some of these scenarios help that. When you get to a point where fans boo wins, and want the coach fired for winning a game... then it's time for a culture change.

So is that how you felt before the Pens were good and they were tanking for guys like Fleury, Malking, Crosby & Stall? Or we're you one of those guys who became a Penguins fan AFTER they drafted Crosby?

I think the easiest way to do it is you can't have consecutive Top 3 draft picks. It would be very easy to do since starting next year the Top 3 draft picks are lottery anyways. This year the Top 3 looks like Buffalo, Edmonton & Arizona so next year they get omitted from the lottery all together. If Buffalo finishes last again then they get to draft 4th instead of in the Top 3.

It lets team rebuild but they don't get as big of an advantage with drafting 3 1st overalls in a row like Edmonton, or those 4 Pittsburgh players we're all consecutive Top 2 picks. This chart really demonstrates the odds of a player succeeding in the NHL, and you can see a big drop off after the Top 3 picks.

http://assets3.sportsnet....ploads/2015/02/chart4.jpg
- PaskySens

Please explain to me how they tanked for Crosby when there wasn't even a season? Why do children keep bringing this up? Also the year they drafted Staal they signed in the offseason before that Gonchar, Palffy, LeClair, Thibeault, and Recchi. So it was clear they weren't tanking. They just flat out stunk and were a major disappointment.

That was my original question though, whether he felt that way when the Pens we're tanking and drafting Crosby, if he we're a Pens fan at the time or if he even watched/followed hockey. Obviously if he wrote this as a Sabres blogger it would be a different story about how some of us would view his blog.
- PaskySens

Exactly. I personally believe he would have felt the same way. He stated on his twitter he isn't faulting the teams for tanking, but he is faulting the league for allowing it to be this way.

I still prefer a draft approach just to ensure even distribution of talent.

Opening up incoming players to all teams would create an unfair advantage to teams in big markets (LA, NY, etc..) and hurt teams like Winnipeg, Calgary, Edm, etc..

EDIT: Also, if you opened it up like RW suggested, this season you would have seen many NHL teams clearing cap space to throw big money at McDavid. Just look at the NBA to see what that has done. That is actually worse IMO than having a few (2-3) already bad teams tanking. You would have 10-15 teams altering their roster makeup for a chance to sign the best player.
- 87_71_11_29

Not necessarily. Players like opportunity and teams like Edmonton, Calgary, Buffalo, etc. present a lot of opportunity.

Good to see the Pens front office being able to manage the cap too.

Couldn't agree more. I have no problem with teams blowing it up. You piss off your fan base and sell less tickets......ultimately you pay a very steep price for that decision.
- madmike71

I agree. I have no problem with blowing up the present for the future. Even as a fan, I'd rather have my team go all in for the future, than be a team who with band-aid trades/bad UFA signings, is mediocre for a decade, perennially fighting for the last couple of playoff spots.

Look at Buffalo, there is more excitement in that market this year, just because of what could be. Sports fandom is fueled by emotion, and there is no greater emotion in fandom than hope.

Good to see the Pens front office being able to manage the cap too.
- acdc1206

They knew what they were doing. They just didn't anticipate so many players would break like potato chips. They took a chance and lost.

I'm guessing Los Angeles and Chicago should also be upset with their team's ranking on of this chart. Time for drastic changes to those rosters!

You can't really prove it based on the Sabres. You can say that their GM sucks at assembling a good team but is that tanking? The only way you can prove tanking in my mind is if, the Sens for example, would be benching Karlsson & Ryan continuously. Or playing their Top stars under 10 minutes a game while guys like Phillips, Neil & Greening play 25+ minutes a night.

Sabres can just say they are playing as good as they can based on their players, but can you penalize them if Murray didn't sign a better free agent? Or trade to upgrade their D?
- PaskySens

They literally dealt one of their better forwards for a player on IR for the rest of the year.

No you can't prove that they're tanking, but its pretty obvious Murray decided in the offseason that he had no intention of even trying to build a roster to compete for the playoffs. And like the Oilers, I think that will be a major mistake. You don't develop a losing culture and deal most veterans away and the draft a hyped prospect and all of a sudden flip a switch and become perennial contenders. They have a long 5 or 6 year process ahead of them before they even sniff the 9 seed imo.

Not necessarily. Players like opportunity and teams like Edmonton, Calgary, Buffalo, etc. present a lot of opportunity.
- rangerdanger94

You don't think big markets teams would give Mcdavid or Eichel a chance to play ?

Good to see the Pens front office being able to manage the cap too.
- acdc1206

I said the other day, early in the season, they went seemingly weeks with guys like Harrington, Dumoulin and Chorney on their roster without playing them... and even guys like Ebbett who stuck around after too long... that money spent has come back to bite them.

5 D isn't the biggest problem in the world for a few games, but it will become disastrous if another defensemen goes down.

No one is being all high and mighty these days, he's simply stating that he believes the status quo is flawed.. not sure what's hard to comprehend? It's not about what happened in the past, it's about fixing things for the future.
- j.boyd919

Ya the past that saved the Pittsburgh franchise. They wouldn't have a team if it weren't for the draft. It is a system that is in place to level the playing field to help bad teams get better. Why would a team that is already contending for Stanley Cups need or deserve a top end prospect? Because it's their turn? That's just stupid. They already have top end talent or they wouldn't be contending for the cup. All this proposed system will do is make losing franchises losers for a lot longer and winning franchises unstoppable if they're continuously landing the best prospects. I'm not saying this because I want to get more top end prospects because I don't. I would prefer to see a good on ice product any day of the week

You don't think big markets teams would give Mcdavid or Eichel a chance to play ?
- willi

You're absolutely right in that regard. Big market teams would move mountains to gift wrap either one of those guys a roster spot. But there are lots of other great prospects that will trickle down to other teams and as the Pens have shown with 2 of the top 3 centers in the league on their roster, it's no guarantee that having a generational player leads to postseason success every single year.

They literally dealt one of their better forwards for a player on IR for the rest of the year.

No you can't prove that they're tanking, but its pretty obvious Murray decided in the offseason that he had no intention of even trying to build a roster to compete for the playoffs. And like the Oilers, I think that will be a major mistake. You don't develop a losing culture and deal most veterans away and the draft a hyped prospect and all of a sudden flip a switch and become perennial contenders. They have a long 5 or 6 year process ahead of them before they even sniff the 9 seed imo.
- rangerdanger94

Yeah but it's not trading away Myers for Savard, it's for a 23 year old power forward who previously had a 30 goal season. Plus Bogosian is still a good pick up. It's a good trade to set them up for the future but it isn't a trade made purposely to tank. That's the difference in my opinion, and it's not like the Sabres were the only team trying to trade for him either.

Ya the past that saved the Pittsburgh franchise. They wouldn't have a team if it weren't for the draft. It is a system that is in place to level the playing field to help bad teams get better. Why would a team that is already contending for Stanley Cups need or deserve a top end prospect? Because it's their turn? That's just stupid. They already have top end talent or they wouldn't be contending for the cup. All this proposed system will do is make losing franchises losers for a lot longer and winning franchises unstoppable if they're continuously landing the best prospects. I'm not saying this because I want to get more top end prospects because I don't. I would prefer to see a good on ice product any day of the week
- Ihatebrianburke

I'm a big fan of the draft too. If I made it sound like I want what the blog suggested, I don't. The Rangers have had only one top 10 draft pick in like a decade and they've put together a competitive roster through smart asset management.

Exactly!! Now that they are giving away picks like candy for so so players and haven't drafted that well with the later picks he wants to change everything
Brutal blog is dead on
- Vukota

No kidding. Trade away all your high end picks to try and win now, and then complain that the cupboards are bare. If you want depth, trade one of Crosby or Malkin.

Yeah but it's not trading away Myers for Savard, it's for a 23 year old power forward who previously had a 30 goal season. Plus Bogosian is still a good pick up. It's a good trade to set them up for the future but it isn't a trade made purposely to tank. That's the difference in my opinion, and it's not like the Sabres were the only team trying to trade for him either.
- PaskySens

It was a genius trade. Guarantee you suck even more to tank this year all while bringing in a potential superstar for next year in Kane. And then he trades Neuvirth for Johnson.

What's with this theory that you have to have top 10 draft picks to have a good team?

Exactly!! Now that they are giving away picks like candy for so so players and haven't drafted that well with the later picks he wants to change everything
Brutal blog is dead on
- Vukota

Didn't he write a blog right after the Winnik trade saying that any draft pick outside a 1st is worthless?

They literally dealt one of their better forwards for a player on IR for the rest of the year.

No you can't prove that they're tanking, but its pretty obvious Murray decided in the offseason that he had no intention of even trying to build a roster to compete for the playoffs. And like the Oilers, I think that will be a major mistake. You don't develop a losing culture and deal most veterans away and the draft a hyped prospect and all of a sudden flip a switch and become perennial contenders. They have a long 5 or 6 year process ahead of them before they even sniff the 9 seed imo.
- rangerdanger94

I like what Murray has done in Buffalo. He knew it was a bad team when he got there and didn't mortgage the future to try and make the playoffs this year. And then come draft deadline he sold off assets for draft picks. He still has alot of work to do but the future looks bright

What's with this theory that you have to have top 10 draft picks to have a good team?
- Feds91Stammer

Exactly.

What's with this theory that you have to have top 10 draft picks to have a good team? ******
- Feds91Stammer

Or Babcock******


Fixed that for ya