Bjugstad's size and shot would likely pair really well with Malkin.

Honestly, 3C means nothing if Malkin continues to be ineffective 5 on 5.
- hardnosed

How so?

The team downgraded in collective sexiness

And we may not see playoff beards

I wouldn't mind seeing a 4th line of Blueger - McCann - ZAR but there is no way they'd bench Cullen.....even tho they should

Since when is a forward's prime 24-26?
- BOSS_TWEED

Most guys have their most productive seasons before the age of 26.

The team downgraded in collective sexiness

And we may not see playoffs
- DeflatedPucks

yeah

Most guys have their most productive seasons before the age of 26.
- BINGO!

Big if true.

GMJR slowly turning this into a younger (and slightly bigger) team. Pearson, Mccann, Bjug, Pettersson all high round draft picks. Neither guy we got today is real gritty, but it would be hard to be softer than Brassard or Sheahan.

GMJR said Bjug will be the 3C. I think he'll be a better version of Brian Boyle as we spoke about last blog.

We obviously need to evaluate these new forward lines but I could still see room for a guy like Ferland. We need another sparkplug/Hornqvist-lite/PITA type of player.

Yeah.... I guess. We had some crappy weather here. You wonder how much time they needed to get their sh*t together.

I don't know.... Usually you don't see players play the same day they get traded. They probably were told much earlier than the trade being announced. Of course Florida is still one place with tons of direct flights to/from Pittsburgh.
- madmike71

What's amazing to me is most hockey players will play as soon as possible. Same day or next day they are traded. NFL players need weeks to get in the line up.

Also I'm happy with this trade for the penguins

What's amazing to me is most hockey players will play as soon as possible. Same day or next day they are traded. NFL players need weeks to get in the line up.

Also I'm happy with this trade for the penguins
- Aaron_85

Why is that amazing?

These things are very different.

What's amazing to me is most hockey players will play as soon as possible. Same day or next day they are traded. NFL players need weeks to get in the line up.

Also I'm happy with this trade for the penguins
- Aaron_85

Have you ever seen an NFL play book? That is a crap ton of stuff to learn.

What's amazing to me is most hockey players will play as soon as possible. Same day or next day they are traded. NFL players need weeks to get in the line up.

Also I'm happy with this trade for the penguins
- Aaron_85

This is because hockey is an extremely fluid and intuitive sport, while Football is literally a repeating series of set plays with almost no room for improvisation.

Have you ever seen an NFL play book? That is a crap ton of stuff to learn.
- poisondhearts37

Yeah, you step on that field without knowing what the plays are you are absolutely (frank)ed.

Yeah, you step on that field without knowing what the plays are you are absolutely (frank)ed.
- BINGO!

Run a 6 yard out route instead of a 4 yard out route and boom pick 6.

The original trade for Brassard was a good one. Coming off 2 cups, people would be calling for JR'S head if he didn't go all in and 3elieve. His play in NY and OTT suggested Brassard was a good fit for the middle six but it seems age and a tendency to play to the outside made this not work out.

Considering the Pens have stayed afloat without any significant contributions from the 3C so far this year, I don't imagine his replacement could be much worse. And he's not UFA so one less thing to worry about.

McCann seems like any other bottom six guy. I really thought Sheahan could be solid as a 4C. I'm just glad JR didn't part with Hallander/1st.
- DeflatedPucks

I disagree on the Brass trade because I think we all felt our D was kinda suspect and we let go of Cole and never replaced him.

Also, Brass has always gotten a chunk of his points on the PP and while playing more minutes which he was never going to get in Pitt. That’s why I think guys like Hayes and Schenn are bad 3C targets. I think Bjugstad, Spezza, Sheahan, Janmark all provide a lot more production based off the situation and their respective cap hits. It’s not a good recipe to take a 19 minute player and reduce him to 16 and reduce his PP time and expect him to continue to thrive or put up anything similar

Run a 6 yard out route instead of a 4 yard out route and boom pick 6.
- Feds91Stammer

Starting dating Hernandez's fiancee's sister and boom your dead. Too soon?

Have you ever seen an NFL play book? That is a crap ton of stuff to learn.
- poisondhearts37

This is a discussion that quickly turns south with me and people who have never played hockey (my roommate). They don’t understand that hockey players know all of the general systems after playing in the league a couple years. Are their tweaks and adjustments from team to team? Absolutely but the ‘playbook’ from team to team is so much smaller. I think it’s fair to expect players to play well when recently traded and to expect it to happen relatively quickly. Not a month or months as with football at times

Bjugstad's size and shot would likely pair really well with Malkin.

Honestly, 3C means nothing if Malkin continues to be ineffective 5 on 5.
- hardnosed

Malkin realllly rebounded nicely last game and he’s shown good chemistry with Pearson and Hornqvist and at times Kessel and Simon. I don’t think he needs a boost of teammate, it’s mental which is why he’s still wearing two different gloves

Starting dating Hernandez's fiancee's sister and boom your dead. Too soon?
- DeflatedPucks

Aaron Hernandez dies two years ago so, no, probably not.

I disagree on the Brass trade because I think we all felt our D was kinda suspect and we let go of Cole and never replaced him.

Also, Brass has always gotten a chunk of his points on the PP and while playing more minutes which he was never going to get in Pitt. That’s why I think guys like Hayes and Schenn are bad 3C targets. I think Bjugstad, Spezza, Sheahan, Janmark all provide a lot more production based off the situation and their respective cap hits. It’s not a good recipe to take a 19 minute player and reduce him to 16 and reduce his PP time and expect him to continue to thrive or put up anything similar
- WSCTeton17

Ehhhh I don't think your second point holds up. Cutting out PP time, Brassard was good for about 2 pts per 60 minutes at even strength and a positive relative shot attempts differential. Since coming to Pittsburgh his relative shot attempts differential has been abysmally bad and his per 60 production dipped 1.5, which was pretty unacceptable given his quality of wingers. That's not a function of not getting enough PP time. That's a function of playing like ass at even strength.

It kind of reminds me of the Kessel trade in that comparing what the two teams are trying to do in the trade is apples and oranges. Bjugstad isn't that good. McCann might be a bust. Clear out salary while acquiring an asset you know the team that currently has Panarin values. If you can't swing for Panarin directly, you now have the cap space to make an offer during free agency and you can flip Brassard to the Peg or Vegas or some other unnamed team that has interest in him for probably a second.

I think the trade works out for them even if Bjugstad comes in and kills it for us.
- Victoro311

Let’s not forget all of the other big/decent potential FAs this summer including (non obvious re-signs like Pavelski and Thornton): Panarin, Duchene, Stone, Karlsson, Skinner, Hayes, Nyquist, Dzingel, Lee, Zuccarello, Eric Staal, Brock nelson, Ferland, Edler, Eberle, Gardiner, Donskoi, Silfverberg, Simmonds, Panik, Brassard, Myers. Obviously if any team picks up a couple of these they can upgrade in a hurry (for the right price)

This is a discussion that quickly turns south with me and people who have never played hockey (my roommate). They don’t understand that hockey players know all of the general systems after playing in the league a couple years. Are their tweaks and adjustments from team to team? Absolutely but the ‘playbook’ from team to team is so much smaller. I think it’s fair to expect players to play well when recently traded and to expect it to happen relatively quickly. Not a month or months as with football at times
- WSCTeton17

Yep. Every team does things a little differently, like where they apply pressure or that sort of thing, but for the most part it's going so fast that 90% of what happens is about instinct and just trying to be in the right general position.

Starting dating Hernandez's fiancee's sister and boom your dead. Too soon?
- DeflatedPucks

No such thing as too soon imo

Ehhhh I don't think your second point holds up. Cutting out PP time, Brassard was good for about 2 pts per 60 minutes at even strength and a positive relative shot attempts differential. Since coming to Pittsburgh his relative shot attempts differential has been abysmally bad and his per 60 production dipped 1.5, which was pretty unacceptable given his quality of wingers. That's not a function of not getting enough PP time. That's a function of playing like ass at even strength.
- Victoro311

Having your PP time QoT on the PP both cut is also a mental aspect. Have you ever had it happen to you? Me and my winger went from PP1 to PP2 (to IR lolol) when we transferred and it took a mental toll. You don’t think that plays a part in Brassard’s 5v5 play? I’m saying it about any 2C being relegated to play 3C, I don’t think it’s a good idea unless it’s a guy like Spezza who’s a buy low candidate already playing less minutes and doesn’t PK

And if anyone wants to mention Tampa, I don’t think it’s the same argument because their depth is way better than ours. Miller getting 3rd line minutes with other solid players is pretty crazy and he produces on PP1 as well

In my mind Schenn is a 55-60 point 2C. You take him down to 3C and he’s an expensive 45 point player, in my mind

If you know of any other 2C’s thriving in a 3C role without PP1 time id like to hear about em

Having your PP time QoT on the PP both cut is also a mental aspect. Have you ever had it happen to you? Me and my winger went from PP1 to PP2 (to IR lolol) when we transferred and it took a mental toll. You don’t think that plays a part in Brassard’s 5v5 play? I’m saying it about any 2C being relegated to play 3C, I don’t think it’s a good idea unless it’s a guy like Spezza who’s a buy low candidate already playing less minutes and doesn’t PK

And if anyone wants to mention Tampa, I don’t think it’s the same argument because their depth is way better than ours. Miller getting 3rd line minutes with other solid players is pretty crazy and he produces on PP1 as well

In my mind Schenn is a 55-60 point 2C. You take him down to 3C and he’s an expensive 45 point player, in my mind

If you know of any other 2C’s thriving in a 3C role without PP1 time id like to hear about em
- WSCTeton17

Alright a couple of points.

I buy the 2C to 3C transition a lot more than the reduction in PP time. I'm not going to doubt that there's a mental/human aspect to just about everything, but I don't think a reduction in PP time takes you from being a top 6 player to a replacement level player, because that's really how bad Brassard was here: replacement level. If it does you're a mental midget. That kind of drop off just because three of the best players in the world are better than you and blocking you from top PP time is unfathomable. The 3C thing though I can buy. Perceived disrespect at being brought into play a role you know you're better than can lead to lack of buy in and poopty play. Still, once again, Brass has been playing at replacement level so I'm not willing to concede that as a full excuse.

I also don't think you can blame the wingers at all. Brassard was brought into play with Phil (frank)ing Kessel. Only reason why he hasn't played with him is because Brassard hasn't been good enough to earn Phil as a line mate. The two of them have negative chemistry and get absolutely caved when playing together. Phil's an all world winger and better than anyone JT Miller is playing with on the 3rd line in Tampa by a large margin.

So I'm willing to concede some mental/human aspect to it, but there's really no good enough excuse to justify why Brassard didn't work out here beyond that he was just bad here all around.

On my way to a meetingbut i wanted to note that Malkin is out: day to day