Ryan Wilson: Penguins and Oilers a tale of two approaches Penguins and Oilers a tale of two approaches

Not to make any excuses for Sid, but surgery aside, not having any semblance of a pre-season and probably wasn't able to work out the way he wanted in the off-season, so this is going to slow his conditioning. Not to mention everything got halted due to him getting covid.

That said, the Pens do have a finishing problem. They're getting plenty of shots and plenty of high danger chances game-in/game-out, but not scoring enough. The most glaring issues are Kapanen and Zucker; they need to score more, plain and simple.

I'm not trying to have a "sky is falling" approach and while Zucker's contract isn't easily moved, I'd be looking in to moving Kapanen THIS year if he hasn't woken up by the deadline. I'm not suggesting I have any idea HOW they do that, but it something they need to figure out.

No mention of Hyman in your blog today Ryan?

Not to make any excuses for Sid, but surgery aside, not having any semblance of a prhttps://www.tsn.ca/nhle-season and probably wasn't able to work out the way he wanted in the off-season, so this is going to slow his conditioning. Not to mention everything got halted due to him getting covid.

That said, the Pens do have a finishing problem. They're getting plenty of shots and plenty of high danger chances game-in/game-out, but not scoring enough. The most glaring issues are Kapanen and Zucker; they need to score more, plain and simple.

I'm not trying to have a "sky is falling" approach and while Zucker's contract isn't easily moved, I'd be looking in to moving Kapanen THIS year if he hasn't woken up by the deadline. I'm not suggesting I have any idea HOW they do that, but it something they need to figure out.
- Rinosaur

Kapanen should be easy to move this year if you want to, being in the final year of his current deal. He looked pretty good on the ice last night, just no finish. Is that the MO for him? ERod looked like a beast out there, time to get him signed to an extension.

No mention of Hyman in your blog today Ryan?
- Beergu

He wasn't wrong. The Hyman contract is awful. It's going to be good for couple of years, but it won't age well at all, nor will the RNH contract.

I think some EDM fans took his blog the wrong way yesterday. EDM has made many avoidable missteps in building a team around McDavid and they took it as some kind of assail, but he wasn't wrong about any of it. EDM is basically in the same position as the Pens were, but they made different choices. McD, Draisaitl, Nurse as your building blocks and then really poor decisions in filling out the lineup.

Kapanen should be easy to move this year if you want to, being in the final year of his current deal. He looked pretty good on the ice last night, just no finish. Is that the MO for him? ERod looked like a beast out there, time to get him signed to an extension.
- Beergu

The MO for Kap is why he can't put it all together consistently. He has all the tools to be a top line winger and when he shows that you wonder why he's not always like that. His speed is great, his shot is great and thus far this year he's put together his best 200ft game I think he's shown to date, but he's just not finishing.

I guess when you assign two of your top finishers and your best net front guy to checking roles goals become hard to come by. Huh, who knew?

He wasn't wrong. The Hyman contract is awful. It's going to be good for couple of years, but it won't age well at all, nor will the RNH contract.
- Rinosaur

These mouth breathers think Holland is a competent GM.

He wasn't wrong. The Hyman contract is awful. It's going to be good for couple of years, but it won't age well at all, nor will the RNH contract.

I think some EDM fans took his blog the wrong way yesterday. EDM has made many avoidable missteps in building a team around McDavid and they took it as some kind of assail, but he wasn't wrong about any of it. EDM is basically in the same position as the Pens were, but they made different choice. McD, Draisaitl, Nurse as your building blocks and then really poor decisions in filling out the lineup.
- Rinosaur

My only comments yesterday were based on that Ryan really chose the wrong contracts/moves to shat on when it comes to Holland. I don't think anyone believes that the last 3 years of either the Hyman or RNH deals will be pretty, but that the necessity was to get them in for the next 3-4 years to make use of McDavids prime. How much would you have had to pay either on a 3 year deal right now?

Chiarelli really screwed this team, no doubt. Didn't leave much for Holland to work with. My biggest beefs with Holland in the off season were the Keith and Ceci contracts, and not upgrading to tending. Goalies have been good this year, and Ceci has been worth his contract.

These mouth breathers think Holland is a competent GM.
- Feds91Stammer

Pretty much. He really had a chance to not pigeon-hold the Oilers to any bad contracts with plenty of room to fill out the lineup the way he saw fit. If they didn't make that awful Koskinen signing, there were plenty of legit goalies for them to pick up, but instead they needed to extend Mike Smith to shore up their goaltending.

Players WANT to play with McDavid and Draisaitl. EDM may not be a destination city, but those players will attract most free agents. I can't imagine they needed to sign RNH to an eight (frank)ing year contract. Hyman was definitely in demand, deservedly so, but a player like him wants a real shot after all those disappointing years in TOR. There's no reason they needed to sign him to more than five years. The (frank)ing Keith pickup was as dumb as you get.

Everything they did was avoidable.

My only comments yesterday were based on that Ryan really chose the wrong contracts/moves to shat on when it comes to Holland. I don't think anyone believes that the last 3 years of either the Hyman or RNH deals will be pretty, but that the necessity was to get them in for the next 3-4 years to make use of McDavids prime. How much would you have had to pay either on a 3 year deal right now?

Chiarelli really screwed this team, no doubt. Didn't leave much for Holland to work with. My biggest beefs with Holland in the off season were the Keith and Ceci contracts, and not upgrading to tending. Goalies have been good this year, and Ceci has been worth his contract.
- Beergu

I don't even think the Ceci pickup is THAT bad. He's clearly capable of being an effective dman and his contract only looks bad when you look at the Keith contract when that was completely unnecessary.

I think you underestimate how badly players want play with McD and Draisaitl. There should be no reason to lure players with term. Because trust me, five years from now when McD is still playing great and you want to surround him with quality talent to extend the window you're going to be frustrated as hell. Just see what Rutherford did with this team.

So we need a bit more finish....how are we getting it? Geno can finish but very good chance he's rusty for a little while after returning...

For those that watched the whole game, did your eyes match the underlying numbers? Seems Pens played the top team in Western Conference pretty damn well....

I think it's time to replace either Zucker or Kapanen with Heinen on the 2nd line.

Kapanen should be easy to move this year if you want to, being in the final year of his current deal. He looked pretty good on the ice last night, just no finish. Is that the MO for him? ERod looked like a beast out there, time to get him signed to an extension.
- Beergu

No finish is Kaps MO. He has all the tools but but scoring doesn’t come naturally to him.

So we need a bit more finish....how are we getting it? Geno can finish but very good chance he's rusty for a little while after returning...

For those that watched the whole game, did your eyes match the underlying numbers? Seems Pens played the top team in Western Conference pretty damn well....
- MattStrat

I caught the first two periods. The Pens play definitely matched the underlying numbers. The Oilers were just VERY opportunistic when the Pens made a mistake.

The Pens definitely have a finishing problem need to find a way to address it.

So we need a bit more finish....how are we getting it? Geno can finish but very good chance he's rusty for a little while after returning...

For those that watched the whole game, did your eyes match the underlying numbers? Seems Pens played the top team in Western Conference pretty damn well....
- MattStrat

Zucker for Erne. Problem solved.

I am getting tired of watching that same old groundhog day movie. Shoot it right at the goalie's chest chalk up a shot on goal and rinse and repeat. Somebody has got to show some emotion HIT SOMEBODY RUN THE GOALIE This vanilla hockey is getting very old and boring. So they make every opposing goalie a star. F that Start rattling the chain of these guys We need the Hanson brothers approach to the game and embrace it Put the foil on

Zucker for Erne. Problem solved.
- Feds91Stammer

3 goals in 23 games, 29 in 238 for career, Adam Erne?

3 goals in 23 games, 29 in 238 for career, Adam Erne?
- MattStrat

Yeah helps solve depth scoring for Detroit. That’s what I was fixing. (frank) the penguins.

Yeah helps solve depth scoring for Detroit. That’s what I was fixing. (frank) the penguins.
- Feds91Stammer

hahahah

I caught the first two periods. The Pens play definitely matched the underlying numbers. The Oilers were just VERY opportunistic when the Pens made a mistake.

The Pens definitely have a finishing problem need to find a way to address it.
- Rinosaur

The guys with the worst finishing problem are Sid, Letang, Zucker, & Carter. They are all shooting below their career averages. If they could return to norm, that finishing problem, could clean itself up if these guys can start burying them. Jake was a victim of that but it looks like his floodgates have opened.

Now the big worry is if the guys overachieving come back to earth, Heimen, McGinn, EliteRod, Blueger, etc., if they come back to norm while the big guns are still shooting blanks, Pens are effed.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/bH4Awuf.jpg

- j.boyd919[/img]

The guys with the worst finishing problem are Sid, Letang, Zucker, & Carter. They are all shooting below their career averages. If they could return to norm, that finishing problem, could clean itself up if these guys can start burying them. Jake was a victim of that but it looks like his floodgates have opened.

Now the big worry is if the guys overachieving come back to earth, Heimen, McGinn, EliteRod, Blueger, etc., if they come back to norm while the big guns are still shooting blanks, Pens are effed.

EliteRod is the biggest question mark because I'd expect the others to regress a bit although Hienen could also be in ERod's category. It's not unheard of for players to be late bloomers, in fact you could say he's almost becoming Dupuis 2.0 and not just because of his jersey number, but we clearly need to see a full season of this. He was playing great late last season, so hopefully this is a sign of late blooming.

I would like to see Heinen replace Zucker or Kap for a game or two.

The guys with the worst finishing problem are Sid, Letang, Zucker, & Carter. They are all shooting below their career averages. If they could return to norm, that finishing problem, could clean itself up if these guys can start burying them. Jake was a victim of that but it looks like his floodgates have opened.

Now the big worry is if the guys overachieving come back to earth, Heimen, McGinn, EliteRod, Blueger, etc., if they come back to norm while the big guns are still shooting blanks, Pens are effed.
- j.boyd919

What I gather from this is that Detroit is a legit playoff contender.

My only comments yesterday were based on that Ryan really chose the wrong contracts/moves to shat on when it comes to Holland. I don't think anyone believes that the last 3 years of either the Hyman or RNH deals will be pretty, but that the necessity was to get them in for the next 3-4 years to make use of McDavids prime. How much would you have had to pay either on a 3 year deal right now?

Chiarelli really screwed this team, no doubt. Didn't leave much for Holland to work with. My biggest beefs with Holland in the off season were the Keith and Ceci contracts, and not upgrading to tending. Goalies have been good this year, and Ceci has been worth his contract.
- Beergu

I think that's fair. Many people here have the same type of hatred when the Pens sign a player to a contract like that where you know it will be bad at the end but hope it's good for the beginning. That's just free agency.

Hyman's contract isn't good, but most players who can play in the top 6 and add sandpaper who make it to UFA aren't good contracts. But it's a piece the Oilers needed (and the Pens still do) so you end up paying it. Have to do it sometimes, just can't make a habit out of it.

But as you said, you kind of need to make some moves to win now while McDavid is in his prime.

I caught the first two periods. The Pens play definitely matched the underlying numbers. The Oilers were just VERY opportunistic when the Pens made a mistake.

The Pens definitely have a finishing problem need to find a way to address it.
- Rinosaur

Pretty much this. The Pens pinned them in for long periods at a time but can't score unless you're Jake or EliteRod lately. Oilers didn't get much, but McDavid created some amazing chances out of nothing and showed why he's the most explosive player in the game.