Pens Offseason thread

[Legacy User]

Craig Adams era comes to a close.

http://www.pensburgh.com/2015/4/29/8513 ... er-2009-15

[Legacy User]

Its already a successful offseason!

I think you mentioned in the other thread about assets to trade

As crazy as it seems, some teams might value Kunitz enough to trade for him, Sutter has value as well as Pouliot, Bennett, maybe Harrington

Now none of these guys are going to bring a great return, but those are the guys I would think could be moved in a package to get something

If we couldve signed Panarin, that wouldve been great, he chose Chicago even though they have no Russians, his reason was that similar players thrive there, what does that say about us? Especially given that he couldve played with Malkin? We need to shed the image of not playing and developing young players, wingers in particular

[Legacy User]

WBS with the sweep!

http://wbspenguins.com/articles/penguins-sweep-series-with-5-2-win-over-crunch

Wilson looking good, I think he has a good chance of starting the next season in the NHL

[Legacy User]

Do we know if pens even made a run at panarin?

[Legacy User]

Decent crowd.

[Legacy User]

Do we know if pens even made a run at panarin?

He mentioned the Pens as one of the teams that were interested

[Legacy User]

That really sucks if we were trying to get him and we couldn't even convince him to come with fellow Russian super star on the team

[fractalsteel]

Craig Adams era comes to a close.

http://www.pensburgh.com/2015/4/29/8513 ... er-2009-15

Parade time. At least coach sat him at the end, a move that makes me like him a little bit.

Its already a successful offseason!

I think you mentioned in the other thread about assets to trade

As crazy as it seems, some teams might value Kunitz enough to trade for him, Sutter has value as well as Pouliot, Bennett, maybe Harrington

Now none of these guys are going to bring a great return, but those are the guys I would think could be moved in a package to get something

If we couldve signed Panarin, that wouldve been great, he chose Chicago even though they have no Russians, his reason was that similar players thrive there, what does that say about us? Especially given that he couldve played with Malkin? We need to shed the image of not playing and developing young players, wingers in particular

I'd rather play for the Hawks probably but I would much rather live in Pittsburgh than Chicago.

Shedding Kunitz is off season goal number one. I wouldn't get rid of Sutter yet and certainly not Pouliott.

I fear it will be another year of the same though.

[Legacy User]

I feel like trading Sutter is robbing Peter to pay Paul.

[Donnie Brasco]

Scuderi should be the first one to go.

I'm not a Kunitz fan by any stretch but he did have a foot injury...he wasn't the same player after coming back from that. Maybe having a whole offseason to recover will be ok. I'm just not in favor of him getting all the minutes he did. He can be effective in a limited role.

[fractalsteel]

Oh yeah, Scuderi should go, but...
If Martin and Ehrhoff are gone I'll wager the GM and HC want Scuderi's veteran leadership. And they love him on the PK.

[Legacy User]

Shedding Kunitz is off season goal number one. I wouldn't get rid of Sutter yet and certainly not Pouliott.

Sutter will make a play that makes you go "wow". but disappears for long stretches, and is horrible at puck possession on the boards, so I'd like to see him go, and I dont want to see Pouliot traded, just mentioned as a guy who could bring something back in a trade.

JR mentioned in his interview the other day that he will go after top six forwards, and he usually does what he says, so most likely someone we like will be traded, I just wonder who....

If we get rid of Kunitz and Adams in the same offseason, thats a win!!!

I dont hate Kunitz, its hard to hate a guy who had to work hard as an undrafted player to get what he got, but he looks done to me and is dragging down whatever top six line we put him on, in addition to the top PP unit

[swissvale72]

I know we're supposed to hate the Caps, too....but I LOVED seeing Joel Ward beat Lundquist with 1.3 seconds left to finally hand these fuckin' Rangers a loss by the score of 2-1.

[Donnie Brasco]

Oh yeah, Scuderi should go, but...
If Martin and Ehrhoff are gone I'll wager the GM and HC want Scuderi's veteran leadership. And they love him on the PK.

I think it's a high possibility that Martin and Erhoff both leave- as in like 99%. So I could see your scenario play out but at some point you have to cut the cord and let new leaders on D establish themselves, like Maata.

I'm done with Sutter- I'm ok with Winnik assuming 3rd line duties.

[fractalsteel]

Scuderi has 2 years left on his contract. How can one individual be so lucky to find one team dumb enough to pay him that much(3.375 million/year)?

Even more sickening, Lovejoy has a year left at over a million.

I know we're supposed to hate the Caps, too....but I LOVED seeing Joel Ward beat Lundquist with 1.3 seconds left to finally hand these fuckin' Rangers a loss by the score of 2-1.

King Henrik's reaction when Ovie wired one past him was priceless. I love when the Garden faithful go home upset!

[Legacy User]

I only caught the last 10 minutes of that game, and even though I hate the Caps too, that was great seeing the Rags lose in that way, made my night!

[Legacy User]

I understand wanting the Rags to lose. But Ovie must never get a Cup. Ever.

[Hacksaw Jim Duggan]

I understand wanting the Rags to lose. But Ovie must never get a Cup. Ever.

that would give me A LOT of hockey stress

[Legacy User]

Shero appointed GM of the Devils. I wonder if the Pens will try to claim the draft pick they are supposedly entitled to.

http://www.tsn.ca/shero-named-devils-gm ... t-1.274929

[Donnie Brasco]

Of Prust/Downie...

There are two charming things about TSN analyst Kerry Fraser’s transformation from perfectly coiffed on-ice official into the hockey media’s leading voice on referee matters.

The first, of course, is that one of the NHL’s more problematic officials during his tenure with the league has been recast as a paragon of virtue. If reading Fraser's "here's what I would have done" analysis gives me the chuckles, I can't even imagine the guffaws from his peers in zebra stripes.

The second is Fraser’s absolute candor in that NHL officiating is problematic, due to their inherent humanity and fallibility and biases and outright lust for revenge on certain players.

Which brings us to Brandon Prust.

The Montreal Canadiens forward went rip city on referee Brad Watson after their Game 2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, accusing him of cursing out Prust in the penalty box and “trying to play God” by giving him a misconduct Prust didn’t feel he earned.

This will all be proven out by footage from the sin bin, but the simple accusation by Prust is likely to earn him a fine from Colin Campbell for criticism of officials. The bigger issue is how all of this plays out for the Canadiens in Game 3, down 2-0 to the Lightning and needing a well-officiated game as much as Brandon Prust needs an open mic.

According to Kerry Fraser, revenge is a dish best served cold, and it’s very cold in the referees’ dressing room. From the National Post:

“Brandon Prust has engaged himself in something that’s going to take him into an area where he doesn’t want to be part of …

[Ed. Note: Is this a super villain speech?]

“… because officials are human and they’re part of a team too. If you look at the team concept from a hockey players’ perspective, they stand up for their teammates. The same goes for officials.

“Alex Burrows will tell you that after his public outcry he was picked on by the officials,” said Fraser. “Jim Schoenfeld and New Jersey Devils fans will tell you that they were made to pay in following seasons after the Don Koharski donut episode. There is some merit to that.

“Officials are human and they’re not going to give players a free pass who go public and say something that embarrasses one of them.”

Isn’t it astounding to hear a former official with Fraser’s pedigree acknowledge this? That officials whose only aspiration should be even-handedness and integrity hold grudges? Especially when he evokes the name of Stephane Auger, a former peer that was so disgraced by his biased actions and inadequate job performance that he left the league in what was alleged to be a forced retirement.

(Fraser said in his TSN column that Auger "was cleared of any and all inappropriate comments alleged by Burrows." Yes, by the NHL, which would have otherwise had to admit institutional bias by one of its on-ice officials. So, uh, not exactly an independent audit there.)

He sounded a slightly less militant tone in his TSN column:

There needs to be accountability on both sides for sure. As upset or offended as the referee might have been, I find it hard to believe that Brad Watson would fall so far below the line of professional decorum to say what has been alleged by Brandon Prust. Regardless of the outcome of any investigation, Prust has violated a "code." His comments won't sit well with the officiating fraternity.

Look, I’ll agree with Fraser here: There are no winners in petulant crying about a referee with a potty mouth deciding to give you a misconduct.

(I’m not buying any theory that this was Prust’s way of defecting from the loss; I knew Chris Pronger, I covered Chris Pronger, and you sir are no Chris Pronger...)

Prust makes himself and the team marked men. The best case scenario is that Watson doesn’t work in the series again; worst case scenario is that the Brotherhood of Game Officials band together to punish Prust and not give the Canadiens any breaks, which is what Fraser seems to indicate here.

Again, no surprises: Asking for impartiality from NHL on-ice officials is a pipe dream. They all have biases, all have targets for revenge, all manage games based on personal preference and game situation -- hi, Game 7, Islanders vs. Capitals -- rather than actual enforcement of the rules.

They’re all playing God. That’s why they chose the professional path. Some of them are kind and generous, some of them are spiteful and arrogant. All you can do is pray for the best, as the Habs will in Game 3.

[Legacy User]

Thanks for posting that Brasco,

Its everything we already new, and its everything thats wrong with the NHL, I cant stand that they know about it, and let it happen anyway.

But I'll be back watching every game again next year, a glutton for punishment I guess

[Legacy User]

It really is amazing that the NHL can have this kind of shit publicly going on and it completely flies under the radar of the American public consciousness outside of the niche American hockey fanatic. Can you imagine if NFL referees or former referees were speaking publicly about affecting games over grudges against certain players? The fallout would be massive.

Best sport. Worst league.

[V DUB]

Of Prust/Downie...

There are two charming things about TSN analyst Kerry Fraser’s transformation from perfectly coiffed on-ice official into the hockey media’s leading voice on referee matters.

The first, of course, is that one of the NHL’s more problematic officials during his tenure with the league has been recast as a paragon of virtue. If reading Fraser's "here's what I would have done" analysis gives me the chuckles, I can't even imagine the guffaws from his peers in zebra stripes.

The second is Fraser’s absolute candor in that NHL officiating is problematic, due to their inherent humanity and fallibility and biases and outright lust for revenge on certain players.

Which brings us to Brandon Prust.

The Montreal Canadiens forward went rip city on referee Brad Watson after their Game 2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, accusing him of cursing out Prust in the penalty box and “trying to play God” by giving him a misconduct Prust didn’t feel he earned.

This will all be proven out by footage from the sin bin, but the simple accusation by Prust is likely to earn him a fine from Colin Campbell for criticism of officials. The bigger issue is how all of this plays out for the Canadiens in Game 3, down 2-0 to the Lightning and needing a well-officiated game as much as Brandon Prust needs an open mic.

According to Kerry Fraser, revenge is a dish best served cold, and it’s very cold in the referees’ dressing room. From the National Post:

“Brandon Prust has engaged himself in something that’s going to take him into an area where he doesn’t want to be part of …

[Ed. Note: Is this a super villain speech?]

“… because officials are human and they’re part of a team too. If you look at the team concept from a hockey players’ perspective, they stand up for their teammates. The same goes for officials.

“Alex Burrows will tell you that after his public outcry he was picked on by the officials,” said Fraser. “Jim Schoenfeld and New Jersey Devils fans will tell you that they were made to pay in following seasons after the Don Koharski donut episode. There is some merit to that.

“Officials are human and they’re not going to give players a free pass who go public and say something that embarrasses one of them.”

Isn’t it astounding to hear a former official with Fraser’s pedigree acknowledge this? That officials whose only aspiration should be even-handedness and integrity hold grudges? Especially when he evokes the name of Stephane Auger, a former peer that was so disgraced by his biased actions and inadequate job performance that he left the league in what was alleged to be a forced retirement.

(Fraser said in his TSN column that Auger "was cleared of any and all inappropriate comments alleged by Burrows." Yes, by the NHL, which would have otherwise had to admit institutional bias by one of its on-ice officials. So, uh, not exactly an independent audit there.)

He sounded a slightly less militant tone in his TSN column:

There needs to be accountability on both sides for sure. As upset or offended as the referee might have been, I find it hard to believe that Brad Watson would fall so far below the line of professional decorum to say what has been alleged by Brandon Prust. Regardless of the outcome of any investigation, Prust has violated a "code." His comments won't sit well with the officiating fraternity.

Look, I’ll agree with Fraser here: There are no winners in petulant crying about a referee with a potty mouth deciding to give you a misconduct.

(I’m not buying any theory that this was Prust’s way of defecting from the loss; I knew Chris Pronger, I covered Chris Pronger, and you sir are no Chris Pronger...)

Prust makes himself and the team marked men. The best case scenario is that Watson doesn’t work in the series again; worst case scenario is that the Brotherhood of Game Officials band together to punish Prust and not give the Canadiens any breaks, which is what Fraser seems to indicate here.

Again, no surprises: Asking for impartiality from NHL on-ice officials is a pipe dream. They all have biases, all have targets for revenge, all manage games based on personal preference and game situation -- hi, Game 7, Islanders vs. Capitals -- rather than actual enforcement of the rules.

They’re all playing God. That’s why they chose the professional path. Some of them are kind and generous, some of them are spiteful and arrogant. All you can do is pray for the best, as the Habs will in Game 3.

That's GD infuriated.

[Legacy User]

Even more infuriating, Shero signed with the Devils(feel sorry for them), and he was still under contract with us for the 15-16 season, so the choice was a 3rd round pick for compensation, or we're cleared from having to pay his salary, so what doe we choose???

Saving the money of course! Fucking ridiculous, like we cant use the draft picks

[Legacy User]

Yep that doesn't surprise me. I wonder if that was a FO call or an ownership call. Ridiculous.

[Legacy User]

Poor Geno, he looks sad



Geno showed class by being one of only 3 Russians to stay on the ice for the Canadien national anthem, the others were Ovechkin and Tikhonov

[Legacy User]

I dont know if any of you watched some of the tournament, but it was great hockey. Skilled players were allowed to skate, the game had much better flow than any NHL playoff games Ive seen this year.

Its what the NHL should look like

[Donnie Brasco]

Yea apparently Kovalchuck was the leader of the dickheads who went off the ice. Complete assholes and against what hockey is about. Fuck those cocksuckers and kudos to Geno and Ovie

[Legacy User]

Yeah it was much better than NHL hockey that's for sure. Russia was really lacking any decent puck moving dmen, really bogged down their offense. Geno and ovie showed class along with tikonov and kulikov

[Legacy User]

Crosby's in the Triple Gold Club, and even more impressive, he's been the captain for all three.