I'd like to see us offer a middling prospect for his negotiating rights. Whitney - like no other reasonably-priced UFA winger - could be an answer to so many of our issues right now.
Yep. RH shot, good hands, creativity, vet leadership, playoff experience, fills the massive hole on our PP....
Hopefully this is one of those UFA's on everyone's wish lists that actually happens (like Matt Cooke did).
It makes way too much sense. I was battling with Carolina fans a while back, and how they said that he wasn't going anywhere, and that winning another Cup doesn't matter because he has already won one.
I think this would be a great situation for him to close out his career. He'd be riding shotgun to the best center (player) in the game, and this team is just a little tweaking away from being in the finals again.
Whitney supposedly had a deal close to done to go to LA that fell through. Is there a reason he wanted LA or was LA the only team willing to trade/extend? Is he friendly with anyone there?
Whitney supposedly had a deal close to done to go to LA that fell through. Is there a reason he wanted LA or was LA the only team willing to trade/extend? Is he friendly with anyone there?
As I see it L.A gave the best offer but Whitney wanted at least a 2 year extension as he didn't want to have to move his family once at the deadline and again in the Summer. Lombardi was only willing to give him a 1 year extension which Ray shot down. He played with Williams in their Carolina Days.
We need to remember one thing, here. While Whitney is pretty much ideal for what we need, and I'd be thrilled to have him aboard, I don't think Shero can afford to go to three years with Whitney. It's eerily similar to the Gonchar situation.
AND, I will also add that we really cannot under any circumstance sign two 35+ players for more than one year this summer. That would be taking desperation to new heights.
If you want Whitney, say goodbye to Gonchar. If you want Sarge back, you shouldn't want Whitney. If Shero can somehow sign one of them to a one-year deal, he should run for mayor.
We need to remember one thing, here. While Whitney is pretty much ideal for what we need, and I'd be thrilled to have him aboard, I don't think Shero can afford to go to three years with Whitney. It's eerily similar to the Gonchar situation.
AND, I will also add that we really cannot under any circumstance sign two 35+ players for more than one year this summer. That would be taking desperation to new heights.
If you want Whitney, say goodbye to Gonchar. If you want Sarge back, you shouldn't want Whitney. If Shero can somehow sign one of them to a one-year deal, he should run for mayor.
Difference is, Whitney's game hasn't really slowed down. Sarge's has in certain aspects.
Whitney or Malkin would HAVE to play the point, imo.
Malkin: Right point
Letang: Left point
Whitney: Left wing
Sid: Right wing
Kunitz: front of the net
That PP configuration would have a lot of options. Crosby can snipe it from the hash marks, Malkin has a great one timer, Letang has a good shot (when he puts it on net) and Whitney could score a lot on a lot of Sid's patented back door feed. Kunitz would be a great net presence.
Have Geno enter the zone with the puck and let him QB the PP.
Malkin: Right point
Letang: Left point
Whitney: Left wing
Sid: Right wing
Kunitz: front of the net
That PP configuration would have a lot of options. Crosby can snipe it from the hash marks, Malkin has a great one timer, Letang has a good shot (when he puts it on net) and Whitney could score a lot on a lot of Sid's patented back door feed. Kunitz would be a great net presence.
Have Geno enter the zone with the puck and let him QB the PP.
Not to throw you under the bus, a couple others have suggested Malkin on the points, but doesn't everyone remember how terrible that worked out on the ice? He wasn't comfortable, he wasn't as effective.
The real issue is the Pens have to change strategies. They can't have the puck handler enter the zone all alone and pull up right when he gains the blueline. If the forwards converge on him -- and with all the tape studying they know to do that -- then it fails a lot. Gonchar is skilled and smart enough to pull it off but Goligoski/Letang can't.
Let Malkin/Crosby rush the puck, have good support at the point when they enter to dish it, get it in deep and then drop back to Letang who can then pass to Crosby on the half-wall and by then things will be setup.
Maybe a little easier said than done, but philosphically there needs to be a change in the mindset and I think that things would improve.
If Malkin goes into camp knowing he's on the point, he can work on things all throughout the preseason.
The main reason why I like having him on the point is that it guarantees that he and Sid won't get in each other's way, which is a bit of a problem when they're both up front.
Unless you want Sid to QB the PP. It's never been suggested, but I'm sure he could do it if we had another net presence up front.
If Malkin goes into camp knowing he's on the point, he can work on things all throughout the preseason.
The main reason why I like having him on the point is that it guarantees that he and Sid won't get in each other's way, which is a bit of a problem when they're both up front.
Unless you want Sid to QB the PP. It's never been suggested, but I'm sure he could do it if we had another net presence up front.
Actually, that is not true because, at times even Crosby has slipped up to the point. Now....think about having Malkin in the slot more and what it would do to defenses, how it would mess up their coverages. One of the two floating around more while the other sets up is better than having both planted on the RW wall. They may not have had a LW solution this past season, but the front of the net/slot wasn't much better.
Did Whitney play the point or left half wall on the PP with the Canes?
I think we'd be fine with Malkin at the point or right half wall, it doesn't really matter. There were 3 much bigger problems with last seasons PP. We just needed some balance on the left side of the ice, an effective big body net presence, and a dump-it-in mentality on zone entries. This could be solved with Whitney, Tangradi, and a change in PP mentality.
Chicago is effective on the PP with two left hand shots in Toews and Kane where Sid and Geno usually are. Buff in front of the net, Keith QB'ing on the right point, and RH shot (Sharp) on the other point who can creep down for cross ice passes. We could emulate this but need that big body presence and right handed shot capable of finishing one-timers. Guerin and Letang weren't getting it done last year.
If you give Sid the challenge of being this team's next PP quarterback, you're saying he would fail?
Not at all, I would rather he stayed at the half wall.
Putting Malkin into Gonchars spot is not really using his skill set. Thats just like having Gonchar back there still. Teams will always give up the point shots, but Malkin in other areas will get them turning their heads causing mayhem more often than not. A good shot blocking team will cancel that out. Really, how much did that point shot work out for them, Gonchar only got 6 in the RS & 1 in the PO's.
I just don't think the amount of goals Malkin would get there would be enough for me to staple him there for an entire season.
If Gonchar leaves, why do we have to keep the same powerplay setup? The powerplay doesn't have to be run from the point at the magnitude it has been the past 5 years.
If Gonchar leaves, why do we have to keep the same powerplay setup? The powerplay doesn't have to be run from the point.
Yes. Good heavens, thank you.
It isn't as if there is one way to run a powerplay. Although, watching the Penguins, you'd think that was the case. It's understandable that people are so worried about the further erosion of the powerplay with the near-inevitable departure of Gonchar. But that doesn't mean that that should be acceptable, especially with two superstar talents at the team's disposal.
If Gonchar leaves, why do we have to keep the same powerplay setup? The powerplay doesn't have to be run from the point at the magnitude it has been the past 5 years.
They don't, just like having both centers along the RW boards, it's counter productive.
Malkin in the middle(pun intended) will create, and he is big enough to take the punishment to be in that area. He also has better hands than what they have used there, and it's not like he can't still cycle out to the boards from there either.
If Gonchar leaves, why do we have to keep the same powerplay setup? The powerplay doesn't have to be run from the point at the magnitude it has been the past 5 years.
I think all PP's run through the points to some extent. If it isn't Gonchar, then there'll obviously be less emphasis on the right point bringing it up ice and distributing when set up, but we'd still be catering to where the biggest weapons are, just like any other team does.
That will remain setting up Malkin for a one timer, IMO. If Whitney is there for instance and Gogo is in Gonchar's position, some more of that will shift to the other side of the ice whether Whitney is on the half wall or left point, but anyway, the poin men are still essential in moving the puck around, keeping it in and getting shots on net.
I don't see why we cannot have more movement on our PP without that having anything to do with the need to have guys who know the point position intimately. Its not like the main guys on Chicago/Philly have particularly different roles in that respect than our guys have had. They have many more skill players at wing who can make plays, but that doesn't mean their point men play different functions than ours on the PP.
It all would depend on what Whitney would want to be paid, which of course speaks to how much he would want to be a Pens on Crosby or Malkin's wing. Basically, the Pens spent $14 - $15 million on the wing position, or about a third of the salary cap. With the cap going up maybe $3 million that leaves $15 - $16 million on the position. If Whitney will accept a reasonable salary he would no doubt be a Pen, if not then another will be. Pretty simple and the ball is in his court almost entirely as Shero has shown before in similar situations.
