Rupp was terrible for most of the season, but played pretty well down the stretch, and he fills a role as a big, physical forward who'll defend his teammates.
If he plays like he did toward the end of the season and curbs his penchant for indefensible penalties, I like the deal.
In the beginning of the year, I think people were counting down the days for Rupp to be out of here. I think Rupp so inexplicably stating how much he wanted to stay here is what got a deal done.
In the beginning of the year, I think people were counting down the days for Rupp to be out of here. I think Rupp so inexplicably stating how much he wanted to stay here is what got a deal done.
Yeah, Rupp was beyond bad at the start of the year. If he can keep the dumb penalties to a minimum and Bylsma only gives him the 10 minutes a night he deserves then I don't hate the signing. Unfortunately, Rupp can do no wrong in Disco's eyes.
Can somebody please post a source that says he was re-signed? It's not on NHL.com, the Penguins website, Rupp's Twitter, google or even TIOPS. I know this is just a rumor, but everyone is talking like this is 100% true, meanwhile I can't find info about it. I hope it's accurate but until I see it somewhere, I can't believe it. Is there a source?
I am also having trouble tracking it down. It is circulating around twitter, nobody credible though. He was a beast in 2011 (relative to his role), I don't understand why people would not want this.
Yeah, Rupp was beyond bad at the start of the year. If he can keep the dumb penalties to a minimum and Bylsma only gives him the 10 minutes a night he deserves then I don't hate the signing. Unfortunately, Rupp can do no wrong in Disco's eyes.
ya i agree with this, hopefully with a healthy roster Rupp wont be overused by DB.
Don't think a 50K a year raise is too much to worry about.
Yeah.. i wouldn't be worried either way. He's a solid guy to have on the fourth line. Price is fair.... why not? I would just like to hear a little bit of the same for Craig Adams and Tyler Kennedy.
Let's stay on topic and leave the Wiz vs. Eminem debate for the OT thread.
I've got some sources that have heard similar things as to what I posted earlier so I'm comfortable with not backing down from it. I hate to be "that guy", though, so feel free to continue to take it with a grain of salt.
They're not as solid as the ones who got me the info about Gonchar's wrist, the Winter Classic announcement, the O'Sullivan stuff, or who told me that Hossa was going to Detroit with Fedotenko and Satan coming here hours before hand but after poking around and asking around I feel comfortable enough to not take it back.
I really don't understand what's not to like with Rupp. He's built like an industrial refrigerator and is an excellent skater by any standard. Combine his size with his speed and you get some of the most forceful hits in the league. They're not always the flashiest hits, but players seem to skate away in a daze when they end up sandwiched between Mike Rupp and the boards.
What I like about Rupp is that he plays a solid and consistently-punishing grind-it-out game, but is also quite talented for a 4th liner. It doesn't result in much because his offensive awareness is minimal, but his puck control and skating with the puck are both excellent. You can see why the guy was once picked 9th overall, even if you can also see why he went unsigned two years later.
The only serious weakness Rupp has shown over the past two seasons are his penalties. He needs to cut down on the minors, but that's really it. Otherwise, he plays a consistent game and provides more upside and flexibility than your traditional 4th liner. He can play C or LW and won't look out of place on a third line when injuries necessitate the move. Add in the 'veteran presence' and you've got a perfect 4th liner for this team. I'm really glad to have Rupp back, pending confirmation of the deal.
I don't understand you guys who had that big problems with Rupp last season.... outside of situations he should not have been put in.
As a 4th liner primarily, he scored his second highest amount of goals ever (9), finished with 2 points less than his first Pens season (where pretty much everyone loved him) and he got just 4 PIMS more for the season in an identical number of games. Whether or not he is a good fighter is immaterial to me - he sticks up for guys and gives and takes with most anyone. This while being always one of the most consistently physical players on the team.
As for being a Bylsma pet.... certainly early on in the season and as regards special teams it was pathetic. As it wore on and we got some deadline wingers and Kennedy won respect, Rupp wasn't put in those situations anymore and chipped in well with limited ice-time, the way it should be.
On a team where Godard is far from a certainty next season (one can hope!), I like having Rupp to go with Engelland. Moreover, Asham wasn't at all happy with his salary last season, and might well be picked off for more by someone else after having another strong playoff run scoring wise. Asham has some finishing to him, but outside of Godard, I thought he was the worst skater on the team. Don't like that on our 4th line much, nor anywhere unless there is something that really swings the pendulum in a different direction.
I really don't understand what's not to like with Rupp. He's built like an industrial refrigerator and is an excellent skater by any standard. Combine his size with his speed and you get some of the most forceful hits in the league. They're not always the flashiest hits, but players seem to skate away in a daze when they end up sandwiched between Mike Rupp and the boards.
What I like about Rupp is that he plays a solid and consistently-punishing grind-it-out game, but is also quite talented for a 4th liner. It doesn't result in much because his offensive awareness is minimal, but his puck control and skating with the puck are both excellent. You can see why the guy was once picked 9th overall, even if you can also see why he went unsigned two years later.
The only serious weakness Rupp has shown over the past two seasons are his penalties. He needs to cut down on the minors, but that's really it. Otherwise, he plays a consistent game and provides more upside and flexibility than your traditional 4th liner. He can play C or LW and won't look out of place on a third line when injuries necessitate the move. Add in the 'veteran presence' and you've got a perfect 4th liner for this team. I'm really glad to have Rupp back, pending confirmation of the deal.
Agreed, Stupid Pens are pretty much his only weakness along with the fact that DB loves to promote him up the lineup if someone goes down.
I've got some sources that have heard similar things as to what I posted earlier so I'm comfortable with not backing down from it. I hate to be "that guy", though, so feel free to continue to take it with a grain of salt.
They're not as solid as the ones who got me the info about Gonchar's wrist, the Winter Classic announcement, the O'Sullivan stuff, or who told me that Hossa was going to Detroit with Fedotenko and Satan coming here hours before hand but after poking around and asking around I feel comfortable enough to not take it back.
Rupp did manage to cool the stupid minors later in the season.
Earlier on it looked like he was trying to hard to get in peoples faces and stuff. Maybe as a result of Godard being injured/suspended?
Either way I like Rupp. Wasnt it in 24/7 they showed how Bylsma had him targeting Mike Green with clean checks along the board everytime he went to receive a dump-in? And of course Green looked like he wanted to cry after every hit. Thats good stuff I want to see more of. Kunitz/Cooke/Neal/Rupp maybe Tangradi will make for a hell of a punishing forecheck.
Yeah.. i wouldn't be worried either way. He's a solid guy to have on the fourth line. Price is fair.... why not? I would just like to hear a little bit of the same for Craig Adams and Tyler Kennedy.
Let's stay on topic and leave the Wiz vs. Eminem debate for the OT thread.
I'm a big fan of a hip-hop discussion Cole, DAMN YOU FOR BEING THE MOD OF REASON!!!
I don't understand you guys who had that big problems with Rupp last season.... outside of situations he should not have been put in.
The beginning of last season, Rupp was getting sub-10 mins a game and taking a penalty per. It was to the point where he wasn't doing much to help the team.
Towards the end of the season, he turned it around, and I think in the playoffs, he was our most effective player. Things happened when he was out there.
I like the deal. Not many times can you re-sign a player like Rupp for a minuscule amount.
Yeah, the only real issue with Rupp is his penalties. But make no mistake, that's a pretty big issue. Let's hope that if this news is true, his tendency to take penalties reduces like it did late this year. Otherwise he's probably going to be negative value to the team.
What's the minimum contractual raise in the NHL for veteran players? $50K/year has to be pretty close to that mark. If true, not thrilled about the signing in general, but not really surprised either. At least a couple of these grinder types are going to get inked. He's actually got good hands for a big guy so if used correctly he can be valuable. Hopefully not on the PP unless injuries require it though.
I love that I was introduced to Wiz Khalifa because of Girl Talk. It kills me that Pittsburgh only has two musicians that have a reputation outside of a 30 mile radius (sorry Clarks...actually, I'm not) and one is a rapper and the other is the mash-up musician (not that it means a whole lot in general...he's the face of an entire genre of music that only has one person with any sort of talent in it...it's like being the Don Caballero of Math Rock...which, for the record, is a Pittsburgh band also).
Anyway, I can probably thank Wiz for the complete domination of Pirates hats in non-baseball markets. I haven't seen a cap that didn't have that iconic 'P' on it in Missoula since...good lord, I think I saw a Red Sox hat in November...they're literally all Pirates caps in this town. That's not that far from usual, to be honest, and caps aren't a popular thing here...but still, that's one thing that's always amused me.
Oh, uh. Rupp. He wears #17. I liked that number as a kid because Tomas Sandstrom wore it. Yay Sandstrom. I gotta admit, it's one of very few low numbers I actually like, thanks to Sandstrom. So Rupp has that going for him, I guess.
In a unrelated, yet related note...Battles' new album, Gloss Drop, comes out today. There's a reason I mention this, and sadly it has little to do with Mike Rupp.
If the rumor is in fact correct, I'm fine with the re-signing. As has been stated already, Rupp's a great 4th liner to have. He's a punishing hitter, will stand up for teammates, and can chip in with 15 or so points per year. The penalties are an issue, for sure. But overall, I'm glad to see what he brings to the table re-signed.
I've got some sources that have heard similar things as to what I posted earlier so I'm comfortable with not backing down from it. I hate to be "that guy", though, so feel free to continue to take it with a grain of salt.
They're not as solid as the ones who got me the info about Gonchar's wrist, the Winter Classic announcement, the O'Sullivan stuff, or who told me that Hossa was going to Detroit with Fedotenko and Satan coming here hours before hand but after poking around and asking around I feel comfortable enough to not take it back.
dang man, you must be so well connected...
I am sure you are being sincere but I hate this whole "I've got sources...but never mention anything else". Are you Eklund?
