3rd pairing depth has to be addressed. i think it will.
yea it will, maybe Schultz alone, maybe him and more and maybe just a vet like Kubina cause they cant go into the yr like last having to pick up a guy like Woywitka on waivers or use a career minor leaguer as the 6th Dman in Bickel
If the Pens roll into the PO's with a healthy Crosby, they have a shot to beat anyone. They already did it once with a cheap supporting cast and arguably less talent. It won't be easy but there will be older players willing to give it a go for one year for a ring and some young players will pan out.
On their last Cup team, if you remove Crosby, Malkin, Gonchar and Fleury from the equation, only one other player (Orpick) had a cap hit of even $3MM!
Staal left because he didn't want to be 3rd banana on the team not because of money. We'll see where Staal's production tops out but I'm not sure he'll ever be a point per game player, which would mean he wouldn't be worth one of the top end contracts anyway.
I guess it all depends on your definition of "generational talent" but other than Crosby, they don't have any in my book. You can't be called a generational talent if other players are scoring as much as you. Malkin's one of the best scorers in the league, no doubt, but in any given year D. Sedin or Stamkos or OV or Backstrom could outscore him. Don't mean to get off topic but wanted to mention that.
The NHL and, I guess, the NFL are the most unpredictable sports. Teams win the Cup and then struggle the next year. An 8 seed won the Cup this year. The stars have to align just right for a team wo win the Cup. Saying the Pens, or any other team, will be better or worse next season than any other playoff team from this season is nothing to bank on.
I still stand by what i said. I dont think the nhl is too unpredictable. Crosby and Malkin came to play in the playoffs they had no defense. They had no depth.
You cant bank on the evidence that LAK was an 8 seed. If you are an honest fan you know they were a much better team than their seeding suggested. They had added Mike Richards and subtracted players. They took time to gel. Dustin Brown picked it up in the second half. Their defense came together. Added Carter. Had great depth.
Nice! Smart move if only for the interim until Gabs comes back. when he does, hopefully we'll finally have a good offense.
I'll take Guastaud over Konopka without even blinking.
I'll take Tootoo as well.
Moen or Stempniak.
I've never been a fan of "overpaying" for a bottom 6 Forward. I don't know how it plays out statistically but it's always seemed to me that those kinds of players need to be hungry and when they get the big payday, a lot of them don't live up to expectations. Either because they're making relatively big bucks and get complacent or they feel the need to do more than they can to earn their keep.
I still stand by what i said. I dont think the nhl is too unpredictable. Crosby and Malkin came to play in the playoffs they had no defense. They had no depth.
You cant bank on the evidence that LAK was an 8 seed. If you are an honest fan you know they were a much better team than their seeding suggested. They had added Mike Richards and subtracted players. They took time to gel. Dustin Brown picked it up in the second half. Their defense came together. Added Carter. Had great depth.
So you're telling me that last June, you would have predicted an LA/PHO and NJ/NY Conference Finals and an LA/NJ Finals? If so, you should hit Vegas now!
So you're telling me that last June, you would have predicted an LA/PHO and NJ/NY Conference Finals and an LA/NJ Finals? If so, you should hit Vegas now!
Maybe not NJ but anyone surprised by LAK doesn't pay attention enough to hockey outside the team they support.
Didnt see PHO in the WCF but saw them and NJ as playoff teams.
Parise wants to win. People seem to think everyone wants to go play at home. It doesnt happen all too often. Parise has spent his whole career in NJ. Minnesota is hardly is "home" anymore. And they dong exactly have "winning" outlook currently.
Chicago is best fit for Marty. They have a good team. Not as good as their Cup team but still a playoff team in the west. Crawford was pathetic against PHX. He stinks. Marty is an upgrade over Crawford. Even at 40.
And if we parted ways w/Biron to have extra $$ for Prust, Chicago could make it M+M boys, Biron + Brodeur, Crawford learning, third guy insurance/eventual replacement.
As much sense as that makes, Brodeur is a devil for life... unless there is a SERIOUS financial problem we don't know about, and he's being shown the door on the q.t. for his own good.
Yeah, LA was definitely expected to be a contender in the West prior to the season beginning. They just got off to a terrible start.
I watched them a lot throughout the year. They just couldnt figure out the scoring. They struggled with all the talent. Probably because of chemistry. But I knew once they figured it out they'd get hot
Parise wants to win. People seem to think everyone wants to go play at home. It doesnt happen all too often. Parise has spent his whole career in NJ. Minnesota is hardly is "home" anymore. And they dong exactly have "winning" outlook currently.
Winning is comparatively relative.
There's a difference between I want to be on a competitive team, adding further improvement via FA this year, and could be competing for SC 3 years, and on the other hand I want to go to a contender now.
Winning is comparatively relative.
There's a difference between I want to be on a competitive team, adding further improvement via FA this year, and could be competing for SC 3 years, and on the other hand I want to go to a contender now.
Parise could go either way.
When is Minnesota turning it around? Free agency wont fill all of their holes. They may be more than 5 years away from being a serious cup contender. Backstrom isnt getting any younger, on the wrong side of 30. Heatley continues to slow down.
I've never been a fan of "overpaying" for a bottom 6 Forward.
The only exception is when the bottom six forward is particularly good at something. Like a faceoff stud or a ridiculously good fighter like Joey Kocur. Then you pay a premium. But I totally agree that - in general - your bottom six should tend toward hungry inexpensive role players. Its just economics. And a good coach will channel that hunger into good defensive play and the occasional goal. Which is really what you need from your bottom six.
When is Minnesota turning it around? Free agency wont fill all of their holes. They may be more than 5 years away from being a serious cup contender. Backstrom isnt getting any younger, on the wrong side of 30. Heatley continues to slow down.
They do have two of the best prospects in the game, Brodin and Bäckström... Johan Larsson is also a decent prospect, very good playmaking center.
I watched them a lot throughout the year. They just couldnt figure out the scoring. They struggled with all the talent. Probably because of chemistry. But I knew once they figured it out they'd get hot
You should've went out on a limb back in April and predicted a King's championship. I must've missed that post.
A 1st and something else. Bernier won't cost more than that.
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"Of course giving Sather cap space is like giving teenagers whiskey and car keys." - SBOB "Watching Sather build a team is like watching a blind man with no fingers trying to put together an elaborate puzzle." - Shadowtron
Sestito still on the make a wish tour. - rholt168
You should've went out on a limb back in April and predicted a King's championship. I must've missed that post.
....whats that they say about hindsight?
Sorry I was too busy putting my money on the rangers.
I'm not saying I knew they were going to win the cup. I'm not saying I knew they'd make it to the finals. But anyone who is surprised by their run at the end of the year and through the playoffs are just flat out ignorant of the personnel they have in LA.
