2018 Summer Game Plan

[lemieuxReturns]

What would your game plan be?

Mine:
-Trade Letang. He is still an asset some team out there covets. But we don’t need what he brings to be successful. His style is more important to a team with less talent up front.

-Sign a veteran goalie. Murray has looked like trash at times. He needs to be pushed.

-Give Sprong a roster spot. If not almost certain he leaves for another league.

-Trade Kessel. It’s time. He has been great but the time has come.

-Brassard? Who knows. I don’t even know if he is good or bad or part of the plan or what.

[Antonio]

-trade Letang. Failing that, push him into a potato sack and dump him in one of the rivers in Pittsburgh. There are 3 right?

-trading Kessel is crazy. He shattered his career best and you want dump him? Something is DEFINITELY seriously wrong... He was clearly never right after that hit into the boards in the regular season.

-goaltending needs to be addressed. Either Murray can actually seriously improve his ATROCIOUS glove and ENORMOUS five hole, or move him. There is hope he should be able to work on and improve...he is only 23. I question his attitude and work ethic though. Not sure why.

-i hope brassard will be much more productive next year ala James Neal. He was much improved the next year after his first disappointing playoffs.

-defense needs some help.

-please play sprong or deport him. Enough nonsense. Playing Simon? Seriously?

[albalz]

I am going to drink corona light and try to pick up loose women. Crazy that we won back to back cups.... again. Washington is gonna lose to TB.

[lemieuxReturns]

-trade Letang. Failing that, push him into a potato sack and dump him in one of the rivers in Pittsburgh. There are 3 right?

-trading Kessel is crazy. He shattered his career best and you want dump him? Something is DEFINITELY seriously wrong... He was clearly never right after that hit into the boards in the regular season.

-goaltending needs to be addressed. Either Murray can actually seriously improve his ATROCIOUS glove and ENORMOUS five hole, or move him. There is hope he should be able to work on and improve...he is only 23. I question his attitude and work ethic though. Not sure why.

-i hope brassard will be much more productive next year ala James Neal. He was much improved the next year after his first disappointing playoffs.

-defense needs some help.

-please play sprong or deport him. Enough nonsense. Playing Simon? Seriously?

Understand about Kessel. I love him. But at some point he becomes too old and overpriced. We shouldn’t wait until that point to try and trade him.

[Cow_Master66]

Agree with trading Letang but I have a feeling it won’t happen.

The rest of what I read is just nonsense, outside of getting a veteran goalie, but we would have done that even if we won the cup.

Kessel will be fine next year, Brassard too...

We will be strong contenders next season so just try to enjoy this potential 5-6 stretch because it might not happen again for awhile....

[DelPen]

Nothing substantial will happen just like last year

[Inkio]

What would your game plan be?

Mine:
-Trade Letang. He is still an asset some team out there covets. But we don’t need what he brings to be successful. His style is more important to a team with less talent up front.

-Sign a veteran goalie. Murray has looked like trash at times. He needs to be pushed.

-Give Sprong a roster spot. If not almost certain he leaves for another league.

-Trade Kessel. It’s time. He has been great but the time has come.

-Brassard? Who knows. I don’t even know if he is good or bad or part of the plan or what.

Agree with trade Letang.

Sprong def needs a spot.

Trade Kessel? What? Dude was clearly injured. Kessel was incredible in the playoffs the past 2 years.

Brass I also have no idea also.

[LimerickPensFan]

I really don't think much needs done. I think the problem with Letang is that at times he tries to do to much and gets burnt. Work with him over the summer to stay within himself, and I think you'll have a great player again.

Brassard was starting to look good toward the end of the season and then disappeared. I wonder if he got hurt or something.

The only place I think we need to do anything is defense. I was terrified that if a defenseman got hurt in the playoffs, the replacement coming in would be Matt Hunwick. I swear, every game the man played, every goal given up started with some screw-up from him or him getting beaten badly. We need to get a couple of solid defensemen.

Goalie depth is a "nice have", but to be honest, I was quite pleased with the way DeSmith was playing toward the end of the season.

[itissteeltime]

Kessel was top 5 in the NHL all season. Why the hell would we trade him?

[lemieuxReturns]

Kessel was top 5 in the NHL all season. Why the hell would we trade him?

His value is high right now and I think Sully is fed up with him. NBC showed it tonight. He is tolerable when he produces but without production he and sully are heading for a collision.

[Inkio]

Kessel was top 5 in the NHL all season. Why the hell would we trade him?

His value is high right now and I think Sully is fed up with him. NBC showed it tonight. He is tolerable when he produces but without production he and sully are heading for a collision.

Again. He was clearly injured. He played amazing 2 years in a row in the playoffs. Kessel trade makes no sense.

[LimerickPensFan]

Kessel was top 5 in the NHL all season. Why the hell would we trade him?

His value is high right now and I think Sully is fed up with him. NBC showed it tonight. He is tolerable when he produces but without production he and sully are heading for a collision.

I really think he was injured. He kept losing the puck trying to skate through opponents. The problem was, I don't think he had the arm strength to do that during this series due to injuries. A puck he normally would have gotten through the defender, he couldn't do it because his arms weren't up to usual.

That's my theory at least. I don't ever recall him turning over the puck like he did the last two games.

[DelPen]

Kessel was top 5 in the NHL all season. Why the hell would we trade him?

His value is high right now and I think Sully is fed up with him. NBC showed it tonight. He is tolerable when he produces but without production he and sully are heading for a collision.

I really think he was injured. He kept losing the puck trying to skate through opponents. The problem was, I don't think he had the arm strength to do that during this series due to injuries. A puck he normally would have gotten through the defender, he couldn't do it because his arms weren't up to usual.

That's my theory at least. I don't ever recall him turning over the puck like he did the last two games.

Then he should have rested in March

[LimerickPensFan]

Kessel was top 5 in the NHL all season. Why the hell would we trade him?

His value is high right now and I think Sully is fed up with him. NBC showed it tonight. He is tolerable when he produces but without production he and sully are heading for a collision.

I really think he was injured. He kept losing the puck trying to skate through opponents. The problem was, I don't think he had the arm strength to do that during this series due to injuries. A puck he normally would have gotten through the defender, he couldn't do it because his arms weren't up to usual.

That's my theory at least. I don't ever recall him turning over the puck like he did the last two games.

Then he should have rested in March

I won't argue with that.

[Inkio]

Kessel was top 5 in the NHL all season. Why the hell would we trade him?

His value is high right now and I think Sully is fed up with him. NBC showed it tonight. He is tolerable when he produces but without production he and sully are heading for a collision.

I really think he was injured. He kept losing the puck trying to skate through opponents. The problem was, I don't think he had the arm strength to do that during this series due to injuries. A puck he normally would have gotten through the defender, he couldn't do it because his arms weren't up to usual.

That's my theory at least. I don't ever recall him turning over the puck like he did the last two games.

Then he should have rested in March

That's not on him. That's on the coaching and the medical staff. It's especially on Sully for giving him as much ice time as he did with all the mistakes he was making.

[Cow_Master66]

Give yourself a rest in looking for someone to blame and just resign yourself to the fact they ran i to a team that had their number, got all the bounces, and timely goals. It happens....

[Durbano]

They have to get younger. All of their stars are on the wrong side of 30.

[itissteeltime]

They have to get younger. All of their stars are on the wrong side of 30.

Guentzel is pretty good.

[Cu11en]

Figure out how to beat a press late in a playoff game. Although when they actually could make it past the blue line, they did have the Dump-In + Line Change routine down pat.

[DelPen]

Trade Sheary for a defenseman because he has value and disappeared in the playoffs again away from Sid.

[Malkintent]

Unload Hunwick at all costs.

What do you think JVR will go for?

[RisslingsMissingTeeth]

For various financial and sentimental reasons, I think we will start next season with an almost identical roster.

As has been said by some, if I were GM I would:
- Trade Letang and Kessel (while the value is decent for such a lazy, turnover prone, non-grinding mess. Seriously, has Phil ever won a board battle entered into from a neutral position?)
- Dump Rowney and Hunwick
- Acquire or promote a young center and winger.
- See what DeSmith can really give us. I don't know if getting a vet is really going to be much better than developing a cheap young and promising internal option.

[Jim]

Letang, Sprong and Hagelin to Colorado for Landeskog and Barrie.

[Fast B]

We're trading Kessel now, after he was clearly held together by duct tape and rubber bands? You can always count on the internet to be insanely reactionary, I guess.

[Defence21]

1. Shop Letang. By no means is this reactionary to this season. I've been saying this for years. He's an extraordinary talent who takes too many risks. He has trade value, and clearing his cap space would go a long way to creating defensive depth. The "experts" say this is stupid and question how you replace Letang's skill and TOI, but I look to last season and see that it can be done without replacing him with a star. BTW, Dumoulin has come into his own as a true #2, and if paired with a defense-first partner, his offense might shine.

2. Trade Kessel. He's coming off a career year, but is another year older on a team with two aging superstars. It would be nice to retain Kessel, but it would be nicer to trade him while he has value.

3. Trade Brassard. I loved the trade at the time, but it didn't work out. I'd do it all over again, though I admit it's time to move on.

4. Trade Sheary. I wasn't happy about his contract last summer and am less enthusiastic now. When he's not on Crosby's line, he's useless -- and for much of this season, he was useless even on Crosby's line.

5. Trade Hunwick. If Scuderi could be traded, so too can Hunwick.

6. Promote Sprong and let him start out on the third line and work through his mistakes. For those complaining about their development of him thus far: it's been fine. There's no personal grudge. There's a lack of trust. With Kessel gone (at least in my scenario), the Penguins can afford to have Sprong play his style of game.

7. Give ZAR an increased role. I really think this kid is going to be good.