Random Penguins Fodder

[Crash66]

Puustinen not being in the top 6 is ridiculous. Puustinen not being on the PP is also ridiculous. I'd love to sit down and have a beer with him and Riikola and ask WTF goes on in that room.

[Coffey Break]

New-look lines at practice today:

Guentzel-Crosby-Rust
DOC-Malkin-White
Puustinen-Eller-Rakell
Harkins-Acciari-Carter

Good God - I'm not sure what plugging 71 in between 2 ham 'n egger bottom-6 plugs is going to achieve. You effectively have one first line, 2 third lines and an AHL-level 4th line. Embarrassing depth and roster construction.

Oh and in case anyone was curious - no changes on the PP units.....I don't have words to describe the current state of this team.

White has apparently been good on the analytics side, but like Nieto...I haven't been impressed. White hasn't ever really been an everyday player, and although he was a late 1st round pick, he just hasn't shown that type of top end ability.

Maybe this just sounds like questioning everything Sully does at this point...but I would have put Puustinen with Malkin before moving White up to that line. This just seems like desperation and a complete lack of....i don't even know the word to use.

Right! A line of DOC-Malkin-Puustinen isn't actually all that bad. You have a crash and banger, a playmaker and a sniper on the unit. It's possible Sullivan is scared Puustinen might put up too many points - forcing him to keep playing him when the team is fully healthy.

Hell, I wouldn't have even minded Acciari getting a look on the top 6 wing if you really wanted to get creative with the lines. But Colin White??? Come on!

[Tico Rick]

Promote Eller and move Malkin to LW:

Guentzel-Crosby-Rust
Malkin-Eller-White
Puustinen-DOC--Rakell
Harkins-Acciari-Carter

And definitely take Malkin off of the PP.

[KG]

New-look lines at practice today:

Guentzel-Crosby-Rust
DOC-Malkin-White
Puustinen-Eller-Rakell
Harkins-Acciari-Carter

Good God - I'm not sure what plugging 71 in between 2 ham 'n egger bottom-6 plugs is going to achieve. You effectively have one first line, 2 third lines and an AHL-level 4th line. Embarrassing depth and roster construction.

Oh and in case anyone was curious - no changes on the PP units.....I don't have words to describe the current state of this team.

White has apparently been good on the analytics side, but like Nieto...I haven't been impressed. White hasn't ever really been an everyday player, and although he was a late 1st round pick, he just hasn't shown that type of top end ability.

Maybe this just sounds like questioning everything Sully does at this point...but I would have put Puustinen with Malkin before moving White up to that line. This just seems like desperation and a complete lack of....i don't even know the word to use.

Right! A line of DOC-Malkin-Puustinen isn't actually all that bad. You have a crash and banger, a playmaker and a sniper on the unit. It's possible Sullivan is scared Puustinen might put up too many points - forcing him to keep playing him when the team is fully healthy.

Hell, I wouldn't have even minded Acciari getting a look on the top 6 wing if you really wanted to get creative with the lines. But Colin White??? Come on!

Agreed on Acciari. I know he's not here for his offense, but the guy has 1 assist this season. And he's playing center. Maybe he's miscast as a center at even strength?? To me Acciari is a solid 3rd line banger who can score 12-15 goals when utilized properly.

When used properly is the operative term...

[FLPensFan]

New-look lines at practice today:

Guentzel-Crosby-Rust
DOC-Malkin-White
Puustinen-Eller-Rakell
Harkins-Acciari-Carter

Good God - I'm not sure what plugging 71 in between 2 ham 'n egger bottom-6 plugs is going to achieve. You effectively have one first line, 2 third lines and an AHL-level 4th line. Embarrassing depth and roster construction.

Oh and in case anyone was curious - no changes on the PP units.....I don't have words to describe the current state of this team.

White has apparently been good on the analytics side, but like Nieto...I haven't been impressed. White hasn't ever really been an everyday player, and although he was a late 1st round pick, he just hasn't shown that type of top end ability.

Maybe this just sounds like questioning everything Sully does at this point...but I would have put Puustinen with Malkin before moving White up to that line. This just seems like desperation and a complete lack of....i don't even know the word to use.

Right! A line of DOC-Malkin-Puustinen isn't actually all that bad. You have a crash and banger, a playmaker and a sniper on the unit. It's possible Sullivan is scared Puustinen might put up too many points - forcing him to keep playing him when the team is fully healthy.

Hell, I wouldn't have even minded Acciari getting a look on the top 6 wing if you really wanted to get creative with the lines. But Colin White??? Come on!

Agreed on Acciari. I know he's not here for his offense, but the guy has 1 assist this season. And he's playing center. Maybe he's miscast as a center at even strength?? To me Acciari is a solid 3rd line banger who can score 12-15 goals when utilized properly.

When used properly is the operative term...

Acciari is definitely better at producing when he is on the wing. It would be really nice if we could bump Carter out, and have Eller-Acciari as 2/3 of a very strong 4th line, but, that would require us getting a good 3C.

[DelPen]

The word salad of what the Pens are doing to stop sucking Theon out there by Sullivan today was embarrassing for even him. Nothing he said addressed anything specific or anything really in general.

Can’t trade the players who are playing bad, trading the good players won’t make the team better now so there’s one solution. Edmonton was dead in the water early and they fired their coach and are now killing everyone. If Sullivan isn’t gone Sunday this team will be picking on the first round this year.

[FLPensFan]

Well, besides Madden, looks like another Penguins media person has taken off the Penguin-blinders...

Rossi article in The Athletic today: https://theathletic.com/5222771/2024/01 ... ed_article

Comment section exists all 50 remaining fans that think a rebuild is dumb and the team should keep Guentzel.

[FLPensFan]

So, I decided to buy a one-day AHLTV subscription tonight to watch WBS. I'm literally at the point I'd rather watch WBS to see what they have, rather than watch this inconsistent NHL Penguins team.

BTW, Puljujarvi with another goal on the 1st shot of the game, 1:05 into the first period. Poulin-Zohorna-Puljujarvi is WBS 2nd line. Blomqvist in goal vs...Louis Domingue for Hartford.

[BONVIE]

Why can't we get a deal like this?

The Edmonton Oilers announced Monday that they have signed forward Corey Perry to a one-year contract with an average annual value of $775,000

[KG]

Why can't we get a deal like this?

The Edmonton Oilers announced Monday that they have signed forward Corey Perry to a one-year contract with an average annual value of $775,000

Perry was only going to sign with a contender...Our Pens are pretenders...

[BigMcK]

Well, besides Madden, looks like another Penguins media person has taken off the Penguin-blinders...

Rossi article in The Athletic today: https://theathletic.com/5222771/2024/01 ... ed_article

Comment section exists all 50 remaining fans that think a rebuild is dumb and the team should keep Guentzel.

Would be nice to read the article as I don't have a subscription.

[Tico Rick]

So, I decided to buy a one-day AHLTV subscription tonight to watch WBS. I'm literally at the point I'd rather watch WBS to see what they have, rather than watch this inconsistent NHL Penguins team.

BTW, Puljujarvi with another goal on the 1st shot of the game, 1:05 into the first period. Poulin-Zohorna-Puljujarvi is WBS 2nd line. Blomqvist in goal vs...Louis Domingue for Hartford.

So is it a 10-game tryout that Puljujarvi has with WBS? If so, Dubas will soon have a decision to make. If Puljujarvi's hip isn't bothering him, I'd like to see him up with the Pens, even if just to see what he can do at the NHL level.

[Coffey Break]

Sam Poulin scored his 9th goal in 21 games also - assisted by Puljujarvi.

[FLPensFan]

So, I decided to buy a one-day AHLTV subscription tonight to watch WBS. I'm literally at the point I'd rather watch WBS to see what they have, rather than watch this inconsistent NHL Penguins team.

BTW, Puljujarvi with another goal on the 1st shot of the game, 1:05 into the first period. Poulin-Zohorna-Puljujarvi is WBS 2nd line. Blomqvist in goal vs...Louis Domingue for Hartford.

So is it a 10-game tryout that Puljujarvi has with WBS? If so, Dubas will soon have a decision to make. If Puljujarvi's hip isn't bothering him, I'd like to see him up with the Pens, even if just to see what he can do at the NHL level.

AHL tryouts allow them to play up to 25 games. Tonight is game 9. I think the next step for Puljujarvi is to see if he can play in all 3 weekend games at the AHL level. He seems to be performing well, but we aren't getting any medical reports. The biggest thing with this surgery is swelling and inflammation, which becomes painful.

So, we need to see if he's still been pain free and can ramp to playing back to backs or all 3 of a weekend series.

[E-Ramone]

So, I decided to buy a one-day AHLTV subscription tonight to watch WBS. I'm literally at the point I'd rather watch WBS to see what they have, rather than watch this inconsistent NHL Penguins team.

BTW, Puljujarvi with another goal on the 1st shot of the game, 1:05 into the first period. Poulin-Zohorna-Puljujarvi is WBS 2nd line. Blomqvist in goal vs...Louis Domingue for Hartford.

So is it a 10-game tryout that Puljujarvi has with WBS? If so, Dubas will soon have a decision to make. If Puljujarvi's hip isn't bothering him, I'd like to see him up with the Pens, even if just to see what he can do at the NHL level.

AHL tryouts allow them to play up to 25 games. Tonight is game 9. I think the next step for Puljujarvi is to see if he can play in all 3 weekend games at the AHL level. He seems to be performing well, but we aren't getting any medical reports. The biggest thing with this surgery is swelling and inflammation, which becomes painful.

So, we need to see if he's still been pain free and can ramp to playing back to backs or all 3 of a weekend series.

Man, that sounds like a really miserable injury especially for a young guy playing pro hockey. I can’t imagine having the talent to play, but then having your body let you down so early in your career. I really hope this dude can thrive and play pain free.

[FLPensFan]

So, I decided to buy a one-day AHLTV subscription tonight to watch WBS. I'm literally at the point I'd rather watch WBS to see what they have, rather than watch this inconsistent NHL Penguins team.

BTW, Puljujarvi with another goal on the 1st shot of the game, 1:05 into the first period. Poulin-Zohorna-Puljujarvi is WBS 2nd line. Blomqvist in goal vs...Louis Domingue for Hartford.

So is it a 10-game tryout that Puljujarvi has with WBS? If so, Dubas will soon have a decision to make. If Puljujarvi's hip isn't bothering him, I'd like to see him up with the Pens, even if just to see what he can do at the NHL level.

AHL tryouts allow them to play up to 25 games. Tonight is game 9. I think the next step for Puljujarvi is to see if he can play in all 3 weekend games at the AHL level. He seems to be performing well, but we aren't getting any medical reports. The biggest thing with this surgery is swelling and inflammation, which becomes painful.

So, we need to see if he's still been pain free and can ramp to playing back to backs or all 3 of a weekend series.

Man, that sounds like a really miserable injury especially for a young guy playing pro hockey. I can’t imagine having the talent to play, but then having your body let you down so early in your career. I really hope this dude can thrive and play pain free.

I think the one thing Puljujarvi has going for him is, all the other hockey players that had this done were in their 30s...Patrick Kane, Nick Backstrom, Ed Jovanoski, and Ryan Kesler. On the flip side, I'm not sure if any of them had DOUBLE hip surgery. Puljujarvi had both hips done. But Puljujarvi being only 25 versus the other guys that were in their 30s, plus, I would have to imagine there has been some advance/improvement in the process in the years since others had this done.

Rooting for JP to earn a contract.

[Pens4Life]

I would just move Geno to LW, Eller centering 2nd line, Malkin isnt responsible on defense enough anymore for years.. I would call up Poulin, Puusty back down to AHL for few weeks,because Sully is killing him.. move Acciari to RW as he is best there, White C 4th line

Guentzel - Crosby - Rust
Malkin - Eller - Rakell
DOC - Poulin - Acciari
Harkins - White - Carter

I wish Sully and Reirden would be gone already enough is enough.. I dont think KD has free hands in this!?

[Wyopen]

They will do the same thing to Poulin as they did to Puustinen. You’re absolutely right, KD does not have a free hand in this. FSG wants marketing not necessarily a championship.

[Badger Bob]

Well, besides Madden, looks like another Penguins media person has taken off the Penguin-blinders...

Rossi article in The Athletic today: https://theathletic.com/5222771/2024/01 ... ed_article

Comment section exists all 50 remaining fans that think a rebuild is dumb and the team should keep Guentzel.

Would be nice to read the article as I don't have a subscription.

Rossi: The Penguins aren’t Stanley Cup contenders. Enter Kyle Dubas
By Rob Rossi
Jan 24, 2024
196

The maddening own goal that Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin inflicted upon the Pittsburgh Penguins in a disastrous third-period against the Arizona Coyotes on Monday night appeared to leave Sidney Crosby in disbelief. After he watched Letang send the puck backward to Malkin then Malkin deflect it into an open net, Crosby reached over his head and rested his stick across his shoulder pads as he skated across the ice and to the visitors bench at Mullett Arena.

That image embodies the current state of the Penguins.

They are good in some games. They are bad in some games. They are in the mix for a playoff spot.

They are not a Stanley Cup contender.

Nothing that happens over a couple of home games before the All-Star break, or a couple of weeks after it, is going to turn them into one. Only nine months into a seven-year contract as hockey boss, general manager Kyle Dubas shouldn’t proceed as though he can transform his first Penguins team into one capable of winning a championship.

He can’t.

He can, however, aggressively begin the hard job of setting up the Penguins for future success. Perhaps sooner than anybody would predict. Maybe even next season.

Success for the Penguins is defined as contending for the Cup. And they haven’t won a playoff series since 2018.

Dubas inherited a team that finished 21-22-7 in its final 50 games last season. The best he could do, despite a bevy of offseason moves, is build a team that is 21-17-6 after 44 games this season.

When those are the results, who cares about models and metrics?

The Penguins have played to a .527 points percentage over their last 90 games — an 86-point pace over a full regular season. They’ve shown what they are, and it’s not close to good enough to win the Cup.

The only logical next step is for Dubas to make moves and get them to that level.

That does not mean a full-on rebuild. The Penguins won’t rebuild with Crosby, and Crosby isn’t going anywhere.

He does want to win the Cup a fourth time. He wants to do that with the Penguins, and he’s still great enough that his wish is within reach. It will require him to not only trust Dubas but privately approve and publicly support necessary moves that likely will make this another spring without postseason hockey in Pittsburgh.

This dynamic — Crosby producing at historic levels as he approaches two decades in the league, but the Penguins not matching his excellence — is said to place Dubas in an impossible position. How can he, say, trade Jake Guentzel and do right by Crosby?

Quite easily, actually. It starts with Dubas having a tough conversation with Crosby about what should be an easy decision.

Guentzel is on pace for a third consecutive season of at least 35 goals, and the Penguins might end up missing the postseason twice over that span. At 29, Guentzel is playing on the final season of a contract he has vastly outperformed — and Dubas, who inherited no prospect system and only a few serviceable young players, can create a bidding war among actual Cup contenders looking to rent a proven playoff performer.

Dubas should sell Guentzel as soon as another GM offers the right deal. While pitting other GMs against one another for Guentzel, Dubas should also actively seek trades for any players besides Crosby, Malkin, Letang and Marcus Pettersson.

He should listen to any inquiries about Pettersson, too.

There are complications, of course, in the form of movement clauses and cap space. GMs are paid, and in Dubas’ case quite well ($5 million annually), to work through those details for the betterment of their franchise.

The Penguins will not win any of these deals, at least not in terms of talent-for-talent swaps.

That’s fine. Dubas can’t afford to think too much about what will happen the rest of this season. He has a chance to add assets — any are better than none — and create more cap space going into a transitional offseason. He can weaponize any draft picks, prospects and cap space to execute a plan for next season and beyond.

He wasn’t afforded that luxury upon taking control of the Penguins last June. Years of mismanagement forced a quick pivot and resulted in some big swings.

Dubas was right to take those swings.

The best Penguins GMs — Craig Patrick, Ray Shero, Jim Rutherford — always took big swings. Patrick had Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr. Shero and Rutherford had Crosby, Malkin and Letang. Any GM who isn’t swinging big every season with players of that stature is derelict of duty.

Trading Guentzel would be a big swing. Hitting a reset button by also moving Reilly Smith before the deadline and possibly Tristan Jarry in the offseason would be big swings. Conceding defeat on the Erik Karlsson experiment would be a big swing, though Dubas might need quite a few hacks to pull off any deal.

Moving on from your best winger, an established forward, a goalie who was just given a five-season commitment, and the greatest offensive defenseman since Paul Coffey would be the hockey equivalent of Aaron Judge aiming for the short porch at Yankee Stadium, or at least as close as Dubas can get.

He should dig in and swing away on others while working the count on Guentzel.

He should do so as part of a multi-layered plan to infuse his organization with futures while also providing Crosby, Malkin and Letang with a roster the next couple of seasons that is younger and deeper, with players who want to be in Pittsburgh and are willing to follow Crosby’s lead instead of marching to their tune, with teammates who push back more often, and with cap-space flexibility to add if the team proves itself more than merely a fringe playoff contender.

The Penguins won’t have a first-round pick in 2024 because of the Karlsson deal with the San Jose Sharks. They also are without multiple picks — a third and fifth in 2024, a second in 2025 — because of past trades. Their best prospect, Brayden Yager, is an undersized forward at least a couple of seasons away from making the NHL roster.

The Penguins need draft capital, more prospects and younger legs. Dubas has a chance to add that over the next several months.

Easy? Hardly.

Achievable? Indeed.

The cap is finally going up after years of stagnancy. Even with a couple of retained salaries already on the books, the Penguins project for somewhere around $14 million in space. Dubas can create a lot more, and he should.

The Penguins haven’t had tangible cap space for a GM to play with in the offseason since 2010. They didn’t need it as much then as now because Crosby, Malkin, and Letang (among others) were entering their primes.

They’re not prime players anymore. Even Crosby, great as he’s been this season, isn’t what he was once upon a time.

He needs more help. So do Malkin and Letang.

The guess here is that the Big Three are aware it isn’t working. Dubas owes them only an explanation for the direction he wants to take. They deserve to know how the plan will make the Penguins better next season.

Then, the call is theirs — individually or collectively — whether they want to be a part of it. If not, they owe it to the Penguins to say they want out publicly.

A lot of people presume Crosby, Malkin and Letang will chafe at a plan like this. I don’t.

Crosby, Malkin and Letang’s legacies are set. They don’t need to chase titles somewhere else. They want to go after another one where they are already living legends.

They aren’t the cut-and-run types. Never have been.

Give them a little credit for how much they care about the Penguins crest they’ve worn for their entire adult lives.

Dubas should share his plan with his franchise stalwarts. He should ask their thoughts. He should also act independently.

He’s going to be judged by what happens next season and beyond in Pittsburgh. They won’t.

[IntangibleBeer]

There was a pretty good debate on Maddens’s show today between him and Bombulie. Bombulie basically argued for the status quo:

—Keep Sullivan
—Keep Guentzel
—Just trying to surround the core with talent and try to make one more good run in the next 2-3 years

He mostly based this on the positive underlying analytics and the fact that Crosby deserves it.

Madden didn’t argue for completely blowing it up but maybe more serious retooling:

—Trade Guentzel
—Keep Sullivan for now, but fire him in the offseason if they miss the playoffs again
—Ask Crosby what he wants to do at the end of the season—stick it out with the Pens through an uncertain retooling or looking at a trade to a real contender (though now that I type that, trading Crosby would amount to blowing it up)

They both agreed the PP should be blown up and Malkin at least taken off PP1.

In regards to the PP, they have the pieces to make a great unit in theory. The problem is, not all of those guys are stars, and they can't get out of their own way and just do it.

-Puustinen on the LW boards, in the OVI spot. He's made a living there in the AHL from that spot.
-Karlsson at the top QB-ing the PP as he has always done.
-Crosby RW boards or down low, whichever suits his skills best.
-Someone like DOC or Guentzel in front of the net. DOC would be more Hornqvist lite type of role, whereas Guentzel is probably second only to Crosby in terms of deflecting pucks on net
-Any other 5th player not Malkin or Letang...probably Rakell as a rover style player or RW boards if Crosby is behind the net.

Put Malkin and Letang on PP2, with Rust, Smith, and Eller. Why is so hard?

In terms of the MM and Bombulie discussion...Madden is the realist and Bombulie wears the Penguin cheerleader outfit. It's been 6 years since our last playoff series win. Some poor goaltending mixed in or not, I don't know any other coach in the league that could be behind the bench with this talented core, and still keep his job after 5 years of failure.

If we haven't learned after 2 years in a row that surrounding your 35 year old core with a bunch more 30-35 year old perimeter players isn't the answer, then there a lot of people in this organization that are Darwin award level stupid.

Thank you. That is the absolutely correct take on all of this. I don't know why Sullivan can't make these changes, but if he doesn't make them, he should be gone. In fact, given that he's lost their attention he should be gone anyway. This team can probably go a lot farther than it's shown, but not with him as coach. I'm sorry. I like him, but it's not working.

[KG]

I agree with pretty much everything Rossi mentioned. Selling high on Jake, replenishing assets, cap space to quickly improve etc. I'm on board with it. However, you need to bring in a different coach and philosophy as well.

FSG needs to let Dubas bring in his own coach.

[pronovost19]

I agree with pretty much everything Rossi mentioned. Selling high on Jake, replenishing assets, cap space to quickly improve etc. I'm on board with it. However, you need to bring in a different coach and philosophy as well.

FSG needs to let Dubas bring in his own coach.

Spezza?

[Pitts]

From the DK notes today regarding morning practice:

Kyle Dubas, Jason Spezza, Vuki Mpofu, Andy Saucier, Amanda Kessel, Tom Kostopoulos are all watching from the management balcony. Big group today.

Crap about to hit the fan? We can hope! Also:

• Same lines and pairings as yesterday, with Bryan Rust on the top line, Colin White on the second, and Rickard Rakell on the third.

Jake Guentzel - Sidney Crosby - Bryan Rust
Drew O'Connor - Evgeni Malkin - Colin White
Rickard Rakell - Lars Eller - Valtteri Puustinen
Jansen Harkins - Noel Acciari - Jeff Carter

Marcus Pettersson - Kris Letang
Ryan Graves - Erik Karlsson
P.O Joseph - Chad Ruhwedel/Ryan Shea

• A lot of 4-on-4 work today.

• Onto power play work now.

• PP1: Karlsson, Crosby, Malkin, Guentzel, Rust

• PP2: Letang, Rakell, Carter, Eller, Puustinen

• Long practice today. Going on about an hour already, not counting all the individual work before practice formally started. This is their last practice before the bye week/All-Star break, since it begins for them after Saturday's game.

[Pitts]

Found this interesting as well:

Oilers nearing Penguins' win streak record

The 1992-93 Penguins' record win streak of 17 games might be in Jeopardy.

The Oilers on Tuesday extended their win streak to 14 consecutive games with a 4-1 win over the Blue Jackets. It's the longest win streak a team has had since 2016-17, when the Blue Jackets won 16 straight before the Capitals stopped them just shy of the Penguins' record.

To tie the Penguins' record the Oilers will have to beat the Blackhawks on Thursday, the Predators on Saturday, and then the Golden Knights on Feb. 6 after the All-Star break/bye week. The game to beat the record would be Feb. 9 against the Ducks.

[KG]

Bonino is going on waivers. 3rd time is not the charm back here.