tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13455121939539964322024-02-07T10:08:56.598-08:00View From the IglooJordan Weiglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07890277016148216713noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345512193953996432.post-21132761745752682132008-03-12T05:20:00.001-07:002008-03-12T05:20:49.065-07:00TherrienYesterday in the Post Gazette, Dave Molinari reported this:<br /><br /><em>It took most of the season -- and a couple of serious injuries -- for defenseman Brooks Orpik to get a spot on the Penguins' penalty-killing unit.<br />Getting him off of it might be tougher.<br />Orpik has logged 18 minutes, 23 seconds of short-handed ice time in the past seven games and has not been on the ice for any of the seven power-play goals the Penguins have allowed in that span.</em><br /><br />All I can say is this: how damn stupid is Michel Therrien? To rip off a Guinness ad: “use a stay at home defenseman on the penalty kill instead of an offensive defenseman? Brilliant!” Seriously, Therrien is just figuring out now that using Orpik, a guy who’s pretty good in his own end, is more effective on the penalty kill that Ryan Whitney, who has proven to be a liability at best in his own end and is the softest defenseman on the team. I always thought this was obvious, but apparently not. It is also forcing me to reiterate what I have said in the past: the Penguins cannot win with Michel Therrien as coach. This is a perfect case of him not grasping a simple aspect plus shows he is still playing favorites.<br /><br />I would also like to mention again that whole effort thing, or lack thereof that continues to plague this team. When is the last time the Pens actually outplayed the other team? I honestly do not remember. And the most disturbing recurring trend: having about ten shots through two periods of play. You are one of the most offensively gifted teams in the league and they are managing about five shots in each of the first two periods before they decide to show up in the third. When it happens once or twice, ok, the team is in a funk. When it happens on a regular basis? I’m sorry, but that is coaching. Two years after Therrien has taken over this team can still not get up for an entire game. Two years!<br /><br />The Pens have been frustrating to watch this year because they can be so much better than they are. It’s simple, idiotic moves like putting Whitney on the PK that is keeping this team from being better than they are. Therrien’s complete lack of strategy is also another grave concern, as all this team can really do is cycle the puck.<br /><br />-JordanJordan Weiglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07890277016148216713noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345512193953996432.post-45267964152857893092008-02-28T18:02:00.000-08:002008-02-29T05:04:04.474-08:00Pens Are Still Not Top ContendersWith the acquisition of Marian Hossa and Hal Gill, many are saying that the Pens are now one of the top teams to beat in the East. I disagree.<br /><br />The Penguins offense is dynamic, there is no doubt about that. It continues to produce even without Sidney Crosby and when he gets back it will be a huge boost. Offense with this team isn’t a real problem, at least not talent wise. But there is more to winning than offense. Here is why I think the Pens aren’t top contenders.<br /><br /><strong><br />Defense</strong><br /><br />The defense is still mediocre. Gill is an improvement but nothing great. Whitney continues to be a liability in his own zone, even on his good nights. Orpik is our best stay at home all in all, and Scuderi, despite playing well this year is still Scuderi. Sydor has been a bust and Letang is still learning. Gonchar continues to be an offensive threat and hasn’t been awful in his own zone.<br /><br />There is no shut down defenseman on this team capable of taking another team’s top players. Though it is better than last year, it is still only an average corps.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Depth</strong><br /><br />With the rash of injuries the Pens lower line depth has been depleted with call up after call up filling in. Unfortunately, Taffe has been the best of the bunch all he really manages is not being a liability. Minard, Smith, James, Stone, Filewich, all have shown little in their games. I am surprised Shero didn’t go after a bottom line player like Martin Lapointe to help out and bring some more experience in.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Goaltending</strong><br /><br />There is a single symbol that can sum up the Pens goaltending going into the playoffs: <strong><span style="font-size:130%;">?<br /></span></strong><br /><br />Now I know what you’re thinking: teams with a mediocre defense and depth have won, even in the modern times. And you’re right. Those are two reasons, but neither is the most significant reason why the Pens are not contenders. This is the most significant reason.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Coaching</strong><br /><br />I like Therrien as a person, but he has demonstrated time and time again he does not know what to do with talent. He is a good coach for teaching fundamentals and developing young players like he did in Wilkes Barre for the Baby Pens, but since the Pens have developed into a good team he has been constantly unable to bring them to the next level.<br /><br />Half the nights this team doesn’t look like they came out to play with many first periods looking like a warm up. Still, two years after he has taken the reigns players are complaining they still cannot get a good 60 minutes in. Two years! In now way shape or form does a good coach have this problem. Sometimes a team won’t look like its ready, it happens, but with Therrien it happens more often than not. And if you want proof, tkae a look at tonights game against the Bruins. The Pens got three new players, including the most prized in Marian Hossa and they come out and act like its a scrimmage. The team is getting out hustled in every aspect and looks pathetic, and sadly this is not uncommon under Therrien.<br /><br />And what is Therrien’s solution? Why switch the lines up of course! Line changing is his solution to everything. He has no imagination or creativity. When the Pens call a timeout or are looking to make a set play, look over at the bench. Therrien is standing there doing nothing while Mike Yeo is drawing on the clip board giving instructions. Therrien does nothing with the game plan at all.<br /><br />And yes, Therrien still plays favorites. It’s the only reason a guy like Whitney, the defenseman with the worst defensive skills is on the penalty kill. He constantly plays Scuderi and Whitney in situations he shouldn’t and gives Orpik, better in his own end than both, the shaft. And he still has yet to figure out how to use either Ruutu or Laraque properly.<br /><br />Talent wise, do the Penguins have the ability to win the cup? Yes. But I’m afraid that the lack of coaching on Therrien’s part makes it so that as long as he is behind the bench this team cannot win (meaning that Hossa trade will most likely be a big waste). You can't win on talent alone, the talent needs to be molded together and utilized to it's fullest, something Therrien is incapable of doing.<br /><br /><br />-JordanJordan Weiglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07890277016148216713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345512193953996432.post-3107600737147499672008-02-26T17:01:00.001-08:002008-02-26T17:01:55.182-08:00Pens Deadline FalloutThe deadline has come and gone, and the Penguins made two deals in an attempt to bolster their roster. One wasn’t a big surprise, the other shocked the league and everyone did a double take.<br /><br /><strong>Hal Gill for a 2nd and 5th round pick</strong><br />Shero addressed the Pens lack of physical blue line play by acquiring Hal Gill from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Gill isn’t great, but he’s a definite upgrade over Scuderi and while not the most physical is physical enough. Plus he can clear the net. The price was a bit high, as is his contract that goes through next year, but all in all he will help.<br /><br /><br /><br /><strong>Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis for Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, Angelo Esposito and a 1st round pick</strong><br />I am not a fan of this deal at all. I don’t think this is the year for the Pens but Shero and ownership apparently does. While Armstrong is replaceable and I don’t think Christensen could fully develop playing behind Crosby, Malkin and Staal, their loss will be felt especially in the locker room. Losing Esposito, arguably the Pens best prospect and a 1st rounder will take away from an already depleted prospect pool.<br /><br />Dupuis was brought in for his penalty killing skills, and it’s quite obvious why Hossa was traded for. He will give Crosby the much needed winger as Hossa is one of the best in the league.<br /><br />This trade has some long term implications and I’m sad to say they’re all bad. Hossa is going to seek $7+ million for his new deal, and while the Pens can afford it they will become the new Tampa Bay when Malkin gets his new deal, having the big three of Crosby, Malkin and Hossa. If they don’t resign him and don’t win the cup (both slim, but I think the former the less likely sadly), then this deal will be nothing but a waste. Either way, the Pens lose.<br /><br /><br />I feel Shero gave up too much this deadline. It’s not that the return was little, it’s that the price was too steep and the long term implications too great. Frankly, I liked the deadlines where the Pens did nothing better than this.Jordan Weiglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07890277016148216713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345512193953996432.post-65643141549868257902008-02-15T10:34:00.000-08:002008-02-15T10:35:34.905-08:00Pens Deadline StatusWith the current play of the team, barring a serious meltdown the Pens are poised to make the playoffs yet again. Where is another matter as the Atlantic division is such a tight race you can be first in one week and fourth the next. That makes shoring up the team that much more important for the deadline.<br /><br />In a recent interview with the Post Gazette Ray Shero said not to expect any big deals from his end. This fits right into Shero’s MO and frankly one I agree with. I do not think it is prudent to give up a first round pick and more for a rental player that won’t be signed. When you look at past deals like this, they normally don’t help a whole lot. Just last year the following big names failed to have a significant impact on there new teams after being obtained for a ransom: Bill Guerin (Sharks), Mattias Norstrom (Stars), Keith Tkachuk (Thrashers), Ryan Smyth (Islanders) and Peter Forsberg (Predators) just to name a few. Most these teams were gone in the first round. They didn’t do bad, but they failed to take the team to the next level, which is the whole point of making the deal.<br /><br />Another thing is team chemistry. The Pens have pretty good chemistry on the ice, but the locker room chemistry is great, possibly the best in the league. Many are young and have grown together the last few years and Therrien, despite his faults, has helped facilitate this with such things as team meals and taking a bus to practice instead of separate cars. You don’t want to add too much to disrupt things.<br /><br />Finally, there is good reason for the Pens not to make a big splash. First is that there is little chance of the Pens resigning someone. With upcoming contracts to young stars in the coming years plus some UFA’s this year (who will be mentioned below) the Pens wont be able to dish out a long term deal unless they want to let a young player walk or trade him for picks. Second is that the Pens prospect system is now quite depleted. We had one of the best pools for years but now those guys have made the team leaving the Pens with little to fall back on. Shero needs to restock the prospect pool and he knows that, especially now that with a cap system losing a player has become that much more likely to happen, so a constant supply of talent is needed.<br /><br /><br /><br /><strong>UFA’s</strong><br /><br />The Pens have a number of unrestricted free agents after this year. Here is the list and whether or not they should be kept for the deadline, or used as trade bait.<br /><br />Gary Roberts- Keep. Roberts is always a sought after deadline acquisition because he is a playoff beast. He’s won’t the cup, has loads of leadership and experience and adds much needed grit. You could get a good amount for him, but he is more valuable to the team.<br /><br />Ryan Malone- Keep. Malone is one of the Pens best wingers and has picked up his play this year. On a team lacking wings trading him shouldn’t be a thought.<br /><br />Geroges Laraque- Keep. While not the best playoff performer, Laraque puts things on an even keel. You need him to protect the stars, and he should definitely be resigned.<br /><br />Jarkko Ruutu- Listen to Offers. Agitators are good, but Jarrko hasn’t done well here since Therrien doesn’t know how to utilize him. If someone offers a good deal for him, I would say take it as I don’t see him coming back after this year.<br /><br />Adam Hall- Keep. Hall is good on the PK and forecheck, and doesn’t really hurt as a 13th forward. Return would be minimal so it wouldn’t even be worth while to deal him.<br /><br />Kris Beech- Discard. Little more than a stop gap for injuries, as soon as players start coming back look for him to be on waivers and sent to WBS.<br /><br />Mark Eaton- N/A. Eaton is out for the season and little use to anyone at the moment.<br /><br />Brooks Orpik- Keep. Orpik gets a lot more flak than he should, often being the scapegoat for defense. If you think either Scuderi or Whitney are better than him in the defensive zone you’re blind. He needs to be kept as defense is always key in the playoffs, and he should be resigned in the off season.<br /><br />Ty Conklin- Keep. You can’t get rid of a hot goalie, period.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><strong>What to target</strong><br /><br />As mentioned earlier Shero wont go for a big acquisition. But the Pens still need some help.<br /><br />Scoring Winger- someone that can at least keep up with Crosby and tap it in. It doesn’t need to be a big name but there has to be someone better than Armstrong to play along with Sid. Kennedy will most likely take one spot upon his return but we still need another.<br /><br />Lower Line Depth- Pens still need some additional grit on the lower lines. Taffe and Smith while not playing horrible are only able to not mess things up at their best. You need better than that. You need guys that make the other team play with their head up and be responsible in their own end.<br /><br />Physical Defenseman- Orpik remains the only physical defenseman on the team, and Letang coming in at #2 is kind of sad, nothing against Letang but he’s not quite a physical presence. Even if it’s a #4 or #5 guy, give Scuderi the bump to the press box and add this guy in. If you can get the likes of Barret Jackman from St. Louis without spending too much, do it.<br /><br /><br /><br /><strong>Who to Dangle<br /></strong><br />Like I’ve said a few times the Pens can’t afford to give up a bevy of higher picks to land guys. But we do have some young players that are tradable.<br /><br />Erik Christensen- don’t get me wrong, I like the guy. But the problem is I don’t think he can succeed on this team. Look at our center depth: Crosby, Malkin, Staal and Talbot. Crosby and Malkin have the top two lines while Staal and Talbot should fill out the lower two. Christensen’s attempts to adjust to wing have failed, meaning center is the only place for him. With that being crowded, they should attempt to deal him for either a young defenseman or winger where the Pens lack depth.<br /><br />Alex Goligoski- again, nothing against him, but look at the Pens defense. You have Gonchar, Whitney and Letang as offensive guys, Sydor a two way and Orpik and Scuderi as stay at homes. Goligoski is offensive, something we don’t really need. If you can swap him for another young/younger guy then do it. He could end up a good player, but offense from the blue line isn’t something we’re in need of. I would say only give him away if you get a young stay at home blue liner though.<br /><br />Mid to Late Round Picks- don’t give up a high pick unless there is a young player coming back. The mid to late picks have a much lesser chance of yielding a future player and thus are more expendable. As I said before, we need the early picks to restock our prospect system.<br /><br />-JordanJordan Weiglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07890277016148216713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345512193953996432.post-66569355527324239152008-02-08T06:00:00.001-08:002008-02-08T06:00:30.975-08:00The Whitney SagaSince Michel Therrien publicly called out Ryan Whitney for his poor play against the Devils on Monday night, there has been quite a bit of fuss over it. Whitney hasn’t played well the past month or two, and has actually regressed this year. But Therrien, despite getting criticism for his maneuver was absolutely right in doing so. Whitney needed a kick in the ass. He had yet to be benched and we hadn’t heard any criticism on him from the organization at all this year. He responded last night with two goals and an improved defensive game, almost making you wonder if Therrien should call him out after every game.<br /><br />But that’s not the main point of this article. There has been quite a bit of buzz since Therrien’s call out about Whitney from the fans and media, two members in particular, and I want to address them.<br /><br /><br />The Fans<br />As opinionated as ever, the fans tend to have a wide range of emotions regarding the young blue liner, but there seem to be three that are prevalent.<br /><br />1) The “I love Whitney” Crowd<br />These guys gush over Whitney like he is the second coming of Orr at times. They see nothing but the upside Whitney can bring but ignore his struggles. In other words, they’re fanboys. Overly optimistic is a good way to describe them and they get annoyed when you say something negative about him.<br /><br />2) The “I Hate Whitney” Crowd<br />These guys are over the top but luckily in the minority. They see only what he has done recently and some go as far as to say trade him and get what you can. These are the kind of people we always tell we are glad they aren’t our GM because they just don’t btehr to think things through.<br /><br />3) The “Whitney has a way to go” Crowd<br />This is where myself and most of the logical fans stand. Whitney has tons of potential no doubt, but he also has some serious flaws. His defensive game is suspect even for an offensive minded defender, and worst of all he seems to be terrified of physical contact never playing the body or willing to take a hit to make the play. We also realize Whitney is only 24 and still has a long time left to develop. He’s had his problems, but he’s far from a bust.<br /><br /><br /><br />The Media<br />Now for the most part the Pittsburgh media has remained unbiased, seeing what Therrien did as necessary. However there are two well known members that immediately rushed to the rescue as soon as Therrien called Whitney out: Rob Rossi and Mark Madden.<br /><br />Rossi sites that no one should expect Whitney to be physical and that Therrien calling him out for it was basically a cheap shot. Rossi couldn’t be more wrong. When a guy is standing in front of a net you move on him, not let him stand there because, just like Monday, they will score on you. You don’t have to run him over, just tangle him up. Rossi doesn’t seem to know the difference between this though. People don’t expect Whitney to be physical, that’s not a problem. What they expect is for him to cover a person in front of the net or take a hit to make a play. If Kris Letang is willing to at 5’10 there is no reason Whitney shouldn’t be at 6’4. But Rossi doesn’t get that, thinking that saying a lack of physical play means people expect play like Orpik. Rossi, please don’t comment on things you don’t understand. And that you stated how nice a guy Whitney is and willing to give you interviews only shows you are being biased on the matter.<br /><br />Then there is Mark Madden. The self indulged radio host who is desperately wanting to be a cool badass. Whitney always appears on his show, and anyone who does that Madden will forever defend like he did Ian Moran who everyone knew was awful but Madden would actually call a second pairing guy. But you have someone like Jerome Bettis who missed one show and Madden takes shots at him every chance he gets not only at the person as a player, but as a person as well. It’s this kind of petty behavior that sparks the booing at the Igloo every time Madden appears on the jumbotron. Look Mark, we get you don’t want to say anything bad about him because he is friendly with you, but really, you go way overboard. Saying Whitney will be a Norris contender in coming years is, well, idiotic. When is the last time the Norris Winner wasn’t good in both ends of the ice? Whitney still has a long way to go before he is even decent in his own end.<br /><br />This kind of biased fanboy treatment from Rossi and Madden annoy me. They don’t want their “buddy” to be criticized. No, they expect the coach to tell him everything he does is right, pat him on the back and say “good job!” This is exactly how you ruin a player’s development.<br /><br />A person can only tell so much of what they do wrong. It gets to a point where they need to be told their mistakes. They need instruction. Whitney wasn’t playing well, he got called out and put up a three point night. Do you honestly think he would have done this if not called out? Rossi and Madden don’t want Whitney’s feelings hurt. They guy is making $4mm a year and is a professional athlete, if he cant take come criticism there is something seriously wrong with him. Probably too much pampering of people telling him what a good job he’s done all the time.<br /><br />Seeing where I am going with this? Rossi and Madden want preferential treatment for Whitney because he is media friendly and they’re willing to ignore his actual play in his defense. They are willing to ignore what really needs to be done to help a player because they don’t like Therrien’s methods. It is very unprofessional for members of the media to do something like this.<br /><br />After both Madden and Rossi spoke out Whitney said the next day how he wasn’t offended (pay attention Rob and Mark: Ryan can fend for himself!) He’s played for Therrien since his time with the Baby Pens and knows exactly what Therrien is doing. “Tough love” is how he put it. Even Steigy and Errey were commenting on how Whitney can take it and knows what he needs to do. It’s part of the game. If the guy who the comments were made at takes it in stride than there is no reason people should be jumping all over Therrien for doing his job.<br /><br />The funniest thing about this situation? If Therrien did this to someone Madden didn’t like Madden would be praising Therrien for calling the guy out and needing to do it more often, plus the guy needs benched etc. Madden holds a complete hypocritical stance and nothing but double standards. And face it, theirs is a reason he disconnects people who he can’t beat in an argument because he knows he is wrong but does it anyways.<br /><br />So in closing, I will say this. Whitney is still young and needs time. He has his faults, and they are plenty, but there is still a lot of time for him to get better. Things like a call out will help him in the long run because it points out something he is doing wrong. Telling him everything is fine is a good way to ruin his career because you will never get anything more from him than you are now. Acting like he is awesome or horrible are extremes that should be ignored. He’s still developing and only time will tell how good he really becomes. But he needs help along the way, and that’s exactly what Therrien did Monday night whether you have the intelligence to realize it or not.<br /><br /> -JordanJordan Weiglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07890277016148216713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345512193953996432.post-19183895581220869112008-01-03T09:07:00.001-08:002008-01-03T09:07:34.402-08:00Time to Deal Assets?For years the Penguins have horded their assets to rebuild a team that can no longer afford veterans. But now the time has come where I believe they can start dealing some of their assets, as in picks and prospects, in order to obtain established players.<br /><br />The Pens still have some glaring weaknesses, namely a reliable defenseman and a scoring winger, despite these being addressed in the off season. Petr Sykora has done a decent job though better suited to Malkin’s style of play, though Therrien continues to play him with guys he doesn’t mesh well with. We need someone who is quick to keep pace with Crosby, and I’m not talking fast but with hands of stone a la Konstantin Koltsov.<br /><br />The Pens are a young team, with a core that is mostly below the age of 25. That’s a good start, and it also means that picks and prospects are more expendable at this point in time. So I say lets start dealing some of these picks, even first or second rounders to get some established veterans who are in their prime and not in a coming contract year. I think paying a 1st rounder for a deadline rental is too steep. But if you can get someone who will fill a major team need without thoroughly gutting the draft or prospect pool, than I say go for it.<br /><br />Now, I’m not saying to do this for every hole in the Penguins lineup. I don’t condone going Pat Quinn ape-shit and dealing every prospect/pick you have for veterans. But I think the team can afford to let some of them go if it means a long term fix and makes sense for the team.<br /><br />The Pens especially need a defenseman now that Mark Eaton is gone for the year. He was the only one that was consistently reliable in his own end among the defenders. Rob Scuderi, despite having a strong start to the season, is devolving back into his old self. I’m not sure what Therrien’s fascination with him is, but he is definitely playing favorites as he was constantly playing him over Brooks Orpik, who has not been bad and remains the only physical presence on the blue line.<br /><br />Our prospect pool is depleted when it comes to immediate help, with only Ryan Stone and Jonathan Filewich anything close to call ups. But that doesn’t mean the prospects who are still a few years from the minors isn’t deep. Maybe its time to look at dealing some them for help now and some years down the line.<br /><br />-JordanJordan Weiglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07890277016148216713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345512193953996432.post-22459216771650816332007-12-12T07:16:00.000-08:002007-12-12T07:17:20.877-08:00Penguins Wishlist 2K7As the Chanukah/ Christmas season approaches, we all get certain things in our minds such as gifts, snow, long lines at the mall, gifts, Santa, his elves and reign deer, the same twelve songs played 24-7, gifts, movies like Christmas Story, Miracle on 34th Street, Christmas Vacation, Die Hard, Bad Santa, BOOZE and finally gifts.So in the spirit of the holiday we at View from the Igloo have put together our Chanukah/ Christmas wish list for the holiday season.<br /><br /><br />1) A stay at home physical defenseman<br />We’ve been asking for one since Ulf Samuelsson left a decade ago and still have yet to get one outside of Brooks Orpik that is capable of hitting and actually covering people at one time. Sadly the next closest thing we have had is Jamie Pushor and Eric Cairns. Credit to Shero for going after Hannan though losing out, but I can’t figure out why he signed Sydor as a back up plan.<br /><br /><br />2) Bob Errey fired<br />I am starting to think the mute button was invented because of Bob Errey. There are few things more annoying than Errey during a broadcast with his homerism, inability to tell who the penalty is on and constantly back patting himself when he sees something on the ice that everyone else saw but said nothing because they knew it was meaningless. Yet Errey continues to bombard our ears with attempts at humor and cuteness that make a Devils-Wild game look exciting and completely idiotic analysis. For a guy that played hockey as a career, he shows so little knowledge at times you really have to wonder. I find myself muting the Pens game more and more.<br /><br /><br />3) A coach that knows X’s and O’s<br />Part of me likes Therrien, and while he may be good at developing players, he is not good at using established players. His constant line juggling is insane, and half his scratches don’t make sense not to mention has shown the inability to use guys like Christensen and Ruutu to their strengths.<br /><br /><br />4) Resign Laraque<br />Anyone who thinks Laraque hasn’t made an impact on this team either A) doesn’t remember how bad things were before he was here or B) is just an idiot. See my previous article on why we should keep him on this team for some years to come.<br /><br />5) Ryan Whitney to grow a set<br />Seriously, I’ve never seen a player so fearful as Whitney. He seems utterly afraid to shoot the puck unless going for a back door pass and he definitely hates being hit. You’re an offensive defenseman whose 6’4 Ryan, really, grow some damn balls and take the hit in the corner and shoot the puck.<br /><br /><br />6) A scoring winger who can ACTUALLY keep up with Crosby.<br />What a waste. I’m tired of Crosby get the puck and shoot up ice only to find his wingers are still just up by center ice. Can we have someone that can keep up with him? Please? Most importantly, can that guy be a sniper? Yea yea, It’s hard to find and all so it’s down on the list but still I feel like we are wasting half of Crosby’s potential. Taters has played well this season and Colby is Colby but imagine Crosby with someone with some offensive firepower next to him. He could get over 150+ per season.<br /><br /><br />7) Marc Andre Fleury to take the next step.<br />Developing goalies is a crapshoot as it often takes them to develop into something. I hope that he will eventually see the light as he is easily one of the most talented goaltenders of all time but there’s something that seems to be missing. Some my call it confidence, some may say consistency whatever. He has shown the ability to make any and all saves but he can’t string them together during a course of the game. By any means there’s no reason to give up on the guy as he is still young enough to still become a franchise netminder.<br /><br /><br />8) Eric Christensen to also see the light.<br />Christensen at this point is a shootout guy. I like his shot and he has improved his skating this season but he still there seems to be something missing in his head. Sure he suffers from Ryan Whitneyitis but he’s trying. Sure he can’t get his shot on net half the time. Sure he can’t do jackshit in the corners but the talent is just oozing off this guy. He could be the sniper for Crosby but again there seems to be some sort of block. I have not seen much improvement in Christensen’s game either, partly to him being scratched every other game<br /><br /><br />9) Mark Recchi to hang them up.<br />Look I like Mark Recchi. Really, I do but come on man who are you kidding? I know you are collecting a paycheck but really you can afford to hang up the skates and get on with your life’s work. You’re effort is noticeable but the game has passed you by and you no longer have an role on this team outside of being a 4th liner. When the Pens are busy scratching better players in the 4th line role, it’s about time to look at yourself in the mirror and be honest to yourself. The fact that Recchi is Therrien’s pacifier doesn’t help either. Hopefully this season, Recchi can come to terms with the fact that he is nothing more than a player coach/healthy scratch.Jordan Weiglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07890277016148216713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345512193953996432.post-29496029733866948742007-12-04T09:20:00.001-08:002007-12-04T09:20:27.135-08:00Whitney- What the Hell?After having a breakout year the previous season, Ryan Whitney seems to be having just the opposite this year. Last year Whitney began to show the kind of poise and decision making that was expected of the 5th overall pick, but this year has looked extremely skittish.<br /><br />Whitney’s shortcomings were always apparent, but the problem is they are getting the best of him this year. Always reluctant to be hit, he seems to be looking to outright avoid it now, even if it means moving off the puck and letting the other guy get it. In your own zone, that is really dangerous. And really Ryan, you’re 6’4, you’re big enough to absorb a hit here and there.<br /><br />But getting hit isn’t Whitney’s only fear. Equal if not greater is his fear of shooting the puck. He is always looking to pass to someone more offensively gifted, and unless going for a back door shot cannot be counted on to take a shot on the power play, instead always passing back to Gonchar, Crosby or whomever else is available. Last night against Phoenix he showed he is nowhere close to ready to anchor the power play, which is a serious concern as he is our next Gonchar.<br /><br />His play in his own end has also failed to progress any. It’s one thing when you keep putting up the points that you are allowed a bit of a reprieve for lackluster defensive play, but when you fail to put up points you better be playing well in your own end. Whitney continues to avoid contact and have sub-par coverage of the forwards.<br /><br />Now, I’m not trying to say Whitney isn’t going to get any better or that he should be given up on. Anyone who says that is an idiot and you should automatically disregard anything they say. But a quarter way through the season Whitney has only shown he has regressed from last season and isn’t showing any signs of improvement thus far. That is concerning.<br /><br />-JordanJordan Weiglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07890277016148216713noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345512193953996432.post-54944110715471970142007-11-14T09:27:00.001-08:002007-11-14T09:27:54.595-08:00Laraque IS Doing His JobThere has been some talk recently about how Georges Laraque has not done his job since he arrived in Pittsburgh protecting our star players who are still receiving cheap shots and thus is useless or not doing his job. I can’t disagree with this more.<br /><br />First off, if you say the cheap shots haven’t subsided at all, you didn’t watch the games last year or you are purposefully blinding yourself to what he has done. The amount of cheap shots have decreased significantly since his arrival. No longer are Crosby and Malkin taking shot after shot by everyone and their mother.<br /><br />Secondly, it’s not Laraque’s sole purpose to keep these things from happening, nor is the responsibility solely his. People say he was brought in here to protect the stars and nothing else. Those people are wrong. Is it his main duty? Yes. Is it his only duty? Absolutely not. Laraque is known not just for being a great fighter, but the fact he can play with the puck; there is more to him than just fighting. He can create offensive chances and isn’t a big liability in the defensive zone like most enforcers are.<br /><br />If Laraque was so one dimensional, why give up Danial Carcillo and a 3rd for him? We could have had Todd Fedoruk or someone like him for nothing. It’s because Laraque can play. He can take a regular shift with the 4th line, so you don’t have to double shift people at all towards the end of a game when enforcers aren’t needed.<br /><br />Also, why is it Laraque’s sole duty to stop the shots at the good players? Why aren’t Talbot, Armstrong, Roberts, Hall and Ruutu doing something about it too? Everyone should be sticking up for their teammates, not just the toughest guy. It is more of a concern why no one else is stepping up when Crosby takes a shot than the fact Laraque isn’t preventing 100% of them.<br /><br />Third, and I want to make this point especially clear, NO ONE PERSON CAN STOP THESE FROM HAPPENING! It’s not possible, it just isn’t. Yet here people are complaining that Laraque can’t do his job because he hasn’t completely eliminated it. That is an unrealistic expectation. Derek Boogaard hasn’t stopped all the hits on Wild Players, George Parros for the Ducks hasn’t done it, neither has Raitis Ivanans of the Kings. No Player X on Team X had been able to do it, so why is Laraque getting criticism for it? This crap happens on every single team in the league, yet for some reason people only want to hold Laraque accountable.<br /><br />There is also the criticism that Laraque doesn’t fight enough. How often does Brashear fight? Or Parros or Ivanaens? Where are all the fights Boogaard gets in anymore? They’re not there. Just grabbing someone and beating the hell out of them doesn’t always make a difference. Fighters are a deterrent, not a solution.<br /><br />People also say Laraque is not feared. If so why does no one want to fight him? When in a scrum why does the other guy always skate away? Why is it when a player turns his head and sees Georges coming at him they get an “oh shit” look on their face? Why? Because they know he can beat the hell out of them anytime he wants.<br /><br />I am not going to deny Laraque needs to fight some more, but you have to understand that him fighting left and right won’t make things a lot better, if at all. Expect more instigator penalties for one. Second, when it comes to guys like Sean Avery, you beat him up and he still goes out and agitates. It’s doesn’t stop it from happening. The best you can do to stop it is a team effort to do it; having one tough guy wont make it stop. It never has, it never will. And don’t go on about Gretzky, that was a different era and not applicable.<br /><br />So if you think Laraque is not doing his job and having no impact, than you unrealistic expectations. The cheap shots will never stop 100%, and one person definitely cannot stop them from happening. It is not humanely possible.<br /><br />-JordanJordan Weiglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07890277016148216713noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345512193953996432.post-54771838373805609622007-11-07T10:07:00.001-08:002007-11-07T10:07:43.434-08:00Dont Give Up on FleuryThere has been a lot of talk in recent weeks about Ray Shero searching for a goaltender due to Fleury’s struggles, and once again the Fleury bashers are out in force seeking his removal. But to give up on Fleury at this point can be summed up in one move: idiotic.<br /><br />Apparently at age 22 when you have a boatload of skill you should already be an elite goaltender in the league. This is the point of view of many of his detractors, but their expectations are completely unrealistic.<br /><br />Most goaltenders who break into the NHL tend to break in at their mid 20’s, the higher skilled/picked ones maybe early twenties, and almost always as backups to a veteran. This way they can gain more experience without having the pressure of carrying a team on their back which helps their development. But let’s look at how Fleury has been handled.<br /><br />2003 (age 18): drafted 1st overall and plays 21 games for what will be one of the worst teams in the league before being returned to juniors. He plays for a total of three different teams that year, and after a fluke goal in the World Junior Tournament is already being called a bust.<br /><br />2005 (age 20): Is expected to back up Jocelyn Thibault who misses most the season with a hip injury. The team was totally revamped, but lacked any cohesion, no defense and still lacked a full time goalie coach. The Pens are pitiful once again and Fleury was forced to carry the load in net at a time most goalies are in their first year of minor league hockey.<br /><br />2006 (age 21): Assumes the starting role from Thibault and now has a full time goaltending coach. He gets 40 wins and plays very good in the playoffs, keeping the Sens from running the score up in most of the games.<br /><br />2007 (age 22): is once again the starting goalie, but still has a weak defense.<br /><br />So at 22 years old, Fleury is in his third season as a starter, an age where most goalies have yet to see any NHL action, and most as a backup. And let’s not forget that a goalie is the slowest developing position in hockey.<br /><br />Plus, think about it for a moment. A 22 year old player is a bust. How often do people ever find themselves saying this? It’s one thing if it’s a forward a la Alex Daigle who has been in the league four years, playing 15+ minutes a game and not producing, and even then you don’t declare them a bust, you’re just wary.<br /><br />Does Fleury let in some soft goals? Yes. But he also makes some saves a lot of goalies couldn’t. To give up on a 22 year old player, and a goalie at that, is ridiculous.<br /><br />Most goalies are still dreaming of the NHL at his age, let alone in their third year as a starter. Don’t give up on Fleury, there is still plenty of time for him to get better.<br /><br /><br />-JordanJordan Weiglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07890277016148216713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345512193953996432.post-84565875464803016262007-10-05T06:01:00.000-07:002007-10-05T06:11:04.537-07:00Pens Name Alternate CaptainsThe Pens announced the alternate captains today, and none came as a surprise. Recchi and Gonchar will continue to wear the letter on their shoulder, while the venerable Gary Roberts now carries the third on his uniform.<br /><br />It is hard to disagree with these choices at all. Recchi and Roberts have three cups between them and have seen as many playoff games than some of the younger players have regular season games. Gonchar has also been to a cup finals in '96 with the Capitals (remember that unforgettable easy win by the Red Wings in four games?) So the plethora of experience is quite obvious. Add in Petr Sykora and Darryl Sydor who have two cups each, the experience on the team gets even greater, and with the young players going through their trial by fire last year a playoff appearance this year should look much better.<br /><br />Interesting to note that that Roberts (41), Recchi (39) and Gonchar (33) are three of the four oldest players on the team, Sydor (35) being the last.<br /><br /><br />-JordanJordan Weiglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07890277016148216713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345512193953996432.post-42979154367740642092007-10-03T09:20:00.001-07:002007-10-03T09:20:19.608-07:00Pens Finalize RosterThe Pens Finalized their Roster on Tuesday and there were really no surprises. Kris Letang, who had a disappointing preseason, was sent to the minors along with Ryan Stone, Jonathan Filewich who both failed to show they were NHL ready. This cleared the way for Adam Hall who had an impressive preseason on a try out contract, earned himself a one year, two way deal that will pay him $525k in the NHL and $100k in the AHL, though he too would have to pass through waivers to be demoted. Mike Weaver, signed in the off season, was claimed by the Vancouver Canucks off waivers.<br />The final roster stands as this:<br /><br />Center:<br />Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Erik Christensen, Maxim Talbot<br /><br />Right Wing:<br />Petr Sykora, Mark Recchi, Colby Armstrong, Georges Laraque, Adam Hall<br /><br />Left Wing:<br />Jordan Staal (just moved from center), Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts, Jarkko Ruutu<br /><br /><br />Defense:<br />Sergei Gonchar, Ryan Whitney, Brooks Orpik, Mark Eaton, Darryl Sydor, Rob Scuderi, Alain Nassreddine<br /><br /><br />Goalie:<br />Marc-Andre Fleury<br />Dany Sabourin<br /><br /><br />Replacing Michel Ouellet and Josef Melichar with Petr Sykora and Darryl Sydor are both large upgrades, even though neither are top tier guys. Plus anytime you can rid yourself of your two worst players and add too effective one in their place is always a bonus.<br /><br />The only area that got weaker was goaltending, as Sabourin still only has 14 NHL games under his belt, and the cushion that Jocelyn Thibault, now with Buffalo provided was much greater. He also provided veteran experience to help Fleury, something Sabourin cannot. I am going to be weary every time Sabourin is in the net as I do not think he has proven himself yet.<br /><br /><br />-JordanJordan Weiglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07890277016148216713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345512193953996432.post-58145651573782417552007-09-14T21:58:00.000-07:002007-09-21T05:41:52.025-07:00The Greatest OneSo tonight I watched a video I downloaded a few years ago called "The Mario Lemieux Show" plus the comeback video the Pens played on the jumbotron upon Mario's return called "Superstar". His highlights were truly something to behold.<br /><br />But the thing is, after watching it, I find myself saying "as good as Sid is, he's no Lemieux"<br /><br />Does anyone else find themselves saying this? Or Am I just too enamored with what Lemieux accomplished when I was younger to admit that Sid is as good as he was?<br /><br />I'll let you decide.Jordan Weiglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07890277016148216713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345512193953996432.post-16138897096604832692007-09-05T16:11:00.000-07:002007-09-06T05:15:54.750-07:00Reebok Ruins Pens Jersey<div>Maintaining their dominance over good NHL jerseys’ Reebok has continued it’s torrid raping of hockey jerseys by ruining the Penguins new uniforms. Below is a picture of them, but I warn you, I made the mistake of eating dinner before looking at them.<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5107063731162364194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBFyGrUARdJxeR8UkzY1458bOXMfdMPlWRAoQ062HFwxUu1KJZT27hTwMRY70nrnk6dQhX6KwaWHrATvmEOud3pKnd2IgTc5MTDEIGe9w-FYTjvWjQx8R4ys6yk5wA7-nWWEnBxiB4XriP/s320/New+Pens+Uni.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5106867214933735698" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBxwhsC-EQO1vbOSx8ri559I13uq04_ajgyQ5v774IUeb-3CFH2klFAPGwP5lGhMSNvWIh-ahA2VDWwhIcPagn5mne9adbXXRlfJlmISCM6_9WVPMtv17_zXs5jt3w2kHzr8U8KEIGI7lc/s320/New+Uniforms.png" border="0" /><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><br />These pretty much are the leaked jersey’s I posted about a month back, so luckily we have time to prepare for the ruination of our great jerseys. They are slightly different, and not as horrid, but still bad.<br /><br />This is what the Pens front office had to say about the new designs, copied word from word from their site:<br />“The Penguins’ logo and colors will remain the same, although there will be some modifications to the striping, the shoulder areas, the pants and the socks.”<br />Some modifications? You changed everything but the god damn symbol! Liars! What’s next, you’re going to tell us you didn’t actually sign Darryl Sydor and it was actually Ian Moran you brought back? Do we actually have a new arena too?<br /><br />Everyone liked our old uniforms, even other teams fans. And now we’re left with some cookie cutter bullshit. Take a look at the Senators and Lightning jerseys. Notice anything? That’s right! IT”S THE SAME DESIGN! We have the same jersey of two other teams (of just the ones that have been released mind you) with different colors. No originality, nothing to separate out jerseys from others other than the gold and the skating Penguins. It’s pathetic. PATHETIC! And frankly, that pisses me off as much as the design itself. Reebok has stolen all originality from the jerseys.<br /><br />Sadly, the gold striped pants remain the best part of the uniform and do help. Even after weeks of preparing myself for this crap I’m still as pissed as if I had just found out.<br /><br />Our jerseys are lame. LAME! Boring, nothing to them. The lack of anything on the bottom makes them look like some half assed design made by a 12 year old with ms paint.<br /><br />Here’s another bright idea for you dumbshits at Reebok: why don’t you remake the Stanley Cup with handles for ease of carry and out of rubber so it won’t break in case someone drops it?<br /><br />$%&@ you Reebok, you’re ruining hockey jerseys. I seriously hope these assholes go bankrupt within the year so the edge system will be kicked out the door and we can get real jerseys back. Who the %#^@ let the idiots their design these things anyways? And should we really be surprised at Reebok's utter failure to make good looking jerseys with the NCAA football jerseys they have been making in recent years?<br /><br />-The extremely pissed off Pens fan Jordan</div></div>Jordan Weiglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07890277016148216713noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345512193953996432.post-34622555662732690802007-08-29T09:14:00.000-07:002007-08-29T09:16:13.519-07:00Orpik and EatonI’ve been hearing quite a bit of talk lately that if the Penguins were to get a top four defenseman (most recently rumored is Danny Markov, though the source of the rumor is very unreliable), they should deal either Orpik or Eaton for other assets. I have to say this to those people: don’t be stupid.<br /><br />Is either of these two great? No. But both are more than serviceable. Eaton brings calmness and stability to a blue line and did wonders for the Pens defense last year when not injured. Orpik got much better last year and brings a physical presence the Pens sorely need from the defense. Even if the Pens did sign Markov, you want more than one physical defenseman.<br /><br />Another good thing about both are that they are relatively cheap, making about $1.5mm each. For that price you aren’t going to get anyone better unless they are on a rookie deal, and those don’t last long. Plus Orpik is 26 and Eaton 30, so both have quite a few years ahead of them.<br /><br />Also, there is a lot of talk of Letang already being on this roster. This is <em>not</em> a given, and even if it was, Letang wont help you in your own zone. If he does live up to his hype, we will have three good offensive guys in Gonchar, Whitney and Letang on the blue line. Unfortunately, none of them are particularly adept at keeping the puck <em>out</em> of the net. You need a solid defense, and while with a cap you cant have four first pairing defensemen, you can have good depth. Keeping the likes of Orpik and Eaton at their current amounts gives you that depth without breaking the bank.<br /><br />-JordanJordan Weiglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07890277016148216713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345512193953996432.post-23905396226248667392007-07-20T09:11:00.000-07:002007-07-20T11:43:45.996-07:00New Uniform's Leaked?We were told the Pens uniforms were only suppsoed to get minor alterations for the new Reebok Edge designs, but new designs that have been leaked since last night, as the team's reaction to the leaking, is suggesting that new uniforms are on the way.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyk6t6oSKd69wTt4ZpVR6pTNSHammalze36m48H2gLn9MEF-_9mUPZqrABPiqLzXmIAerZrWGfwTpaLjoJjpYq9yBC8RTVfxtdmO8hmkalIErifajrpTxy09GsV4EqMyQvJ-kVZFphNBLc/s1600-h/NewPants.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089313110946953970" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyk6t6oSKd69wTt4ZpVR6pTNSHammalze36m48H2gLn9MEF-_9mUPZqrABPiqLzXmIAerZrWGfwTpaLjoJjpYq9yBC8RTVfxtdmO8hmkalIErifajrpTxy09GsV4EqMyQvJ-kVZFphNBLc/s320/NewPants.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggSSepCuCE8wrp3CDD9x-C46wGC0eRZEXFnxI0k6GNaNJR1Jq0mBtk6hK9DLtGqk7NWs3sV78Bn1E3cxB20Tz98yNgNVkGGC0KQPiTPvSRU268JuTCM9_9Umts0rinlA2syJpEZhnpDXQv/s1600-h/NewAwayJersey.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089313025047608034" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggSSepCuCE8wrp3CDD9x-C46wGC0eRZEXFnxI0k6GNaNJR1Jq0mBtk6hK9DLtGqk7NWs3sV78Bn1E3cxB20Tz98yNgNVkGGC0KQPiTPvSRU268JuTCM9_9Umts0rinlA2syJpEZhnpDXQv/s320/NewAwayJersey.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtmyhJ-m2t0qiIEmQrnnFhL-wbqcBB3sn4TU5OIfMFlIwa5-EqY2jegqoFOad8UzpKLapLbUkBLoaxO7eSdvQLU06d3mmTs3Y1Cht0hn9bGKSKbW6JEMDh03NHqqIE6cLAJP2snI-Wgubv/s1600-h/NewHomeJersey.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089312870428785362" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtmyhJ-m2t0qiIEmQrnnFhL-wbqcBB3sn4TU5OIfMFlIwa5-EqY2jegqoFOad8UzpKLapLbUkBLoaxO7eSdvQLU06d3mmTs3Y1Cht0hn9bGKSKbW6JEMDh03NHqqIE6cLAJP2snI-Wgubv/s320/NewHomeJersey.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>The words "gaudy" and "patchwork" come to mind. If these are the real deal, we can only hope there is enough fan backlash they will be rid of quickly. They are a major drop off from the current uniform's. I dont understand why management would change the designs when everyone liked them.</div><div></div><div>-Jordan<br /><br /><br /></div><div> </div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 102);font-size:85%;" >For the most part, I felt that the majority of the new jerseys released by the NHL were all solid. That is until I saw this monstrosity. What in god’s name is going on here. This blog's title of leaked is quite apropos because it looks like piss on my end. I’m sure the NHL/Reebok know that the Penguins’ jerseys will sell like hot cakes regardless but MY GOD how can they expect that trend to continue with this. Granted you could pretty much change the colors of the Penguins to brown and pink but as long as there is a Crosby nameplate on the back, it will sell.<br /><br />The Vegas gold is way too overpowering and does not work at all on the dark unis. It appears to simply be just patches of color flung together in hopes of making a deadline. The excessive gold clashes with the black and makes just an awful match on the eye. If these are actually our new home jerseys, I hope to god that the NHL goes back to the home whites just because these whites are a bit better. The gold here is able to mix in with the white more so and at least is a bit more tolerable. Not to mention it isn’t much of a downgrade from the Penguins currents which by the way are on the best in league.<br /><br />Also notice the underarms. What in gods name is going on over there? It’s like the reese’s peanut butter cups with the chocolate and peanut butter mixing except you know that tastes and good and doesn’t make one vomit at the sight of it. Ugh. Horrendous. They might as well put the Ol Fishtick logo in black, white and vegas gold on the front and call it day.<br /><br />Of course with all things like this, we have to reserve judgment until we actually see the players wear these on the ice but still. Not to mention actually seeing the front of the jerseys. Regardless, Reebok you can go to hell. I’ll be sure to pick up the old jersey in a clearance bin. Hell, I’m sure the old jerseys will sell way more than these proposed ones.</span></div></div><div style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><div><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 102);font-size:85%;" >-op</span></div></div></div>Jordan Weiglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07890277016148216713noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345512193953996432.post-51091479973489951152007-07-10T09:15:00.001-07:002007-07-10T09:51:58.402-07:00Crosby Signs Extension<br /><br />The Pens announced today they signed Sidney Crosby to an extension for 5 years, $43.5 million, which comes out to $8.7 per year. Honestly, the deal is a little more than I expected as with all the talk it sounded it would be in the range of $7.5-$8.0. However, in a few years, not to mention seeing guys like Scott Gomez making over $7 million a year, this could be a steal. It comes in at $1.46 million below the league maximum of $10.06 million per year. But if the cap keeps going up so will the max salary, and if it would go to say, $12 million max, $8.7 for Crosby will be looking pretty good. (You have to wonder if they purposefully wanted $8.7, if so I think Crosby is getting a bit obsessed with that number).<br /><br />Some people were expecting a DiPietro deal like length, but that is foolish. Crosby will be much more valuable than DiPietro will be and by the time the deal is done will most likely command more.<br /><br />I think Dave Molinari of the Post Gazette said it best when Shero basically had to hand Crosby and his agent a blank contract, let them fill in the numbers and sign off on it. Crosby is too important to lose and Shero had almost no bargaining power.<br /><br />Regardless, it is a fair deal for both teams, as if Crosby became even an RFA some team would have thrown the cap max at him for multiple years.<br /><br />It’s kind of funny, two years ago we thought $6.6 million a year for Vinny Lecavalier was steep, now it’s looking like a steal.<br /><br />-JordanJordan Weiglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07890277016148216713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345512193953996432.post-34107653019375775162007-07-02T09:13:00.001-07:002007-07-10T09:16:24.024-07:00Sykora, Sydor, Sabourin and ScuderiWell, that certianly is a lot of names beginning with "S" Luckily I dont think it's a fascination of Shero's.<br /><br />The Pens dip into the free agent market has landed them right winger Petr Sykora and defenseman Daryl Sydor. Both agree to 2 year, $5 million dollar deals. Also signed were goalie Danny Sabourin and defenseman Rob Scuderi.<br /><br />Sykora comes from the Oilers after registering 22 goals and 31 assists. He has registered over 20 goals nearly his entire career, though his defense and worth ethic can be questionable at times. This was a good signing as Sykora at $2.5 with his skill set is exactly what the Pens were looking for. He will provide a much needed scoring touch for Crosby or Recchi. Props to Shero for getting him.<br /><br />Sydor comes from Dallas after registering 5 goals and 16 assists. He is on the decline and more offensive minded than defensive. Make no mistake, he is not the same player that helped Tampa win the cup. This signing I do not like. I like Sydor, always have, but he is not what the Pens need. The Pens need a stay at home defenseman, and an aging Sydor is no that. Being 35 Sydor’s contract will count against the cap unless he is traded away. I think they would have been much better off with the likes of Ossi Vaananen.<br /><br />The Pens also brought back Sabourin who spent one year as Luongo’s back up in Vancouver. Whether or not management plans to have him back up Fleury or merely add goaltending depth is unknown.<br /><br />Finally, and unfortunately, the Penguins resigned Scuderi. Scuderi registered 5 goals, 11 assists last year: all for the other team. While he will most likely be the 7th defenseman, the Pens would have been better off bringing back Nassredeine or signing someone more effective.<br /><br />What bugs me most is that more than anything the Pens needed a stay at home defenseman. They lost out on Hannan, which should come to no surprise, but Sydor is not good enough of an upgrade, especially since he will only be getting worse. Letang is a question mark despite management talking like he is already on the roster. If he fails to make the team out of camp we will be left with a terrible bottom pairing in general. Plus there is nothing to say his defense will be any good.<br /><br />With luck Shero will be signing someone else to help the blue line corps more, but I doubt it.<br /><br />-JordanJordan Weiglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07890277016148216713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345512193953996432.post-78631247891551388832007-06-25T13:30:00.000-07:002007-06-25T18:34:27.051-07:00ADIOS!From the Pens <a href="http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=323095">site</a>:<br /><br />Executive Vice President and General Manager Ray Shero announced Monday that the Pittsburgh Penguins have extended qualifying offers to the following Group II free agents: <a href="http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=PlayerDetail&playerId=8469474">Colby Armstrong</a>, <a href="http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=PlayerDetail&playerId=8470309">Ryan Whitney</a>, <a href="http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=PlayerDetail&playerId=8470299">Erik Christensen</a>, <a href="http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=PlayerDetail&playerId=8470171">Maxime Talbot</a>, Ryan Lannon and <a href="http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=PlayerDetail&playerId=8470283">Tim Brent</a>.<br /><br />The following Group II free agents were not made qualifying offers and will become free agents as of July 1: <a href="http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=PlayerDetail&playerId=8468604"><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">Michel Ouellet</span></strong></a> and Andrew Penner.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">LATER OMLETTE!!!!!</span><br /><br />I heart Ray Shero :)<br /><br />-op<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#ffffff;">I just want to say this about those who are saying that the Pens want Ouellet back at a lower price. His contract was $500k this past season, meaning his qualifying offer would be $550k, $100k above the LEAGUE MINUMUM of $450k.<br /><br />If a team you scored 19 goals for doesnt want to even retain the right to talk to you at $100k above the minimum, that says a lot.<br /><br />-Jordan</span>Jordan Weiglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07890277016148216713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345512193953996432.post-79676777375191929012007-06-14T09:43:00.000-07:002007-06-14T09:44:04.911-07:00Off Season Game Plan Part 2The off season is a time of hope for every team where they try and fill out their needs with free agents looking for the right fit (read as “money”). This year the Pens will be no different in trying to address those needs.<br /><br />However, the Pens will NOT be big spenders. Forget names like Drury, Gomez, Giguere not even because of need, but because of the cap. With Crosby, Fleury, Malkin, Staal and Whitney all due new contracts within the next two years (Whitney this year), Ray Shero needs to be very cap conscience this year as to save enough room for these guys in the future. You can’t spend six million on a top flight player when you will have Crosby and Malkin, and possible Fleury and Staal making top flight money very soon.<br /><br />I’ve heard some suggest it would be good that instead of getting two second tier guys get one big name. Well the problem with that is 1) you now have less depth and less cap room for depth and 2) if you need to get rid of the guy it becomes that much harder. Plus, do you really think we have room to add a $6 million player when you will probably have Crosby, Fleury, Malkin and Staal taking up half your cap? <br /><br />This leaves the so called “second tier” players available to the Pens; players who often play on the second scoring or defensive pairing units. Look for a few of these guys to be signed .<br /><br />This entry will cover the players that will be available and in the Penguins target salary ranges for what they need.<br /><br /><br />Offense<br /><br />The Pens offense this year was generated mostly by Crosby, Malkin, Staal and Recchi. Recchi is fading and the other three are natural centers, though Staal looked fine at wing. Christensen has skills, but he doesn’t adjust well on the wing and he needs scoerers to help him, not Ruutu and Laraque. Ekman was a bust and won’t return and Ouellet is completely dependent on skilled players (and being prone) to produce. There is no one in Wilkes Barre that is capable of filling in the top line wings that the Pens really need to fully utilize Crosby and Malkin. Look for at least on free agent winger to be added this off season.<br /><br /><br />Scott Hartnell, Nashville<br />Hartnell may never be the player he was supposed to being drafted at 5th over all, but he is nonetheless good after a slow development. The biggest buzz around him is that he will be the first player in the NHL that hits free agency at a young age (25) under the new CBA. This youth, paired with a 25 goal year, will make him a commodity, especially to those who can’t afford the Drury’s on the market. His scoring and grit and age could easily price him out of the Pens range as a bidding war could easily ensue for him.<br /><br /><br />Dainus Zubrus, Washington/Buffalo<br />Zubrus was a chronic underachiever until he was put on a line with Ovechkin. When traded to Buffalo his scoring stopped. It’s no coincidence the only time in his career he scored was with Alex. When he’s not leaching off Ovechkin he’s playing stupid and once in a while hitting. He shouldn’t even be considered. <br /><br /><br />Scott Walker, Carolina<br />Walker would add some good secondary scoring for the Pens, but at 33 they may want someone younger. That shouldn’t rule him out though as in addition to scoring his leadership is something else the Pens need.<br /><br /><br />Peter Bondra, Chicago<br />Bondra is nearing the end of his effectiveness, and money would be spent better elsewhere.<br /><br /><br />Todd Bertuzzi, Florida/Detroit<br />Too much baggage, and supposedly a disruption in the locker room, exactly what the Pens don’t want with a locker room that is growing up together. We all want a power forward, but Bertuzzi isn’t worth it anymore.<br /><br /><br />Kyle Calder, Philadelphia/Detroit<br />After last year, would you really want to take the gamble?<br /><br /><br />Petr Sykora, Edmonton<br />I have always liked the way Sykora has played, but he has struggled since being dealt from New Jersey. However, at $2.5 million last year, I think he would be worth the money, providing good second or first line scoring. I would take a long look at him.<br /><br /><br />Jeremy Roenick, Phoenix<br />I really just want to mention that if I ever see this man in a Pen’s uniform, I will throw up. No, seriously, I will be sick if this cheap shotting hypocrite ever disgraces our uniform by putting it on. With luck this guy is done and gone.<br /><br /><br />Owen Nolan, Phoenix<br />While he had a pretty good year, he is past his prime and little more than a checker who can score some. Money is better spent elsewhere.<br /><br /><br />Richard Zednik, Washington/New York Islanders<br />He really hasn’t shown much in a few years, and seems to be injured more and more. I don’t really think he could be of much help.<br /><br /><br />Bill Guerin, St. Louis/San Jose<br />Geurin had a resurgence this year, but faltered in the playoffs. I think on better teams he can no longer keep up with the top players. If there are no other options, okay but otherwise look for someone better.<br /><br /><br />Yanic Perreault, Phoenix/Toronto<br />Yanic had another solid year with scoring and face offs, the latter being of most interest to the Pens. At this point I wouldn’t mind him on the third line center, but it’s possible he just can’t be fit in as 4th line duty is definitely not a fit for him. We do need to get better on face offs.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Defense<br />The Pens defense proved to be as abysmal as ever in their own zone. It says something when Sergei Gonchar is your third best defensive defenseman. The Pens need to dump both Melichar and Scuderi as both hurt the Pens much more than they helped last season. While the Pens won’t be bringing in big names like Souray or Tommonen, like the offense look for some second tier guys to fill in the voids on defense (I think “voids” is a very fitting word).<br /><br /><br />Scott Hannan, San Jose<br />Hannan has been an underrated stalwart on the Shark’s defense for many years. He is very physical, albeit a bit slow, and very sound defensively. He is definitely the kind of player you want on your defense. Hannan will be one of the marquee defenseman on the market this year after all stars Timmonen and Souray, so the bidding for him could get steep and knock him out of the Pens price range.<br /><br /><br />Ossi Vaananen, Colorado<br />Vaananen is big at 6’4 220 lbs. While he won’t go out of his way to hit people, he nevertheless adds a physical presence the Pens lack on the blue line outside of Orpik. Vaananen is also capable of moving the puck some, and he could fill in on the second power play unit well enough. He is rather sound defensively, but don’t mistake him for a top pairing guy.<br /><br /><br />Vitaly Vishnevski, Nashville<br />Vishnevski bounced around this year, being dealt to the Thrashers at the start of the year and to Nashville at the deadline. This bouncing around could hurt his open market value, and admittingly he has not been as good under the new rules. He is a strong physical presence and reliable in his own zone but offers nothing in the way of offense. He would be a cheaper alternative than someone like Vaananen or Hannan, but also not as good. I can assure you though he is in fact a significant improvement over Melichar and Scuderi.<br /><br /><br />Cory Sarich, Tampa Bay<br />Sarich is big and strong and can provide some much needed physical play on the blue line while not be reckless about it. He was an under rated member of Tampa’s blue line, and definitely wasn’t one of the problems. He should be seriously considered.<br /><br /><br />Nolan Pratt, Tampa Bay<br />While nothing to write home about, Pratt can nonetheless give you some good minutes. If the free agent well starts going dry, give him a look.<br /><br /><br />Tom Preissing, Ottawa<br />Preissing stepped up his game this year and helped Ottawa make the cup finals. At 28, he is at an age where he can still improve some and you don’t have to worry about age until his contract ends. The Sens cup run though may inflate his value.<br /><br /><br />Teppo Nummien, Buffalo<br />Teppo has been solid again since the lockout, but at 36 you can’t expect him to keep it up. I like him, but keep with someone younger.<br /><br /><br />Greg Devries, Atlanta<br />Devries is aging, but could still be effective. However I think the Pens should go after someone who will be around longer than he will.<br /><br /><br />Andy Sutton, Atlanta<br />I only mention him because his name has popped up in rumors. Sutton is a #6 version of Eric Cairns and nothing else. They should absolutely stay away from him. If you’re not convinced just ask Atlanta fans whoa re happy he is hitting free agency.<br /><br /><br />Roman Hamrlik, Calgary<br />Hamrlik was proven to be a solid defenseman on both the Island and Calgary. If he can be signed rather cheaply around $2 million (which my guess is no) then he could definitely help the Pens on the second power play unit, and he’s decent in his own end. Beware a long term deal though as his decline may start soon.<br /><br /><br />Brad Stuart, Calgary<br />I’d love to have him, but his age (27) and skills will price him out of the Pens range.<br /><br /><br />Jon Klemm, Dallas<br />Another stay at home who isn’t flashy, Klemm could definitely help the blue line. I do wonder when his decline will begin though. If his demands are reasonable, I would consider him.<br /><br /><br />Danny Markov, Detroit<br />I was surprised he went unsigned for so long last year. Markov is a hard hitting defenseman who is good in his own zone. He is definitely a physical presence forwards need to look out for. But buyer beware, he is often injured.<br /><br /><br />Aaron Miller, Los Angeles<br />Miller has been showing signs of his age the past few years, and I expect that to continue. However, as a cheap short term fix he wouldn’t be a bad idea.<br /><br /><br />Janne Niinimaa, Montreal<br />He would have been an upgrade over Melichar, but then so would I. He has completely lost his touch under the new rules, something you wouldn’t expect from a fast offensive defenseman. Stay away.<br /><br /><br />Brad Lukowich, New Jersey<br />Lukowich wouldn’t be a bad idea, being solid if unspectacular in his own end. If he’s cheap, why not?<br /><br /><br />Sean Hill, Islanders<br />Hill had a good season for the Isles after a poor season with the Panthers. But which would you be getting? He would add grit and leadership, but his age is a major concern. <br /><br /><br />Craig Rivet, Montreal/San Jose<br />Rivet was pretty solid for Montreal, but was very good for San Jose. If his demands are reasonable, he should get good consideration as his stability is much needed on the blue line.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />-JordanJordan Weiglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07890277016148216713noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345512193953996432.post-55546583303809236682007-06-01T09:08:00.000-07:002007-06-01T09:11:51.212-07:00Pens Offseason Outlook Part 1: Who to KeepThe Pens head into the off season with only eleven players signed to contracts. I will review which players, broken up by free agency status, the Pens would be best to keep and let go. This will be the first part of two for the Pens off season plan, the other covering what free agents the Pens should seek out and why.<br /><br /><br /><br /><strong>Unrestricted Free Agents</strong><br /><br />Gary Roberts- Roberts proved to be more valuable than anyone would have guessed. Even Shero was surprised. His strong work ethic fit right into the Pens mentality and he provided much needed grit and leadership, not to mention a mean streak, to the young squad. Shero has already stated they will talk extension which is good, they need Roberts. A two year deal should definitely be considered.<br /><br /><br />Mark Recchi- Recchi started off well enough but really trailed off at the end. Age is catching up and Shero has already said he would like Recchi back in a reduced role. Key words: reduced role. If they give him a one year deal at about half of what he makes now ($2.28 million) than by all means bring him back in that reduced role. But I think he has lost too much to be a top line player on a regular basis.<br /><br /><br />Nils Ekman- No one expected 30 goals from Ekman, but they expected about 20. We didn’t even get half. Despite his speed Ekman just wasn’t able to mesh with anyone and had the worst +/- rating on the team. Therrien refused to give him chances to redeem himself after his injury so I don’t see either side wanting him to return.<br /><br /><br />Ronald Petrovicky- Petro showed great chemistry with Ruutu, but sadly was not used as much as he should have been. He added speed and grit and while he couldn’t burry the puck he did create some chances. I’d like to see him back, but if not I won’t be broken hearted as his players tend to be a dime a dozen.<br /><br /><br />Joel Kwiatkowski- we know as little of him now as when he arrived two months ago. I don’t see him sticking around at all.<br /><br /><br />Josef Melichar- Get out. Just get the hell out and never come back. I feel bad a shoulder injury pretty much ruined Melichar’s game, but he proved to be the worst player on the team this year. He contributed nothing at all the whole year and will not if resigned. Again I must mention that his injury and the win streak coincided.<br /><br /><br />Rob Scuderi- you were better than Melichar, but not by much. Though to Melcihar’s credit he wasn’t scoring or directly assisting the other teams goals. Scuderi did something good every once in a while, but not enough to make him a serious part of the defense. There are others I would rather have as the seventh defenseman.<br /><br /><br />Alain Nasradeinne- Nazzy proved to be pretty solid in a limited role. He was responsible and there was no reason he shouldn’t have gotten a shot in the playoffs. I’d like him to stay on as the seventh defenseman as he can jump in and help from time to time.<br /><br /><br />Eric Cairns- He’s played less than a minute all year due to an ankle injury and post concussion syndromes. For a guy that makes his living beating people up, that’s very dangerous to have. I honestly think his career is done, and with the acquisition of Georges Laraque I don’t see the Pens keeping him.<br /><br /><br />Jocelyn Thibault- Thibault rebounded this year for some strong play when it was needed. I like Thibault, but I would not bring him back for what he’s making now. If he wants to take about half, ok, otherwise let Schaeffer take backup. I can see some teams being interested in his services this off season.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><strong>Restricted</strong><br /><br />Colby Armstrong- how could you not like the beaked, “eh” spouting grinder whose as white as the snow in his homeland? While his offense was minimal he killed penalties, made some hits and often pissed off the other team. It was a hell of a sophomore slump he had but he’s young and can improve. He should definitely be resigned.<br /><br /><br />Ryan Whitney- Whitney is quite possibly the most improved player on the team this year and will be looking for a raise over his $900k contract. I bet most don’t remember that after he finished school he signed an entry level contract with no bonuses so he could get signed in time to play in Wilkes Barre’s post season. I don’t see contract negotiations with him being a problem.<br /><br /><br />Maxim Talbot- How can you not love this guy? Fast, funny and feisty, he is everything you want in a bottom line player. He is good on the PK and chipped in some points here and there. Even his offensive skills improved as he showed signs of flare that made him a scorer in juniors. He should definitely be kept.<br /><br /><br />Michel Ouellet- the subject of Therrien’s affection who despite adding little to nothing the whole season was treated with utter favoritism. I think it would be best if the Pens sign him to a qualifying offer and deal him to another team. Someone will see 19 goals and think that he wasn’t completely reliant on other talent or remaining motionless tos core them. The sad thing is his skating was improved from the year before and still Laraque could skate circles around him. I honestly don’t think he will ever be a good enough skater to maintain a spot in the league, especially since he is so ill fit for bottom line duty.<br /><br />Chris Thorbun- Thorburn played very well the first half of the year, but could not get into the line up the second half. He is only 24 years old so I think it is way too early to give up on him. Even if not played every game I think he can develop into a solid 4th line guy.Jordan Weiglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07890277016148216713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345512193953996432.post-25156758123944863432007-05-30T16:42:00.000-07:002007-05-30T16:44:40.776-07:00Crosby Named CaptainIn a move that surprised absolutely no one, Sidney Crosby is to be named captain of the Penguins during a press conference. He has borken yet another record of being the youngest captain in NHL history right after he became it's youngest scoring leader.<br /><br />What can you say other than "it's about time"<br /><br />'Nuff said.<br /><br />-JordanJordan Weiglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07890277016148216713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345512193953996432.post-51353273879329156902007-05-04T18:07:00.000-07:002007-05-04T18:12:58.125-07:00Crosby is #1 Most Influential Athelete in Time MagazineIt was announced today that Sidney Crosby was the leading vote getter among <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">athletes</span> in Time's most influential person of the year poll. He garnered 85, 835 votes for first among <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">athletes</span> and eighth over all amongst a list that included over 200 people.<br /><br />Like him or not, that is an impressive feat considering some of the others on the poll were politicians and humanitarians. Yet this 19 year old kid found his way into eighth spot among them. This is exactly the kind of press the NHL wanted from this kid. Could he have turned out for them better? With luck this poll will help garner more attention to the NHL now.<br /><br />Is this kid something or what?Jordan Weiglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07890277016148216713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345512193953996432.post-52616063049294310192007-05-03T19:18:00.001-07:002007-05-03T19:18:43.959-07:00Ouellet SucksI can’t take it anymore. It’s bad enough to have to deal with a terrible player who the coach plays favorites with, but now I have to deal with people jumping on the Michel Ouellet apologist bandwagon. Enough already!<br /><br />Ouellet has been given every opportunity to succeed by Therrien yet what has he accomplished? 11 even strength goals playing with Malkin all year? Pathetic. Erik Christensen was misused most his time on the club, yet accomplished just as much in points. The difference was he wasn’t always reliant on the other players; he could create things himself. Ouellet is incapable of that.<br /><br />Some say he had a good playoff. I’m sorry, setting up one goal does not make for a good series. You never heard his name the rest of the time. Why? Because he was never in the picture for the announcers to call his name. Why was that? Because he was too slow to keep up with the Senators, looking like a kid trying to play with adults.<br /><br />People say Ouellet is responsible defensively and a good fore checker. Well if you consider doing nothing on either to be good than by all means he fits that description. He is too slow to apply any pressure when fore checking, and in his own zone he just runs around trying to get the puck, not covering his guys or breaking up passes. How many times did we here “good fore check by Ouellet” or “great breakup by Ouellet”? Answer: zero, because he didn’t do either.<br /><br />One thing I keep seeing is “he did well with his skill set.” This is such an utter bullshit excuse. Never has anyone else had this said about them. When Brian Holzinger sucked, did we justify it this way? How about Ian Moran? Eight years of terrorizing our blue line and this was never said about him. What about the Hans Jonssons, Alex Hicks and Jeff Daniels we had? No? How come? They played well within their skill set! Yet this reasoning has been applied only towards Michel Ouellet. What has he done to deserve exemption that the others haven’t? (Scoring 19 goals while leaching does not count because you aren’t really doing anything but holding your stick out).<br /><br />I see people giving grades to players for the year and giving Ouellet one in the B range. ??? Huh? Are you kidding me?! Let’s look at the thing Ouellet can do:<br /><br />Sit on the side of the net and wait for the puck<br />Throw one or two weak hits a game<br />Score while stopped<br /><br /><br />Now compare to the things he can't do:<br /><br />Get past defenders either by going around or through them<br />Show anything akin to agility<br />Skate faster than Georges Laraque<br />Keep up with his line mates<br />Take a shot that comes within a few feet of the net while moving<br />Do anything while moving<br />Take ill-timed penalties because he is standing still and watching the other players go by<br />Play physical (physical play is Gary Roberts, not one or two weak hits a game)<br />Control the puck with his stick<br />Be consistent<br />Take advantage of odd man rushes<br /><br /><br /><br />As you can see, the things he cannot do are significantly greater than the things he can.<br /><br /><br />To be honest, I think people have come to dislike him so much they have become apathetic to towards him. Instead of saying “he sucks they need tog et rid of him” it’s now “well he plays within his skills and isn’t completely awful” What is this, some new age hippy bullshit? Is this some pathetic form of positive reinforcement to hope he gets better? Is it some horribly wrong way of dealing with the fact you don’t like him as a player?<br /><br />People keep saying he improved over the year. Yes, he did, but improvement is relative. This guy didn’t go from waiver wire to all star like Briere or St. Louis. He went from “god awful” to “just plain bad.” So when you’re still terrible such improvement means little to nothing.<br /><br />So enough of this “Ouellet is good” crap because it’s just not true. He continually dragged down any line mates he was paired with, always ruining offensive chances with his lack of skating and stick skills. I’m not in the habit of jumping on the bandwagon or carry a “what have you done with me lately” mentality. I stick to my assessment that he is not a good hockey player.<br /><br /><br />-JordanJordan Weiglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07890277016148216713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345512193953996432.post-11017338569932584382007-04-26T07:26:00.000-07:002007-04-26T07:30:43.632-07:00Report Card Time!<span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffff00;"> </span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffff00;">Below is a list of the player grades that I have given to the Penguins current roster. I’ve tried to grade players on my previous expectations for them this coming season and if they acceded, regular season play, and finally post season play. Taking these 3 into account, I’ve averaged the scorers based on (F = 0, A+ =12) scale and an expectation scale was based on the following: 0- utter failure, 6- met expectations and 12-well beyond.<br /><br />Centers: Erik Christensen: 7/8/3 => overall: C+<br />I never felt EC would get a chance to succeed here but he showed enough patience and was able to succeed in the regular season. Frankly, I felt he should have been up last season as well. The playoffs saw Erik cast as a 4th line center which is just poor misuse by Therrien. His play in the playoffs drew memories of a certain RSL league scoring leader complete with soft perimeter play and failure to make his presence felt outside of being a frequent checking dummy for Ottawa defenders.<br /><br />Sidney Crosby: 12/12/10 => Overall: A<br />Amazing player and a season to remember. While most 2nd year players fall into the dreaded sophomore slump, Crosby led the league in scoring. While his last month was off pace from previous months, Crosby proved to absolute warrior and a player that should stay on this team for as long as he is able to play hockey. A joy and a pleasure to watch.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffff00;">Evgeni Malkin: 9/10/5 => Overall: B<br />Supreme talent but obviously with this being the first year in the NHL, and the whole English language barrier saw Malkin have struggles. Regular season saw a potential superstar who cooled off as the season progressed. In the post season after a lack luster couple of games, Malkin picked up the pace playing with Crosby and showed at least to me that he a sense of urgency which will bode well for him this future. Needs to get stronger and improve those defensive skills we saw in the international competition though you can’t take out the Calder and general impact he had this season with the Ovechkin hype.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffff00;">Jordan Staal: 12/11/11 => Overall: A<br />When we first drafted Jordan, I was a little disappointed. I felt the hype he got was more of a direct result of this generation’s version of the Sutters. Amazingly Staal set rookie record for SHG and showed up not as a timid rookie but as a vet. The reach and hockey sense will prove him well as he gets stronger, faster and more experience. One of the few Penguins to actually show some sort of an impact play in the postseason. It will be a sad day when we have to trade this man/kid.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffff00;">Max Talbot: 10/9/8 => Overall: B+<br />Loved his game and the way he played. Proved he belongs in the league this season. Gritty and solid player with some clutch scoring and a never give up attitude. Checking line center with some scoring upside in the future.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffff00;">Chris Thorburn: 8/6/INC>. => Overall: B-<br />Solid gritty play in the corners, speed youth and potential bottom line guy in the future. A very shrewd pickup and hopefully a chance to become more of a contributor next season. </span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffff00;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffff00;">Right Wings: </span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffff00;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffff00;">Colby Armstrong: 5/7/9 => Overall: B-<br />Got bitten by the sophomore slump and had trouble being Sidney’s right hand man so to speak early. Slowly battled his way out of it before finally hitting his stride midsize. The comparisons to a poor man’s Adam Deadmarsh were dead on and hopefully Colby continues to keep it up. Was a factor during the post season when a lot others were not and that boost him up a point.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffff00;">Michel Ouellet: 4/3/4 => Overall: D+<br />Had a horrid stretch were he showed absolutely nothing before finding himself as a decent complement to Staal and Malkin. Overall improvement during the season with noticeable difference in speed and board play. Sadly he is still too slow to be an effective top 6 winger in the NHL and has no place on the top two lines outside of healthy scratch extra skater. The game these days is based on speed and Ouellet still showed a lack of an ability to make plays skating. When he was allowed to be stationary he showed an ability to pass the puck and shoot effectively but in motion still a weakness with horrid miss shots, missed chances and blown odd man rushes. For much too often, he was invisible despite playing with skilled players. Moreover, he probably leads the Penguins in secondary assists. He took the body more but he wasn’t “physical” as some would have you believe. One or two hits (bumping into people) doesn’t count. I do appreciate his apparent effort but there are too many limitations in his game right now. Ouellet also doesn’t really add anything to this team also when he isn’t producing points. He needs to skate this entire off season before he is dare mentioned as a top 6 forward on a cup contender which we ARE right now.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffff00;">Ronald Petrovicky: 4/6/7 => Overall: C<br />I thought he’d be a very solid player when we picked him up but struggled mightily during the season and ultimately getting injured. Showed to work extremely well with fellow pest Jaarko Ruutu. Often times, petro was awarded with his solid play with little to no extra ice time! I’d like to see Petro back but with Stone coming up I doubt it.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffff00;">Mark Recchi: 8/8/3 => Overall: C+<br />Solid first half of the season combined with an atrocious second half. Grew tired as the season wore on before eventually dissipating. Showed a more physical side when scoring was down but sadly should not have been a first or 2nd liner for us and towards the end of the season. Thanks for the work Rex but you need to hang em up. Overall great career and hopeful hall of fame selection.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffff00;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffff00;">Left Wings: </span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffff00;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffff00;">Ryan Malone: 3/6/5 => Overall: C-<br />An enigma often times one of the more dominant players on the ice with players of lesser caliber but more often than not, far too invisible. Very solid pker and showed a greater tendency to bang bodies around but in general a disappointment. Malone showed more pursuit of Pens patrol members than the puck. More fittingly: a lackadaisical disappointment despite living the dream many of us wish we could pursue.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffff00;">Nils Ekman: 2/2/5 => Overall: D+<br />Overall disappointment struggled with Crosby outside of a period. Got hurt and was a healthy scratch all season outside of a handful of games. Likely will not be resigned.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffff00;">Georges Laraque: 6/5/4 => Overall: C<br />Provided toughness and big hits during the season but lack of speed really hampered playoffs against speedy Ottawa team. I’d like to see him return. The Pens should not give up on him because once he isn’t in the lineup again, teams will continue to take runs at our superstars. Laraque needs to be there to stop that.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffff00;">Gary Roberts: 12/10/12 => Overall: A<br />Complete warrior that provided everything asked of him and than some. At this point, he is a sure fire must sign this off-season with a possible 2 year deal. Will do wonders for the young wingers. His physical nature hasn’t been seen in quite some time and the man despite being 40 years old can still crash the net and bang home any garbage like the best of them.<br /><br />Jarkko Ruutu: 4/7/7 => Overall: C+<br />Much hyped pest thought to bring that to the ice but was turned into 4th liner with 5 minutes of ice time a game. He’d try to compensate by going out of his way to make an impact in the game but would often result in penalties. I’d like to see him return.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffff00;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffff00;">Defensemen: </span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffff00;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffff00;">Eric Cairns: INC<br />Hurt the entire season. No need for him next season.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffff00;">Mark Eaton: 10/8/6 => B<br />Played well beyond expectations until injured and fought back to get back into the rhythm. Sadly, the 2nd half of the season is more of the Eaton we will see but regardless a solid player.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffff00;">Sergei Gonchar: 8/10/2 => C+<br />As opposed to last year, Gonchar started out decently and hit his stride during the big winning streak. Only problem was the real playoff season started in April and our friend Sergei was MIA. Sadly he showed some defensive awareness during the season and solid positioning. In the playoffs though was a different matter. Horrid defensive play in the playoffs and that cannon of a shot Gonchar had on the powerplay was either blocked or missed the net. Let this be a lesson to Coach Therrien that he should not be considered a shutdown defenseman nor should he be played against opposing teams best players. Brutal playoffs put another very solid season to shame. Looked uninspired / winded also. Gonchar should not be on the ice for the full 2 minutes on powerplays either.<br /><br />Joel Kwiatkowski: Inc.<br />A waste of a 4th round pick if he couldn’t find some playing time in this sea of filth.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffff00;">Josef Melichar: 0/0/2 => F<br />An absolutely abysmal year. The weakest link on the blueline filled with weaklinks. Melichar’s best days this season was seen when he was out with an injury. Poor positioning and defensive zone play. In an attempt to mitigate his injuries, Melichar decided to play less physical and try to become more positional sound except he is HORRENDOUS positionally. Too slow and not agile enough to keep with wingers, Melicharred was burnt more often than the sniffed out play. Some will point out that he blocks shots. Uh..blocking one shot a game doesn’t make this scrub valuable when defensive breakdowns are because of him. Would often forget to even cover his man in front of the net. Oops. Moreover, Melichar is completely useless in the offensive zone with zero ability to get a puck on net without it going 10 mph which we saw far far far too often. He can’t handle the puck nor can he make quick passes when pressured against quick teams. I pray to God that Melichar is done in this uniform. The new NHL has exposed you Josef Melichar or better yet goes to another team in the east.<br /><br />Alain Nasreddine: 7/5/inc => C+<br />Winning Streak Alain was the money. Physical, played sound defensive hockey and was a breathe of fresh air. Lost his job for his child’s birth and never regained his spot because of the spectacular play of Josef Melichar. In spot duty the rest of the season, Alain struggled mightily and sadly was the still better than others that played over him. I hope he can stick around next season so I get one more look at him but he needs to be the 7th dman / healthy scratch. He played well beyond my expectations of course, but I’d rather have seen Welch up here instead improving his craft.<br /><br />Brooks Orpik: 7/7/5 => C+<br />Brooks is way too inconsistent for my liking but I would like to see him back. Provides a need physical element and can sometimes look so smooth skating and effectively playing a 2 way game. Other times, Orpik is man too confused on the rink, constantly running around and putting himself out of position. This has been his overall best season and I look to see further improvement. He also was able to form a good defensive pairing with Ryan Whitney.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffff00;">Rob Scuderi: 1/1/2 => D<br />Oy. Yet another disaster. Scuderi is better positionally than Melichar but that’s like winning 2nd place in the ugliest contest. Scuderi was in such great position that he would often screen our goaltending. When the goalies made the saves, scuderi felt that kicking in goals or batting them in would serve the team better. Like Melichar, Scuderi is completely worthless in the offensive zone. I’m sorry but dumping the puck around the boards EVERY time doesn’t help. A few shots on goal of the 20 mph variety were also blasted out of the Scuderi cannon. The playoffs actually saw improvement from Scuderi. However, it is far from enough to have a roster spot. I will also pray that this is his last game for the Pens. We can only hope some other team decides to pick him up so perhaps he can kick in some of our shots. Scuderi is often said to play his best when you don’t notice him. This season he did everything in his power to make sure he was noticed.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffff00;">Ryan Whitney: 9/7/5 => B-<br />Whitney blossomed into a dynamic offensive player who has the ability to lead dmen in scoring for 10 years to come. I would like to see him change up his routine more as opposed to just one timing the cross ice Crosby feed. Regardless, Whitney has the speed and size to become dominant. However, we did not see that this year. Terrible positioning with atrocious play in his own zone was seen for much of the season. Played timid at times as well. The playoffs saw Whitney exposed with his defensive zone play but sadly he was still the most effective defensemen during the playoffs overall. Ryan will hopefully take over the role of PP QB once Gonchar leaves.<br /><br />Goalies:<br /><br />Marc-Andre Fleury: 9/8/7 => B<br />A breakthrough season for MA. I wondered if the man was physically tough enough to handle the NHL and the horrid bounces that sometimes occur. Fleury shocked and awed with 40 wins despite playing with the worst core of defenders in the league. Fleury stole games but had his share of bad ones. Would make the difficult saves look easy but make the easy saves look adventurous. Still he is the most athletically gifted goalie in the league. The playoffs showed that MA does have the toughness to succeed. He has the will and despite horrid and back breaking goals he kept his cool. His consistency will improve with further instruction and his rebound control should also see a boost.He still gives up far too many rebounds on easy shots that he should be able to vacuum in, and he looked shaky when handling the puck.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffff00;">TBO: 7/7/inc => B-<br />A return to form for Thibault. Doesn’t have the skills of Fleury but he doesn’t need to shoulder the load. A decent backup that was able to steal some games for the club during the season. If he can be signed for cheap, I would hope he will return next season.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffff00;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffff00;">-op</span>Jordan Weiglerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07890277016148216713noreply@blogger.com5