I have now had a few days to reflect on this past season and the playoffs, and though I will refine these thoughts and add some offseason posts relative to free agency etc., here are some thoughts as currently formulated.
I have not changed my general perception that this team simply ran out of gas after playing what amounts to 4 months of playoff hockey more shorthanded than any playoff team could have ever expected. I suspect that it is also no coincidence that the Pens lost 3 of its final four games after learning that Crosby was not likely to return at all during this post season. I think the regular season run was largely predicated in their minds on just gettng to the dance, and WHEN Crosby came back, look out! Then it was let's win this series, and when he comes back anything can happen......and then it was, welll he isn't coming back, and I think that may have been the straw that broke the camel's back.
I stick with my support of Coach Disco in general, and believe him to be the Jack Adams winner for my money, though I doubt he wins it. And I support his decision to leave Kovalev on the bench during the final 6 on 4 in favor of lesser skilled players, but ones who compete. As I read the articles written, and hear various opinions, I would make two observations/criticisms in general. One is that we did not make any adaptations to the lineup based on not having success, ala Engelland for Niskanen, or Tangradi for Connor. Engo would have helped with some physicality and played will all year with Benny, and The Big Dog went to the net, and in fact was right in front of it on the two power play goals the Pens scored all month. Connor, while game, is a midget who works hard, but really has no skills. Finally, the power play is a total abortion, and really has been since 2008. Time to evaluate the whole scheme and start over. Please hire a PP specialist, because even clicking at 10% v less than 2%, we may be in the second round. All in all, give me Disco, he is a positive force, a leader, and a fierce competitor.
The next thing I want to touch on in is the fan base and some of the whipping boys they pick. I spent a lot of time these past two years defending Goligoski and his value when it seemed much of Pensville bashed him. I feel completely vindicated, first in the value his deal brought back, second in his success in Dallas, and third, in the step back our power play has taken since his departure. The new whipping boy seems to be Jordan Staal. I keep reading how he is soft, how has NO touch, how at 23 years old, he has already peaked, and how the team cannot afford to pay 4M for a "third line center." To all of that, I say.......bullshit you morons! Yeah, I was disappointed that Staal was not more of a factor in the post season, and I am a big fan. People were bitching about his offensive production, with Staal not getting his first goal until the 6th game of the series. Well, no less a player than Mike Richards of Philadelphia just scored his first goal in Game One of the second round. He has some pretty good linemates that he played with all year too. Do you think the Flyers are thinking of trading him? Listen, Jordan Staal scored 29 goals as an 18 year old rookie, 7 of those goals were short handed. After a subpar sophomore season in which he scored 12 goals, he scored 22 goals in in 08-09, 21 goals and 49 points, while playing to +19 in 09-10. After coming back from multiple surgeries, he was pacing to 22 goals and a career high 60 points this season, while playing to a +7. Add to that his strength on the PK, faceoffs, and his iron man status, playing in virtually every game possible until PK Scissorskates severed his tendon. For 4M per year, trust me, Shero would get 29 phone calls within 24 hours of making it known Staalsy was available. As far as the third line center commentary, if your third line center can score 50 plus points, kill penalties, shut down the other team's top lines and score 20 plus goals, yes you can afford him. Maybe Staal was not ready to be THE guy offensively in light of the absence of Crosby and Malkin, but 60 points will get you an auditon on most team's second lines. He also has 17 goals in 67 playoff games, though curiously his playoff career plus/minus is minus 16. Jordan Staal is and should be a big part of the Penguins future. Some of the yinzers should stick to pierogies and kielbasa, and leave conscious thought to others.
With regard to James Neal, I am glad he will play for Team Canada, and I hope he gets his scoring touch back. I firmly believe that Neal will be a big part of the Penguins next season, and love his forcchecking, hitting and all around play. He does however need to get his scoring confidence back. Next year is a contract year for Neal, and he will be with one or the other of two world class talents at center ice, so I still expect big things from the Real Deal.
Another guy in the spotlight to me is Kris Letang. He started the season with a bang, and halfway through it he was in the mix when people spoke of Norris Trophy winners. At his best, he was scoring in bunches, leading the rush, and shutting down the other teams top lines. The second half of the season, he played AT TIMES as if his pregame meal was Wild Turkey and Miller Lite. We should all have expected his offensive production to drop with Crosby and Malkin out of the lineup and off the power play, but his decision making and defensive lapses were tough to watch. I firmly believet that Tanger is a Norris quality player who is YOUNG, and tried to do too much in the absence of the star power. I think he will rebound next season, and make a run for the Norris trophy. If I am Tanger, I spend the offseason working on getting my shot on the net more often, and I think the return of the stars will take care of the rest.
I have not changed my general perception that this team simply ran out of gas after playing what amounts to 4 months of playoff hockey more shorthanded than any playoff team could have ever expected. I suspect that it is also no coincidence that the Pens lost 3 of its final four games after learning that Crosby was not likely to return at all during this post season. I think the regular season run was largely predicated in their minds on just gettng to the dance, and WHEN Crosby came back, look out! Then it was let's win this series, and when he comes back anything can happen......and then it was, welll he isn't coming back, and I think that may have been the straw that broke the camel's back.
I stick with my support of Coach Disco in general, and believe him to be the Jack Adams winner for my money, though I doubt he wins it. And I support his decision to leave Kovalev on the bench during the final 6 on 4 in favor of lesser skilled players, but ones who compete. As I read the articles written, and hear various opinions, I would make two observations/criticisms in general. One is that we did not make any adaptations to the lineup based on not having success, ala Engelland for Niskanen, or Tangradi for Connor. Engo would have helped with some physicality and played will all year with Benny, and The Big Dog went to the net, and in fact was right in front of it on the two power play goals the Pens scored all month. Connor, while game, is a midget who works hard, but really has no skills. Finally, the power play is a total abortion, and really has been since 2008. Time to evaluate the whole scheme and start over. Please hire a PP specialist, because even clicking at 10% v less than 2%, we may be in the second round. All in all, give me Disco, he is a positive force, a leader, and a fierce competitor.
The next thing I want to touch on in is the fan base and some of the whipping boys they pick. I spent a lot of time these past two years defending Goligoski and his value when it seemed much of Pensville bashed him. I feel completely vindicated, first in the value his deal brought back, second in his success in Dallas, and third, in the step back our power play has taken since his departure. The new whipping boy seems to be Jordan Staal. I keep reading how he is soft, how has NO touch, how at 23 years old, he has already peaked, and how the team cannot afford to pay 4M for a "third line center." To all of that, I say.......bullshit you morons! Yeah, I was disappointed that Staal was not more of a factor in the post season, and I am a big fan. People were bitching about his offensive production, with Staal not getting his first goal until the 6th game of the series. Well, no less a player than Mike Richards of Philadelphia just scored his first goal in Game One of the second round. He has some pretty good linemates that he played with all year too. Do you think the Flyers are thinking of trading him? Listen, Jordan Staal scored 29 goals as an 18 year old rookie, 7 of those goals were short handed. After a subpar sophomore season in which he scored 12 goals, he scored 22 goals in in 08-09, 21 goals and 49 points, while playing to +19 in 09-10. After coming back from multiple surgeries, he was pacing to 22 goals and a career high 60 points this season, while playing to a +7. Add to that his strength on the PK, faceoffs, and his iron man status, playing in virtually every game possible until PK Scissorskates severed his tendon. For 4M per year, trust me, Shero would get 29 phone calls within 24 hours of making it known Staalsy was available. As far as the third line center commentary, if your third line center can score 50 plus points, kill penalties, shut down the other team's top lines and score 20 plus goals, yes you can afford him. Maybe Staal was not ready to be THE guy offensively in light of the absence of Crosby and Malkin, but 60 points will get you an auditon on most team's second lines. He also has 17 goals in 67 playoff games, though curiously his playoff career plus/minus is minus 16. Jordan Staal is and should be a big part of the Penguins future. Some of the yinzers should stick to pierogies and kielbasa, and leave conscious thought to others.
With regard to James Neal, I am glad he will play for Team Canada, and I hope he gets his scoring touch back. I firmly believe that Neal will be a big part of the Penguins next season, and love his forcchecking, hitting and all around play. He does however need to get his scoring confidence back. Next year is a contract year for Neal, and he will be with one or the other of two world class talents at center ice, so I still expect big things from the Real Deal.
Another guy in the spotlight to me is Kris Letang. He started the season with a bang, and halfway through it he was in the mix when people spoke of Norris Trophy winners. At his best, he was scoring in bunches, leading the rush, and shutting down the other teams top lines. The second half of the season, he played AT TIMES as if his pregame meal was Wild Turkey and Miller Lite. We should all have expected his offensive production to drop with Crosby and Malkin out of the lineup and off the power play, but his decision making and defensive lapses were tough to watch. I firmly believet that Tanger is a Norris quality player who is YOUNG, and tried to do too much in the absence of the star power. I think he will rebound next season, and make a run for the Norris trophy. If I am Tanger, I spend the offseason working on getting my shot on the net more often, and I think the return of the stars will take care of the rest.
Matt Cooke on the penalty kill may have made a difference in the series. It does not sit well at all with me that Colin Campbell's Kangaroo Court suspended Cooke for 10 games PLUS the entire first round of the playoffs. When I see the meager suspension, or non-actions that occurred on hits post Cooke-McDonagh, the assclown's assertions that they were now taking a hard line on hits to the head, rings as what I knew what I was. I lie to cover the big middle finger they were giving Lemieux for actually speaking out about the idiocy of their discipline. A few timely penalty kills and you never know. Despite the fact that it presides over the professional version of the greatest game on earth the NHL itself was, is and will likely remain a Garage League.
The addition of James Neal, and the performance of Letestu during the season, along with both Kennedy and Staal makes me favor the 3 center model for the Pens. The "third line" of Staal, Kennedy and Cooke would now feature TWO 20 plus goal scorers in Staal and Kennedy, plus a solid third part in Matt Cooke. They kind of functioned as a two line for the Pens at times late this season effectively enough. With the pressure off, and matched up against lesser lines due to the addtions of a Crosby line(to me it remains Crosby flanked by Kunitz and Dupuis and Malkin flanked by Neal and either Tangradi, Jeffrey or Johnson). This would give the Penguins three very good lines who can score, and I love the idea of a fourth line of Adams, Rupp, and Asham.
You could also move Staal or Kennedy up to one of the top lines, and have Letestu center the third line. A little less balance but a very dynamic top two and a solid bottom two lines.
You could also move Staal or Kennedy up to one of the top lines, and have Letestu center the third line. A little less balance but a very dynamic top two and a solid bottom two lines.
Finally, the offseason will mean the exit of some of the more beloved figures from the past few seasons, almost assuredly Max Talbot, and maybe Duper and/or Tyler Kennedy. In additon to those guys, Godard, Rupp, Asham, Adams, Jeffrey, Nick Johnson, Arron Asham, Mike Comrie and Alex Kovalev are free agents. The Penguins have some interesting decisions to make. I will do a preliminary post on the free agents next, and work on that more over the summer. Keep checking back, Mazmania is not closed for the season!!
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