Fifth Avenue Forum

I told ya Kahun is not an NHLer.

I told ya Kahun is not an NHLer.

He'll have to play in a game before we can determine that

One thing from watching the powerplay/in general: they really seem to miss Kessel's speed and ability to carry the puck.

They keep trying the drop pass entry but there's no one there to take it so they have to dump while 4 people are standing flatfooted.

Yeah, this looks like a personnel issue...it's not a very good roster...and I don't see a lot of good outs...we have a shot at making the playoffs, of course...but the roster is full of very average players...plus, 87, 71, 59, 58 and 8...I have some time for 19 and 4 as well...the rest are various shades of gray...

I think I feel this way too. The roster just feels so stagnant, there doesn't appear to be any improvement, and some bad contracts have tied it down to the point of making us wade through it.

JJ contract, even the Gudbranson contract, Hornqvist contract, just blah. Whatever this team is right now, doesn't feel like a winner, and it feels like the players they brought in, we're just rearranging chairs on the Titanic so to speak.

Also at this point, I'd rather just lose with Riikola and Marino over Johnson and Gudbranson. They can probably do better when it comes to what the Pens want to be, and grow into more than what those guys currently provide.

That thought goes back to me thinking GM and Coach are at odds with each other in the roster, and this isn't the first time it's happened.

It's tougher than you think to scratch veteran players for players with no NHL experience...I know it sounds dumb and it's easy to say "who cares" as a fan...but it's really difficult to look one of your vets in the eye and tell him, "hey, you're not going tonight...we're playing John Marino..."

Imagine coming to work every day and getting written up because someone else is a little better than you, probably...it's tough. You're right, I'd play Marino, especially, any chance I could...but it's tough...

That's why we should have hired Babcock. He'll scratch a veteran because it gives him a semi.

**** that ****.

We also still have Chad Ruhwedel sitting over there in the corner like "hey guys I'm still here".*

I don't really understand the necessity of having 9 defensemen on the roster.




*not saying he should play, but I don't understand why you're paying him to basically do nothing

It's tougher than you think to scratch veteran players for players with no NHL experience...I know it sounds dumb and it's easy to say "who cares" as a fan...but it's really difficult to look one of your vets in the eye and tell him, "hey, you're not going tonight...we're playing John Marino..."

Imagine coming to work every day and getting written up because someone else is a little better than you, probably...it's tough. You're right, I'd play Marino, especially, any chance I could...but it's tough...

Totally makes sense, and there's gotta be a way to do it. "Hey we're gonna give this guy some time every few nights, and you might be the guy that comes out."

I don't know the tactfulness of it, I'm sure they can get time, but they have these young guys that have shown promise, and we have two guys still creating the same problems as last year.

Marino for me is the sore spot. Either give the guy minutes or send him to WBS so he can at least get more experience.

We also still have Chad Ruhwedel sitting over there in the corner like "hey guys I'm still here".*

I don't really understand the necessity of having 9 defensemen on the roster.




*not saying he should play, but I don't understand why you're paying him to basically do nothing

It's not a "necessity", it's just bad management...no GM wants 9 d-men on the roster (period) with three hurt forwards...

On the plus side, the continuing to carry nine tells me that GMJR thinks he has an out...whether it's a trade of one of the luddites, or waiving Riikola, I don't know...

Healthy bombing one of JJ or EG is much easier if only one of them is on the roster, IMO. If you can jettison one, you can HS the other one

Last I heard, Riikola could be traded, which to me is an awful casualty of JJ and Gudbranson.

I'll always give credit to GMJR for the cups and right players right time, but this seems to be a result of how Carolina went. Questionable roster decisions that made no sense to build the team or overall organization structure.

Just stinks, because this is the wrong time for this to happen with Sid/Geno windows.

I mean, it's not like GMJR is holding the organization hostage. If we really believe JR is causing the team to miss the last remaining years of Sid/Geno windows, then the blame should be put on ownership for allowing it to continue.

I mean, it's not like GMJR is holding the organization hostage. If we really believe JR is causing the team to miss the last remaining years of Sid/Geno windows, then the blame should be put on ownership for allowing it to continue.

Oh, I agree, I just don't see how anyone is OK with what's transpired defensively to be OK with it. It wasn't a one-time thing, someone agreed to actively get worse on defense with Johnson, then arguably slower/no positive benefit out of snarl in trading for Gudranson.

If they were truly that worried about Wilson wrecking the team, and deciding that the team went tougher overall, the players they've acquired to combat that have altered their team make-up pretty heavily and they need to adjust to the new make-up as opposed to square pegging round holing everything.

You guys are so spot on in my book. Lots of changes have been made to the non core players, but everyone brought in really made no measurable tangible improvement or brings anything fresh with the exception of maybe McCann based on age and goals last year, although a ton were of the empty net variety. He doest nothing that Sheary didn't already do.

Tanev seems to have promise of something thats been lacking (speed/forecheck aggression IMO) but its early. Can he develop a scorers touch? What will Galchenyuk do? If its nothing, he walks as a UFA and you get some cap space but then what?

Imagine if the Pens didn't strike gold with Guentzel as a third round pick.

Looking and realizing he was drafted in 2013 and it seems like thats right smack dab in the window of trading away all of our draft picks year over year I guess this is where that eventually ends you up. The bottom half of the lineup F and D has ZERO pop at all, no identity, and is generally listless.

I told ya Kahun is not an NHLer.

He'll have to play in a game before we can determine that

8/10

Reduce your fractions homie

Reduce your fractions homie

fine