GDT #49: Pens @ Jets

[Blue Canary]

DK: “Loud noises coming from locker room. Not-good words. Yikes. No idea who.”

Nice to hear there’s emotion. But they’re just words. With TBL and DET winning and NJ getting a point today, the hole is even deeper.

Exactly.

[dodint]

DK failing to get the details of a story is on brand.

[Blue Canary]

I know people think I have an axe to grind but I truly don’t. I think Sullivan is an excellent coach.

But at this point nothing is changing. They gotta make a change…even though it might not be the best long term move. The pens have to make the playoffs with Sid playing the way he is. This is unacceptable

I agree with all of this.

[Blue Canary]

DK failing to get the details of a story is on brand.

It’s a running feed with bullets from the locker room as he gets them. Column to follow.

[RonnieFranchise]

Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Karlsson, and Guentzel have all played all 49 games this season. Second straight season where you can't pin the futility on injuries.

It would have sucked seeing Malkin and Letang coming in with other clubs and you don't know if whoever they'd have been able to sign as alternatives would have them doing better, but in hindsight.....

[Blue Canary]

I know people think I have an axe to grind but I truly don’t. I think Sullivan is an excellent coach.

But at this point nothing is changing. They gotta make a change…even though it might not be the best long term move. The pens have to make the playoffs with Sid playing the way he is. This is unacceptable

I'm not sure how you can be considered a competent hockey executive and look at the Vegas/Arizona trip and these last 2 nights and think that the course needs to be maintained.

At least we know GMKD isn’t the type to sit on his hands. That simultaneously is hopeful and terrifying.

[Blue Canary]

Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Karlsson, and Guentzel have all played all 49 games this season. Second straight season where you can't pin the futility on injuries.

And we’re getting the goaltending we’ve been clamoring for in recent years.

[meecrofilm]

No biggie guys, it's early in the season, so this giant hole we're digging isn't gonna come back to bite us in the ass at all...

[MalkinIsMyHomeboy]

Does anybody actually think this team is underperforming? We knew going in that they would be a bubble team. Guess what... they're a bubble team.

Their good players are old. Their young(er) players aren't good.

They are what they are, doesn't matter who's behind the bench. Play hard through the end of the month, see where you are, make a decision on UFAs.

we are absolutely underperforming because the biggest flaw of the team is the PP and the PP failing has little to do with our depth or the age of our stars imo

[MR25]

Even if the PP was working we'd still have the glaring issue of nobody not numbered 87, 71, 58, 65, 59, and 17 being ghosts on the scoresheet.

Rakell has been too up and down and only seems to work/put in effort on Sid's line. Smith is in a similar boat. DOC, while serviceable for stretches, is not an everyday top 6 winger. Jury's still out on Pull my Harvey but his track record isn't promising. Puustinen appears to be Finnish for "Rakell" (at least when he was up). Outside of Eller, everyone else in the bottom six is just A Guy, but even then Eller doesn't exactly do enough to drive offense.

Maybe the PP would put us in a better spot, but ultimately the lack of depth and lack of contribution from 2/3 of your wingers would tank things eventually.

[Trip McNeely]

Does anybody actually think this team is underperforming? We knew going in that they would be a bubble team. Guess what... they're a bubble team.

Their good players are old. Their young(er) players aren't good.

They are what they are, doesn't matter who's behind the bench. Play hard through the end of the month, see where you are, make a decision on UFAs.

They are underperforming because they are underperforming in areas where the shouldn’t be underperforming imo

There is ZERO reason the PP should be this inept. I can see a drop off in 5 on 5 scoring because of their age and they seem to be playing a bit more conservatively. But age isn’t an excuse my mind bogglingly bad powerplay decisions. And the idea of splitting up the PP has already run its course. If they can’t get it together with the top guys, someone needs to be fired or they need to pinpoint what they are missing and try to fix it via some sort of trade.

[RonnieFranchise]

I'd say Rierden needs to go but christ, there is what, 80 combined years of high quality NHL level power play experience on the ice at any given time including three time Stanley Cup winners and a multiple time Norris Trophy winning offensive defenseman. IMO they ought to be able to execute better than this with someone who can't even skate like me drawing it up. It is truly mind boggling.

[dodint]

To be fair the other defenseman has no Norris Trophies.

[Rx6687]

Agreed.

Part of the reason the bottom 6 isn't filled with guys who can score is because this team is built on star players who are expected to score - especially on the power play. In essence, the power play has been SO bad, it has negated the outstanding goaltending this team has received from both Jarry and Ned.

By and large, Malkin, Rackell, and Smith have been empty jerseys far too often this season. It's unrealistic to expect Geno to dominate at his age, but the reality is, when your team is built on the top 2 lines and one of those lines doesn't produce - and the power play also doesn't produce - you're going to lose more than you win.

As opposed to firing Sully, my approach would be to trade O'Connor, Rackell, and Smith - or at least two of those three, and bring in a couple of guys who can shoot. It's the top 6 that needs rebuilt, not the bottom 6. I realize that will require trading future assets, but you can do a fast rebuild around Sid, Jake, Letang, Petterson, the goalies, and maybe give yourself a shot the next couple of seasons.

The only other options are to tear it down and fully rebuild, which would be a shame given how good 87 and the goalies have been, or pick up a few rentals at the deadline and try to put a butterfly bandage over a gunshot wound and hope for the best.

[King Colby]

There aren't really any great answers, but it would be a complete disaster to hang on to jake, miss playoffs, and lose him to free agency

[skullman80]

There aren't really any great answers, but it would be a complete disaster to hang on to jake, miss playoffs, and lose him to free agency

This x100. They need to make a decision soon on that.

They are running out of time to make a run or fix things. So inconsistent.

[MR25]

With how much Hextall bungled the team, it might take too long for things to finally be "fixed"

[King Colby]

Yup

[Rx6687]

I agree, because he did more damage than just on the surface. Poor drafting during his tenure is hurting the team now and will continue for the foreseeable future.

[MR25]

I'd argue, at least WRT to drafting, the problem started with Rutherford and was further exacerbated by Hextall... but at this point that distinction feels like splitting hairs.

[dodint]

NTP66 hairs.

[Gaucho]

When was their drafting ever not poor?

[dodint]

1984.

[MR25]

When was their drafting ever not poor?

Rust - 3rd round pick
Jarry - 2nd round
Guentzel - 3rd round

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Not saying that absolves everything else but that's 3 guys currently playing big roles on the team drafted within the last decade.

[Gaucho]

2010 to 2014 was pretty solid, yes. And they seem to be good at finding goalies for some reason.