SalarySwishSalarySwish
Forums/Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Penguins 2021 season preview

Dec. 23, 2020 at 9:55 a.m.
#1
Brace for the Storm
Avatar of the user
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 12,840
Likes: 6,647
Hot take: their offseason isn't terrible. Ok, overpaying that much for Kapanen is BAD and signing Ceci is... well you know, but I think Matheson will fit in well in their system and getting that much for Murray is good.

Their goaltending is questionable. I love Jarry but I'm not sure about DeSmith. I think this could be an issue. They could have to trade for a backup at the TDL.

I like their d-core a lot. Marino is one of the 10 most underrated d-men in the league and I'm a big Pettersson fan. Letang and Dumoulin were shaky against MTL. But if these for play well, this d^core could be very good.

The offense is basically the same as last season. The x-factor for them is Crosby and Malkin remaining healthy.

Here's how I'd build their lineup:

Zucker-Crosby-Kapanen
Guentzel-Malkin-Rust
Lafferty-McCann-Tanev
Jankowski-Blueger-Sceviour

Dumoulin-Letang
Pettersson-Marino
Matheson-Ceci

Jarry
DeSmith

@mhockey91
@Pens3lieve
@gmack95
@Marino4Norris

Pls do not quote this post, press «reply» instead
Pens3lieve liked this.
Dec. 23, 2020 at 11:33 a.m.
#2
Hockey IQ
Avatar of the user
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 2,978
Likes: 1,466
I'm OK with overpaying for Kapanen bc neither Hollander nor amirov will be ready in the next 2 years--which is our window.
ceci is a stop-gap, I believe. both matheson and POJ can play the off side if needed + college FAs Maniscalco and Lee will push for spots. Riikola and ruhwedel are perfect #7/8 Dmen and can fill in for sure.
I think they'll start off with:
Guentzy-Sid-Kappy
Zuck-Geno-Rusty
Canner-janko-Erod
Turbo-Blueger-Sceviour

but I don't know how long it will last if probs arise...
on the forward side the Q is a gongshow so I expect Poulin to be given a training camp shot + O'connor from college might be ready...

I'm VERY optimistic (prob too much) about Matheson's fit here....no organization (even FLA) is stupid enough to give a "horrible, turnover machine, sub-replacemtne level #7Dman almost 5M"
SO: someone with half a brain probably saw top-4 skill and potential in his first great year.....and we need him to reach that or else.......I don't wanna think about it.......

it's boom or bust for this team I say....
mhockey91 liked this.
Dec. 23, 2020 at 11:36 a.m.
#3
Hockey IQ
Avatar of the user
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 2,978
Likes: 1,466
BradTolliverGoalie liked this.
Dec. 23, 2020 at 2:13 p.m.
#4
Avatar of the user
Joined: Jun. 2015
Posts: 15,921
Likes: 6,980
HAULA SIGNS FOR 1.75 WTF IS GMJR DOING!!!! HAULA IS EVERYTHING WE NEED AS A 3C!!!!! UGHHHH IM GONNA LOSE MY MIND
Dec. 23, 2020 at 2:30 p.m.
#5
Thread Starter
Brace for the Storm
Avatar of the user
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 12,840
Likes: 6,647
Quoting: mhockey91
HAULA SIGNS FOR 1.75 WTF IS GMJR DOING!!!! HAULA IS EVERYTHING WE NEED AS A 3C!!!!! UGHHHH IM GONNA LOSE MY MIND


Soderberg's still on the market...
mhockey91 and Pens3lieve liked this.
Dec. 23, 2020 at 2:51 p.m.
#6
Banned
Avatar of the user
Joined: Sep. 2019
Posts: 5,011
Likes: 1,636
Quoting: mhockey91
HAULA SIGNS FOR 1.75 WTF IS GMJR DOING!!!! HAULA IS EVERYTHING WE NEED AS A 3C!!!!! UGHHHH IM GONNA LOSE MY MIND


Honestly at this point, I feel Jankowski was the primary target for the Penguins at 3C. He's got talent but hasn't been able to generate offence at NHL level. Plus he's slow and soft. Not really sure if he'll work out.
mhockey91 liked this.
Dec. 23, 2020 at 2:52 p.m.
#7
Banned
Avatar of the user
Joined: Sep. 2019
Posts: 5,011
Likes: 1,636
Quoting: KakkoForMauriceRichardAward
Soderberg's still on the market...


Soderberg was not so good last season but historically, he's been decent. It sucks that there are so little centers available this offseason.
Dec. 23, 2020 at 6:19 p.m.
#8
Hockey God Genius
Avatar of the user
Joined: Jun. 2015
Posts: 3,260
Likes: 810
Quoting: mhockey91
HAULA SIGNS FOR 1.75 WTF IS GMJR DOING!!!! HAULA IS EVERYTHING WE NEED AS A 3C!!!!! UGHHHH IM GONNA LOSE MY MIND


Im done with this team, I think they kno the window is closed & why they just quit and only signed #13 Forwards...

There is no way this team makes the playoffs
Dec. 23, 2020 at 7:02 p.m.
#9
Avatar of the user
Joined: Jun. 2015
Posts: 15,921
Likes: 6,980
Quoting: Sidstick87
Im done with this team, I think they kno the window is closed & why they just quit and only signed #13 Forwards...

There is no way this team makes the playoffs


Their top 6 and top 4 is still so good. Most people count them as a playoff team. Only real weakness is the team is missing ONE more third liner since I’m fine rolling the dice between Poulin/Jano/Erod/Lafferty for one of the spots. If the third line struggles, GMJR will prolly use that second round pick to improve the third line. I think we’ll be fine
Dec. 23, 2020 at 8:33 p.m.
#10
NoWah49
Avatar of the user
Joined: Feb. 2018
Posts: 4,864
Likes: 1,432
We need a designated 3C and it would be nice if Poulin could make a step this year and play some games. I'd be hesitant to trade the 2022 1st tho.
Dec. 24, 2020 at 10:19 a.m.
#11
Hockey God Genius
Avatar of the user
Joined: Jun. 2015
Posts: 3,260
Likes: 810
Quoting: mhockey91
Their top 6 and top 4 is still so good. Most people count them as a playoff team. Only real weakness is the team is missing ONE more third liner since I’m fine rolling the dice between Poulin/Jano/Erod/Lafferty for one of the spots. If the third line struggles, GMJR will prolly use that second round pick to improve the third line. I think we’ll be fine


IDK why Pens fans think they will be fine??

1)- With how compacted the season is, We have a career AHL Goalie that could get 20-25 starts behind a 1st yr Starter and probably will be the difference in making & not making playoffs.
***** REMEMBER we are 1 play away from having 2 Goalies i wouldn't trust on an AHL team as our Goalies in DeSmith & Lagace.... Now that could be some funny hockey, MIN should be very happy

2)- We have a good Top 6 & 5 good Dmen & are counting on a 33 & 34yr old Sid & Geno to carry this team, Yikes

3)- We have 3 NHL caliber bottom 6 players, McCann, Blueger, & Turbo w/ 34- #13 to #14 Forwards. (We have 1- 3rd line player, when GMJR said at seasons end, #1 priority is fixing the 3rd line????)

4)- We are 1- Sid or Geno injury away from having Jankowski as the #2 Center, a guy that was replaced by Lucic at 4C in playoffs, then was replaced in line up by Zack Rinaldo for rest of playoffs...
Yes that same Zack Rinaldo .... Now how funny is that?

5)- We dont have 1 physical player & have to play BOS, WASH, PHI, NYI for like 33 of the 56 games.... We are going to get beat up non-stop & need Sid & Geno to do all the fighting bc we have the softest team
in the history of NHL hockey.

** If this is the roster we go into season with I'd say the best case scenario is 5th place & worst case is 7th place, I see the 19'-20' SJS team that stars are too old & if they get injured we have no depth & we give away a Lottery pick in Top 5.
Dec. 24, 2020 at 10:32 a.m.
#12
Hockey God Genius
Avatar of the user
Joined: Jun. 2015
Posts: 3,260
Likes: 810
I see a nightmare season this yr....

Im usually positive about the Pens & I actually liked the Mathy & Kappy trades but everything else GMJR has done the last 3yrs has just killed this team
& he is slowly turning us into The Canes bf GMJR left there.

- Possibly the worst bottom 6 in NHL, w/ only 3- capable bottom 6 players & 34- #13 to #14 Forwards

- 1- 3rd line player in McCann

- A 1st yr starter w/ a career AHL Goalie as a Back-up in a yr having 2 Goalies is a must.

- Expecting a 33 & 34yr old Sid & Geno to carry the team

- Praying that a 19yr old saves the 3rd line, that couldn't even make an under 20 team Canada team

- No picks or prospects to even trade when we get to TDL & we realize that we just gave MIN a Lottery pick for an out of Hockey Prime age Zucker
Dec. 24, 2020 at 12:22 p.m.
#13
Avatar of the user
Joined: Jun. 2015
Posts: 15,921
Likes: 6,980
Quoting: Sidstick87
I see a nightmare season this yr....

Im usually positive about the Pens & I actually liked the Mathy & Kappy trades but everything else GMJR has done the last 3yrs has just killed this team
& he is slowly turning us into The Canes bf GMJR left there.

- Possibly the worst bottom 6 in NHL, w/ only 3- capable bottom 6 players & 34- #13 to #14 Forwards

- 1- 3rd line player in McCann

- A 1st yr starter w/ a career AHL Goalie as a Back-up in a yr having 2 Goalies is a must.

- Expecting a 33 & 34yr old Sid & Geno to carry the team

- Praying that a 19yr old saves the 3rd line, that couldn't even make an under 20 team Canada team

- No picks or prospects to even trade when we get to TDL & we realize that we just gave MIN a Lottery pick for an out of Hockey Prime age Zucker



The only issue with this team is the third line. The fourth line of Tanev/Bluegar/ZAR was maybe the best fourth line in the NHL last season. You’re right there’s also a question mark about Jarry and can he repeat last seasons success but that’s a gamble Rutherford took. Realistically like I said, if pens added ONE more third liner and rolled the dice on the last spot, this team would be in much better shape. You’re acting like this team is so far away from contention when in reality, we are a 3rd liner or two away (assuming no injuries and Jarry holds up). That’s what’s so frustrating. Rutherford went all in but didn’t Fkn fix that third line. He could’ve easily signed a legit 3rd line guy but didn’t
Dec. 24, 2020 at 5:36 p.m.
#14
Hockey God Genius
Avatar of the user
Joined: Jun. 2015
Posts: 3,260
Likes: 810
Quoting: mhockey91
The only issue with this team is the third line. The fourth line of Tanev/Bluegar/ZAR was maybe the best fourth line in the NHL last season. You’re right there’s also a question mark about Jarry and can he repeat last seasons success but that’s a gamble Rutherford took. Realistically like I said, if pens added ONE more third liner and rolled the dice on the last spot, this team would be in much better shape. You’re acting like this team is so far away from contention when in reality, we are a 3rd liner or two away (assuming no injuries and Jarry holds up). That’s what’s so frustrating. Rutherford went all in but didn’t Fkn fix that third line. He could’ve easily signed a legit 3rd line guy but didn’t


Im a HUGE Jarry fan and I was maybe the only CF guy on here that kept telling everyone NOT to trade him yrs ago.
I love Jarry as the #1 BUT the prob is .... This is the 1 yr U have to have 2 NHL capable Goalies & we do not.
I mean if Jarry gets hurt, we could lose the #1 pick overall to MIN

I think our Top 6 is great actually & I love our 6- Dmen, even CC I'll give a chance too....

BUT u said the magic words....
"IF" the Pens stay healthy ..... and that NEVER happens here ....
I'd bet my life that Geno / Sid / Letang are each prob out for atleast 15-20 games like every season
AND with absolutely no depth & them saying they want to keep McCann at LW all yr, we could have Jankowski
(a guy who got replaced at 4C by Lucic & then replaced by Z. Rinaldo in the line up in the playoffs) ...
as our 2nd line Center for 30 to 40 games & that is scary, pathetic, and bad.

IMO, I think GMJR has finally just gave up, knows he has no picks or prospects left to trade & knows the window is closed.
But thats what happens when u go 4 for 29 in last 29 trades the last 3 yrs.
Dec. 24, 2020 at 5:42 p.m.
#15
Avatar of the user
Joined: Jun. 2015
Posts: 15,921
Likes: 6,980
Quoting: Sidstick87
Im a HUGE Jarry fan and I was maybe the only CF guy on here that kept telling everyone NOT to trade him yrs ago.
I love Jarry as the #1 BUT the prob is .... This is the 1 yr U have to have 2 NHL capable Goalies & we do not.
I mean if Jarry gets hurt, we could lose the #1 pick overall to MIN

I think our Top 6 is great actually & I love our 6- Dmen, even CC I'll give a chance too....

BUT u said the magic words....
"IF" the Pens stay healthy ..... and that NEVER happens here ....
I'd bet my life that Geno / Sid / Letang are each prob out for atleast 15-20 games like every season
AND with absolutely no depth & them saying they want to keep McCann at LW all yr, we could have Jankowski
(a guy who got replaced at 4C by Lucic & then replaced by Z. Rinaldo in the line up in the playoffs) ...
as our 2nd line Center for 30 to 40 games & that is scary, pathetic, and bad.

IMO, I think GMJR has finally just gave up, knows he has no picks or prospects left to trade & knows the window is closed.
But thats what happens when u go 4 for 29 in last 29 trades the last 3 yrs.


I think you’re being a big dramatic rn. This is all the worst case scenarios. Sure pens will face injuries but even look how good we did last year given our injuries then. McCann will slide up to 2C in case of injury, not Jano. And like I said, pens do have a great fourth line. Our third line is really missing one more established player assuming we role the dice with someone in the other spot. We will do a lot better than u expect
Dec. 24, 2020 at 7:58 p.m.
#16
Thread Starter
Brace for the Storm
Avatar of the user
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 12,840
Likes: 6,647
Quoting: Sidstick87
Im a HUGE Jarry fan and I was maybe the only CF guy on here that kept telling everyone NOT to trade him yrs ago.
I love Jarry as the #1 BUT the prob is .... This is the 1 yr U have to have 2 NHL capable Goalies & we do not.
I mean if Jarry gets hurt, we could lose the #1 pick overall to MIN

I think our Top 6 is great actually & I love our 6- Dmen, even CC I'll give a chance too....

BUT u said the magic words....
"IF" the Pens stay healthy ..... and that NEVER happens here ....
I'd bet my life that Geno / Sid / Letang are each prob out for atleast 15-20 games like every season
AND with absolutely no depth & them saying they want to keep McCann at LW all yr, we could have Jankowski
(a guy who got replaced at 4C by Lucic & then replaced by Z. Rinaldo in the line up in the playoffs) ...
as our 2nd line Center for 30 to 40 games & that is scary, pathetic, and bad.

IMO, I think GMJR has finally just gave up, knows he has no picks or prospects left to trade & knows the window is closed.
But thats what happens when u go 4 for 29 in last 29 trades the last 3 yrs.


This ain't it. Yeah their bottom six is weak ish, but there is a lot of internal competition, which motivates everyone for spots. This should make everyone slightly better. Plus with ZAR being out for the start of the season I think there's a chance Blueger and Tanev don't start the season together... this means that Tanev might find chemistry with McCann and another player, which should make up a very good 3rd line.

And yeah you guys have an issue with staying healthy but you know what? If Letang goes down Marino's there. IMO Marino's better at defense than Letang. This means that they aren't in trouble if Letang goes down.

If one of Geno/Sid goes down, the other's still there.

The only thing they're missing is perhaps a backup if DeSmith flops as well as a 3C. Soderberg's still available.

Quoting: mhockey91
I think you’re being a big dramatic rn. This is all the worst case scenarios. Sure pens will face injuries but even look how good we did last year given our injuries then. McCann will slide up to 2C in case of injury, not Jano. And like I said, pens do have a great fourth line. Our third line is really missing one more established player assuming we role the dice with someone in the other spot. We will do a lot better than u expect


Yeah the above just isn't accurate. Any team with Geno and Crosby will compete for the 2nd round at least.
mhockey91 liked this.
Dec. 25, 2020 at 11:26 a.m.
#17
Hockey God Genius
Avatar of the user
Joined: Jun. 2015
Posts: 3,260
Likes: 810
Quoting: KakkoForMauriceRichardAward
This ain't it. Yeah their bottom six is weak ish, but there is a lot of internal competition, which motivates everyone for spots. This should make everyone slightly better. Plus with ZAR being out for the start of the season I think there's a chance Blueger and Tanev don't start the season together... this means that Tanev might find chemistry with McCann and another player, which should make up a very good 3rd line.

And yeah you guys have an issue with staying healthy but you know what? If Letang goes down Marino's there. IMO Marino's better at defense than Letang. This means that they aren't in trouble if Letang goes down.

If one of Geno/Sid goes down, the other's still there.

The only thing they're missing is perhaps a backup if DeSmith flops as well as a 3C. Soderberg's still available.



Yeah the above just isn't accurate. Any team with Geno and Crosby will compete for the 2nd round at least.


I think I'm just POed that we didnt sign Haula or Granlund and all the #13 Forwards we are signing , like we have stock in #13 Forwards, lol
Dec. 25, 2020 at 11:27 a.m.
#18
Hockey God Genius
Avatar of the user
Joined: Jun. 2015
Posts: 3,260
Likes: 810
Quoting: mhockey91
I think you’re being a big dramatic rn. This is all the worst case scenarios. Sure pens will face injuries but even look how good we did last year given our injuries then. McCann will slide up to 2C in case of injury, not Jano. And like I said, pens do have a great fourth line. Our third line is really missing one more established player assuming we role the dice with someone in the other spot. We will do a lot better than u expect


LOL, U are prob right... I think I'm just mad at some of the decisions on this team.
 
Reply
To create a post please Login or Register
Question:
Options:
Add Option
Submit Poll