Joined: Jun. 2021
Posts: 902
Likes: 383
We're barely a month into the season and have had a combined two games from Crosby and Malkin. I agree that we're underperforming and our top players aren't performing the way we'd hoped, but I think a lot of the ACGMs for Pittsburgh overreact a little bit. Give it time. St. Louis had the worst record in the league on January 1st 2019, so anything is possible.
However I can't call this team soft, at least physically. According to statmuse, the Pens are 4th in the league in hits per game, behind only the Sens, Isles, and Hawks. And we aren't going to get a more physical team by selling off players. Lafferty will probably be a significant physical presence, but you're trading away ZAR, who according to tsn is 7th in the league in hits and leading the team by a wide margin.
I do think changes need to be made somewhere, but I don't think giving up on the season and selling is a reasonable response this early in the season unless Hextall and Burke *really* want Shane Wright.