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Haymaker26

Member Since
Jun 3, 2021
Favourite Team
Pittsburgh Penguins
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14
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Forum: Armchair-GMNov 21 at 11:20
Thread: This team would have been so much better without Zucker
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>Lancebmx</b></div><div>I think he was exempt, they protected Matheson</div></div>

Marino was exempt.

<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>MisstheWhalers</b></div><div>The Pens had a pretty bad offseason/expansion draft.</div></div>

I don't think it was bad. I would have liked to keep one of either McCann or Tanev and we definitely could have gotten more from Toronto for McCann. But I don't know how the cap situation would have worked out had we kept one, and I've loved McGinn and Heinen's play so far. Heinen is very versatile and was one of our best players in the early few games and the line of ZAR-Blueger-McGinn has been the Pens' most consistent over the season so far.
Forum: Armchair-GMNov 17 at 1:24
Thread: BIG Shakeup
I'm confused. Is this shake-up supposed to help us in the future or the present? Because this team doesn't look like it would necessarily be better in the present or future to me.
Cirelli is a great player who's only 24 and is going to get better, but I think that in the present, Rust is a better player. ZAR is also an underrated piece who is a great defensive guy and currently leads the Pens in hits.
Getting Gibson is a fantastic move if we want to be better now. Giving up Guentzel is not. Yeah, there's McTavish there as well, but that would definitely require Pittsburgh to throw in more, which probably means picks/prospects. I'll just call it a lateral move for now, which is something that I don't think either team involved would be interested in even if either was willing to give up the pieces in this deal.
Pettersson has been, in my opinion, the Pens best defensemen this season. I know we need to shed a guy at LD and Dumo and Matheson aren't as movable, but this just feels like another move being made for the sake of making a move. What does this accomplish to benefit either the Penguins or Sharks?
I don't understand the appeal of Holl. Maybe I just haven't seen him play enough, but I don't really like the idea of him as a Penguin. This move also gets rid of two upcoming RFAs in Heinen and Friedman. With Heinen as part of this trade, I don't think it helps the Penguins succeed now or in the future.
What good are trades if they don't accomplish anything? I don't see these trades helping in the future, and less so in the present. They're all lateral moves at best for a team that needs the synergy and drive they had for the first few games of the season, and I don't see these trades doing that.
Forum: Armchair-GMNov 16 at 9:37
Thread: Called it this offseason btw
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.
Forum: Armchair-GMNov 10 at 1:00
Thread: Big rebuild
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>pensfan21</b></div><div>I really like Mangiapane as a player, but I'll admit this wasn't the most realistic trade. But it's been reported Hextall is open to trading Marino depending on how this season goes, and Kapanen needs much more consistency before he gets a raise IMO. I really don't think the Pens are a contender this year and every year we put off a rebuild the longer the rebuild will take. If we don't trade away some core players while they have value we could be in for a long rebuild like the Hawks, Kings, or Red Wings. I think we had a shot at one last year of contending, but I really don't think the team improved in free agency. They basically did nothing and got slightly worse by loosing Tanev, Ceci, and McCann. We added no physicality and in my opinion should've upgraded at goalie. Jarry could be great all season, but the real test would be the playoffs. So I think now is the time to rebuild if the rest of this year dosen't go well.</div></div>

That's fair enough. There is an argument to be made that the Penguins have been the most successful NHL team of the 21st century, and our futures have been gutted in exchange for the present. Once the core is no longer dominant, they will struggle. But Crosby, Malkin, and Letang are still elite players, especially Sid. I agree that Marino and Kapanen need to get better, but imo that's going to happen and soon. Kappy looked a lot more confident last night, and Marino has been better offensively than he was last year. I think once the Pens are healthier, those two will start seeing more results.

As for free agency, it was tough. I do wish we picked up a true 3rd RHD, but I liked the moves Hextall and Burke made. I was really high on Heinen before we signed him, and so far he has exceeded my expectations (albeit he was forced into a more prominent role than everyone anticipated he would.) Boyle has been fairly quiet on the ice as of late, but from what I've heard, he brings a veteran presence to the team that a lot of the younger guys very much appreciate. And finally I think the line of ZAR-Blueger-McGinn has been the most consistent line we've had, although there is probably some bias there. Losing the guys we did sucked. I honestly believe that that team was the best one the Penguins have had since the cups. But the unfortunate truth is that we just could not have afforded to keep all three and were losing one to expansion anyway. Our signings have been great value for the price.

I do genuinely believe that this team will be a playoff team. Getting our stars back will go a long way. Health brings consistency, which brings confidence, drive, and ultimately success. We've definitely been struggling, but considering the guys who've been out from injuries and COVID, we could be doing a lot worse.
Forum: Armchair-GMNov 9 at 8:49
Thread: Big rebuild
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>pensfan21</b></div><div>That is very good value in return for Malkin. If we get a first and more its a deal we should take as opposed to loosing him for nothing. How do you know Rust wouldn't go for more money in the offseason. He said he loves Pittsburgh but will do whats best for his family at the end of the day. We can't afford to pay Letang and he shouldn't take a hometown discount. Darnell Nurse made over 9 million and Letang is better then that. He could make a ton in free agency and we can't afford to pay him as much. We'll see if the guys in the Calgary trade would've helped in the rebuild. POJ has not been impressive this season, Kapenen is inconsistant, and Marino had a good start but has fallen off. If Marino and Kapanen get more consistancy I'm all for keeping them, Kapanen is one of my favorite players and is extremely skilled. But it's not going to work unless they get more consistancy.</div></div>

For as long as Crosby, Malkin, and Letang are here, the Penguins are contenders. They'll probably at least be in a playoff race at the deadline, and they've gotten a single game out of the duo of Crosby and Malkin so far. Even in the near-impossible scenario where they aren't, I don't necessarily like the value we get back.
I think the Malkin deal is the best, assuming Kravtsov becomes the player NYR clearly lacks faith in if he still hasn't played this season.
Rust is a bona fide top 6 winger and was above a point per game in 2019-20, and we get a 3rd and a former 4th for that?
Again with Letang, a 1st is great, but the prospect this time is a former 5th. I think we could get more for him.
I think Jarry has gotten a lot more criticism than he deserves this season (except for the shootout). He's still a fairly young goalie with not a lot of games under his belt. He has had some consistency issues this season, but I think that he's going to be consistently solid, wanting to prove that his playoff performance was a fluke.
The Mangiapane deal hurts to think about, honestly. I think the guys we give up would help in a rebuild. It's a top 6 winger, top 4 dman, and 3 prospects (including one of out best) for a guy that the Flames frankly aren't interested in gving away. Mangiapane is also the oldest guy in the deal, even if not by much. I disagree with POJ underperforming for 1 reason: he's played 2 games. That isn't a lot of time to make a decision as to what to expect from a player.
As for whether or not we could pay our players, Rust we might lose, but I have serious doubts about Letang or Malkin playing anywhere else. As for Darnell Nurse's 9 million, I don't remember who set the market, but the price for #1 Dmen in the offseason was ridiculous and could be lower next season. Nurse was also signing a long contract in his prime, while Letang won't be. And why shouldn't he take a hometown discount? He said he wants to stay here, so he probably will.

I do think these are valid concerns, especially if we continue having injury issues. However, I think that it's incredibly unlikely that we'll be anywhere near this point. Even if this is necessary, I think we could get more for Malkin (maybe), Letang, and Rust, and that the Mangiapane trade is nonsensical in value for a contending team and worse for a rebuilding one.
Forum: Fauteuil - DGOct 9 at 10:07
Thread: PIT Season Prediction
I will admit that I am very biased, but I think people underrate the Penguins. I know things don't look great to start with Crosby and Malkin out, but this is a good team, even with only one missing. I don't see any reason for either Crosby or Guentzel to be below a point per game, as both have been above that mark for the past two seasons. Kapanen also scored 30 points in 40 games last season, so you have him as the breakout player despite scoring at a lower pace than he did last season. Finally, Jeff Carter probably will not have more assists than goals. If I were to include the postseason, he has scored 13 goals and 3 assists with the Pens. I really think our success will boil down to whether or not Jarry can bounce back from his playoff performance, and I think he can.

Sorry if this seems nitpicky, it's just a few observations - and definitely biased ones at that. But I've seen a bunch of your season predictions and I think it's a good idea, so thanks for putting in all the time to do something like this.
Forum: Armchair-GMAug 22 at 8:28
Thread: Penguins 2021-22 Discussion Read Description
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>Wiz</b></div><div>I think Guentzel excels with Malkin. I think the addition of Palmeri with Crosby gives it that Dupuis like feel. In 2019 Malkin and Guentzel put up 22 points in 6 games. Obviously Guentz is Crosbys go to winger but putting him on Malkin's gives them two very strong lines. You could also go with Palmeri on third, Guentz w Crosby and Greenway w Malkin. So many possibilities with this team.</div></div>

I have to admit that I'm a bit biased because Guentzel is my favorite player, and I did not know how well he and Malkin did together, so thank you for telling me. I have to agree that I like how versatile the lineup is, as there are arguments for any combination of lines. I think that's very important for a successful team, especially considering how often the Pens have seemed to be missing guys to injury in the past few seasons.
Forum: Armchair-GMAug 22 at 11:29
Thread: Penguins 2021-22 Discussion Read Description
I have to agree that the penguins are still in win-now mode and starting to rebuild should wait. Maybe I'm just naively optimistic, but I don't know how drastic we need to be to be a contender. I think we're overpaying for Staal and Greenway here, but that tends to happen with teams trying to hold onto cup contention like the Pens. There are only 2 things I think I'd disagree with. 1- I really liked the Danton Heinen signing. I think he can bounce back after leaving Anaheim, he has experience on both special teams, and his cap hit is only $1.1 mil. 2 - Taking Jake Guentzel off of the 1st line makes no sense. Even with the inclusions of Palmeri and Greenway, he is the best winger on the Penguins, and I think is underrated by fans of other teams. He shouldn't be anywhere other than Crosby's wing.