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Jake_H

AHL Emissary
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Jan. 4, 2017
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Pittsburgh Penguins
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Forum: Armchair-GMNov. 2, 2018 at 12:28 a.m.
Thread: Trading Brassard Sprong and Jarry
If you think Honka has it in him to come in and displace Schultz from the lineup, I've got some bad news. If the Penguins shopped for Honka it would be as a reclamation project that <em>might</em> be able to take over for Schultz as a 2nd pairing defenseman if/when Schultz leaves in two years. Honka has zero NHL success and his AHL track record is underwhelming, so don't go penciling Honka in as anything other than a heavily sheltered 3rd pairing experiment.

Unless that 2nd rounder is getting you Pearson, it's pointless to trade Jarry; he's looked every bit his stats in the AHL and I can't imagine he carries much of any value. Maybe a GM gets overly attached to his NHL streak last year, but any AHL scout would tell you he's looked very soft in Wilkes-Barre. Maybe he's one of those odd guys who only improves as the competition gets tougher, but I've seen enough in WBS to be concerned.
Forum: Armchair-GMOct. 26, 2018 at 5:39 p.m.
Thread: Dallas do you do it
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>NuttySquirrel</b></div><div>If the D is already suspect why get rid of Maatta? I don't follow the Pens but I thought he was pretty good</div></div>

That was my point, Pittsburgh can't afford the downgrade from Maatta to Honka even if it was Faksa coming back.

You know what you get with Olli: enough good to be a valuable contributor on a contender, enough bad to make him a headache and easy scapegoat. He's an average 2nd pairing defenseman with excellent hockey sense who can get burned and look really bad due to a lack of footspeed.

Honka is a high draft pick that plays a position of need and yet cannot regularly defend his roster spot from aged vets and people playing on their offhand. He's an offensive defenseman that has yet to produce tangible offense at the NHL level, and even with Schultz out he wouldn't be more than a 3rd pairing defenseman on the Pens.
Forum: Armchair-GMOct. 26, 2018 at 2:18 p.m.
Thread: Thoughts Waivers
Until an injury occurs, the only guys getting rotated in and out will be Simon and Sprong. Simon made some plays recently so he stays, Sprong got bodied on a reverse check so he sits. That's just the nature of guys at the bottom of the roster in October. Hagelin might not be producing and the line might not be dominating the ad stats at evens, but Malkin and Kessel are producing and Hagelin isn't interfering. He's the most responsible forward with the most irresponsible forwards, so until they start getting shelled and more pucks end up in the wrong net, Hagelin stays in the lineup and on that line.

There are enough guys in Wilkes-Barre with NHL potential that if the lineup needs a good rattling someone can get a reward with the big club. None of them are realistically going to produce this year or even next, but the forward depth is there for a few different recalls. Unless a struggling guy like Pearson falls into your lap the Pens don't need to be expending assets on a shakeup with young hungry guys waiting a few hours away. Side note: I'd steer clear of Namestnikov, I saw enough of him in the AHL to know that he's one I'd those good-but-not-great players that needs stars to feed off of if he's going to put up 30+ points in the NHL. He had decent chemistry in Tampa, but given his cap hit and how much the Rangers would want for him it would be a costly risk to see if he could find it again here.

Sustr probably doesn't make it to the Pens simply because there aren't enough right-handed defensemen to go around. At this point in the season 98 right-handed defenders have played at least one NHL game, compared to 134 lefties. Last season 186 LHD's suited up for an NHL game, compared to just 120 RHD's. If Sustr does in fact make it down the waiver wire to Pittsburgh there's very little risk in claiming him: the Pens can always re-waive him and expect Anaheim to take him back, almost all of his contract can be buried in the AHL if he does clear for us, and it's only a one year deal so no baggage. He's a 3rd pairing stay at home defenseman that's probably better than Chad Ruhwedel, what more justification do you need?
Forum: Armchair-GMOct. 25, 2018 at 4:27 a.m.
Thread: Honka Finds a Home
I don't understand how this deal works for the Pens. They're giving up the best player, the better prospect, and the highest pick, all because Honka is a right shot and Faksa has elite defensive metrics on top of barely being able to scrape 30 points a season? I get that he has term and one year of RFA after his current deal ends, and yes he'd be a decent addition to the Pens, but not in a trade they're blatantly losing.

Faksa can have all the Selke votes he wants, he's a defensive specialist that doesn't produce nearly enough to make sense at that price point. Once the Pens move Brassard back to being a full time center a lot of the issues up front will work themselves out. Honka is worth grabbing to experiment with, but his lack of any tangible success in the NHL and waning time as a "prospect" make it hard for him to be worth much of anything. The Pens are getting shorted pretty bad in this trade.
Forum: Armchair-GMOct. 22, 2018 at 4:04 p.m.
Thread: TvR 3-way trade and Arizona
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>Willian_Cardoso</b></div><div>Bjugstad plays behind Barkov and Trocheck, 2 very good C, and he still got 49 points and 19 goals playing as a 3rd C in a team which haven't the much depth at their wings. At least till last season. So, in Carolina he'd be no-brainer their 2nd C and will have an immediate impact in their offense. Imagine he playing with Teuravainen and Svechnikov. Whatta exciting 2nd line it'd be!

As for Pens, well, I don't think Maatta is playing like a top-4 d-man in Pitt. At least not in terms of the quality of his game. However, I admit that he has a good upside and he could improve Panthers D at the same moment that he gets the lineup. That's why I think everyone would win in this trade. I still think that TvR shows he's a good D, who can play as a top-4 or 6 and help the Pens to improve the D. And finally, Foegele is an obvious improvement compared to Simon. So, Pens wins either.

PS: I know I won't change your mind. But I'm still giving my point anyway. lol</div></div>

The problem you're not addressing is that the only team that wins any of these trades is the Canes. No knock on him but Maatta isn't displacing Yandle or Matheson any time soon, and there's no room for him to play down the right side, so the Panthers don't really have a pressing need for Olli. The Pens are giving up a key piece of center depth with no clear replacement (Grant and Cousins are not replacements for Sheahan), and yes Foegele is probably a long term upgrade on Simon but maybes and long terms aren't a good fit for a team with a core north of 30. The only thing that could save this from a Pens standpoint is if you were upgrading the D, which is a suspect argument at best. Maatta isn't great and he's not earning his money, but he's a good bit better and more valuable than van Riemsdyk and yet that's the main roster swap.
Forum: Armchair-GMOct. 22, 2018 at 2:29 p.m.
Thread: TvR 3-way trade and Arizona
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>Willian_Cardoso</b></div><div>The point is that Carolina have much more depth on their wings than in their C. In fact, there's a huge hole in their C. So, bring Bjugstad as their 2nd line C would surely improve their offensive game, cause Rask becames a bust and he's far from being a good C to be placed as a 2nd C. So, I think Carolina can afford to lose one good winger to get a C.

As for Maatta and TvR, let's remember that TvR was pretty good playing for the Hawks as well. He's been consistent almost his entire career. To me, he's a underrated player.</div></div>

You fill Carolina's needs quite nicely and the Pens get a full compliment of right-handed defensemen, but at what cost to Pittsburgh? The Hurricanes get (by your estimation) a 2nd line center in Bjugstad, (by my estimation) a 3rd line center in Sheahan, and a decent depth piece in Simon, and all it costs them is an "underrated" 3rd pairing defenseman, a promising prospect with a hot hand, and a pick.

The Pens are giving up a top 4 defenseman, a valuable center that lets them roll lines and play Brassard where need be, and one of the only left-handed depth options to have chemistry with Sid if something happens to Guentzel, and the only guarantee they get in return is a depth defenseman that has to play over his head until Schultz returns. Maybe Foegele is the next Guentzel, maybe he goes to Wilkes-Barre and never sees the big ice again, he's not a known quantity. Maybe TVR has been hiding another gear in his development and can become the next Dumoulin, if only he wasn't already 27. Pittsburgh loses way too much value on this deal and gets far too little in return for it to make any sense.
Forum: Armchair-GMOct. 22, 2018 at 11:48 a.m.
Thread: TvR 3-way trade and Arizona
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>Willian_Cardoso</b></div><div>Foegele to me has more upside and is more talented than Simon. TvR is more consistent than Maatta. Specially defensively. And Sheahan is just a bit better than Cousins, but he's a RFA and still a good bottom 6 C/LW. Oesterle is good ofensively and would give us more depth at D. So, I don't think those are bad trades at all. In fact, I think our D and offensve would improve.</div></div>

Foegele might very well be more talented than Simon, which is why I don't see Carolina trading him when the immediate roster replacement is an older and worse version of the same player.

As for TVR and Maatta, the defensive upgrade isnt as big as you think. Van Riemsdyk hasn't been a big penalty killer historically, and his even strength time isn't a while lot different than what Olli's gotten, so you're giving up the much better offensive defenseman for a slight bump in defensive play a few shifts a night at evens. And that's without considering that Carolina runs a system prediacted on creating turnovers and boosting strong defensive metrics without necessarily winning games, so as much as Maatta's offense might be a result of playing in Pittsburgh so might TVR's apparent defensive skills be exaggerated by playing in Carolina. Again, doesn't seem worth the risk.

I don't know how you're measuring them, but I can't find anything to suggest that Cousins and Sheahan are remotely close to each other in terms of skill or results. Sheahan is a passable 3rd line center, Cousins has had a replacement level career outside of a 12 goal outburst. That's a clear downgrade.
Forum: Armchair-GMOct. 18, 2018 at 9:27 p.m.
Thread: bye 2 sprong and maatta
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>t2a2e9j12k2</b></div><div>both guys from Montreal have nhl experience and higher ceilings than either ahl player from pens.

sprong is out soon in Pittsburgh he has been bad and sully doesnt like him. wings can through in a pick then cause maata will spend most season on bench and AA is well worth it

you dont watch much hockey do you</div></div>

I watch a fair bit of hockey, enough to know that you're not giving Sprong, Simon, or Maatta nearly enough credit. Simon and Sprong are valuable depth pieces for the next two seasons at least, producing from the lower lines on cheap contracts until injury calls them higher up the lineup. Maatta isn't the best defenseman out there, but he gets much more grief than he deserves and his trade value is a lot higher than people suggest on here.

Lehkonen has potential and is off to a hot start, but he's far from a sure thing and yet the Pens are giving up possibly their best forward prospect to get him. Scherbak hasn't locked down a roster spot yet and has less NHL games than Simon or even Sprong, so it's not like the Pens are picking up two surefire NHL top-6 talents.

If you think Maatta would ride the bench in Detroit, how does that trade even make sense? And what is it about Athanasiou that you value so highly?