Should Pens get a RFA defenseman?

[lifetimefan]

I am sure this will be a heated dicussion, but based upon the Pens play thus far, should they enter the RFA market for a soild, hard hitting defenseman? In particular, one of our hated foes is sitting in Montreal without a contract. Should the Pens seek a trade with Montreal based upon us signing PK Subban? Yes, I know his past with Staal and Sid, but he would be a huge upgrade. Orpik is 33 and on the down slope. My concern is what would the Pens have to give up to get him? It may be a steep price, but it may be worth it if we lock him up for 5 years.

Thoughts?

[DelPen]

Wouldn't be a bad idea and it would certainly help the team now and in the future. Despres and a 1st would be the start but the Habs are morons when it comes to trades, might be enough. Mabe they can take Tangradi too

[pens_CT]

The Habs ask for Letang and Shero hangs up the phone.

[Sarcastic]

Is Despres tradebait now?

[mikey287]

The organization just spent like 10 draft picks on getting transitional, offensive defensemen and a year or two before their ready, we're going to use our next four first round picks (or whatever...) on getting another one? I gotta say, I'm confused by the sentiment...

[Willie Kool]

You would have to appeal to the Québécois. Maybe Fleury, Pascal and Philippe Dupuis, and Despres for Price, Subban, and Pacioretty?

[Pitts]

The organization just spent like 10 draft picks on getting transitional, offensive defensemen and a year or two before their ready, we're going to use our next four first round picks (or whatever...) on getting another one? I gotta say, I'm confused by the sentiment...

To be clear, the OP is talking trade, not offer sheet.

[Sarcastic]

If those guys are not ready to contribute in a big way, let's not blow a season and do something.

[smoothmoneyb]

Please no to Subban. There has to be other options. I have a pretty short list of NHL players that I wouldn't want to see on the pens, and he is definitely on that list.

[pugilist13]

Is Despres tradebait now?

That's the "rumor" anyway. Despres should be playing with Letang. Look at what Boston is doing with Dougie Hamilton. He's playing with Chara and playing well. I'm not comparing any of those guys, but give your "top" D prospect a little more than 3rd pair minutes before he gets written off.

[Pitts]

Is Despres tradebait now?

That's the "rumor" anyway. Despres should be playing with Letang. Look at what Boston is doing with Dougie Hamilton. He's playing with Chara and playing well. I'm not comparing any of those guys, but give your "top" D prospect a little more than 3rd pair minutes before he gets written off.

He's not getting "written off", he being used as a value commodity to land another value commodity.

[MRandall25]

Is Despres tradebait now?

That's the "rumor" anyway. Despres should be playing with Letang. Look at what Boston is doing with Dougie Hamilton. He's playing with Chara and playing well. I'm not comparing any of those guys, but give your "top" D prospect a little more than 3rd pair minutes before he gets written off.

Kris Letang is no Zdeno Chara. Nowhere near as defensively responsible.

[pugilist13]

Is Despres tradebait now?

That's the "rumor" anyway. Despres should be playing with Letang. Look at what Boston is doing with Dougie Hamilton. He's playing with Chara and playing well. I'm not comparing any of those guys, but give your "top" D prospect a little more than 3rd pair minutes before he gets written off.

Kris Letang is no Zdeno Chara. Nowhere near as defensively responsible.

As i said in my post. I'm not comparing any of those guys, but you dont let your top D prospect rot on the 3rd pair if you want a proper evaluation.

[MRandall25]

Is Despres tradebait now?

That's the "rumor" anyway. Despres should be playing with Letang. Look at what Boston is doing with Dougie Hamilton. He's playing with Chara and playing well. I'm not comparing any of those guys, but give your "top" D prospect a little more than 3rd pair minutes before he gets written off.

Kris Letang is no Zdeno Chara. Nowhere near as defensively responsible.

As i said in my post. I'm not comparing any of those guys, but you dont let your top D prospect rot on the 3rd pair if you want a proper evaluation.

Throwing him against top lines isn't exactly the best idea, either.

[pugilist13]

So i guess he'll be a 5-7 Dman for the rest of his career.

[no name]

Is Despres tradebait now?

Rossi thinks so, but Rossi doesn't know his head from a hole in the ground. Despres has no trade value, what has he proven during his NHL career. You might get a really good depth defenceman for him, just since he is raw and young. but until he proves he can maintain NHL employement, you won't get much.

[MRandall25]

So i guess he'll be a 5-7 Dman for the rest of his career.

No, but if he's still a prospect, as you're calling him, why wouldn't you let him find his comfort level against weaker NHL-level opposition?

Referring to him as a propsect, IMO, means he's still not ready and there are still imperfections in his game (which, as we've seen, there are).

This is more of a "break-in year". He's getting (or should be getting) a feel for the highest level. Why would you put a still-unproven rookie up against top competition if you aren't a rebuilding team?

[brwi]

If MTL wins 2-3 more in a row, I think you'll see Subban suddenly coming to terms with the Habs and I also don't think in any way they are going to move him regardless.

Pens' D this year has been hung out to dry far too often by the forwards and I'm not so sure that another guy back there is going to help a lot until that gets fixed. I'm sure RS is looking to make an addition on the blueline at some point, but I don't see it as imminent.

[The Snapshot]

Is Despres tradebait now?

That's the "rumor" anyway. Despres should be playing with Letang. Look at what Boston is doing with Dougie Hamilton. He's playing with Chara and playing well. I'm not comparing any of those guys, but give your "top" D prospect a little more than 3rd pair minutes before he gets written off.

Kris Letang is no Zdeno Chara. Nowhere near as defensively responsible.

As i said in my post. I'm not comparing any of those guys, but you dont let your top D prospect rot on the 3rd pair if you want a proper evaluation.

Throwing him against top lines isn't exactly the best idea, either.

He played his best last taking big minutes and playing top 4 when all the injuries hit. Perhaps his game isn't suited to paint by numbers D in 10 minutes a night. The talk of trading him is comical.

So much of what appears here is though. Fire the coach. Trade our most ready young D man when we have a good young prospect a phone call away - in a league where MANY young forwards are contributing.

We're 2-2 and had no camp. It will be ok. At 10 games, we will be better able to see what the true problems are and then react.

[tfrizz]

Is Despres tradebait now?

That's the "rumor" anyway. Despres should be playing with Letang. Look at what Boston is doing with Dougie Hamilton. He's playing with Chara and playing well. I'm not comparing any of those guys, but give your "top" D prospect a little more than 3rd pair minutes before he gets written off.

Kris Letang is no Zdeno Chara. Nowhere near as defensively responsible.

As i said in my post. I'm not comparing any of those guys, but you dont let your top D prospect rot on the 3rd pair if you want a proper evaluation.

Throwing him against top lines isn't exactly the best idea, either.

Yeah. It's one thing to do it with Boston, who play great team defense. It's another to do it with the Pens, who play "please goalie bail us out" defense.

[sniper]

The Habs aren't trading him and I think he's overrated anyway. He scored 9 more points than the offensive power house that is Paul Martin last year while playing 9 more games. He had less even strength points than Paul. Hopefully he was better defensively than Martin last year, but he's never struck me as a great defensive player. What is the point in acquiring him?

Which defensemen on the current penguins team have played poorly this year? Seems to me it's the forwards that have been turning the puck over in the D-zone or at the offensive blue line and not back checking. It's not like the defensemen are getting beat left and right that's resulting in goals. What exactly is Subban going to bring? He's got some skill, but he comes off as very immature. I don't think he's worth trading for and I don't see a need for him.

[DocEmrick]

With Eaton waiting in the wings, Morrow on the rise, and our current d-corps including Letang, Orpik and Martin, I wouldn't hastily pickup an RFA. I know the last two games haven't been perfect defensively, but I think with our current roster, we can build a defense that can win us a cup.

I'd be more interested in adding to our offensive depth, or at least giving Bennet a shot.

[Bioshock]

Man... people have been aggressive in this board in the last couple of days.

Anyways, the Pens are in a really strange situation. Sure, they have a ton of talent on the blue line coming down the pipeline but their bottom pairing leaves a lot to be desired currently. You can't go after a top level guy when you have the talent in the minors but you also need help now from said top level talent.

Maybe i'm wrong but when it comes to the blueline, i think a rental is the way to go with the current situation.

The forward position is the one where i look for a permanent solution ala James Neal.

As for PK Subban, I have no idea what the Canadians are doing in regards to him. They are low-balling the crap out of him and if any team were to approach them about a trade, my guess is they would ask for a ton. Ask for a moon when you don't even think enough of the man to pay him? Just a strange dynamic.

[Bioshock]

And yes, Despres is being shopped around from what the reports say. It's not an indictment of him or his play. It's just that when you have Morrow, Maatta, Pouliot, Harrington, Dumoulin, and Bortuzzo all waiting in the wings over the next few years, you can easily become expendable and Despres is the highest value guy since he has a larger track record and just as large of a pedigree as the rest of the talent.

[Kovy27]

And yes, Despres is being shopped around from what the reports say. It's not an indictment of him or his play. It's just that when you have Morrow, Maatta, Pouliot, Harrington, Dumoulin, and Bortuzzo all waiting in the wings over the next few years, you can easily become expendable and Despres is the highest value guy since he has a larger track record and just as large of a pedigree as the rest of the talent.

The big rumor flying around is Despres to MIN for Setoguchi.