Simon Despres is a pretty good hockey player

[Rylan]

I'll lose it if we trade Despres

What if we trade him for Tyler Seguin?

NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!!1!!!11!

[joopen]

I'll lose it if we trade Despres

What if we trade him for Tyler Seguin?

NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!!1!!!11!

I don't know I liked what he was Seyin... to me

[slappybrown]

Tyutin for TK/Niskanen seems to work out, except for the part where Columbus says no.

[the riddler]

I have a hard time taking anything Rob Rossi says seriously. I think he is basing the Penguins interest in Johnson on the fact that Crosby and Johnson are friends.

[no name]

I have a hard time taking anything Rob Rossi says seriously. I think he is basing the Penguins interest in Johnson on the fact that Crosby and Johnson are friends.

These rumors got started since the top Columbus brass came to see a game. Now its no secret Columbus is rebuilding and looking for high end young talent to build around. SO don't be suprised if their GM and others are seen all around the league befor the trade deadline. Rossi just pulled Jack Johnson as his made up target and like you said probly just based on the fact him and Sid are friends.

[shmenguin]

depres, bortuzzo and eaton should all dress tonight (if martin isn't playing). it would be a great statement by the team to scratch engo. we need to draw a line in the sand with the flyers circus act. taking engelland out would say that this team isn't going to engage in any of the cheap stuff - even if that means we don't have any good fighters in the lineup or even if we lose a little sandpaper on defense. this is a good opportunity to tell this team to knock it off.

[penny lane]

depres, bortuzzo and eaton should all dress tonight (if martin isn't playing). it would be a great statement by the team to scratch engo. we need to draw a line in the sand with the flyers circus act. taking engelland out would say that this team isn't going to engage in any of the cheap stuff - even if that means we don't have any good fighters in the lineup or even if we lose a little sandpaper on defense. this is a good opportunity to tell this team to knock it off.

penguins win by turning the cheek- all 4. Especially with Hartnell back in the line up.

[meecrofilm]

Morning skate pairings:

Orpik-Martin
Niskanen-Letang
Eaton-Engelland
Despres-Bortuzzo

[DelPen]

Morning skate pairings:

Orpik-Martin
Niskanen-Letang
Eaton-Engelland
Despres-Bortuzzo

Unless it means both Bortuzzo and Despres are playing then that's fine but somehow I doubt that.

This is stupid.

[shmenguin]

so rinaldo can go smash the slow moving bag of bones mark eaton and invoke the circus from his d partner. greeeeeat.

[GDR]

so not only do they break up what was a decent-looking pair against Tampa in Eaton-Niskanen, but they also staple Despres back into the press box b/c Dan's afraid any contact will break him in half.

[slappybrown]

I really don't understand why Despres isn't playing. Stripped of the RS/DB hyperbole, it is difficult to understand how he does not warrant a spot in the top 6.

[MrBrightside]

I mean, think about this. The Islanders, who were an absolute train wreck defensively in 2011-2012 (27th in the NHL in GAA), don't offer Eaton a contract. Eaton then sits on the street for 9 months with no one offering him an NHL contract, and the Islanders, who got to watch Eaton play the last two years, instead claim Brian Strait, Thomas Hickey, and Joe Finley off of waivers rather than offering him a contract. The Pens then sign him to a tryout contract, and he plays 6 games in WBS and WAS A HEALTHY SCRATCH FOR 4 GAMES. The Pens then sign him to an NHL contract, and he's now playing ahead of a guy who is a top prospect and/or the guy that will be the centerpiece of the next trade you make.

Insanity.

[MRandall25]

I say again, it's pretty obvious Despres is following the Kris Letang model.

Letang's 2nd year in the league: 63 games = ~ 77% of the season.

Despres' 2nd season so far: 17 games = ~ 74% of the season.

I don't see Despres getting more than 75ish percent of the games. I don't really know what's wrong with that, either.

[MrBrightside]

I say again, it's pretty obvious Despres is following the Kris Letang model.

Letang's 2nd year in the league: 63 games = ~ 77% of the season.

Despres' 2nd season so far: 17 games = ~ 74% of the season.

I don't see Despres getting more than 75ish percent of the games. I don't really know what's wrong with that, either.

The fact he's better than the guys playing instead of him, for starters.

[MRandall25]

I say again, it's pretty obvious Despres is following the Kris Letang model.

Letang's 2nd year in the league: 63 games = ~ 77% of the season.

Despres' 2nd season so far: 17 games = ~ 74% of the season.

I don't see Despres getting more than 75ish percent of the games. I don't really know what's wrong with that, either.

The fact he's better than the guys playing instead of him, for starters.

Darryl Sydor got 74 games in 2007-2008 (Letang's 2nd year). Would you have said he was better than Letang at that time?

[columbia]

@JoshYohe_Trib: Apparently Despres sustained a very minor injury during skate. Not sure what his status is tonight.

[Pitt87]

I say again, it's pretty obvious Despres is following the Kris Letang model.

Letang's 2nd year in the league: 63 games = ~ 77% of the season.

Despres' 2nd season so far: 17 games = ~ 74% of the season.

I don't see Despres getting more than 75ish percent of the games. I don't really know what's wrong with that, either.

I don't think that was a 'model'... We had a very mature and stable group of defenders at that time. Gonchar, Gill, Orpik and Whitney were a very solid top 4, and the other 3 were Sydor, Scuds, and Letang... not the same situation we are in today.

[MrBrightside]

I say again, it's pretty obvious Despres is following the Kris Letang model.

Letang's 2nd year in the league: 63 games = ~ 77% of the season.

Despres' 2nd season so far: 17 games = ~ 74% of the season.

I don't see Despres getting more than 75ish percent of the games. I don't really know what's wrong with that, either.

The fact he's better than the guys playing instead of him, for starters.

Darryl Sydor got 74 games in 2007-2008 (Letang's 2nd year). Would you have said he was better than Letang at that time?

No...but it's not the point. I'd suggest that you play your 6 best defensemen when healthy and not arbitrarily hold them out of 25% of games played. And do you really think Despres will end the season having played in 75% of the Pens' games? He played in the first 13 games, but (if he sits tonight) will have played in only 4 of the next 10...and many of those were with Martin injured. Barring injury/trade, he'll play sporadically the rest of the year. At most.

[Beveridge]

@JoshYohe_Trib: Apparently Despres sustained a very minor injury during skate. Not sure what his status is tonight.

Obviously a ploy by Bylsma since we were asking for a reason he was sitting before!

[MrBrightside]

@JoshYohe_Trib: Apparently Despres sustained a very minor injury during skate. Not sure what his status is tonight.

Obviously a ploy by Bylsma since we were asking for a reason he was sitting before!

It was an injury to a fingernail. Seriously.

[shmenguin]

@JoshYohe_Trib: Apparently Despres sustained a very minor injury during skate. Not sure what his status is tonight.

Obviously a ploy by Bylsma since we were asking for a reason he was sitting before!

It was an injury to a fingernail. Seriously.

i guarantee he handled it better than wayne simmonds did

[Penspal]

I say again, it's pretty obvious Despres is following the Kris Letang model.

Letang's 2nd year in the league: 63 games = ~ 77% of the season.

Despres' 2nd season so far: 17 games = ~ 74% of the season.

I don't see Despres getting more than 75ish percent of the games. I don't really know what's wrong with that, either.

I don't think that was a 'model'... We had a very mature and stable group of defenders at that time. Gonchar, Gill, Orpik and Whitney were a very solid top 4, and the other 3 were Sydor, Scuds, and Letang... not the same situation we are in today.

Letang also lost best friend in the world Luc Bourdon in a motorcycle accident, that took some time for him (for anyone) to get over losing a close friend at that age.

[MRandall25]

I say again, it's pretty obvious Despres is following the Kris Letang model.

Letang's 2nd year in the league: 63 games = ~ 77% of the season.

Despres' 2nd season so far: 17 games = ~ 74% of the season.

I don't see Despres getting more than 75ish percent of the games. I don't really know what's wrong with that, either.

I don't think that was a 'model'... We had a very mature and stable group of defenders at that time. Gonchar, Gill, Orpik and Whitney were a very solid top 4, and the other 3 were Sydor, Scuds, and Letang... not the same situation we are in today.

Letang also lost best friend in the world Luc Bourdon in a motorcycle accident, that took some time for him (for anyone) to get over losing a close friend at that age.

That was during the playoffs, not regular season.

[shmenguin]

they didn't move letang in and out of the lineup like they're doing with despres, so this doesn't really follow the "letang model".