Abe Frohman wrote:bhaw wrote:Abe Frohman wrote:Some teams are built around stars who garner lots and lots of scoring trophies...but cannot find the necessary chemistry to excel in the playoffs. Unfortunately, this MAY be the Pens best description.
You draft well...get superstars, but FAIL to surround them with the talent needed to win in the PLAYOFFS. You overspend on some areas (CENTER, I will say until they unload one of these players), ignore others to their detriment.
Top goalie sucks in the series...top-2 stars almost invisible for long stretches...defense is soft...NO veteran leadership. PERIOD...
Massive changes are needed...a lot of dead-weight on this team.
Maybe my history is foggy, but we've already won 1 cup with this team, right? That would ultimately debunk this entire post.
Yeah...and IF you'll stand pat on a gameplan that might have worked 3 years ago...I'll point to the FACTS:
1) Early exits the past 3 years (last year WAS marred by injuries, I'll agree).
2) The Pens' roster is NOT that of 2009.
3) 2009 required hurculean efforts from Crosby and Malkin (the first teammates with 30+ Playoff points since the Avs, I believe...1996??). To expect that every year (or ever again) may be asking too much.
Team chemistry (or balance, if you will) may be MUCH more important than having a few BIG guns surrounded by lower-tier talent.
The Pens' allocation / spending of money MUST be questioned...and the finger is pointed at Shero as much as anybody else for this debacle. To 'nibble around the margins' this offseason will be an epic mistake...
This makes more sense than calling the Pens the new TB. Clearly they can win in the playoffs with the major pieces they have. MAF, Sid, Malkin, Staal, Letang, and Orpik are where you start. Neal has been added. I think the biggest tweak is in the coaching staff. If you can move Martin, do it. If not, it's not the devastating issue most will say it is. Split up Kunitz and Neal so you can have Sid with Dupuis and Kunitz again. Move TK up to the 2nd line with Geno (unless we move TK). Replace TK with a bigger, tougher guy for the 3rd line. Vitale centers line 4 with 2 new guys who are a bit tougher and more helpful that what we have. I assume Asham is gone. Adams becomes the extra.
Try to move Martin so you can play Orpik with Letang. Michalek with Niskanen. Engo, Despres, and a new body to throw in the mix (the big guy who can handle Jagr/Hartnell).
Get MAF a new goalie coach. He doesn't need an overhaul, just someone to work on the small holes that people complain about.
Biggest change will be the coaching staff, IMO. We have the horses on offense to score. Need someone to stabilize the D, regardless of the personnel.
I'd like the new 4th liners to be bigger guys who can replace Kunitz and Cooke in a year or two. Hopefully pieces we can get in a Martin trade. Also, decide if they want to ride it out with Tangradi b/c he can help that package if they don't want him around.