Simon Despres is a pretty good hockey player

[Godric]

Kunitz - Crosby - Dupuis
Bennett - Malkin - Neal
Cooke - Sutter - Jeffery
Glass - Adams - Vitale

Letang - Despres
Orpik - Martin
Niskanen - Bortouzzo

Fleury
Vokoun

I can totally see that roster winning a cup if they just get healthy and play responsible

[profpolisci]

Hear Hear

[Henry Hank]

I like Despres, I really do. But he makes a nice offensive oriented play and so many people are anointing him as a top four or even top pairing D? Huh? Despres should be playing but at this stage of his career, on a serious Cup contender, he needs to be at the bottom. Letang was a third pairing guy in the Cup year because he was still very inexperienced and rough around the edges. Despres needs to be brought up properly, not thrown into a role he's not ready for.

[slappybrown]

You vacillate between highs and lows more than anyone else here far as I can tell.

Edit: re OP Godric

[Big Easy Pens Fan]

You won't get any argument from me in this thread subject.

BEPF

[columbia]

I'd be very comfortable with Despres in the lineup in playoffs, provided that someone not on the current roster replaced Engelland.

[DelPen]

I'd put Boychuk on the 3rd, move Cooke to RW and still bench Jeffrey but yeah, that would make sense. Still would like to add a legit top 6 forward to move Dupuis down to the 3rd with Cooke and Sutter though and get someone even better than Bortuzzo, Engellend and Eaton for the 3rd pairing.

But Despres has never been the worst defensemen in any game and often he's top 2 or 3 of the players that play. Tonight he was the best defenseman by far.

[Beveridge]

I don't know either way, but why are we assuming Despres has been out for no reason?

I know it's fun to just pile on Bylsma and all, but none of the media has even brought the question up for him to answer sans the flyer's game a couple weeks ago.

[Godric]

I like Despres, I really do. But he makes a nice offensive oriented play and so many people are anointing him as a top four or even top pairing D? Huh? Despres should be playing but at this stage of his career, on a serious Cup contender, he needs to be at the bottom. Letang was a third pairing guy in the Cup year because he was still very inexperienced and rough around the edges. Despres needs to be brought up properly, not thrown into a role he's not ready for.

Sorry HH but I believe you are wrong. Despres is a horse.

Letang and Despres are a great pairing.... Orpik and Martin are also a great pairing.

Niskanen and Bortouzzo are respectable pairing as well.

[slappybrown]

A letang Despres pairing would be likely be a dumpster fire in the playoffs IMO

[pcm]

If only...

Kunitz-Kunitz-Kunitz
Kunitz-Kunitz-Kunitz
Kunitz-Kunitz-Kunitz
Kunitz-Kunitz-Kunitz

[Godric]

A letang Despres pairing would be likely be a dumpster fire in the playoffs IMO

I completely disagree, they are both really fast and great transitionally.

[pronovost19]

Yeah Kunitz is hitting his prime in the NHL

[slappybrown]

If only...

Kunitz-Kunitz-Kunitz
Kunitz-Kunitz-Kunitz
Kunitz-Kunitz-Kunitz
Kunitz-Kunitz-Kunitz

Sign me up for Kunitz

[Henry Hank]

Despres is a talent. There's not any doubt about it. But he's 21 and mistake prone. He played 15 some minutes tonight. Giving him big minutes now is not going to help this team do anything but maybe score some more goals, but it's going to feed into their defensive failings.

What they really need is a veteran "leader" like Orpik doing his job on the ice instead of just talking about it to the media. And rather than push Despres over his head, it'd be nice if they could bring in a good defensive defenseman to keep him where he belongs in a protected third pairing role.

[Beveridge]

What they really need is a veteran "leader" like Orpik doing his job on the ice instead of just talking about it to the media. And rather than push Despres over his head, it'd be nice if they could bring in a good defensive defenseman to keep him where he belongs in a protected third pairing role.

Worked with Letang, I agree.

[slappybrown]

A letang Despres pairing would be likely be a dumpster fire in the playoffs IMO

I completely disagree, they are both really fast and great transitionally.

Agreed re skating and transition play.


BUT

The problem is letang chases things in his own end all the time and is out of position a lot (one of the goals tonite being a prime example where's he's chasing MTL player behind out own net) and relying on Despres who's also offensively inclined to cover that is a big ask. You take the bad letang because the good is exceptional, but in the playoffs that's a pairing that is primed for self immolation

[Henry Hank]

A letang Despres pairing would be likely be a dumpster fire in the playoffs IMO

I completely disagree, they are both really fast and great transitionally.

Agreed.

The problem is letang chases things in his own end all the time and is out of position a lot (one of the goals tonite being a prime example where's he's chasing MTL player behind out own net) and relying on Despres who's also offensively inclined to cover that is a big ask. You take the bad letang because the good is exceptional, but in the playoffs that's a pairing that is primed for self immolation

The only thing you can really hope with such a pair is that it forces Letang to be smarter and more responsible. But I don't think that's really a good idea. Chances are you just have two guys making poor decisions with absolutely nobody to back them up.

[slappybrown]

A letang Despres pairing would be likely be a dumpster fire in the playoffs IMO

I completely disagree, they are both really fast and great transitionally.

Agreed.

The problem is letang chases things in his own end all the time and is out of position a lot (one of the goals tonite being a prime example where's he's chasing MTL player behind out own net) and relying on Despres who's also offensively inclined to cover that is a big ask. You take the bad letang because the good is exceptional, but in the playoffs that's a pairing that is primed for self immolation

The only thing you can really hope with such a pair is that it forces Letang to be smarter and more responsible. But I don't think that's really a good idea. Chances are you just have two guys making poor decisions with absolutely nobody to back them up.

Pretty much. I don't even have a problem with letang playing like he does if you pair him with the right guy because the cost benefit makes sense in that context. But with 20 year old with less than a full season under his belt who also wants to join the rush and be aggressive offensively? Bad news comes playoff time IMO

[pcm]

But you dont give Despres the green light. You tell him to focus on defense, cover for Letang. They're both fast enough players that they can make up for each other's mistakes. And Despres is a big body in front the net. The can play defense / clear the crease. He just doesn't have his coverage down instinctually yet.

[Godric]

A letang Despres pairing would be likely be a dumpster fire in the playoffs IMO

I completely disagree, they are both really fast and great transitionally.

Agreed.

The problem is letang chases things in his own end all the time and is out of position a lot (one of the goals tonite being a prime example where's he's chasing MTL player behind out own net) and relying on Despres who's also offensively inclined to cover that is a big ask. You take the bad letang because the good is exceptional, but in the playoffs that's a pairing that is primed for self immolation

I don't see Despres chasing anyone and getting out of position deep in his own zone like Letang(to Letang's credit he actually gets quite a few takeaways doing that). He is one of the few D men the penguinos have that stand people up at the blue line ontop of being a beast in the corner.

I firmly believe that if you throw a KL/SD pairing out there with the Crosby line it'll be golden.

[slappybrown]

But you dont give Despres the green light. You tell him to focus on defense, cover for Letang. They're both fast enough players that they can make up for each other's mistakes. And Despres is a big body in front the net. The can play defense / clear the crease. He just doesn't have his coverage down instinctually yet.

I just think its a lot to ask of him at this point, and as you point, he's not at a point that this comes naturally in any event.

[Henry Hank]

He just doesn't have his coverage down instinctually yet.

Which is why he should be playing third pairing, protected minutes the way he has been.

Skating up the ice and creating a nice goal does not make him a great defenseman yet.

[slappybrown]

A letang Despres pairing would be likely be a dumpster fire in the playoffs IMO

I completely disagree, they are both really fast and great transitionally.

Agreed.

The problem is letang chases things in his own end all the time and is out of position a lot (one of the goals tonite being a prime example where's he's chasing MTL player behind out own net) and relying on Despres who's also offensively inclined to cover that is a big ask. You take the bad letang because the good is exceptional, but in the playoffs that's a pairing that is primed for self immolation

I don't see Despres chasing anyone and getting out of position deep in his own zone like Letang(to Letang's credit he actually gets quite a few takeaways doing that). He is one of the few D men the penguinos have that stand people up at the blue line ontop of being a beast in the corner.

I firmly believe that if you throw a KL/SD pairing out there with the Crosby line it'll be golden.

If they go that way I hope you're right, but I have reservations that pairing works come April/ may

[Godric]

Skating up the ice and creating a nice goal does not make him a great defenseman yet.

I was saying this way before that goal.

I am repping his solid defensive work. He reminds be of Duncan Keith.