penmyst wrote:Is this the day-after Toronto thread, or the Tyler Kennedy thread?
Yes.
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penmyst wrote:Is this the day-after Toronto thread, or the Tyler Kennedy thread?
shoeshine boy wrote:Pascal Dupuis - not bad for a throw-in
MRandall25 wrote:But Orpik was on the ice, so it was his fault.
Same with every goal scored when Paul Martin was on last year.
RxBandit66 wrote:I just want to know when Brooks Orpik forgot how to play hockey, because somewhere during the last few seasons that seems to be what's happened. The mistakes he's making can't be the result of injury. They are the stupid mental mistake variety.
His decline would be less troubling if he wasn't in his 30's. But at 32 he should still have a lot of good hockey in him. Last night, his mistake led in large part to the one goal the leafs got, but his dumb penalties and clumsy handling of the stick/puck could have led to more goals against.
RxBandit66 wrote:He's being paid to be an elite defender
RxBandit66 wrote:MRandall25 wrote:But Orpik was on the ice, so it was his fault.
Same with every goal scored when Paul Martin was on last year.
Well, he gave Kessel way too big of a gap there. It's been a pattern from him of late. He's being paid to be an elite defender and needs to be better than he has been. Nothing is "his fault" because they won the game. But they won it despite his play not because of it.
Pitt87 wrote:I think sometimes Pens fans think of Brooksy being a more 'elite' defender than he really is. He played limited international juniors, played in the Olympics after a pretty epic two-year run, and thats about it. I think the minutes he has had to support has exposed him a bit more than it had in the past, probably because he does have to play the tough minutes.
A very smart person I know said to me recently that when she sees her best people doing mediocre work and receiving negative feedback, she knows that she's asked them to do something that is not within their capabilities. That's sort of how I feel about 44.
penmyst wrote:Pitt87 wrote:I think sometimes Pens fans think of Brooksy being a more 'elite' defender than he really is. He played limited international juniors, played in the Olympics after a pretty epic two-year run, and thats about it. I think the minutes he has had to support has exposed him a bit more than it had in the past, probably because he does have to play the tough minutes.
A very smart person I know said to me recently that when she sees her best people doing mediocre work and receiving negative feedback, she knows that she's asked them to do something that is not within their capabilities. That's sort of how I feel about 44.
What's he being asked to do differently today than 3 years ago?
Not suck? Serious question here.
Because he *has* looked bad the past couple of seasons. His hits are way down, so there goes one of his upsides. Positionally he seems to be getting caught out a lot. A lot. And he isn't exactly physically removing guys from around the net area (though he's not the only Pens D guilty of that). He seems to be a liability in the offensive zone anytime the puck touches his stick, but then he's always been that way.
Right now, if he didn't have "Orpik" stitched on the back of his jersey, but instead had "Lovejoy", "Engelland", "Martin", or "Niskanen" back there---- the board would be having conniptions over him. He'd be invading every. single. thread. here at LetsGoPens like Tyler Kennedy on roids.
RxBandit66 wrote:The mistakes he's making can't be the result of injury. They are the stupid mental mistake variety.
penmyst wrote:What's he being asked to do differently today than 3 years ago?
Desiato wrote:RxBandit66 wrote:The mistakes he's making can't be the result of injury. They are the stupid mental mistake variety.
Of course they can. Playing through years of injuries practically guaranteed by his style of play can be exhausting. His ability to stay in shape may be impacted. Or perhaps he's playing with the assistance of pain killers because the Pens have no one who can replace him. We'll never know. Exhaustion results in mental mistakes. The system the Pens have played until recently was not a good fit for him.
To me, Orpik is beyond reproach. He's a proven warrior. No one should question his will after the physical--and likely financial--sacrifices he's made for this team and its fans.
With that said, he's clearly not the player he was, whatever the reason may be. I don't think he's close to as bad as some say. However, I believe the number one roster priority for the Pens should acquiring someone who can play like he used to.penmyst wrote:What's he being asked to do differently today than 3 years ago?
What do the last three seasons have in common? Full-blown, up tempo, stretch pass, quick out, DB system. According to this forum, every defenceman on this team sucks defensively. It's not the players.
penmyst wrote:Pitt87 wrote:I think sometimes Pens fans think of Brooksy being a more 'elite' defender than he really is. He played limited international juniors, played in the Olympics after a pretty epic two-year run, and thats about it. I think the minutes he has had to support has exposed him a bit more than it had in the past, probably because he does have to play the tough minutes.
A very smart person I know said to me recently that when she sees her best people doing mediocre work and receiving negative feedback, she knows that she's asked them to do something that is not within their capabilities. That's sort of how I feel about 44.
What's he being asked to do differently today than 3 years ago?
Not suck? Serious question here.
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