OFFICIAL GDT:10/8/13 PENGUINS vs HURRICANES

[Troy Loney]

Some pretty big assumptions being made after a three game home stretch against 2 definitely terrible teams and one potentially terrible, likely mediocre team.

[RisslingsMissingTeeth]

I think the better question is :
If the penguins keep winning and play this well defensively, does Letang become unnecessary? This is his final year before his new contract and all the trade restrictions kick in.

Does a 19 year old who has a good stretch of 9 games replace a Norris Trophy finalist? Is that the question?

Does that "Norris Trophy Finalist" know how to play D and actually stay in his own end like the J-Martin system dictates? Let's face it, for all of his gifts, discipline is not in Letang's vocabulary. Love the guy but he isn't a big need on this team with all of the offensive fire power we already have. He is just a piece, not a critical one, just a nice one to have.

[MRandall25]

Letang hasn't even played a regular season game yet!

Wow!

I really hope you meant to say something else, considering Letang has played all of like 2 preseason games since Martin took his job as assistant coach

[meow]

[shmenguin]

the only way letang gets shipped out of town is if management becomes unhappy with him (which is, objectively, not the case). it won't happen by him being usurped by younger talent. maatta isn't really a letang analogue anyways.

i'm pleased with the potential of a letang/scuderi/orpik/martin/matta/bortuzzo (sprinkle depres in there if you want) lineup next year. if you take letang out and replace him with a kid, i'm not pleased at all.

[lemieuxReturns]

I think the better question is :
If the penguins keep winning and play this well defensively, does Letang become unnecessary? This is his final year before his new contract and all the trade restrictions kick in.

Does a 19 year old who has a good stretch of 9 games replace a Norris Trophy finalist? Is that the question?

Ha. some people really know how to spin things. No one would replace Letang. It was a question of are the penguins actually just as good without him. If he is in the lineup, maybe we have more goals, but do we also have more goals against? You take the good with the bad with Letang. I like what I have seen so far with the penguins defensive game and was wondering [out loud] if there is a coincidence that the pens have only given up three goals in three games.

also, I hate his contract.

[Gaucho]

oy vey

[MRandall25]

Again, I'm not Letang's biggest fan, but he hasn't even played a real game since we hired Martin.

Let's slow down a bit, please?

[PghSkins]

Some pretty big assumptions being made after a three game home stretch against 2 definitely terrible teams and one potentially terrible, likely mediocre team.

It's a good point, unfortunately there's not a playoff team from last season on the sked till Van in game 8, and that's the only one in the first 9 games. Not to say Tampa and Philly in particular don't present challenges....

[RisslingsMissingTeeth]

I wasn't saying I didn't like Letang, in fact I believe I said I "loved" him. My son wears his number in his hockey league for a reason, dad asked for it. . He is exciting and an amazing skater. But, there is a reason why he is an outsider to make the Canadian Olympic team. In fact, none of the rosters I've heard discussed include him. His rep for playing D is not good at all. We Pens fans adore him probably a little more than we should. In all of this discussion, I always assumed we were replacing Nisky with Maata. The kid is 100X smarter than Nisky and would seem the logical replacement if they traded Matt.

[MRandall25]

And again, I think it's a little early to make assumptions on how Letang will play in Martin's system.

[Dickie Dunn]

Solid game and solid start to the season.

On the Canes' second goal, glad to see Scuderi still believes laying down a foot outside the crease is appropriate defense. Dude is gonna drive me crazy for the next 4 years.

[GSdrums87]

But Niskanen is also playing a great game right now.

[Beveridge]

Solid game and solid start to the season.

On the Canes' second goal, glad to see Scuderi still believes laying down a foot outside the crease is appropriate defense. Dude is gonna drive me crazy for the next 4 years.

Errey was right though. 90 out of 100 times the player is going to shoot that right into Scud's body. I think for a goaltender knowing that he is going to take away the ice makes positioning easier knowing if it gets through it's going to come up high.

[Dickie Dunn]

Solid game and solid start to the season.

On the Canes' second goal, glad to see Scuderi still believes laying down a foot outside the crease is appropriate defense. Dude is gonna drive me crazy for the next 4 years.

Errey was right though. 90 out of 100 times the player is going to shoot that right into Scud's body. I think for a goaltender knowing that he is going to take away the ice makes positioning easier knowing if it gets through it's going to come up high.

Agreed. I just don't like to see defenseman leave their feet unless in a final move of desperation. For Scuderi it seems to be his go-to move.

[MRandall25]

But it's nowhere near as bad as Michalek was with it

[bh]

Or Melichar

[sil]

The only thing that ever keeps me thinking about the possibility of trading Letang is the potential return (which makes me giddy). Other than that, trading him is about as far from my mind as possible.

[Dickie Dunn]

For real on both of them. Z spent 99% of his ice time face first on the ice.

[Froggy]

The only thing that ever keeps me thinking about the possibility of trading Letang is the potential return (which makes me giddy). Other than that, trading him is about as far from my mind as possible.

We would lose any trade that involved Letang