Lay off these younger players, alright?

[randy]

Not everyone is Sidney Crosby and can immediately jump into the NHL and be successful.

believe it or not, players CAN improve with time and patience, if YOU let them have it. Stuff im hearing now about some of these first or second year players is the same garbage I heard 20 years ago, except the targets then were davey hannan, troy loney, phil bourque, bob errey.
They were ALL pretty bad at first, and certainly got better with time and patience.

Why do so few of you have this? You watch a guy for a month or two and quickly pronounce HE SUCKS.

Case in point-Shane Endicott

Who ever said he was going to be a mario replacement? He is a fourth line checking centre which this team desperately needs, he has shown a knack for being able to win faceoffs, which bigger men seem able to do
and also totally shut down jason Spezza in the AHL a short while back in the playoffs, imagine that, someone in the penguin organization that has a modicum of defensive hockey concept.

This kid had NO training camp in which to get in shape, and Dave Molinari reported he is literally skating on on ankle.
Do you honestly think he's had a fair chance to show what he can do yet?
No, the comment is, he sucks. he cant skate. Rico fata can skate, and do little else. If big shane turns into a good faceoff man, hes an asset. Theres more to hockey than skating speed.

Funny how early in their careers, the same was said about keith primeau, and joel otto. Two lumbering big guys who have or had been rather effective, especially at centre. Shane's skating can improve.
This is likely the same bunch that was wrong about Orpik earlier, too.
Hes now our only defenseman that doenst play like a woman.

Bottom line-dont rush to judgement. Players can improve, if given a chance. You are not going to have an entire team of #1 draft picks

[netwolf]

The criticisms of Endicott's skating have little, if anything, to do with his ankel injury. That's been one of the knocks on him all the way back to his draft year. I don't recall anyone suggesting he was going to be a scorer this year or expecting him to replace Mario.

The bulk of what I've seen about him seems to stem from confusion about why it appears he was seemingly handed a roster rost without doing anything to earn it.

He may end up being a good checker, he may end up a career AHLer. Right now, either is as likely as the other to happen.

[yeltzen]

He can become a good faceoff guy all he wants, the Pens need a right handed faceoff man.