Official GDT: Pens vs Bruins 3/9/24

[Badger Bob]

EMBARRASSMENT. PERIOD.


But just remember, Sully is an excellent coach (per McDonough and Ferraro). It must be Todd Reirden that's bringing him down.

[lemieuxReturns]

Top 5 pick, here we come!

How in the hell is Chicago sitting in last with 37 points

[Zalapski33]

Another non competitive blow out loss.3 in one week.On top of trading the 2nd best player on the team away.
Ned wasn't good but didn't get much help.
Sully and this staff have no positive impact on this group,likely will be more games like this one.
Malkin back to cruising around and doing very little.Rakell and Smith offer not scoring threats as top 6 Forwards.
The complete lack of defending on the Goals allowed speaks volumes about where this Team is now,and where it will go these iast 20 Games.

The decision to give away Jake Guentzel was dropping the daisy cutter on this failure of a season.
Bunting has ability,he played with passion and effort early.Can't blame him for the inept Coaching and Organizational decisions.Think he is a solid useful guy.

Dubas kept every single player he acquired heading into the 2023-24 Season(Karlsson,Smith,Ned,Graves,Eller,Acciari,Nieto).

He decided to trade Jake for a less talented forward and 3 Players who were not in the top 5 prospects of the Carolina Organization.Decided not to address this Coaching Staff when it screamed for a move.With the way this team will be going in the tank the next Month and a Half he is in charge of an Organization that is in big trouble which he contributed to in a negative way.

[Puck-Lurker]

Top 5 pick, here we come!

How in the hell is Chicago sitting in last with 37 points

They lose when not playing the Pens.

[IntangibleBeer]

Mario played with crap teams. This too shall pass.

This! Yes, he did and yes I watched a lot of it.

[KG]

Pens with 23 goals against in the last 5 games...

Just have to get to our game...

[Zalapski33]

Pens with 23 goals against in the last 5 games...

Just have to get to our game...

Complete disconnect between Players and Coaches.3 non competitive blow out losses in one week,outscored by 17-2.

Sid stated they didn't handle the Calgary loss with the 3rd Period Meltdown from Letang and Jarry correctly.

Man was he right.

[DelPen]

Pens with 23 goals against in the last 5 games...

Just have to get to our game...

Complete disconnect between Players and Coaches.3 non competitive blow out losses in one week,outscored by 17-2.

Sid stated they didn't handle the Calgary loss with the 3rd Period Meltdown from Letang and Jarry correctly.

Man was he right.

Or this team keeps executing what the coaches instill in them.

[Zalapski33]

Pens with 23 goals against in the last 5 games...

Just have to get to our game...

Complete disconnect between Players and Coaches.3 non competitive blow out losses in one week,outscored by 17-2.

Sid stated they didn't handle the Calgary loss with the 3rd Period Meltdown from Letang and Jarry correctly.

Man was he right.

Or this team keeps executing what the coaches instill in them.

Point taken.I'll amend my statement:

The disconnect is between what they are doing and it translating to on ice success in the current NHL.

[Daniel]

Pens with 23 goals against in the last 5 games...

Just have to get to our game...

Complete disconnect between Players and Coaches.3 non competitive blow out losses in one week,outscored by 17-2.

Sid stated they didn't handle the Calgary loss with the 3rd Period Meltdown from Letang and Jarry correctly.

Man was he right.

Or this team keeps executing what the coaches instill in them.

Or attempting to execute a system their bodies can no longer accomplish.

[Fast B]

Obviously last season was the first playoff miss in a long while, but this one really feels bad, with the season effectively being over with so many pointless (pun not intended) games left for the first time in like 20 years.

Where have you gone, Milan Kraft, a nation turns its lonely eyes to you... (/s)

[KBone]

This team has bona fide talent. It's the coach's job to translate talent to success which is the point of failure.

I refuse to believe this roster is actually this bad.

[lemieuxReturns]

Top 5 pick, here we come!

How in the hell is Chicago sitting in last with 37 points

They lose when not playing the Pens.

Any team with 37 points should be investigated.

[Three Stars]

This team has bona fide talent. It's the coach's job to translate talent to success which is the point of failure.

I refuse to believe this roster is actually this bad.

Funny, I feel the opposite. I think this roster is just as flawed as the one last year, albeit in a different way. Dubas told us at the beginning of the season that the plan was for two scoring lines, and two defensive lines. I distinctly remember saying to myself, “that’s not really a thing”. It’s mostly the reason why the 2015 roster was such a failure, and why the addition of quality bottom 6 scoring depth during 2015-16 was such a success. There is talent now, but all of the talent is shoved into the top of the lineup, and it’s aging talent which plays like the wheels are rusty and falling off sometimes.

Are there any other contending teams that have gone with 2 scoring and 2 defensive lines?

The question then is…why would he choose to go with that plan knowing that it’s sub-standard? Unlike most I tend to not assume the people in charge are idiots, but I do like to figure out the motivation of decisions. Lack of opportunity to do otherwise? Did he know then that the team was fatally compromised and chose that approach as something that was doable and at least had something of a chance to work?

Same as with the apparent decision to cut bait with Guentzel. That’s the kind of thing you do when you know the roster is doomed. Sure, Dubas is going to give the team every chance in the press, but his actions are those of a guy who knows beyond doubt that the end is here and isn’t doing to do a single thing to try and prevent it.

[DelPen]

No, it has been coaching since 2018.

[Three Stars]

No, it has been coaching since 2018.

Nah. Blaming Sullivan for everything has jumped the shark. It’s lazy, overly simplistic, revisionist for the sake of creating a convenient boogeyman, and ignores several other factors that caused this team to do what every other dynastic team has done in the history of hockey…slowly fall apart.

I suspect that’s one of the reasons why he hasn’t been replaced. It’s every Yinzer’s power fantasy to bring in a tough coach to teach those lazy millionaires a thing or two, but that only really works when the lazy millionaires in question are younger and have something to prove.

If there’s a flaw in this beloved core, it’s the tendency to go into a pout when things aren’t going their way. That has led to coaching changes on more than one occasion. The fact that it hasn’t this time around is curious, especially given how bad the power play has been. One could surmise that Dubas is essentially saying to them “I’m not doing it your way this time around. That time is over. Either you listen to the coaches or the team will be disassembled and you can spend the rest of your careers as assistant coaches on bad teams”.