2024-2025 Season Random Penguins Fodder

[Gunnerfan]

DK losing his **** on Jesse Marshall was pathetic on Saturday. I read what Taylor Hasse wrote and I didn’t see anything that said WHY is had to be Pickering. We all know he is waiver exempt but there wasn’t anything else said as to what that has to do with sending him and not Shea or Graves. Unless that means we had to waive them first and couldn’t make a move for 24 hours and Pickering can bypass that then it makes sense. But we usually discuss waiver implications on players not needing claimed and not turn around time of moves.

And even if she did spell it out he acted like everyone should click through to her links to his site since he made a choice to stop posting actual information on X because it’s so “toxic” or that everyone needs to follow his people to get the real news.

Just a really bizarre attack they he quadrupled down on throughout the day and then apologized later I’m guessing after someone told him who he was arguing with.

I haven’t met Jesse in real life but I would consider him a friend and I have NEVER seen him attack anyone in any capacity even in times where it could be completely justified. He’s one of the most knowledgeable and courteous people in media and it was a really bad look by DK.

Dejan is the most narcissistic a-hole in Pgh sports media. I unsubscribed from his site years ago due to his issues. I met Jesse a long time ago - before he became what he is today - Jesse is a genuine, beautiful person. Good man.

Oh I have a DK story and how I put him in his place. It was Veterans Day, and on his site message board, I stated that I, and many veterans, do not like the "thank you for your service" from people as it makes us feel uncomfortable at times and makes us think about our friends that didn't make it or who have taken their own lives since. He had the gall to tell me I was wrong when it's a known fact in my community. Not all, but some of us think that way. So, I sent a few articles my friends and others wrote explaining why some of us think that way. Again, he said that it was untrue and that he had never heard that. We went back and forth until his editor came and saved him. He is a B#@% of the highest order. I canceled my subscription to that creepy dude's website. And he is a creepy dude.

Sheesh, sorry to hear that happened....I also had no idea vets felt this way, and now I feel terrible, because I say that to many people, both whom I know and don't know. Either way, utmost respect for you and yours internet friend. Stay well!

No no no. Please don't take it that way for all of us. Many do like it, It was just that a good number of us do feel that way. Please don't stop that from saying it; it's just an anecdote to highlight what some of us feel. That was my point of the discussion, and he took it to a weird and odd place. He's a clown.
We are humbled by your appreciation either way. Thank you

[Sams_Dog]

I wonder who the last coach was to miss the playoffs three times in a row and then keep their job the following season. May be a question for Bob Grove.

[FLPensFan]

I wonder who the last coach was to miss the playoffs three times in a row and then keep their job the following season. May be a question for Bob Grove.

That's probably a little tougher to answer. I'm sure there are teams have missed more than 3 seasons of playoffs with the same coach. The differentiator would be...teams that were expected to be playoff contenders but failed to make playoffs.

A quick search in general of active playoff streak droughts show:
--Don Granato coached Buffalo from 2021-2024, 274 games, without a playoff appearance (Buffalo hasn't been in the playoffs since 2011)
--Jeff Blashill coached Detroit from 2015-2022, 537 games, without a playoff appearance (Detroit hasn't seen playoffs since 15-16)
--DJ Smith coached Ottawa from 2019-2023, 317 games, without a playoff appearance (Ottawa hasn't seen playoffs since 16-17)
--Dallas Eakins coached Anaheim from 2019-2023, 291 games, without a playoff appearance (17-18 last playoffs for Ducks)

Those are just coaches from the past few years that went 3 or more seasons without a playoff appearance.

[Puck-Lurker]

I wonder who the last coach was to miss the playoffs three times in a row and then keep their job the following season. May be a question for Bob Grove.

Forget that as a statistic. How about the longest sitting coach:

#1. John Cooper TBL
#2. Mike Sullivan PIT

(Lindy Ruff's total tenure with BUF is the highest of all, but isn't consecutive)

[DelPen]

I wonder who the last coach was to miss the playoffs three times in a row and then keep their job the following season. May be a question for Bob Grove.

We talking penguins coaches? Sullivan is the first to keep his job after missing twice since Bob Berry in 1986, and he was fired after 3 times in 1987.

[FLPensFan]

Anyone still want a Pittsburgh boy on their roster?

[Mad City Mike]

Um, no thank you, not at that salary. Plus, he would make them marginally better, which hurts the tank.

[EndO FanEra]

Anyone still want a Pittsburgh boy on their roster?

Sure!

From St. Louis: Saad and a 1st
Form Pittsburgh: Things we can do without...

Not sure how cooked he is, but $4.5M for this year & next isn't an albatross.

So, only with heavy compensation coming with him. Without that, it's not the type of move we should be making.

[Pens4Life]

Yeah, not a bad contract at all, also easily tradeable next season as expiring.. but at this stage, not the way we should be going.

[KG]

Saad going on waivers. Very similar player to Reilly Smith. Good job by Dubas getting a 2nd and 5th for Smith to get ahead of the market.

I'm sure there would still be a market for Saad. St. Louis will probably have to retain or take back a contract.

[Victor]

Technically this is NPR, but it involves Jim Rutherford so it belongs here a bit. Just like his time in Pittsburgh, I'm not sure how he going to the press to talk about this helps the team. This feels like one of Rutherford's nukes.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/ ... jt-miller/

Here are some of his quotes about the Pettersson and Miller clash:

“But it only gets resolved for a short period of time and then it festers again and so it certainly appears like there’s not a good solution that would keep this group together.”

“We’ve had those conversations and I think the parties understand that and I think they’ve tried. As you know, sometimes emotions get deep and as much as people try sometimes you can’t get over it. It certainly appears that’s what’s going on here.”

“We’re talking about two of our top players. ertainly, our two best forwards. It can really be tough on a franchise – not only present but into the future – when you’re planning on peaking this team into a contending team and then you find out that’s not going to happen. Or at least it’s not going to happen with the group we have now. Then you have to put together a new plan.”

“So yeah, if a centre goes out of here we have to get some kind of centre back but it’s not going to be the same as the centre going out. It might not even be a No. 2 centre, but you’d have to do the best with what we have until we figure out how to fill that spot back in.”

The article also touches on Hughes not wanting to be part of a rebuild, so if the Canucks have to trade BOTH Pettersson and Miller, they would have also to move Hughes:

“If we were going to completely start over that means he goes. And we’d like to figure out a way that he’s here forever.”

[100565]

Pettersson and Miller. Two professionals making millions and millions with a shot to win it all but acting like 4 year olds. No thanks on either.

[Antonio]

Anyone still want a Pittsburgh boy on their roster?

I would definitely take saad and a 1st for future considerations

[KG]

Tomasino rotating with Shea in practice. He’s probably going to be a healthy scratch tomorrow.

After last games debacle the one change is to scratch Tomasino??

So done with Sully.

Dubas can't be happy about that either. He wants more youth in the lineup, but let's keep dressing No-Knees-Nieto...

[EndO FanEra]

Tomasino rotating with Shea in practice. He’s probably going to be a healthy scratch tomorrow.

After last games debacle the one change is to scratch Tomasino??

So done with Sully.

Dubas can't be happy about that either. He wants more youth in the lineup, but let's keep dressing No-Knees-Nieto...

At this point, I wonder if they (Dubas & to some extent, Sullivan) aren't low-key tanking a bit.

I mean, why else call up Imama this week instead of Ponomarev, Puljujarvi, Poulin, Puustinen, Koivunen, Broz, McGroarty, Gruden, etc.

Not to knock Imama (I actually love the physicality he brings and wish he had a little more to his game), but those other guys are the ones Dubas is referring to when he talks about more youth in the lineup.

I'm starting to wonder if that's why Dubas hasn't been in a hurry to ship out Nieto/Acciari and call up the young guys. Maybe the writing is finally on the wall and we're in some sort of "soft-tank" mode. It's not like he'd ever come out and say that's what's going on.

[Tico Rick]

Soft tank. I like that.

[pronovost19]

DK losing his **** on Jesse Marshall was pathetic on Saturday. I read what Taylor Hasse wrote and I didn’t see anything that said WHY is had to be Pickering. We all know he is waiver exempt but there wasn’t anything else said as to what that has to do with sending him and not Shea or Graves. Unless that means we had to waive them first and couldn’t make a move for 24 hours and Pickering can bypass that then it makes sense. But we usually discuss waiver implications on players not needing claimed and not turn around time of moves.

And even if she did spell it out he acted like everyone should click through to her links to his site since he made a choice to stop posting actual information on X because it’s so “toxic” or that everyone needs to follow his people to get the real news.

Just a really bizarre attack they he quadrupled down on throughout the day and then apologized later I’m guessing after someone told him who he was arguing with.

I haven’t met Jesse in real life but I would consider him a friend and I have NEVER seen him attack anyone in any capacity even in times where it could be completely justified. He’s one of the most knowledgeable and courteous people in media and it was a really bad look by DK.

Dejan is the most narcissistic a-hole in Pgh sports media. I unsubscribed from his site years ago due to his issues. I met Jesse a long time ago - before he became what he is today - Jesse is a genuine, beautiful person. Good man.

Yeah drank a beer with Jesse at the Rocket Bar in DC before a Pens at Craps game years ago. Was one of the most intelligent posters on LGP back in the day and seemed like a real good dude.

[100565]

I hope they keep losing and find other teams wanting to trade before (or at) the deadline. If they end with a 4OA or 5OA pick. Then trade EK65 (with retention), Rakell, and Pettersson. I think a 1st for each (maybe attach Doc or B level prospect or lower level draft pick). Take those three firsts and add Howe (I like him but he is several years away from playing) and hope to get another top 5 pick this year. (Not saying that would be the trade, but the Pens would have plenty of ammo to use in hopes of getting another top 5 pick).

Draft two of: Misa, Hagens, Martone, Schaefer, or McQueen.

Take on some short-term (esp. one year; like Saad - but not now rather in the offseason) bad contracts this offseason.

Be terrible next year (25-26) (sorry Geno). Hope to win Gavin McKenna with 1OA in summer of 2026.

26-27 could be something like:
McGroarty, Crosby, 2 of {Misa, Hagens, Martone, Schaefer, or McQueen}, McKenna, Rust, Tomasino, Letang, Graves, Pickering, Brunicke, Broz, Ponomarev, Koivunen, Blomqvist, Murashov, Larson.

Plenty of cap space to go after UFA in summer 2026. Maybe Geno comes back for a year, Connor, Eichel, Necas, Panarin, Schmaltz,etc are all (currently) UFA 2026 (certainly many will resign, but there are always at least one great UFAs). Maybe go after RFA in summer 2026.

---------------------------------------------------

If they do not win 1OA in 2026, maybe 2OA. Viggo Björck seems to be legit top, franchise-type prospect as well.
Trading for a top 5 pick this year and finishing in top 5 might be a bit unrealistic. However, just having one top 5 pick would be sweet.

Going into 26-27 with one 2025 top 5 pick and 2OA in 2026: Crosby, McGroarty, one of {{Misa, Hagens, Martone, Schaefer, or McQueen}, Björck, Rust, Tomasino, Letang, Graves, Pickering, Brunicke, Broz, Ponomarev, Koivunen, Blomqvist, Murashov, Larson is still pretty sweet and would be exciting to watch. If they cannot trade for a top 5 pick in 2025, they could use the ammo to trade for higher-end, NHL ready player. Still would have plenty of cap space to bring in top tier UFA.

It seems (I am not a scout) Misa, Hagens, Martone, Schaefer, McQueen, McKenna, and Björck will all be NHL ready draft picks and should play in NHL the year they are drafted. It seems Schaefer, McKenna, and Björck will be super high-end NHL talent (not McDavid/Crosby, but next level down). The others should be high-end NHL talent.

Two years of being bad. Real bad. Then 2026-27 should be playoff team. Perhaps they catch fire and Sid with the kids win in Sid's last year. kidding, but the team would be well on their way to being a decent cup contender again.

[FLPensFan]

I'd keep an eye on this for Pittsburgh. Dubas has been scouting LA. Clarke (who is only 21) or Spence (turns 24 end of Feb) are both young RD and they don't have room to play both of them. I'd prefer Clarke.

[Pruezy11881]

Grubauer placed on waivers by Seattle.

[KG]

I'd keep an eye on this for Pittsburgh. Dubas has been scouting LA. Clarke (who is only 21) or Spence (turns 24 end of Feb) are both young RD and they don't have room to play both of them. I'd prefer Clarke.

I don't know why they would get rid of Clarke. He's a stud in the making. If they move Clarke it will be for a big fish. Not our small to medium size catch

[Puck-Lurker]

Grubauer placed on waivers by Seattle.

Straight up swap for Jarry.

Grubauer is actually worse and slightly more expensive, but signed for one year less.

[FLPensFan]

I'd keep an eye on this for Pittsburgh. Dubas has been scouting LA. Clarke (who is only 21) or Spence (turns 24 end of Feb) are both young RD and they don't have room to play both of them. I'd prefer Clarke.

I don't know why they would get rid of Clarke. He's a stud in the making. If they move Clarke it will be for a big fish. Not our small to medium size catch

I would agree. I would have thought they would scratch Spence over Clarke, but reportedly they aren't.

Rakell for Clarke plus? LA has tons of cap space and could use an upgrade over Turcotte or Laferriere in their top 6.

[KG]

You can do that? Seems like cap circumvention. I get that he is walking away from a lot of money, but it seems like the Blues are getting out of a bad contract for free. Wonder if this will be a topic of discussion in the next CBA.

[FLPensFan]

You can do that? Seems like cap circumvention. I get that he is walking away from a lot of money, but it seems like the Blues are getting out of a bad contract for free. Wonder if this will be a topic of discussion in the next CBA.

I knew you could terminate a contract, but the only time I've really seen it put to use other than for legit reasons (like Mike Richards) was when European players wanted to go back to Europe and play. Friedman's tweet is a little vague, but, I'm not sure if Saad can terminate his contract and then immediately sign in the NHL. Something makes me think he would have to wait until next season.