2024-2025 Season Random Penguins Fodder

[FLPensFan]

[Puck-Lurker]

Puljujärvi cleared waivers.

I guess sitting him for all that time made him unappealing.

At least he'll get to play hockey again.

[offsides]

Looks like all the other GM's are just as stupid as Dubas.

[joeyg412]

Sullivan probably personally called every other coach and GM and told them not to claim him. Right guys?

[Pens4Life]

I swear to god I dont get it.. there must be something behind this?!

[thehockeyguru]

Now do Nieto

[FLPensFan]

I swear to god I dont get it.. there must be something behind this?!

There is. His name is Mike.

[Skatingpen]

So who is right? Us or the entire NHL brass that also didn’t want him?

[Gunnerfan]

Man, I can't believe the entire NHL passed on Lemiuex and he cleared waivers...Wait, correction, it's Puljujärvi.

[penscup]

Man, I can't believe the entire NHL passed on Lemiuex and he cleared waivers...Wait, correction, it's Puljujärvi.

Haha. Seriously.

[EndO FanEra]

I am a little surprised that he didn't get claimed, but not totally shocked.

If he wasn't a Penguin, and I didn't watch him in the preseason (and the few regular season games he's played here), my first instinct as a GM would be "Hard Pass". That is based solely on his time/shortcomings in Edmonton, bouncing around the league a bit, coming off of double hip surgery and putting up pedestrian numbers last year. I'd probably be looking elsewhere. If I hadn't actually seen him play, decent underlying stats for a guy in his situation probably wouldn't interest me that much.

Unless a team was scouting the Pens in the preseason and early on in the regular season, would they really know how well he was playing? Maybe to an extent, with all of the staff and video available to them, but they can't watch every minute of every player. I doubt he's a player teams were focusing in on. Maybe there was a little interest, but given his history and the lack of playing time on this sad Pens roster, that has to be enough to scare off a lot of GMs.

Fire Sullivan.
Wake up Dubas.
Keep breaking records Sid, you're all we have to look forward too for now.

[Skatingpen]

Sullivan quote on why the lineup has not changed…..”We feel like the group that we put in the lineup every night has played extremely well”

Good lord

[FLPensFan]

So who is right? Us or the entire NHL brass that also didn’t want him?

I kind of see it like politics. Most people these days want to lump someone way to the right or way to the left, when in reality, there are a ton of people who fall right down the middle.

Nobody is saying Puljujarvi is the second coming of Lemieux. Nobody is saying Puljujarvi is a guaranteed top 6 player that is being persecuted. Or that the team just made the biggest mistake in franchise history since Naslund for Stojanov trade. And yet, the "all the other teams passed on him crowd" sure seem to want to make it seem like the crowd that thought he should be playing is saying those types of things.

I really thought Puljujarvi would have gotten picked up. As I said earlier, this was a bit different than than a Puustinen, Poulin, or Zohorna in that Puljujarvi has over 350 NHL games played at this level, where those other 3 don't have 150 NHL games combined. Puljujarvi is never going to live up to his NHL draft selection status, but, his last 2 full seasons in Edmonton, he put up solid 3rd liner numbers (14 and 15 goals, 25 and 36 points).

Puljujarvi had a strong forecheck, seemed to have no current issues with his hip, would use the body to some degree, and add some offense. I don't really buy the "poor defensively" line that seems to be going around. Maybe he has a low hockey IQ and he's out of position, but, he isn't Daniel Sprong out there either.

Where this team currently is, I'll continue to say that, I see ZERO need to dress Nieto, Acciari, or Hayes on a nightly basis. So far, Hayes is the only one that's been a healthy scratch...and I'd play him 99 times out of 100 over Nieto. There's no reason that Puljujarvi couldn't rotate in here or there for Acciari or Glass at some point. Instead, he's played only 1 of the last 15 because an injury forced him back into the lineup.

As for the other teams, maybe teams were still concerned about his hips. Maybe teams agree with Sullivan that he has a low IQ or sucks defensively. Maybe the timing just wasn't right. I can't say for sure, but, in a league where officiating is often poor, player safety suspensions are worse, and a guy who hasn't won a playoff series in over 6 seasons still has a job behind an NHL bench...does the NHL always make sense?

[Skatingpen]

Well said sir!

[Puck-Lurker]

So who is right? Us or the entire NHL brass that also didn’t want him?

I kind of see it like politics. Most people these days want to lump someone way to the right or way to the left, when in reality, there are a ton of people who fall right down the middle.

Nobody is saying Puljujarvi is the second coming of Lemieux. Nobody is saying Puljujarvi is a guaranteed top 6 player that is being persecuted. Or that the team just made the biggest mistake in franchise history since Naslund for Stojanov trade. And yet, the "all the other teams passed on him crowd" sure seem to want to make it seem like the crowd that thought he should be playing is saying those types of things.

I really thought Puljujarvi would have gotten picked up. As I said earlier, this was a bit different than than a Puustinen, Poulin, or Zohorna in that Puljujarvi has over 350 NHL games played at this level, where those other 3 don't have 150 NHL games combined. Puljujarvi is never going to live up to his NHL draft selection status, but, his last 2 full seasons in Edmonton, he put up solid 3rd liner numbers (14 and 15 goals, 25 and 36 points).

Puljujarvi had a strong forecheck, seemed to have no current issues with his hip, would use the body to some degree, and add some offense. I don't really buy the "poor defensively" line that seems to be going around. Maybe he has a low hockey IQ and he's out of position, but, he isn't Daniel Sprong out there either.

Where this team currently is, I'll continue to say that, I see ZERO need to dress Nieto, Acciari, or Hayes on a nightly basis. So far, Hayes is the only one that's been a healthy scratch...and I'd play him 99 times out of 100 over Nieto. There's no reason that Puljujarvi couldn't rotate in here or there for Acciari or Glass at some point. Instead, he's played only 1 of the last 15 because an injury forced him back into the lineup.

As for the other teams, maybe teams were still concerned about his hips. Maybe teams agree with Sullivan that he has a low IQ or sucks defensively. Maybe the timing just wasn't right. I can't say for sure, but, in a league where officiating is often poor, player safety suspensions are worse, and a guy who hasn't won a playoff series in over 6 seasons still has a job behind an NHL bench...does the NHL always make sense?

Hayes is okayish for a bottom line. Problem is he doesn't play slow as much as he plays standing still almost. Good hockey IQ and passing, but he's not constantly on the move. Kind of an offbeat guy I think, just the type that drives Sullivan absolutely nuts, but he can't really ask to bury him in the AHL.

[KG]

Roy pulled the goalie today during the Leafs game while the face-off was in the Isles zone. Needless to say, Toronto scored an ENG. Talk about big-braining a situation.

[Daniel]

Looks like all the other GM's are just as stupid as Dubas.

Honestly it might have to do with Christmas roster freeze and the perfect time to put someone on waivers. Plus, do you put i a claim for someone who barely plays?

[Puck-Lurker]

Roy pulled the goalie today during the Leafs game while the face-off was in the Isles zone. Needless to say, Toronto scored an ENG. Talk about big-braining a situation.

Probably thought he was playing the Pens again

[Puck-Lurker]

Looks like all the other GM's are just as stupid as Dubas.

Honestly it might have to do with Christmas roster freeze and the perfect time to put someone on waivers. Plus, do you put i a claim for someone who barely plays?

Oh I'm convinced that's the reasoning for the moment he gets sent down.

[BigMcK]

2025 is now upon us. This remaining season I think it's time to come to grips with a few facts:

Mikey Sullivan is a better NHL coach than me. His record reflects this. He has more wins behind the bench, # (???), to my zero. He knows which player should be on the roster, on the ice, in the minors, and on waivers more than me. He has a bonafide contract with the ownership group to just do what he does --- damn the outcome. His contract puts food on the table for his family and he knows not to screw that up. There'll be plenty of time for a TV show gig later...

Junior Manager Kevin Dubas is a better NHL personnel manager than I am. I am not good at double speak, he is; we want to get younger without ferreting out useful youth that are able to replace older useful players on the roster. He also knows what side of the toast to butter, and he doesn't rock the boat.

FSG corporate owners are definitely way better than I at managing wealth. The Pittsburgh Penguins are nothing more than a profit center. The Penguins fit nicely into their portfolio. Keep the money flowing, regardless of what the product is. I am willing to imagine that TV broadcast rights along with team merch sales way exceed ticket sales. A healthy bottom line is King.

So, for me, Penguins coaching, management and ownership are a well oiled machine. Make the playoffs/ don't make the playoffs, draft high or low, I resolve to just roll with the tide and play my part as Joe 'faceless' Hockeyfan. It's gonna be better for my health and sanity as well. I can also play my part by turning off the game noise and go on more walks.

[thehockeyguru]

2025 is now upon us. This remaining season I think it's time to come to grips with a few facts:

Mikey Sullivan is a better NHL coach than me. His record reflects this. He has more wins behind the bench, # (???), to my zero. He knows which player should be on the roster, on the ice, in the minors, and on waivers more than me. He has a bonafide contract with the ownership group to just do what he does --- damn the outcome. His contract puts food on the table for his family and he knows not to screw that up. There'll be plenty of time for a TV show gig later...

Junior Manager Kevin Dubas is a better NHL personnel manager than I am. I am not good at double speak, he is; we want to get younger without ferreting out useful youth that are able to replace older useful players on the roster. He also knows what side of the toast to butter, and he doesn't rock the boat.

FSG corporate owners are definitely way better than I at managing wealth. The Pittsburgh Penguins are nothing more than a profit center. The Penguins fit nicely into their portfolio. Keep the money flowing, regardless of what the product is. I am willing to imagine that TV broadcast rights along with team merch sales way exceed ticket sales. A healthy bottom line is King.

So, for me, Penguins coaching, management and ownership are a well oiled machine. Make the playoffs/ don't make the playoffs, draft high or low, I resolve to just roll with the tide and play my part as Joe 'faceless' Hockeyfan. It's gonna be better for my health and sanity as well. I can also play my part by turning off the game noise and go on more walks.

Dubas is now taking the correct approach, my issue with him is before doing so he gave out terrible contracts to Jarry, Graves, and Accari in addition to trading for Karlsson.

[Antonio]

2025 is now upon us. This remaining season I think it's time to come to grips with a few facts:

Mikey Sullivan is a better NHL coach than me. His record reflects this. He has more wins behind the bench, # (???), to my zero. He knows which player should be on the roster, on the ice, in the minors, and on waivers more than me. He has a bonafide contract with the ownership group to just do what he does --- damn the outcome. His contract puts food on the table for his family and he knows not to screw that up. There'll be plenty of time for a TV show gig later...

Junior Manager Kevin Dubas is a better NHL personnel manager than I am. I am not good at double speak, he is; we want to get younger without ferreting out useful youth that are able to replace older useful players on the roster. He also knows what side of the toast to butter, and he doesn't rock the boat.

FSG corporate owners are definitely way better than I at managing wealth. The Pittsburgh Penguins are nothing more than a profit center. The Penguins fit nicely into their portfolio. Keep the money flowing, regardless of what the product is. I am willing to imagine that TV broadcast rights along with team merch sales way exceed ticket sales. A healthy bottom line is King.

So, for me, Penguins coaching, management and ownership are a well oiled machine. Make the playoffs/ don't make the playoffs, draft high or low, I resolve to just roll with the tide and play my part as Joe 'faceless' Hockeyfan. It's gonna be better for my health and sanity as well. I can also play my part by turning off the game noise and go on more walks.

Welcome to the club! Join the rest of us who have adopted more walks, less games, less watching, less caring. It is overall much better. FSG does not need you anyway.

[FLPensFan]

In today's episode of "WTF are the Penguins doing?"....

Why bother signing Puljujarvi last year? Why bother signing him to a TWO YEAR deal as well? Why take on the project seeing if he can recover from the double hip surgery, see him succeed, and then decide "Well, you don't PK so you are going to sit on the bench." Um, sir, did you not realize this when you signed him?

I gave Dubas an A grade for signing Puljujarvi, because those are the types of risks this organization needs to take more of.
I give Dubas an F for the follow through and management of the asset. Just awful. Why waste the time to make this the ending?

Just dumb. Done talking about Puljujarvi at this point. Pointless to talk about anything forward looking while Crosby and the core are here. Swimming in mediocrity for the next 3 years should really amp up the fanbase.

[offsides]

Looks like I am still in a very small minority. No matter what I think should happen I can make zero changes to the team or to management. I will still watch every game like I have since the mid 70's and will continue to do so no matter what does or doesn't happen. Guess I'm just not negative enough but I have been through some very bad and some very good times. And hockey is still my favorite sport to watch.

Let's go Pens !!

[Puck-Lurker]

Looks like I am still in a very small minority. No matter what I think should happen I can make zero changes to the team or to management. I will still watch every game like I have since the mid 70's and will continue to do so no matter what does or doesn't happen. Guess I'm just not negative enough but I have been through some very bad and some very good times. And hockey is still my favorite sport to watch.

Let's go Pens !!

I'll just be annoyed by some of this crap, but I'll still watch and cheer for my team. I'll complain about stuff that bothers me, because it gets to me at some level, but at the end of the day, Pens are the Pens.