That first part is why I balk at any “team is special, they’re a contender” talk. It’s a reasonably good team that’s playing better than they should…but they’re paper thin talent-wise, rely on senior citizens to carry them, and the bloom has come off of the rose for some of the overachievers.
Dubas’ press conference lends credence to this theory.
Was there a single guy traded at this deadline that you saw and thought “man, my team really missed out by not getting him”?
Next year’s NHL trading deadline will be sponsored by Miralax so things can get moving more quickly and smoothly.
Schrodinger’s Trades. There both are and aren’t trades after 3 PM. Checking the NHL fax machine causes the waveform to collapse.
..as part of one the great player laundering/third party broker schemes of all time. Philly won’t help out Pittsburgh, but they will do business with Tampa Bay.
How much do you wanna bet that they change the rules for next year in a completely reactionary way? That’s the usual NHL playbook.
Vinnie Hinnie’s leaving Minne.
Or as I’ve been saying for the past several months…Don’t confuse the process with the results.
I have a weird feeling that they throw the book at Geno, because of the sheer consistent inconsistency of it all.
Will we get the result before or after the trading deadline? No 71 and no 87 for an extended stretch means they go from “hang in there” to “recoup some assets”.
Oh, those innocent times circa 2008-2011 when people would post with a straight face “Crosby is just Adam Oates on steroids, we’d be better trading him for other players because Malkin is clearly the better player”.
It was right there. “The Wild are on the Brink of another potential trade”.
If a team wants to offer something of value for Rickard Rakell, then I think now is the time to take that offer.
He doesn’t have a playmaking center, and he clearly can’t anchor a line himself. He’s a fair 2nd line winger playing as a middling 1st line winger, he’s 32, and he isn’t Bryan Rust.
If you listen closely, that’s the air leaking out of the “we must re-sign Malkin!” balloon.
He’s gonna get Polamalu’ed.
“Thanks for a great career, Geno! Enjoy your retirement!”
“But I’m not reti—“
“I said ENJOY YOUR RETIREMENT!”
Good thing the Penguins are a real contender this year, because otherwise some of their recent performances would have me wondering what the criteria actually is for being a real contender.
Yet another chapter in the “he’s from Pittsburgh, therefore I’ve heard of him, therefore the Pens should trade for him” saga.
"The hen is the wisest of all the animal creation because she never cackles until the egg is laid”.
They still need young gamebreaking talent and have to find a way to use those assets and cap space to get it in lieu of drafting it. The plan is to contend, not be ecstatic about 2nd round ceilings.
The 2024-25 Washington Capitals. A quick retool, good trades, get improved play, some guys overachieve, and everyone can’t wait to declare you a contender. Then a wet fart exit in the 2nd round against the Canes.
Anyone going to be happy with that kind of performance?
The retool isn’t over.
Welcome to the Girard-Letang teething process.
Is there a scenario in which Kyle Dubas hedges his bets in the absence of Crosby and moves out some veterans at the deadline…perhaps vets he wouldn’t move if Sid was fully armed and operational?
If anything it frees up space for younger guys, and we see what they have to offer in March.
Welp, there’s a bright side either way to Crosby’s absence.
Either the team rises to the occasion, surges into the playoffs, and Sid comes back rested…
…or the team plummets without Crosby and they get the benefit of a higher draft pick for the massive talent infusion this offseason.
The email won’t send. It’s indigestible.
Hey, I just met you
And there’s a white whale
But here’s my story
So call me Ishmael.
— Moby Dick, by Carly Rae Jepsen.
Deleted the app today. I reinstall it for major events (trading deadline, free agency) and then spend the rest of the time happy that it’s not on my phone.
Would it be fair to say that the more elite the player, the less tactically sound they are with 3v3?
A lesser player sees all that ice room and says “I better not fuck this up”. A greater player sees it and dials up the risky rushes.
The proper mix of caution/aggression doesn’t seem to exist yet.
It’s a version of the discussion that happened in 2002 regarding Mario and his hip, but inside out. 66 hung in there with a bad hip, played in the Olympics, played one game upon returning, and then peaced out for the rest of the season.
I’m happy for Crosby’s large adult son Jake Guentzel winning a gold medal. He’s all grown up now and out on his own. I hope he remembers his silver haired old dad and calls home sometimes.
Plus, winning like they did in the previous games just fed into the hero puck narrative. It’s like the Pens doing the Two Headed Monster. That’s an occasional boost, not a viable strategy.
You have to imagine that, after two playoffs where he could rely on maybe one other guy on his team, he got to overtime and once again decided he couldn’t rely on anyone else. Then comes the hero puck 1 on 3 efforts.
