Quoting: Pensfan303
Mayby if you actually read what I said instead of being blinded by Dubas hate, you would see that I agree that the team should be stripped down and rebuilt but FSG (Ownership) won't let that happen if the core is still producing which they are wether you like it or not. Sid is PPG, Karlson, Letang and Geno have all been solid and that makes FSG say no to a rebuild and theres nothing Dubas can do, so he is forced to try and compete when he should tear it down. FSG wants to contend, mayby now they will realize that may not be possible or mayby they don't and want to try and milk the core dry.
Teams were reported to be interested in Eller and Smith at the TD however, they wanted Dubas to retain which he wasn't willing to do and righfully so. Come draft, teams will have more cap space and there will be more interest in both of em if Dubas choses to move em which is very likely for Smith.
Rakell is having a bad season ill give you that and hasn't played up to his contract, but to say it was a bad trade is just false. It's arguably one of 2 positive trades Hextall did. 60 PTS in 82 games for a 2nd and Calle Clang is a good trade for a team that was looking to contend. Hes just been underwhelming this season, but so had 70% of the team.
I like the Bunting add what you want me to say. I wanted him last summer in FA bad and was bummed that he went to Carolina.
a 4th line isn't there to put up a elite number of pts, their role is to Kill penalties, block shots and not be giving up goals. Acciri does that, hes just stuck with 2 useless plugs.
What Dubas really needs to do is Fire Sullivan, the teams needs a new voice but Sully got extended before Dubas got here and FSG probably won't like a coach being fired before he coaches a game on the contract extension
why do you keep trying to put it off on FSG, do you think they are blind?
No the core is not "performing well" outside of Crosby and Rust, the play has been subpar for the lot of them. It's one of the reasons why they can't win.
Malkin is a +/- 0 this year. In other words, his line isn't winning. He use to be a ppg player who could carry a line on his back, he's far under that this year and it's clear he's slowed down.
Letang has been a comedy of errors in the D zone all season and EK right with him.
That core, isn't going to lead this team to anything without real help and everyone knows that.
So you can sit here and say, "oh I agree the team should be torn down" but when you follow it with. blah blah blah... detached from reality opinions it's really not worth anything.
FSG knows the team needs torn down and they also know that tearing it down and keeping 4 or 5 guys isn't mutually exclusive.
As for firing Sullivan, I'm not going to claim to know what FSG will do. Frankly I don't think FSG knew what the hell they were doing when they took control and the hiring for Hextal and Burk are a serious indicator of that. It doesn't really matter if Sully has an extension or not, in the end that isn't going to be the reason he's here or not here. The direction of the team is going to decide that.
You are the only one blinded. You can't blame the current team on anyone but Dubas. Outside the core he inherited. There is only 1 player here left from Hextal next season, only 2 on the team right now
(Rakell and Carter). Carter should be riding pine but Sully keeps playing him.
Only 2 players on the team from JR in MP and DOC.
You take out Crosby, Malkin, Letang,,Rust and Jarry. As being the "core" left over before both.
The whole rest of the team is Dubas. That's 11 skaters and back up goalie are all on Dubas right now. It's his team right now. They are playing like crap and have offered 0 help to an aging core.
You can blame anything else you want but it's on him. It was his job to surround the core with better help after Hextal... and he built out a bottom 10 team making moves that didn't help the team at all.
We can all say now the Smith trade was a bust. They should have never helped VGK out taking Smith if anything they should have charged them a 1st to take that contract or let VGK sit on it.
The FA moves of making the team older and slower were unwise at best. Acciari isn't some great 4th liner. He's as bad as the people playing with him. The best 4th lines are energy lines who flip the puck the other direction not play in their own end all the time. Acciari has offered none of that.
Eller is old as dirt and just as slow.
The rest of the filler bodies on the bottom are a real sign of Dubas not knowing how to build a roster.
At some point you have to realize that a large percentage of this roster is on him. It's not blind hate, it's actual recognition for what he did that made the team much worse.