About the Islanders - 2-16-09

Bones goes to bed = Therrien is head coach

Bones gets up for work = something called Dan Bylsma is now behind the bench

It's never fun to see someone lose their job. I liked Therrien, but obviously the wheels have come off this season and he ended up being the scapegoat.

Hopefully Goligoski and Pesonen are heading to Pittsburgh soon. It will be interesting to see how the team responds this afternoon on Long Island...

I liked Bylsma's comment on the playing style in Seth's post below.  It was truly baffling in the last game that they let a team like Toronto dictate the way the game was played.  It seems like Therrien decided that, since Toronto plays at a fast pace, the Penguins should slow it down.  Why?!?  Run-and-gun might not always be the best approach, but against a team that gives up so many goals, playing a grinding defensive game made no sense.

It's time to let loose the talent and see what happens.

Agree with Wintermute on the playing style - you have the two leading scores in the league, and the only way you figure your team can win is to turn that group into the 2003 Devils?   Besides that, you can't say Sid needs a winger because MT would audition guys for a shift and if they didn't score, he shuffled the lines.  MT's blank look on Saturday during the 2nd period drubbing was the final straw, perhaps.    

Change is needed - I don't know if IHCDB is the answer, but something had to be done - hopefully Shero can avoid firesale trades at the deadline - his track record on that isn't very good.

One thing's for sure, you won't see the 1-2-2 on the Island today.

We need to give Shero a little more time before we throw him under the bus.

The Hossa deal got us within 2 wins of the Cup and all it cost us was 2 average players, a prospect that recently blew his knee out, and a low 1st round selection.

I hated the Satan signing from the beginning, but it was him or nobody at that point. Just be glad he only got a one year deal.

Giving Eaton two years at $2 million wasn't a great decision either.

Can't blame him for Conkin at all.

He made the right decision to let Malone break the bank in Tampa.

The jury is still out on the Staal contract extension, but if Shero could manage to turn that asset into a scoring winger via trade...

Remember that this is a guy that has managed to convince two elite players, a franchise goalie, and a physical defenseman to take way less than what they would've gotten on the open market.

I'm not saying the guy has been flawless, but Shero-bashers need to acknowledge the positives here too...

Must win today, if they lose season is over, if its not already, lose today and start to sell.

Bones

The thing is hes done alot more negatives then positives.

We'll have to agree to disagree on that.

But we can agree that this is a must-win game. Then again, so was Toronto...

I'm on Bones' side with this one.  Please explain Shero's negatives.  And I'll have a counter argument for you.

Bones, I'm with you in the "give Shero a chance" camp.  The core of a perennial contender is in place, and he's learning some hard lessons about how and how *not* to build around them.  No one was complaining after game 5 of the Rangers series last year.

Are coaches contracts guaranteed in the NHL? Does Therrien receive the full $3 million of the contract extension he signed this offseason?

I've got to throw my name in with the Shero Supporters group. He made the moves he needed to last season to get us to the SCF, and if the team had shown up two games earlier, they may have won it. He made the best of a bad situation with Hossa leaving, and keeping Conks or Malone was never really an option. Sykora signing was solid, Cooke signing was solid. Trying to find talent through outside sources like Pesonen was a solid move as well. I think the positives of his term as GM hugely outweigh his negatives.

Yes, the Pens are essentially eating the last $2M.

You think some WBS guys will get a chance to play in the bigs now?  Like, Pessonen maybe gettiing a chance somewhere other than the 4th line?  Maybe Go-Go or Caputi comes back?  

What do you think we could land for Whitney and Sykora?  Granted, I love Peter Gun, but he's a UFA at the end of this year, and there has to be someone out there to way over-pay for these guys.

I'm willing to gave Shero a pass this year because it was a short offseason, his top priority was to sign his "core" of young players to long term deals and Hossa took so long to decide.  However, he failed to:

A. Find long term answers to fill Crosby's wings.

B. Sign a competent back-up goalie when Sabourin had proved he was not the answer last year.

C. Have a "plan B" ready should Hossa refuse his offer.

I think Shero needs to prove himself for the remainder of this season and the off-season.  What do we have, like $22M to sign 15 players or something?  Considering the cap space occupied by Crosby, Malkin, MAF, Staal, Whitney and Orpik?

Hey:  slightly off-topic, but why aren't there Penguin girls at the arena anymore?  They had 2 whole dance moves to "cotton eyed joe", but more importantly, they were hot and gave me the impression of being somewhat promiscuous.  Is it any wonder our home record is so bad??

Guys, check out NHLNumbers.com to find out how much cap space is available for next year (and beyond).

I would not trade Sykora, due to his chemistry with Malkin, and the fact that he is worth more to the Penguins than he is to any other team. Kinda the same with Malone last year, but Tampa didn't recognize that, and broke the bank.

Whitney and Staal, I would not trade unless there is an offer that can't be refused.

Gill, Scuderi, Boucher, they are all UFA's after the season. I doubt Boucher is able to be moved at this point, due to his foot, but the other two, you have to explore what you can get for them at the deadline.

No one will take Satan, likely. But if someone will take him, for whatever reason, and you don't have to eat his remaining salary, let him go.

I hope we see Pesonen get a chance in Pittsburgh, because he is a UFA after this season. You have to see what you have, for more than a handful of games that saw him get 4th line minutes.

How is girls in Penguin uniforms with limited moves who like to lay down off topic?  That's what got Therrien fired.

Pesonen better see some quality ice time at some point. Especially if they fall out of contention, they need to see if he has a future here.

If Pesonen isn't called up right away, you can pretty much write him off.  If anyone knows what they have in him its Bylsma.

Well, keep in mind, Bylsma won't decide who to keep and send down and call up. That's still Shero's job. No guarantee that Shero will want to see Pesonen (or anyone else, for that matter) return to Pittsburgh.

You have to figure the coach makes the final call on roster decisions, no? Why would ownership wantt the general manager deciding who is playing on a given night?

@Griggsy  It has been widely argued (rightly or wrongly) that it was Therrien who didn't want Pesonen and buried him when he was called up.  No, it won't be Bylsma's decision alone, but he will have input especially considering the fact that he has watched Pesonen more than anyone in Pittsburgh.

Did Shero sign Whitney to his contract, or was that the previous regime?

Has anyone else read the Dave Shoalts piece about Mario linked above?

Does Shoalts know something the rest of us don't?

Are "whispers" now acceptable as "reliable sources"?

Shero gave Whitney his current contract.

Thanks for the info, Bones.  In the immortal words of Seth: "Fire Ray Shero"

I laughed at that article Brando...I know nothing of this Shoalts fellow and I intend to keep it that way after reading that BS

And yes, Shero gave Whitney the new contract.

DGoat, that is awesome.  Well said.

I agree that Shero has definitely done some good things, however, there are some questionable things as well.  

And, it drives me insane that he is repeatedly called "PATIENT"

He traded the Pens 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round picks last year.

Is that patience?

He cut Dominic Moore--who seems to be do a pretty fine job in Toronto:  sporting the "A" and winning 55% of his faceoffs.  

He gutted the Pens depth and grit.

He traded a lot to acquire Hossa and failed to win the Cup OR re-sign him--the only two possible outcomes that would have made it a "good trade."  I'm sorry, "coming w/in two games" does NOT count.  This isn't horseshoes or hand grenades..

He grossly overpaid for the services of figure skater extraordinaire, Miro Satan.

He inherited the top GM job in the NHL and less than 3 years later we have a team that will NOT make the playoffs.  

Let's see if he's "patient" and what he does or does not do on/about March 4 this year....

Overall, I'd say his report card is MIXED.