So we've reached the "discussing fishing" part of the season already it seems.
- MickV

You missed the glory days of the "what are we eating tonight" threads

Spezza would not be my choice for GM. He's a bit of doofas. When he was playing with the Sens and Leafs I watched countless interviews with him. I'm sure there other guys with playing experience and management experience that could be available.
- MattStrat

Do you really trust Dubas’s opinion of a hockey player though over his? I’m sure he has some say right now as it is.

I'm not going to defend Dubas. He tried to win and failed. We'll see how he does with the retool, jury is still out.

Hex though traded Matheson for Petry, Marino for Ty Smith, McCann for nothing (7th rounder), etc ... he took over a team mid season that won their division that year, and two years later they missed the playoffs. He made a lot of terrible moves. (He also made a few good moves like trading for Rak, but the balance of moves was very negative.)
- MickV

Yeah, that was a weird time and I probably forget how frustrated I was back then.

I was pumped that we got Petry, but hated that we somehow had to give up Matheson in that trade after he finally started to find his form. Petry was a perfectly fine 2RD for us, kind of like Paul Martin, people were expecting him to be something he wasnt so they dont remember him fondly.

His extensions with Letang and Malkin were fantastic. As was the trade for Rackell. The Granlund trade was so weird because it was such a half ass way to get through the deadline when we should have been adding more. In retrospect, if Dubas hadn't done the Karlsson trade and we had more time for Granlund to find his fit in the lineup, we could have been in much better shape.

He really just lost the plot with his expansion moves. Trading McCann for a miniscule return to protect him from being taken in expansion. On top of that of course protecting Blueger & Carter over him. That led to Tanev from being selected, and he was a big part of the team. Imagine we just lost Blueger in expansion and kept McCann & Tanev...

Hextalls biggest problem was that he killed the culture. Matheson, McCann & Tanev were all guys who were loved in the dressing room. So yeah, in retrospect... F Hextall.

With the Sabres winning 3 out of their last 4, it isnt impossible for the Penguins to end the season as the worst team in the East. It's unlikely we could finish lower than 4th worst. The Preds, Blackhawks, and Sharks arent catching us.

A worst case would see us finish around 9th/10th worst. We are about even with teams like the Kraken, Flyers, etc.
- SuperHenderson13

The Kraken looked awful last night. Does Disco Dan get canned at season's end?

I'm not going to defend Dubas. He tried to win and failed. We'll see how he does with the retool, jury is still out.

Hex though traded Matheson for Petry, Marino for Ty Smith, McCann for nothing (7th rounder), etc ... he took over a team mid season that won their division that year, and two years later they missed the playoffs. He made a lot of terrible moves. (He also made a few good moves like trading for Rak, but the balance of moves was very negative.)
- MickV

I was just going to say a lot of this. Hextall made his share of negative moves. They've been chasing replacing a solid second pair and never make the Karlsson trade. And boy could they have used McCann!

One of my other big what ifs is what if Zucker could have stayed healthy and been the player he was when he first came here and his last year the entire time? Rutherford might look a little better. Particularly since the big prospect, Addison, never lived up to the hype.

Spezza would not be my choice for GM. He's a bit of doofas. When he was playing with the Sens and Leafs I watched countless interviews with him. I'm sure there other guys with playing experience and management experience that could be available.
- MattStrat

It's a good question how much impact Spezza had. A LOT of his roster was draft picks, guys expected to play in the NHL that didn't, and NHL trades.

Bennstrom, Koivunen, Poulin, Ponomarov, Puustinen, McGroarty, Broz, Pickering, St. Ivany, Aho, Blomqvist, Murashov all played pretty big roles and none were brought in specifically by Spezza for the minors. He maybe gets credit for Larsson, Kral, Hallowell, Katchuck, and Hayes.

The Kraken looked awful last night. Does Disco Dan get canned at season's end?
- pghbirdman

I wish the Penguins would hire him again just so they could fire him again.

You missed the glory days of the "what are we eating tonight" threads
- Tojo.

We only have those
Conversations when we’re good

The Kraken looked awful last night. Does Disco Dan get canned at season's end?
- pghbirdman

He got Shayne Wright going though. Seattle doesnt have a playoff roster, they have massively overachieved to this point in their existence. They are really lacking in top flight talent.

He might get the axe, but he doesnt really have much to work with there.

I dont know, man. We have over 2 million lakes...which account for 14% of the whole earth's fresh water...not sure how many ponds. We have so many f'n fish. So many ponds and lakes without roads, or trails, to them.
- MattStrat

The American bait bucket crowd, that leave said bait bucket at the lake, along with the empty pack of smokes and McDonald’s bags from their 7 kids will find them and clean them out.

You missed the glory days of the "what are we eating tonight" threads
- Tojo.

Anything beats the middle aged white guy bourbon and whiskey bullpoop talk. Men drink beer, whatever beer is around and cold. They don’t seek out special beer with a paragraph involved to describe it. Beer. I recently had to suffer through a group of 10 ordering their drinks at a micro brewery and eatery at a friend’s birthday dinner and I almost killed myself.

Anything beats the middle aged white guy bourbon and whiskey bullpoop talk. Men drink beer, whatever beer is around and cold. They don’t seek out special beer with a paragraph involved to describe it. Beer. I recently had to suffer through a group of 10 ordering their drinks at a micro brewery and eatery at a friend’s birthday dinner and I almost killed myself.
- Grinder47

Dramatic.

The American bait bucket crowd, that leave said bait bucket at the lake, along with the empty pack of smokes and McDonald’s bags from their 7 kids will find them and clean them out.
- Grinder47

Just move to Canada already

Anything beats the middle aged white guy bourbon and whiskey bullpoop talk. Men drink beer, whatever beer is around and cold. They don’t seek out special beer with a paragraph involved to describe it. Beer. I recently had to suffer through a group of 10 ordering their drinks at a micro brewery and eatery at a friend’s birthday dinner and I almost killed myself.
- Grinder47

The fact that you have a friend that had their birthday dinner at a micro brewery raises some questions.

The fact that you have a friend that had their birthday dinner at a micro brewery raises some questions.
- MickV

God forbid you want to have a beer with your friends on your birthday

Just move to Canada already
- Victoro311

He's totally welcome up here! I think me and Grinder would have a fvcking laugh if we had a few beers and hung out.

Do you really trust Dubas’s opinion of a hockey player though over his? I’m sure he has some say right now as it is.
- Grinder47

Dubas has done pretty good in management for other teams, though. He really has. I know the Leafs didn't get past 2nd round (furthest they'd been in decades) with him, and he inherited some great pieces when he took over, he did fine tune those teams and two regular seasons ended up being the best Maple Leafs 100+ years of history. There's also a lot of reports of Shanahan stopping him from trading one of the big 4 (Matthews, Marner, Nylander, Tavares) to upgrade D and goal, reports of Shanahan controlling a lot of things he probably shouldn't have.

He had a lot of success in AHL and OHL.

However, none of this is to say I think he's done great with the Pens so far. I do think he is going in a good direction now...lets see if sticks the landing.

Anything beats the middle aged white guy bourbon and whiskey bullpoop talk. Men drink beer, whatever beer is around and cold. They don’t seek out special beer with a paragraph involved to describe it. Beer. I recently had to suffer through a group of 10 ordering their drinks at a micro brewery and eatery at a friend’s birthday dinner and I almost killed myself.
- Grinder47

I love whiskey, Jack Daniels is my favorite...it just turns me into an animal, though. One that ends up on coke, usually. Been a long time since I drank it.

"drink beer, stay in the clear" is my motto. Next to impossible for me to black out on the beers.

He's totally welcome up here! I think me and Grinder would have a fvcking laugh if we had a few beers and hung out.
- MattStrat

If I didn't love the US so much I'd already be there. Spend multiple weeks every year in Canada.
I'd get my Red Seal and have an easy transition with work.