Penguins v. Blackhawks

[jacksalmon]

In the third season after their last 2015 Cup win, the Hawks went 33-39-10 and missed the playoffs and were the 24th ranked team in the league.  In their third season after their last Cup win in 2017, the Penguins are only 4 points behind the Caps and Blues for most points in the league.  I guess it goes to show that with a properly managed team with two super stars to pay (I know the Pens caught a break with Crosby's salary), it is possible to still ice a team that is not only relevant, but very good. By properly managed, I mean managing salaries, drafting players, trading players and getting coaches who have good plans and get them executed.  

I am not going to go into all the details behind the differences in those teams' performances in their third season after their last Cup wins, but there is obviously a big difference in the quality of the teams that were/are put on the ice in that third season after. 

[hsbob]

Jan 15, 2020 10:03:47 GMT -6 jacksalmon said:

In the third season after their last 2015 Cup win, the Hawks went 33-39-10 and missed the playoffs and were the 24th ranked team in the league.  In their third season after their last Cup win in 2017, the Penguins are only 4 points behind the Caps and Blues for most points in the league.  I guess it goes to show that with a properly managed team with two super stars to pay (I know the Pens caught a break with Crosby's salary), it is possible to still ice a team that is not only relevant, but very good. By properly managed, I mean managing salaries, drafting players, trading players and getting coaches who have good plans and get them executed.  

I am not going to go into all the details behind the differences in those teams' performances in their third season after their last Cup wins, but there is obviously a big difference in the quality of the teams that were/are put on the ice in that third season after. 

Gotta give the Pens credit jack,their record without Crosby this year says everything we need to know about that team. They've lost all three of their best players to injury the last several years for long stretches and were able to stay competitive throughout.     
They have maintained relevance better than the Hawks or Kings and they look pissed off about their 1st round exit/sweep last spring. One thing the Pens have done is draft GT's in the higher rounds and develop them,Jarry came in the 2nd round and Murry came in the 3rd......this has allowed them to spend money in other areas because their GT tandem makes under 4.5M bucks and I doubt they wasted 16M last summer. 
The Pens did catch a bit of a break with Crosby's 8.7M salary but that  pre-CBA deal has five years left after this one with full recapture till he's 37. Kane and Toews are a year younger with three fewer years remaining on their deals......everything's a trade off.

[jacksalmon]

Jan 16, 2020 9:03:39 GMT -6 hsbob said:

Jan 15, 2020 10:03:47 GMT -6 jacksalmon said:

In the third season after their last 2015 Cup win, the Hawks went 33-39-10 and missed the playoffs and were the 24th ranked team in the league.  In their third season after their last Cup win in 2017, the Penguins are only 4 points behind the Caps and Blues for most points in the league.  I guess it goes to show that with a properly managed team with two super stars to pay (I know the Pens caught a break with Crosby's salary), it is possible to still ice a team that is not only relevant, but very good. By properly managed, I mean managing salaries, drafting players, trading players and getting coaches who have good plans and get them executed.  

I am not going to go into all the details behind the differences in those teams' performances in their third season after their last Cup wins, but there is obviously a big difference in the quality of the teams that were/are put on the ice in that third season after. 

Gotta give the Pens credit jack,their record without Crosby this year says everything we need to know about that team. They've lost all three of their best players to injury the last several years for long stretches and were able to stay competitive throughout.     
They have maintained relevance better than the Hawks or Kings and they look pissed off about their 1st round exit/sweep last spring. One thing the Pens have done is draft GT's in the higher rounds and develop them,Jarry came in the 2nd round and Murry came in the 3rd......this has allowed them to spend money in other areas because their GT tandem makes under 4.5M bucks and I doubt they wasted 16M last summer. 
The Pens did catch a bit of a break with Crosby's 8.7M salary but that  pre-CBA deal has five years left after this one with full recapture till he's 37. Kane and Toews are a year younger with three fewer years remaining on their deals......everything's a trade off.

Good points, Bob, and I hate to see their success because I don't like the Pens, but at least the Bruins ate their lunch the other night,which was good to see.  For me, it is silly to deny their quality, so all I can hope for is that they don't win the crown, like what happened with this year's Patriots.  Now, I don't care who wins the Super Bowl, the target has been eliminated.