Podcast: All Penguins w/ Madden

I really enjoy those segments with Mark DK. They are always fun and lively. I hate when I agree more with Mark than you though.

It was like Madden was in a contest in which the winner had to be wrong on literally everything he said.

He won.

Just because you want a prototypical 4th line, you don't force guys who shouldn't even be in the NHL to try to fill a crash/bang role when they're woefully ineffective at it, and can hardly handle the puck to boot.

The alternative is trying to take what positive assets you do have and balance out you forward lines. You put Beau in the top nine, and the trickle down effect immediately pushes either Sill or Adams out of the lineup. A line of 13-40-27/38 immediately becomes a more effective line than what the Pens have currently. Add a Winnick for example, and that gets rid of Sill and Adams altogether, giving the Pens the ability to actually "role 4 lines" effectively.

But no. Penguins brass and guys like Madden want to use a paint by numbers coaching handbook of how your 4th line should look like despite how bad they are at it. I mean who cares about Spaling's feelings if he's "demoted" if that's what it takes to make your team better?

The one thing I will disagree with both both of you on is putting it all on 87 & 71. Those two guys give you a fighting chance against anyone you play, but Madden can't complain about the game being too systematic with one breath, then wonder with the next why 87 & 71 can't make up for a below average 3rd line and the worst 4th line in all of hockey, not to mention has been wingers and waiver wire pickups. Mario himself never won a Cup playing on a line with Rob Brown. It was only when the team had actual depth that they won championships.

Honestly, I'm tired of that line of thinking. Sid and Geno are neither Lemieux or Jagr in his prime. The sooner people stop taking that simplistic and ignorant view, the better they'll be able to see where the real problems lie.

Look at every Cup winner since the salary cap was implemented. EVERY team had depth and supplementary scoring to ADD to their star players, not rely solely on them. Want proof? Look at how many goals Toews scored during Chicago's second Cup run. I'd tell you, but I don't want to ruin the surprise.

Some of the media, the fans, and especially management/coaching need to wake up.

I echo Yinzer. Love your Madden podcasts - might be my favorite segments of all your features. Say what you will of MM but he's tough to keep up with and you more than hold your own.

2 minutes after seeing Iginla on Consol ice knew it was HUGE mistake. Battle level, speed -- horrible. And this only reminded me. Worse than losing to Philly.

Ugh.

I laughed out loud at the Mark Arcobello discussion -- poor guy went from Geno's wing to waivers. But it's too easy to blame the little guy for the team's problems.

It sounds like you are arguing more than discussing....