Olli Maatta’s second NHL season in Pittsburgh has been over since late December. — GETTY
BY DEJAN KOVACEVIC
Roundup of a lot of randomness from a lot of time around our teams …
• Don’t worry about Olli Maatta. He certainly isn’t.
Sure, the Penguins’ terrific 20-year-old defenseman has endured a year you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy: He entered training camp struggling to be ready for the opener after offseason shoulder surgery. He achieved that, but he learned during a camp physical that he had, of all things, thyroid cancer and needed to have a lump removed. He beat that, too, and was back within a month, only to reinjure the shoulder. And shortly after he went out, presumably because none of that was enough, the mumps that set down a quarter of the roster, naturally, claimed him, as well.
All that was missing was an ACME anvil plopping on his head.
Finally, in mid-January, after pushing through all of the above, the shoulder was subject to a second surgery, and his season — perhaps mercifully — was done.
So can anyone anywhere explain how and why this kid is smiling all the time anymore?
“I’m counting my blessings,” Maatta was telling me the other day at Consol. “I feel lucky.”
And you thought the other stuff was hard to believe.
“No, really, I do. I’m living my life. I’m staying in shape. I’m having fun. The only thing …”
He looked out at the rink. Yeah, that.
“I miss the game. I can’t wait to get back to the game.”
Maatta hadn’t done any formal interviews since the second shoulder surgery, and it’s easy to understand why. One can’t begin to imagine all that goes through someone’s head in one of those situations, never mind in the form of an unnatural hat trick. When I’d seen him myself, I’d usually just ask how he’s doing or remind him to smile. But he’s been out and about the past couple weeks, looking and sounding better than I’d seen him in a while, so I thought I’d more thoroughly take his temperature.
He wasn’t super-talkative, but he did speak his favorite language.
“I’m focusing on hockey,” he said. “I’m staying in shape, doing everything I can. The other stuff … things feel pretty normal to me. Watching TV. Playing video games. Hanging around the guys is great. But the big thing for me will be getting back on the ice.”
That won’t happen, according to the team, for another month.
Predictably, Maatta expects, “I’ll be ready for the start of next season.” Only there was no smile with that statement. It was more like the expression I recall seeing in Sochi, where he looked genuinely delighted to have won Olympic bronze when his Finns beat the United States but just as genuinely dissatisfied that his team didn’t make the gold-medal game.
He was already eyeing a second chance.
“I’ll be OK,” he said as we wound up. “Just let me play again.”
• I’d be remiss if I didn’t share this column from Sochi about Maatta as seen through his fellow Finns’ eyes. Among my favorite days at those Olympics.
• There’s absolutely nothing to be said at this stage about Mike Johnston’s future. Everything about these Penguins, as has been true from the outset, will be weighed after playoffs.
• If not for the cap crunch that forced the Penguins to embarrassingly play a man short last night, more than one forward from Wilkes-Barre would already be up. Don’t underestimate the cap effect on the current roster, I’ve been told. At the same time, don’t underestimate what could happen when the cap is no longer in effect for the playoffs.
• There is ample discussion in the locker room — not complaining, mind you, at least not yet — that the Penguins’ five-on-five offense is as scripted as any in the NHL. This is true. Johnston regularly runs drills focused on highly specific situations in the attacking zone. Generally, hockey coaches allow offense to be created, albeit within parameters.
• Johnston’s continued support of Chris Kunitz shouldn’t be misconstrued as anything other than what it appears, I’m told. The coach isn’t being influenced on this count at all. In fact, there’s a very good chance the head coach is getting increasingly isolated.
Bob Nutting could be seen at the Pirates’ Grapefruit League games all of the past week. — GETTY
• Caught up with Bob Nutting on my last day in Bradenton earlier this week and, in the process, caught up on old times. Specifically, we were recalling those days when he first took control of the Pirates’ ownership and made a top priority of dramatically upgrading operations in the Dominican Republic.
This wasn’t a new topic. Actually, it’s a favorite. But what made this one different is that we stood amid the $8 million in new renovations the team has just privately funded at McKechnie Field and Pirate City, and I asked him how he felt about the order in which all this had occurred.
“To me, it happened exactly the right way,” he answered. “The situation in the Dominican and Latin America was just untenable. It needed to be addressed right away. And if you look at that and the flow of things now being upgraded here, where it impacts our big-league players and how our big-league team and organization already has been impacted by Latin America … that feels right.”
It should. It’s about Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco coming out of the Dominican, as well as a big chunk of the team’s current top prospects, and that all began on the island. And that all began with the owner, exercising his own initiative before he’d even hired Frank Coonelly and Neal Huntington.
The percentage of the Pirates’ fan base that has no idea whatsoever all that Nutting has done for this franchise — at its core, where it counts in an imbalanced economic system — never stops surprising me. Easily the greatest misconception in town.
• One reason I was given for Jung-Ho Kang’s mid-spring pseudo-demotion to minor-league camp is that he was ‘hearing too many voices,’ as in getting a lot of advice and not being able to adequately process it. His time in Pirate City, by contrast, was aimed at offering much more focused instruction.
My own feel is that the team might be guilty of overreacting to 23 spring at-bats.
Seriously, what’s the point of sounding all the alarms right now?
I wrote this two weeks ago in this same feature, but Huntington in particular has been strikingly proactive as it comes to protecting Kang since his arrival, on and off the field. Leave him alone already. He’s a big boy who’s known bigger and brighter lights than all but two or three guys in the entire camp.
• Bullpen guys are feeling a bit protective, too, of their own. It was easy to sense while down there that, although they see and like what Radhames Liz and Arquimedes Caminero can bring, they were leery of it coming at the expense of John Holdzkom and especially Jared Hughes.
“It’s a good problem for any organization to have,” closer Mark Melancon told me. “But you look around, and you can see that maybe some guys who should be here won’t be here.”
• The NFL owners’ meetings in Phoenix produced close to zero news from the Steelers’ fold, even though Art Rooney II, Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin all spoke at length. That shouldn’t surprise anyone. The team’s triumvirate is usually — though not always — tight on message, and it was best evidenced this time by the syllable-by-syllable matching responses regarding Troy Polamalu.
I did appreciate this quote, though, from Tomlin, part of his general meeting with reporters, when asked to peg the strength of the coming draft: “I just think that there are a lot of edge rushers. If you’re in the edge rusher market, whether you define them as defensive ends or outside linebackers, I think that this draft is rich in that area. I’m still gaining an understanding of some of the other positions. But if you ask me what stands out to this point, I’ve seen a lot of capable men in that area.”
You betcha. And on top of that, Tomlin gave a peculiarly strong vote of confidence in his current crop of cornerbacks.
These aren’t stark contrasts from recent statements by Colbert, but they’re at least contrasts. Colbert has never separated corners from edge rushers in this draft class.
Coach wants an edge rusher, Coach will get an edge rusher.
• Here’s a very rare — only one I could find, actually — transcript of Tomlin’s full session. Pardon the raw text form. It’s all still legible, though.
• There apparently is no plan to take down those ghastly white tents that the Steelers keep up along the riverfront by Heinz Field, this despite ongoing and massive construction at that end. I’m stunned, in all seriousness, that all of the various governmental entities that protect the riverfronts against blight like this have been wholly silent.
• The Riverhounds have, indeed, upgraded their roster since last summer’s big letdown. At least they have on the back line and in the midfield. I have no way of knowing about the strikers since these guys are mostly just showing up in time for tomorrow’s season opener against Harrisburg, headlined by Brazilian striker Vini Dantas showing just two days ago because of other pro obligations. Given Mark Steffens‘ emphasis on quick-strike offense, chemistry up front will be essential.
It’s also concerning — while also a long-range positive — that two key players, Jamaican goalkeeper Ryan Thompson and Canadian full-back Tyler Pasher, will miss early time for their respective international teams. Caps are a point of pride for any soccer player, but the timing stinks locally, especially for Pasher being forced out of the opener.
• Good dude: Ben Lovejoy hasn’t necessarily been at his best since returning to the Penguins — two assists and a minus-2 rating in 12 games — but there’s plenty to be said for real accountability.
When Lovejoy failed to prevent the Blues’ Alexander Steen from scoring that slick tip-in in overtime Tuesday at Consol, he easily could have deflected attention in any number of directions, not least of which is that Steen is a pretty good scorer and he received a pinpoint pass from Zbynek Michalek.
But even when I handed Lovejoy that set of escape keys, here’s where he went …
That’s rarer than you might think. And there’s more to it: The Penguins’ locker room is only opened to reporters once pretty much every player who doesn’t want to be interviewed has a chance to slip out. So if you’re sitting at your stall once all of us arrive, it’s almost always because of a conscious decision.
Lovejoy is one of those people who get it that there’s real value in establishing accountability. Not to the media, but to the fan base. Because that’s where the message ultimately goes.
He needs to play better, and I think he will once he gets more acclimated. As noted above, there’s a lot of scripting in the Johnston system, and he’s bright enough to take it in quickly. But it doesn’t happen with the snap of a finger.
In the interim, huzzah for standing up. His goaltender deserved better … and got it.
I am intrigued by the discussions starting to circle around HCMJ. Clarify for me what you mean by "increasingly isolated".
Personally, I know the last month or so have been really rough. But with the onslaught of constant injuries to key players, the cap situation, and the myriad of roster changes, MJ has done pretty well for a first year coach. Is he losing the locker room already? Has anyone said that? And why would there ALREADY be talk of letting him go after one season that appeared to be a transition year from the start? I'm not making any statement about how I think this team will fare come April. But I am struck by the talk that is already starting...
And I was shocked to hear how " scripted" his offensive system is. Didn't seem that way early on. Help us DK-One-Kenobi...
DK, do you mean isolated from the players ? As in losing the room? Or from management/the other coaches. I find this odd.. I truly don't think these issues they have are coaching issues. His system has proven that it can make this team lethal (not lately) but what is he supposed to do at this point ? The players need to do their job..
alantig
3-27-2015, 7:50 am
I took it to mean that HCMJ is becoming isolated in his support of Kunitz - that everyone else is ready to move on, but he isn't.
tfftroy
3-27-2015, 2:00 pm
I guess I was just intrigued because it seemed as if the staff felt Kuni's play needed to improve OR ELSE not long ago. I'm not freaking out about that situation. Hornqvist was playing with Crosby and Kuni was with Malkin before those two guys got injured. So I could see the logic behind MJ keeping 14 with Sid until Geno and Horny come back.
That's why I was caught off guard by your word choice but it does make sense in context that he is becoming "increasingly isolated" with regards to Kunitz playing top 6. My diatribe thereafter is more in reference to things I've heard from other media outlets and comments from other fans. I wasn't implying that YOU said any of that, Dejan.
If hockey seasons can be rollercoaster like, this one has been the Millennium Force. And good on Maata. Great kid, quite the overcomer and great player. I'm looking forward to his return next season either way. Good read as always.
iacas
3-28-2015, 9:08 pm
The column doesn't really speak for itself. You said simply that he was "isolated." From whom? In what ways?
Surely you appreciate that we don't even have the lines to read between that you can see. As fans we may not even be on the right page to read between the lines.
JimBibbySweat
3-27-2015, 12:27 am
First to come down, "Pirates Charities" sign or Steelers' white tents?
DK: on the Pens, everyone points at the players being a problem and I get that. But I am becoming more and more convinced that Johnston is in over his head. A good example is when you asked him about the penalties. If he does not know the statistics something is wrong. He was also unaware of the statistic that the Pens cannot win if they are behind after two periods. So he does not know how his team is actually performing. Then he is putting them into scripted plays. Maybe that works with young players in the AHL, but does that really work with someone like Malkin?
Something is very wrong here and we can blame Crosby or Bennett or Kunitz, but I am finding it harder and harder to blame the players when Johnston seems to be at a loss in most instances. If he thinks they need to shoot more and they don't, then he is not getting through to them. If the power play is not working, is that because of them or because of Rick Tocchet's system or because they are not listening to Tocchet? If they are not listening, then why? The answer is usually that they are coddled millionaires. I don't buy that. Malkin wants to win. Crosby wants to win. They just are not a well oiled machine they need to be and it is a shame because Fleury is having a great year. Granted no coach seems to have been able to get them to be that machine but Johnston does not appear to be the improvement everyone expected. I don't wish for Bylsma's return and Johnston may have a better system than Bylsma, but if he cannot get his players to manage that system for 60 minutes without micromanaging them with scripted plays, then he is not the right coach. Someone has to be able to come into this locker room and get their attention.
And I am just sick to death of the argument that there are injuries. This is a psychological problem. The entire team needs a shrink. Fleury saw a shrink and got a new coach. It worked wonders. Maybe Sid could use some couch time. Maybe LeTang needs to talk to someone and learn how to not yap at the refs. Certainly Downie could use some therapy. There has to be an answer outside of the well worn box of changing coaches and systems.
P.s., Boy, do I miss Ollie. I am glad to hear he is positive and looking forward to the future. Oh, to be 20 again!
Great assessment mkvons. Johnston truly looks listless at some points on the bench, especially after some of the embarrassing goals that the D gives up (very few have been on MAF this year.) Not giving up on this team because they have shown, defensively, that they can hang with some good teams. But then you have nights like Carolina and it is just joke like. Not sure what the answer is.
dcdiamond
3-27-2015, 12:52 am
Typo: Should be "sitting at your stall". Either that or locker rooms are a lot more interesting than I would have expected...
Aaaand now I can't figure out how to delete the duplicate. Yay. Second the questions below about getting through to the players. You wrote early on that there was really buy-in on the system (though cautious in some quarters). Still true, despite the struggles?
Bill
3-27-2015, 1:03 am
So, your discussion here seems to assume that the Penguins actually MAKE the playoffs. DK, the way they played last night in Carolina, they don't deserve to be in the playoffs. Boston, Ottawa, and Washington can catch this team over the last 8 games and pass them regardless of how "easy" the schedule is perceived to be. Yeah yeah yeah I know Saturday's game is against Arizona. Well, when you have a power play as bad as this team does and can't score goals, why would we have any confidence that the team can even beat Arizona?
I'm not buying the idea that the playoffs are a given. All year, I have been disgusted at comments that the regular season games do not matter. As a paying customer, they do matter and my level of disgust will reach epic levels if they throw away this season by missing the playoffs. Even then, I have zero confidence they will win a playoff series anyway. However, the embarrassment of not reaching the playoffs after the start they had to the season would be a disaster.
After Arizona, there are 6 games with Sharks, Flyers twice, Jackets, Sens, Isles before finale in Buffalo. Pens have a losing record against those middle 5 teams so this is schedule is anything but easy. Bruins have Canes, Panthers twice and Leafs among last 8 while Sens have Leafs twice and Panthers and a game in hand.
Pens need 3 more wins to essentially clinch a spot. One of those needs to be Saturday. Another lost home weekend could leave them 2 points ahead of 9th place. With Philly & CBJ out, what better treat for their fans than to knock out the hated Pens and do like chances of winning in Ottawa? That's 3 easily probable losses right there. Real panic will set in Sunday night if that happens.
MikeVee
3-27-2015, 1:10 am
Upper management/ownership has dismantled this team and turned it into a squad best suited for a no-contact over 35 league. The aggressiveness, drive and fearlessness are gone. I wanted Trotz or Laviolette and the Pens hire a HC that looks he's lost and confused while on the bench with no experience.
Why is 27 still on the ice? Yea- Lovejoy (same Lovejoy as before) blew the OT goal but Scuds sat down in front of Fleury, avoided contact and caused the tying goal. The defense wants to play like Lidstrom with 1/2 the talent and continually get burned and will be pummeled in the playoffs. Yea, I miss Orpik and that was another mistake. We don't need 10 puck moving defensemen. Ever since the Islander free for all, the Pens have taken every opportunity to unload every gritty player on the roster.
There will be no fix and no "turning it around" for the playoffs. The season is over and if major changes are not made this offseason Sid and Geno have seen there last Cup in black and gold. Does ownership not see the types of teams that are winning every year? Personally, I'm hoping its 4 and out in the 1st round so that 87 and 71 don't take the abuse that is surely on the way in the playoffs and MAYBE the upper brass will figure out the type of team they need to win.
Honestly, it's frustrating and an embarrassment. It's also pretty disappointing that with all of his hockey knowledge, Mario would allow this type of team to surround 2 of the best players in the NHL. He knows, or should know, the types of teams that he had around him. This pee wee squad is not that type of team. Oh, did I ask why is 27 still starting every game? No talent, fights his own teams superstar, yet he is still on the Pens. That says it all doesn't it...
Further down the comments section, DK says that the column speaks for itself on the topic of Johnston possibly becoming "increasingly isolated." I respectfully disagree, DK. The meaning behind those words is indeed unclear. I read it to mean that MJ may be becoming the sole supporter of Kunitz, but I could see how some could infer that you mean isolated in a much more negative way with regards to his use of Kunitz. Can you elaborate, DK?
I read it the same way as you did Bulky. I didn't read it as management being dissatisfied with HCMJ, but that HCMJ was the only one rolling the Kunitz train down the tracks at the moment. I wish I knew why he was so loyal to the guy. Especially with that production.
Dejan Kovacevic
3-27-2015, 1:41 am
You both read it as intended, given what I feel was clear context.
mdjbarron
3-27-2015, 1:59 am
Some interesting stats I pulled regarding the Pens:
Injuries are a part of this, as are playing a man down the last few games. Don't forget, this also includes the west coast trip that a lot of people were saying was some of the best hockey of the season for the Pens.
Basically, Pens have come across some "bad luck" based on their team PDO, mostly from a very low shooting percentage. Over the whole season, team shooting percentage is 9.2%.
Now we can't blame everything on bad luck and injuries. Kunitz hasn't looked that good, and Bennett and Adams specifically provide next to nothing to this team right now.
But it might not be all doom and gloom. If Perron, Kunitz, and Martin bury their grade A chances tonight, game is tied at 5 at least. Eventually the shooting percentage has to come back up a little, right?
We say that every year and there's nothing to lead me to believe this year will be any different. Stats mean nothing if there's no drive behind them
A. Lane
3-27-2015, 12:39 pm
Nope, what just recently happen is bound to continue for eternity, and there someone to blame and pillar for it.
On a serious note Fleury's play is regressing back to career norms, which isn't good consider the Penguins currently have only two top four D-Man, then a 4th/5th at best. And the power play....
I came to accept a long time ago in writing columns that, no matter the actual words contained, a small, unfortunate percentage of the readership would never process any concept beyond BLAME THIS GUY or CREDIT THIS GUY, and that nothing else mattered. I'd go on here about how the Kunitz column actually was about his body of work since Sochi and not about any single game, but I'm sure I'd be wasting both my time and yours.
BK
3-27-2015, 3:08 am
Diego, you have a clear agenda. But by all means, keep going after one of the two guys (one of who is injured) who have kept this team from being the Oilers for the last five years, and have unfortunately camouflaged the multitude of bad moves made by the previous regime.
Speaking of laying blame, I was blown away by one of the Trib writers who actually tweeted and blamed Bennett for Carolina's first goal. He absolutely refused to acknowledge Scuderi's blatant giveaway that directly led to it.
Talk about an agenda...
Ed Gallagher
3-27-2015, 5:04 am
I am happy to say he is part of the problem. There are many offenders on this club and the stench grows by the day. Let the change continue. It will be sad to see some of these guys leave, especially Martin.
ajbeam7
3-27-2015, 8:28 am
Diego strikes again.
PlazMan
3-27-2015, 10:46 am
Are we talking about the same Chris Kunitz who has 2 goals and 8 assists in his last 30 games? And is making 3.5 mil a year?
Yeah, I'm not blaming him for last night's loss, but he sure has been beyond awful in 2015. Scoring at that pace would translate to an 8 goal and 20 assist season and that flat out stinks!
Old 1Sgt
3-27-2015, 11:41 am
I'm not sure where you are trying to go with this Diego but DK reports his opinions derived from his inside advantage. That's what we pay him for. He doesn't set agendas against this player or that one. He just "calls it as he sees it". If you think he's here just to play the blame game you're on the wrong site.
BK
3-27-2015, 3:28 am
You were all warned.
People loved Johnston because he wasn't Bylsma.
People loved Rutherford because he wasn't Shero.
At the root, there's still too many rotten remnants from the Shero era on the ice. Not only are they washed up or near to it, but they've managed to become voices and leaders in the locker room despite their play. No new breakout wrinkles or trades for mercenaries to cosmetically fill holes is going to change anything as long as guys like Kunitz, Scuderi and Adams continue to have prominent roles both on and off the ice.
Add to that the refusal to make the necessary PP adjustments based on ego massaging, as well as what is now a six year cycle of literally no accountability for any player with tenure, and you have all the ingredients for yet another flame out.
Which is why I said earlier in the year when a bunch of you dumped on me after I warned you all during the Western Canada road trip that this team was a fraud. I smelled this coming from a mile away because I don't just use box scores and final tallies to evaluate systems and individual performances.
There's too many rotten remnants in front office AGMs also.
This was a very superficial and cosmetic "transformation"....
jimmy streich
3-27-2015, 3:44 am
when you have a "core" group of players that you continue to build around and bring in new GM and new Coaches but still don't get different results maybe it's that group of players who are the problem. I know I'm hard on him but really think Sid is the Peyton Manning of the NHL - a great regular season player when you have a team around him but when the pressure is on doesn't come through
He does when he plays for Babcock. 3 years from now he will have his third gold medal.
Ed Gallagher
3-27-2015, 4:57 am
Something stinks about this team and it isn't the coaches. Some of this core is rotten and changes have to be made.
fried003
3-27-2015, 8:47 am
The "compete level" with this group just seems to be lacking more often than not. And it seems that this ingrained culture of the team seeps into any of the new guys who join. LaPerrier doesn't appear to be such a fierce competitor as I was led to believe (unless I'm missing something). Unfortunately, it'll be tough to dislodge the core as they're all on multi-year contracts that contain some type of no-trade/no-movement clauses + many make too much for their level of contribution that no other team would want them anyway.
Carmen
3-27-2015, 4:21 am
As for Kunitz, thanks DK for your insights. Another example to me of HCMJ showing his own form of being stubborn along with scripting of plays which likely makes Pens more predictable and easier to defense.
Recent interviews show how he seems to be genuinely surprised or naive about what's happening on the ice. He seems like a great guy with extreme coaching knowledge who should be developing youth. And I am guessing both he and Pens will agree on that conclusion within the next month.
"You betcha. And on top of that, Tomlin gave a peculiarly strong vote of confidence in his current crop of cornerbacks."
Correct me if I'm wrong, but these are the current Steeles CBs. Cortez Allen who was benched last year and was burned more often than a redhead at the beach without sun tan lotion. 30 year old William Gay, B.W. Webb (waiver claims) and Kevin Fogg (undrafted practice squad guy.) It's my understanding that Antwon Blake hasn't signed his tender yet.
So forgive me IF I have no idea what Tomlin is so confident in.
Keep this thought in mind. The more pressure you put on the QB, the more likely it is that he'll go from great to good to average to bad.
An important reason the Steelers beat Peyton in Indy in 2005 was all the pressure Joey & Co. put on him. Take away that pressure and Manning may have picked the Steelers apart.
I would not be surprised that as the number of sacks and hurries declined, so have the number of take-aways.
bpn8pitt
3-27-2015, 7:31 am
I don't think any of those top 6 pass rushers will be there. That kid Gregory failing a drug test probably moves Dupree up for sure now.
Plus, a lot of draft talk out of meetings like that is just blowing smoke, hiding the guy they really want.
bpn8pitt
3-27-2015, 7:35 am
Personally I'd like to see them trade back to the end of the first or early second and pick up another draft choice.
PlazMan
3-27-2015, 9:50 am
Pressure is great and certainly makes a bad CB average, but all we have right now are average to below averags CBs. In this day and age of dink and dunk, quick pass offenses you damn well better have guys that can at least cover some.
And unless you're talking all out blitz, there are plenty of protection packages (extra tight ends or tackles or fullback) that can negate a pass rush enough that a bad coner will be exposed.
Obviously you need a balance between a pash rush and coverage. The Steelers for years have been using average to above average, but not very good or great CBs, and have been okay to great. But with what they have at CB now and with the complex offenses out there, a pass rush just isn't enough.
bpn8pitt
3-27-2015, 10:16 am
Plaz, seems like they prefer CBs and S that can tackle rather than play the ball. Whoever, wherever they take these guys, I'd like a DB who could catch. I swear Ike has dropped like 20 int in his career.
PlazMan
3-27-2015, 10:55 am
You are being kind bpn, Ike has probably dropped more than 40 in his career. He makes Dwight "Hands of" Stone look like Jerry Rice. :)
I agree with you totally that they need corners that can catch, but right now they need corners period. Ike, for all the problems with his hands, was a good cover corner when he was younger.
That cupboard is BARE!
Dejan Kovacevic
3-27-2015, 11:17 am
@BB: Well played, my friend.
dannyboy1631
3-27-2015, 5:17 am
First off, the Insider was fantastic as usual. Second, yes the Pens have been atrocious lately. I think everyone but Fleury, Martin, and Letang has played substandard hockey at some point during this stretch. Here's a little realization for us panicky pens fans:
We're currently without Malkin, Hornqvist, Dupuis, Erhoff, & Maatta. That's a pretty damn good line of players. One of which has been the best player in the NHL at times. Certain players on the roster are certainly performing below expectations (cough Bennett, Kunitz...). Add all that up and what do you have? A team that will likely make the playoffs, but not win the cup. Most of this is crap luck, and that's why the Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy to win in sports.
What I'm more interested in is how this team responds to being called out by their captain last night. He was uncharacteristically direct after last night's dud. Nothing will be as telling about this team's chances as how they play in the next game.
It was fantastic DK. My whining about the Pens distracts me from saying how much I appreciate this.
TomPaulBillyBob
3-27-2015, 7:23 am
I agree with the injuries comment--but my fear is this: is there enough time remaining in the reg season once th eijured players return (sans Maatta, obviously, and maybe even Hoff) to even cement a playoff spot. I actually forced myself to watch Bennett for 2 entire shifts nd to say I was uninspired would be an understatement...and I like the kid--that's the upsetting part
Luiz Mello
3-27-2015, 7:59 am
I agree with you dannyboy, and even if we are fully healthy, it's not like our roster doesn't still have its deficiencies anyway.
Watching the Penguins right now is quite frustrating, but some perspective doesn't hurt. The only thing I can't manage keeping any kind of perspective about is the so called power play. Think about something capable of making me wonder if I have anger issues.
ajbeam7
3-27-2015, 8:32 am
Wow, I hadn't heard that 87 did that. could you direct me to a link or something? I would love to read that? Quite unlike the captain, indeed.
PlazMan
3-27-2015, 9:55 am
I must say, an excellent point about the current injured players. There are teams out there who would LOVE to have that group as their starting 5.
Owtahear
3-27-2015, 11:24 am
29 has looked ordinary. 58 has looked positively awful. Both guys look to be rounding into their playoff form.
dannyboy1631
3-27-2015, 12:07 pm
AJ - “This time of year you want to be playing the right way,” Crosby said. “We need points. There's not enough desperation for the importance of these games. Especially when you're missing guys. We all need to dig down and be a little bit better. We can't accept an effort like this against a team that's out of the playoffs.” - Crosby's quote in the Trib. That's your Captain saying your game lacked "effort" and "desperation". If that doesn't rally the troops into playing better then I don't know what will. Look, these guys are human. They've lost players to mumps, pulmonary embolism, cancer, strokes, concussions, etc in the past year. At some point that has to wear on this group. If I've learned anything, it's all about peaking at the right time. The Kings won their cup limping in as an 8 seed a few years ago. Who knows what we'll look like in 3 weeks?
Cody Weleski
3-27-2015, 6:05 am
Dk, not last nights game but the game before that Bob Errey interviewed Lovejoy during the game and Lovejoy said he had never played on a team whose offense was so scripted. It made me wonder if the scheme is taking away some of the skill and playmaking ability of our stars. I am glad you mentioned this in your article. Great job as always
I agree, the scripted offense is purely on the coaching staff. While I am firmly supportive of last year's decision to get rid of Bylsma, I do admire his strategy that called for, in times of adversity, to let the stars go out there, use their instincts, and make things happen.
EddieT
3-27-2015, 6:20 pm
What Pens offense? We haven't seen any real offense in quite a while.
ziggygreece
3-27-2015, 6:11 am
I was firmly on the fire bylsma train. but HCMJ is proof that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. That being said. I psychologically (sp) am prepared for a non playoff year from the penguins. If that happens with the talent on this team. The coaching staff needs to be accountable and Yes, I'm p=ering over the fence again, Babcock anyone??
Scripting Offense with 2 of the best players in the world. Yeah, That makes sense. Maybe HCMJ told TOCCHET to micromanage his powerplay too.
I'm glad i was busy last night sounds like i missed another frustrating game.
I really want to see what babcock could do with the pens
March 27, 2015
Friday Insider: Maatta over mind … by a landslide
by Dejan Kovacevic • Friday Insider • Penguins, Pirates, Riverhounds, Steelers
Olli Maatta’s second NHL season in Pittsburgh has been over since late December. — GETTY
BY DEJAN KOVACEVIC
Roundup of a lot of randomness from a lot of time around our teams …
• Don’t worry about Olli Maatta. He certainly isn’t.
Sure, the Penguins’ terrific 20-year-old defenseman has endured a year you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy: He entered training camp struggling to be ready for the opener after offseason shoulder surgery. He achieved that, but he learned during a camp physical that he had, of all things, thyroid cancer and needed to have a lump removed. He beat that, too, and was back within a month, only to reinjure the shoulder. And shortly after he went out, presumably because none of that was enough, the mumps that set down a quarter of the roster, naturally, claimed him, as well.
All that was missing was an ACME anvil plopping on his head.
Finally, in mid-January, after pushing through all of the above, the shoulder was subject to a second surgery, and his season — perhaps mercifully — was done.
So can anyone anywhere explain how and why this kid is smiling all the time anymore?
“I’m counting my blessings,” Maatta was telling me the other day at Consol. “I feel lucky.”
And you thought the other stuff was hard to believe.
“No, really, I do. I’m living my life. I’m staying in shape. I’m having fun. The only thing …”
He looked out at the rink. Yeah, that.
“I miss the game. I can’t wait to get back to the game.”
Maatta hadn’t done any formal interviews since the second shoulder surgery, and it’s easy to understand why. One can’t begin to imagine all that goes through someone’s head in one of those situations, never mind in the form of an unnatural hat trick. When I’d seen him myself, I’d usually just ask how he’s doing or remind him to smile. But he’s been out and about the past couple weeks, looking and sounding better than I’d seen him in a while, so I thought I’d more thoroughly take his temperature.
He wasn’t super-talkative, but he did speak his favorite language.
“I’m focusing on hockey,” he said. “I’m staying in shape, doing everything I can. The other stuff … things feel pretty normal to me. Watching TV. Playing video games. Hanging around the guys is great. But the big thing for me will be getting back on the ice.”
That won’t happen, according to the team, for another month.
Predictably, Maatta expects, “I’ll be ready for the start of next season.” Only there was no smile with that statement. It was more like the expression I recall seeing in Sochi, where he looked genuinely delighted to have won Olympic bronze when his Finns beat the United States but just as genuinely dissatisfied that his team didn’t make the gold-medal game.
He was already eyeing a second chance.
“I’ll be OK,” he said as we wound up. “Just let me play again.”
• I’d be remiss if I didn’t share this column from Sochi about Maatta as seen through his fellow Finns’ eyes. Among my favorite days at those Olympics.
• There’s absolutely nothing to be said at this stage about Mike Johnston’s future. Everything about these Penguins, as has been true from the outset, will be weighed after playoffs.
• If not for the cap crunch that forced the Penguins to embarrassingly play a man short last night, more than one forward from Wilkes-Barre would already be up. Don’t underestimate the cap effect on the current roster, I’ve been told. At the same time, don’t underestimate what could happen when the cap is no longer in effect for the playoffs.
• There is ample discussion in the locker room — not complaining, mind you, at least not yet — that the Penguins’ five-on-five offense is as scripted as any in the NHL. This is true. Johnston regularly runs drills focused on highly specific situations in the attacking zone. Generally, hockey coaches allow offense to be created, albeit within parameters.
• Johnston’s continued support of Chris Kunitz shouldn’t be misconstrued as anything other than what it appears, I’m told. The coach isn’t being influenced on this count at all. In fact, there’s a very good chance the head coach is getting increasingly isolated.
Bob Nutting could be seen at the Pirates’ Grapefruit League games all of the past week. — GETTY
• Caught up with Bob Nutting on my last day in Bradenton earlier this week and, in the process, caught up on old times. Specifically, we were recalling those days when he first took control of the Pirates’ ownership and made a top priority of dramatically upgrading operations in the Dominican Republic.
This wasn’t a new topic. Actually, it’s a favorite. But what made this one different is that we stood amid the $8 million in new renovations the team has just privately funded at McKechnie Field and Pirate City, and I asked him how he felt about the order in which all this had occurred.
“To me, it happened exactly the right way,” he answered. “The situation in the Dominican and Latin America was just untenable. It needed to be addressed right away. And if you look at that and the flow of things now being upgraded here, where it impacts our big-league players and how our big-league team and organization already has been impacted by Latin America … that feels right.”
It should. It’s about Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco coming out of the Dominican, as well as a big chunk of the team’s current top prospects, and that all began on the island. And that all began with the owner, exercising his own initiative before he’d even hired Frank Coonelly and Neal Huntington.
The percentage of the Pirates’ fan base that has no idea whatsoever all that Nutting has done for this franchise — at its core, where it counts in an imbalanced economic system — never stops surprising me. Easily the greatest misconception in town.
• One reason I was given for Jung-Ho Kang’s mid-spring pseudo-demotion to minor-league camp is that he was ‘hearing too many voices,’ as in getting a lot of advice and not being able to adequately process it. His time in Pirate City, by contrast, was aimed at offering much more focused instruction.
My own feel is that the team might be guilty of overreacting to 23 spring at-bats.
Seriously, what’s the point of sounding all the alarms right now?
I wrote this two weeks ago in this same feature, but Huntington in particular has been strikingly proactive as it comes to protecting Kang since his arrival, on and off the field. Leave him alone already. He’s a big boy who’s known bigger and brighter lights than all but two or three guys in the entire camp.
• Bullpen guys are feeling a bit protective, too, of their own. It was easy to sense while down there that, although they see and like what Radhames Liz and Arquimedes Caminero can bring, they were leery of it coming at the expense of John Holdzkom and especially Jared Hughes.
“It’s a good problem for any organization to have,” closer Mark Melancon told me. “But you look around, and you can see that maybe some guys who should be here won’t be here.”
• The NFL owners’ meetings in Phoenix produced close to zero news from the Steelers’ fold, even though Art Rooney II, Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin all spoke at length. That shouldn’t surprise anyone. The team’s triumvirate is usually — though not always — tight on message, and it was best evidenced this time by the syllable-by-syllable matching responses regarding Troy Polamalu.
I did appreciate this quote, though, from Tomlin, part of his general meeting with reporters, when asked to peg the strength of the coming draft: “I just think that there are a lot of edge rushers. If you’re in the edge rusher market, whether you define them as defensive ends or outside linebackers, I think that this draft is rich in that area. I’m still gaining an understanding of some of the other positions. But if you ask me what stands out to this point, I’ve seen a lot of capable men in that area.”
You betcha. And on top of that, Tomlin gave a peculiarly strong vote of confidence in his current crop of cornerbacks.
These aren’t stark contrasts from recent statements by Colbert, but they’re at least contrasts. Colbert has never separated corners from edge rushers in this draft class.
Coach wants an edge rusher, Coach will get an edge rusher.
• Here’s a very rare — only one I could find, actually — transcript of Tomlin’s full session. Pardon the raw text form. It’s all still legible, though.
• There apparently is no plan to take down those ghastly white tents that the Steelers keep up along the riverfront by Heinz Field, this despite ongoing and massive construction at that end. I’m stunned, in all seriousness, that all of the various governmental entities that protect the riverfronts against blight like this have been wholly silent.
• The Riverhounds have, indeed, upgraded their roster since last summer’s big letdown. At least they have on the back line and in the midfield. I have no way of knowing about the strikers since these guys are mostly just showing up in time for tomorrow’s season opener against Harrisburg, headlined by Brazilian striker Vini Dantas showing just two days ago because of other pro obligations. Given Mark Steffens‘ emphasis on quick-strike offense, chemistry up front will be essential.
It’s also concerning — while also a long-range positive — that two key players, Jamaican goalkeeper Ryan Thompson and Canadian full-back Tyler Pasher, will miss early time for their respective international teams. Caps are a point of pride for any soccer player, but the timing stinks locally, especially for Pasher being forced out of the opener.
• Good dude: Ben Lovejoy hasn’t necessarily been at his best since returning to the Penguins — two assists and a minus-2 rating in 12 games — but there’s plenty to be said for real accountability.
When Lovejoy failed to prevent the Blues’ Alexander Steen from scoring that slick tip-in in overtime Tuesday at Consol, he easily could have deflected attention in any number of directions, not least of which is that Steen is a pretty good scorer and he received a pinpoint pass from Zbynek Michalek.
But even when I handed Lovejoy that set of escape keys, here’s where he went …
That’s rarer than you might think. And there’s more to it: The Penguins’ locker room is only opened to reporters once pretty much every player who doesn’t want to be interviewed has a chance to slip out. So if you’re sitting at your stall once all of us arrive, it’s almost always because of a conscious decision.
Lovejoy is one of those people who get it that there’s real value in establishing accountability. Not to the media, but to the fan base. Because that’s where the message ultimately goes.
He needs to play better, and I think he will once he gets more acclimated. As noted above, there’s a lot of scripting in the Johnston system, and he’s bright enough to take it in quickly. But it doesn’t happen with the snap of a finger.
In the interim, huzzah for standing up. His goaltender deserved better … and got it.