ruxpin Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Not a chance in hell they wouldn't unload fleury and upgrade if they could and Mason is an upgrade no two ways about it.If you just looked at stats, I could see how ou'd think otherwise, but watching the two play at this point, there's no comparison.Mason is just sharper and more alert and aware of his surroundings and back on his feet and in position way way faster right now. I know you already agreed with @Polaris922 to disagree on this so I should leave well-enough alone, but "no two ways about it" is absurd. And I don't even like Fleury. Living in North Central PA I get all the Pens games so, sadly, get to watch quite a lot of them. Possibly you're only watching a handful of games or largely playoffs or something, but both the eye test and the stats themselves belie any wild "no two ways about it" claim. Fleury's GAA was considerably better, impressive considering the AHL defense they played with much of the season and a coach and players who seemed much more concerned about the offensive zone. Mason's 2.50 is actually pretty good, too, considering the Flyers were playing with--well, you know what they were playing with and the first 2 months or so were just a complete cluster for the team as a whole. 2.37 vs. 2.50 is not a huge deal, but it doesn't qualify either way as "no two ways about it." The .915 vs. .917 save percentage in Mason's favor is a wash. But the back on his feet thing is curious to me because it's just not the case with Fleury. And 29 years old vs. 26 years old really is not that big of a deal. Plus, Fleury has done (regular season) what he has done several years in a row. Mason has a Vezina season, a 3 1/2 year sabbatical, and then last year. This really isn't a night and day discussion either way. The temptation for Pitt would be Fleury's money vs. Mason money, but the offset is 1 year vs. 3. I can get the argument for this either way, but "Mason is an upgrade no two ways about it" is kind of out there a bit. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Knut Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Stagnation or Wear and Tear?crosby still seems to be scoring (playoff wrist issues aside) but your guys have had some heavyset games lost to injury in the years between now and their cup year. The Pens failures with Bylsma were in line combinations and changes, his reigning in the offense for worrying about defense, and his refusal to adjust to the game plans of their opponents. Those were the biggest issues I saw.That's what we're excited to get away from. The stagnation of our skilled players. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polaris922 Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Stagnation or Wear and Tear?crosby still seems to be scoring (playoff wrist issues aside) but your guys have had some heavyset games lost to injury in the years between now and their cup year. No doubt about it injuries have taken a serious toll on this squad. But aside from numerous issues adding up to failure, I have to give the Rangers a little credit for grabbing St.Louis' loss and using it to turn their series around. The Pens let one go no doubt. But the positives are Fleury played real well, our youth got experience, Bylsma is gone, and they've toughened up. Getting rid of Neal is debatable, but Glass and Pyatt are gone. I'm ok with all that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canoli Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 i'm misplacing valuable hatred that could be used for the Rangers or Devils... for sure - the Rangers deserve all your hate so hang onto that. But the Devils? Fk the Devils. We all know the Cups they won... and Brodeur is one of the greatest ever ... and the super-smart trap crap game courtesy of Lam and Lemaire - but I still can't take that team seriously. I keep waiting for them to fold up their pathetic show. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OccamsRazor Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 I can get the argument for this either way, but "Mason is an upgrade no two ways about it" is kind of out there a bit. On Metro Division Goaltenders http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Todd-Cordell/On-Metro-Division-Goaltenders/159/61550 A read on the topic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 @OccamsRazor Ha, Mr.Khodobin sitting on top of the heap with a .926....I was praying the Flyers would have signed him last summer. I just knew the Canes got the steal of free agency with that deal. Only 35 games as a starter, so a small sample size to date, but make no mistake, this guy is the real deal. Anyone that does not think Schneider is not a top 10 goalie in this league should take a gander at this chart...SICKENING...but the Devil's have weaseled their way into another star goalie, they did not even skip a beat. Having Halak (and his back up Chad Johnson for that matter) is gonna spell trouble for the rest of the division. No longer can we count on the Isles to allow a soft back breaking goal....their tending situation is position of strength...first time in decades you could utter that. Throw in Griffin Rienhart, who I think has a legit shot at rookie of the year, the Isles back end is looking very strong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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