#gmjr

omfg I die

This is not just because Horny is my favorite player. I was resigned to losing him probably sooner than later, he’s getting older, hard miles, big contract, etc. But to Seattle, or in a trade that ACTUALLY IMPROVES THE TEAM.

Not for a third pairing defenseman making FIVE MILLION DOLLARS!!!! UNTIL 2026!!!!

I don’t care if Matheson is “not a TERRIBLE defenseman”  or “reasonably capable” like the journalists on Twitter are saying while they try to make this make sense. FIVE MILLION DOLLARS. With him and JJ as a third pair we’d have OVER EIGHT MILLION DOLLARS in our THIRD PAIR on defense. There is NO UNIVERSE in which that makes sense in a team trying to make the most of a shortening window.

We’ve already got Riikola and Ruhwedel, who are perfectly fine, and BETTER and CHEAPER than Jack John AND probably Matheson.

Maybe it still won’t go through somehow and maybe it’s part of some bigger plan with more moves, but knowing precedent and GMJR’s apparent love of overpaid not great defensemen, I’m skeptical.

FIVE MILLION DOLLARS UNTIL 2026. FOR A THIRD PAIRING DEFENSEMAN.

Okay so.

The hockey trades are open and yes, there’s always a risk of being traded (unless you’re sid) yada yada and yes, the pens did not do well in the playoffs - mind you they had tons of injuries, most (not just pens) were very worried about going into the bubble after months away etc

The pens general manager, Jim fuckface Rutherford (gmjr) has done crappy trades for the pens for years (yes I know he helped reinvent them back in 2015 when he brought in kessel and sully and then the pens won back to back cups) but still... the past few years of trades have been insane?

He tried trading GENO?! Last year (probs a few more times) geno wasn’t having that and Sid sure as hell wasnt either - he, allegedly, got his impressive behind on a private jet and jetted down to Pittsburgh from his top secret Nova Scotia fortress of solitude to personally yell at gmjr for even suggesting a trade of his Russian husband.

Let’s not talk about trading Carl Goldilocks Hagelin to the caps or getting jack Johnson in? Wtf? Or getting rid of rex and gonch to take back the guy who ran the caps into the ground this playoffs defensively - AS THE NEW COACH FOR DEFENSE?!

Now, back to present day - gmjr went out on a nice little trash talk spree just before the trades and suggested that everyone but sid didn’t want to play, he said geno was lazy, tanger was getting slow and other nonsense.... nice job trashing your star players??

Then he went and traded a few solid players - getting back the guy he originally traded to Toronto for kessel back in 2015...

And now he’s gone and traded hornquist (his contract allowed him full control of his future club but still shitty treatment) and horny is an important corner stone for the pens both defense but also off ice and has been a major factor in recent years success

He’s also a Swedish Viking and rocks an impressive playoffs beard

Someone caught a picture of his driveway where he was “drying” his pens gear (if this photo is real) I’m digging the petty fuck off to gmjr - I hope the team helped him toss out the gear honestly.

Long story short: gmjr sucks.

And exhale.