Sound the Horns feat. Brasstracks and Mike Matheson

- In honor of Horny, the soundtrack to this blog will be brought to you by the criminally underrated Brasstracks. A fleet of horns flanked by euphoric beats and covers. Patric, you'll Always Be (Pittsburgh's) Baby. Enjoy! -

Let's started. First things first - totally forgot Justin Schultz was not only on the ice for that goal, but had the primary apple. Better times, man.

Yesterday, the Penguins universe felt like they were putting their favorite dog down, and for good reason.

The Penguins traded Patric Hornqvist to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Mike Matheson and some other guy who will be saved for another blog. This one's for Horny, brother.

Like the dog scenario above, it was a move that everyone saw coming, no one was happy about, yet everyone knew was probably for the best.

There will be plenty of articles written about Horny's underlying analytics and whether or not he could still have been an effective player. For me, his impact does not need to be overcomplicated. He consistently made his living being a piece of shit in front of the net and is world-class at what he does, especially on the power play. He'll be 34 when the season starts, and the Pens decided his role and age were tough to justify for 3 more years at $5.3 million and a tight cap. No need to overthink it - business decision through-and-through.

As for the centerpiece of the return, Michael Madsen. Listen, I wish I had a #hotter take, but anyone who is reacting strongly in one direction or the other probably is just fishing for clicks. For years, I have screamed everywhere from the mountain top to Carson City's rooftop that you cannot evaluate an offseason in the vacuum of one trade, especially with the knowledge that more moves are DEFINITELY...NOT MAYBE...coming.

Two things can be true at the time: Matheson can have an underwhelming sample size, yet still be reasonably expected to improve.

This isn't a Jack Johnson situation where the player has 10+ years in multiple different situations, systems, and teams and is consistently terrible. Matheson is a first-round draft pick with speed and talent. Almost all six Panthers fans will tell you his shortcomings are fixable (turnovers, D-zone responsibility, etc...). I don't care how much you adjust for quality of teammate, the intangibles of being a Florida Panther can't be fully quantified. The situation down there with the organization and fans makes it an incredibly odd / difficult place to play professional hockey. Don't take my word for it, just ask Olli Jokinen's wife:

Seriously, that display is hysterical. You'd think the Panthers could come up with something a little more impressive for their all-time goals leader. It looks like one of those last-second collages you put together on that three-paneled presentation board in elementary school for show-and-tell day. You know what the fuck I'm talking about.

Where were we? Yeah, let's not burn down the village just yet. A change of scenery is probably a welcome sight for Matheson. Their best forwards (Huberdeau / Barkov / Acciari) are all one one line and Matheson spent like 25% of his ice time with them. The balance of the lineup is pretty brutal. Let's see how he does in a real organization, alright guys? Can we do that?

Last two things:

1. Some care about Matheson's contract term: I do not. The "window" (if you still really believe it is open) is only for the next 2-3 years MAX. All you need to ask yourself is if you're getting the value you paid for commiserate with that time period. Who gives a rat's ass if Mike Matheson is making $4.8MM in 2025?? The team will be rebuilding anyway.

2. Again - the true evaluation will come at the end of the post-season. One of the LD will be traded / moved. If it's Marcus Pettersson (see below) that will be borderline malpractice given their contracts. If it's JJ, that is a massive triumph. Wait and see.

Back to Hornqvist. The Penguins tweeted it today, and I'm not sure what else you need to say. You're goddam right, they couldn't have.

This mother fucker gave Pens fans in my age range (too young to remember the 90s Cups) some of the best sporting memories of our lives. That ain't changing, and the big Swede will never buy a beer again in Pittsburgh as long as he lives. If you think people love MAF, the gregarious goaltender who torpedoed several of the Pens best years, just imagine how the bikers down at Jack's will remember this son of a bitch. Thanks for helping the Pens terrorize the Eastern conference all those years. We'll close 'er down with the 2016 Game 4 OT winner vs. the Caps. Go Pens.