Salary Cap: '24-'25 Salary Thread: Crosbicles Volume MMXXVI: Sid is Still Goat

[AuroraBorealis]

 

[Andy99]

Hopefully it’s a trade and nothing more lol…

 

[Ulf5]

Hopefully it’s a trade and nothing more lol…

You tease

 

[SEALBound]

At forward, I think they should be targetting "good producers on bad teams" players, ideally guys that can put up production by playing in inflated roles and traded at the deadline for futures. It's the same thing Chicago is doing with Donato right now. Looking at UFA right now, I really like Olofsson, Roslovic, Mangiapane and Kuzmenko for those roles. Beauvillier fits that as well, but Sullivan never used him in a way to try to maximize his value by forcefeeding him minutes.

On defense, I just want guys who can eat minutes. I'm totally content with bringing back Grzelcyk for that exact reason, he's not very good but you know he can play 21 minutes a night while not being completely terrible.

If the Penguins were actually operating like a rebuild should, they'd be selling Rakell immediately, signing Mangiapane and Kuzmenko to expensive 1 year deals and running with a top-6 of something like:

Mangiapane-Crosby-Rust
Bunting-Malkin-Kuzmenko

While giving Kuzmenko PP1 minutes and keeping Mangiapane locked to Crosby's LW. Basically try to get as much production out of those expensive 1 year deal players and then flip them at the deadline with retention.

I'd be okay if it was just either or as well, leaving a slot open for a young guy.

Rebuild through the draft, retool through FA is the path forward. And the retool only go as long as Sid is here. I just hope Dubas can get 1yr deals instead of these 2-3 year deals that are haunting us.

You just can't have guys like Nieto, Lizotte (less so), Acciari, etc on multi-year deals. Even having Heinen and Desharnais next year makes things tough roster wise.

Mangiapane-Sid-Rust
Bunting-Geno-Koivunen/Tomasino
Heinen-Lizotte-Tomasino/Hallander
Hayes-Acciari-Hallander

We just have so little room with Hayes, Heinen, Lizotte, and Acciari. My hope is that Dubas is able to wholesale these guys out. I'd be fine keeping Lizotte though.

 

[Empoleon8771]

You tease

I mean, Karlsson wouldn't be coming in at $11.5 million but the point is valid. Dallas has Johnston as a RFA this year and Robertson, Harley and Stankoven as RFAs next year. If Karlsson only had 1 year left, I think that would change a lot of things but that additional year in 2026-2027 really complicates things for them.

 

[Malkinstheman]

You tease

"Dubas you better retain more or have fun keeping Karlsson"

 

[vyktor]

as long as sully is here, do you think his value is going to increase?

The only thing giving EK65 any value now is the fact that he looked good away from Sully at 4 nations so people realize he isn't completely cooked.

 

[SEALBound]

You tease

That's not an unfair statement but it leaves a lot of be desired by someone who is a GM.

EK is at $10.5mil and the Penguins can easily retain money to facilitate the trade, as countless teams have done in the last several years. You can just say "He's a good player but I'm not sure he's the right fit right now so we're probably not pursuing him".

This response makes him look like a dingus.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Not necessarily trade related but saw this article for an agent's poll:

NHL agent poll: Best and worst owners, Connor McDavid’s contract, future GMs

Who is the toughest team to deal with? Should the NHL have a play-in round? We polled 19 agents, who represent hundreds of players.

www.nytimes.com

The Penguins aren't mentioned much here (both good and bad, they're viewed as mediocre), but one point they were mentioned is that the Penguins have 2 future GMs with Spezza and Mpofu. The comments:

"Penguins assistant GM Jason Spezza received the most mentions, though.

“From the very beginning, even when he was in his last year as a player, he had a thirst for knowing everything he could learn,” one agent said. “He’s very, very thorough in everything he does and is learning every part of the organization. Kyle (Dubas) gave him access to everything in Toronto and now Pittsburgh. Jason approached it like he did everything else – just 100 percent.”

Another member of Dubas’s front office was praised by one agent: Vukie Mpofu, the Penguins’ director of hockey operations and legal affairs.

“One of the sharpest, committed and genuinely good young people. He’s a star,” the agent said."

With Dubas initially looking for a GM and only eventually naming himself GM after not getting the guy (probably Pridham) he wanted, I wonder if we could see Dubas stepping aside more to the president role and Spezza being named GM in the next couple of years.

 

[SEALBound]

It's Eklund but he's spouting Washington, LA, VGK, and Carolina all being interested in Rakell.

I could see all of them being interested but perhaps some more in the off-season when the cap goes up.

Washington: They have a ton of young assets. Maybe something around Mangiapane, Andrew Christall, 1st.
VGK: This one is tough. Brisson + 2nd + ... they just don't have much.
LA: Moore+1st as previously discussed
Carolina: I imagine its based off them moving Rantanen so maybe whatever they get for him, some comes to us for Rakell.

 

[Darren McCord]

It's Eklund but he's spouting Washington, LA, VGK, and Carolina all being interested in Rakell.

I could see all of them being interested but perhaps some more in the off-season when the cap goes up.

Washington: They have a ton of young assets. Maybe something around Mangiapane, Andrew Christall, 1st.
VGK: This one is tough. Brisson + 2nd + ... they just don't have much.
LA: Moore+1st as previously discussed
Carolina: I imagine its based off them moving Rantanen so maybe whatever they get for him, some comes to us for Rakell.

The VGK one sucks. Brisson sucks.

 

[SEALBound]

The VGK one sucks. Brisson sucks.

Yeah, they don't have a ton to offer. A 27 1st? Dorofeyev is good but I imagine they'd want to keep him. Just hard seeing them able to get Rakell.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I think Moore and a 2026 1st for Rakell makes so much sense for both sides that I'd be disappointed if it doesn't happen.

 

[Darren McCord]

Yeah, they don't have a ton to offer. A 27 1st? Dorofeyev is good but I imagine they'd want to keep him. Just hard seeing them able to get Rakell.

I mean I’d take connelly and 27 1rst over that offer.

They could make a better offer if they wanted.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

tank is off. Get ready to draft 14OA

 

[Empoleon8771]

Ding dong the witch is dead

This probably means Imama is coming off IR, which is frankly wild that they're keeping Imama on the roster over Nieto.

 

[Malkinstheman]

Insane that it took so long. 3 points in 31 games -8. Even Garret Wilson was more productive

 

[WickedWrister]

End of an era

 

[SEALBound]

Gloryyyyy! Glory Halleluiah! Gloryyyyy! Glory Halleluiah! Gloryyyyy! Glory Halleluiahhhhhhhhhhhh!

All kidding aside, he shouldn't have played a single game for us. He should have been sent to WBS and offered up for FC at anytime to anyone for the year.

 

[Ulf5]

tank is off. Get ready to draft 14OA

Ha. Wait til you see Graves on wing.

 

[Lust for Life]

Come on, claim him someone. You need the grit and the experience for the playoffs.

 

[Dennis Reynolds]

You tease

Could be posturing through the media? Maybe Dubas isn't wanting to retain that much in talks?

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

Insane that it took so long. 3 points in 31 games -8. Even Garret Wilson was more productive

I will die on the hill that Garrett Wilson was actually good

 

[Dennis Reynolds]

It's Eklund but he's spouting Washington, LA, VGK, and Carolina all being interested in Rakell.

I could see all of them being interested but perhaps some more in the off-season when the cap goes up.

Washington: They have a ton of young assets. Maybe something around Mangiapane, Andrew Christall, 1st.
VGK: This one is tough. Brisson + 2nd + ... they just don't have much.
LA: Moore+1st as previously discussed
Carolina: I imagine its based off them moving Rantanen so maybe whatever they get for him, some comes to us for Rakell.

Rakell ++ for Rantanen signed 4 x $16M.

 

[Sideline]

Could be posturing through the media? Maybe Dubas isn't wanting to retain that much in talks?

It's probably just me getting high on copium, but I really hope so. Dallas is a team with good assets, a positional need, and a competitive window EK would likely waive his NMC for.