Salary Cap: 24 25 Salary Thread Crosbicles Volume Mmxxvii Retool over Time to Go for A Cup in 2026

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Dubas went back and forth, doing a bunch of hand wringing over firing Todd f***ing Reirden after this team had a historically terrible power play, man. They're a *shockingly* unserious organization.

Every summer, we all sit around like dipshits, throwing together these super ambitious plans to turn things around and we get a presser from FSG and Dubas like "Dudes, we pinky promise that we're gonna be better. Please continue to buy merch and tickets." Then they take on some of the worst f***ing players in the league and eight months later, the cycle repeats.

 

[Pancakes]

"For the first time in a long time I feel like a Pens gm has a plan I trust. We will see how long he stays patient. If he tries to pivot too soon to trying to contend I won't be pleased."

I dunno man. I just feel like you're being optimistic as f*** about a guy who has one more many playoff round than Ron Hextall in the last ten years.

I'm a glass half full guy what can I say

Hell, we should simply just lock this thread until the offseason because really, what's the point?

You're not wrong. Tbh when the forums were down for a day or whatever I wasn't that against it.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

Like if we want to discuss how we are pivoting to the Washington model (lol), why can't we discuss what a misstep it was to not trade Rackell? Because that makes Dubas look bad?

What fans don't get is that Protas and McMichael were a year out from finishing their development before that turnaround. They drafted them in 2019. They both play C, both defend well and both have over 50 points right now. Oh and they're cheap af.
But we haven't even started the development of our replacement Centers.

People make it sound like Washington turned it around in a year, but really they are profiting from seeds they planted years ago. Plus they got a ridiculous deal on their starting goalie, and got big cap relief from Oshie and Backstrom hanging them up.
I mean credit to them for savvy GM'ing, but there was good fortune involved too.

They have almost no bad contracts, very much unlike us. It's just not a model the Pens can replicate.
If things were different, keeping Rakell would make more sense. But we're not in a position to take advantage of him.

 

[DesertedPenguin]

Like if we want to discuss how we are pivoting to the Washington model (lol), why can't we discuss what a misstep it was to not trade Rackell? Because that makes Dubas look bad?

If Rakell is on this team in September, then it's a mistake by Dubas.

The trade deadline is not the only point in the season where players can be moved for high value.

Edit: Just to further this point, the Staal trade and the Neal/Hornqvist trade both took place at the draft (and the latter didn't involve picks). The Kessel trade took place on July 1. Hextall's defensemen trades when he sent out Marino and Matheson were in mid-July. And, of course, the Karlsson trade didn't occur until August.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Rakell being on this team now is a mistake by Dubas. His value's never gonna be as high as it was at the TDL, the prices were insane, and it's considered a weak draft so teams were more willing to part with 1sts than usual imo.

Simply put, he f***ed up. It's not a f*** up that really matters in the sense that it's a trajectory altering decision, but it's still a f*** up.