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.

 

[sovietsanta87]

They have the best center prospect in the game and Eklund and Smith in the NHL on top of it.

They are also actually going to draft in the top 3.

They chose a direction.

If PIT had a prospect the quality of Eklund or Smith since Dubas came abroad I’d give him flowers.

You didn’t answer my question. When are they going to be good? Is it next year? I get that they decided to blow up the entire roster (not that it was much of a roster to begin with) but when do they start winning?

 

[eXile3]

I completely believe Dubas when he says he’s holding on to Rakell to compete in the near future. His plan is one more year of “retooling” or whatever this is, and then take one more run with Sid.

 

[Penguin Suited Up]

Is it really such an awful thing to keep Crosby’s line in tact while he’s chasing history?

I get that everyone wants to trade everything away, but that’s not the direction the team is going to go as long as the guys who gave us 3 Cups are still playing.

And that’s a different perspective than just about 90% of this board is willing to acknowledge. But it doesn’t make it dumb, or stupid, or a mistake to not trade Rakell, who is a piece that helps Crosby to continue putting up points.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Rakell is still on the team because this team is trying to be competitive again for the 2026-2027 season. I don’t really agree with how aggressively they’re trying to turn it around, I think they need another year or two at minimum of getting a high pick, but they seem really intent on being good again in 2 seasons.

Dubas likely wanted a top young NHLer to justify trading Rakell and the Penguins never got offered that.

 

[HandshakeLine]

Rakell is still on the team because this team is trying to be competitive again for the 2026-2027 season. I don’t really agree with how aggressively they’re trying to turn it around, I think they need another year or two at minimum of getting a high pick, but they seem really intent on being good again in 2 seasons.

Dubas likely wanted a top young NHLer to justify trading Rakell and the Penguins never got offered that.

Rumor has it he wanted 2 1sts +, which is kind of an unrealistic ask even when things were in a bidding frenzy. But more to the point, keeping Rakell now doesn't do anything for being competitive or the long-term future. It's not like he's a line driver for most of his career. He's a low-end top-6/very good top 9 guy shooting unsustainably well. Somtimes it's better to move a guy for a very good return instead of an outright fleecing.

That's why I have little faith about us pulling this off-- we aren't looking honestly at what we have, so how can we trust what this team wants to develop? I think this team is still kidding itself thinking it can play a speed game, but honestly, we can't, and Sullivan can't coach any other way. 2 years out of contention is delusional thinking.

 

[HandshakeLine]

Is it really such an awful thing to keep Crosby’s line in tact while he’s chasing history?

I get that everyone wants to trade everything away, but that’s not the direction the team is going to go as long as the guys who gave us 3 Cups are still playing.

And that’s a different perspective than just about 90% of this board is willing to acknowledge. But it doesn’t make it dumb, or stupid, or a mistake to not trade Rakell, who is a piece that helps Crosby to continue putting up points.

I am going to kill a sacred cow here, but I am bored with all this talk about Crosby's history and talk about he's the Franchise GOAT, to be quite honest. He's a top 5 player all time, but I much more enjoyed watching Mario Lemieux than Crosby and I'm tired of watching subpar hockey just so we can cater to any player's legacy.

I would find this whole thing as attrocious if it was for Lemieux, tbh. At least that era ended definitively and with purpose.

 

[HandshakeLine]

Now pretend I wrote some self-righteous drivel about how I'm taking the only moral stance and am more correct than just about 90% of this board is willing to acknowledge and watch me wrench my arm out of the socket congratulating myself.