Salary Cap: 24-25 Salary Thread Crosbicles Volume MXVI: End of season wrap up

[Andy99]

Kingerski is almost definitely full of crap, but Howard is the exact kind of move Dubas made with McGroarty and he's the exact kind of player Dubas has been adamant about wanting. My concern is how they would get him, I know they have a bunch of 2nds they can offer but someone else could offer a 1st. Philly really sticks out as a team that could offer a 1st.

I think the best the Penguins could realistically offer is Pickering and a 2026 2nd for Howard. Tampa is extremely thin on LD in the system, Pickering could push to be their 3rd pair LD next year and make their 3rd pair Pickering-Raddysh. Dubas seems not all that high on Pickering, so I can see him swapping him for a prospect he likes more and then focusing on building up the LD in the organization with guys he likes.

They could also view Pickering as their heir for McDonagh, who's pretty old already and is a UFA after next year.

That would be stupid…you know who else is thin on LD? Us…not trading any of our “top” prospects for Howard, a winger…if he was center, then yeah, maybe…if we get the Rags #12 pick, maybe and definitely would do so for 2 2nds even…even better: trade Rakell

 

[HandshakeLine]

I’m not familiar with him. Is he unreliable?

It once took Kingerski 4 hours after the official team announcement to call the Tanev signing and he still managed to get it wrong.

 

[Empoleon8771]

That would be stupid…you know who else is thin on LD? Us…not trading any of our “top” prospects for Howard, a winger…if he was center, then yeah, maybe…if we get the Rags #12 pick, maybe and definitely would do so for 2 2nds even…even better: trade Rakell

They'd be trading Pickering because he's not a Dubas guy and Dubas seemingly doesn't like him.

 

[Andy99]

They'd be trading Pickering because he's not a Dubas guy and Dubas seemingly doesn't like him.

Please cite a source for Dubas doesn’t like him. I’ve never seen anything written about that…because he spent much of the year in Wilkes?…maybe the FO believed he wasn’t ready…wouldn’t be quick to assume they don’t like him and want him gone

 

[Empoleon8771]

Please cite a source for Dubas doesn’t like him. I’ve never seen anything written about that…because he spent much of the year in Wilkes?…maybe the FO believed he wasn’t ready…wouldn’t be quick to assume they don’t like him and want him gone

Because Dubas was throwing some pretty major criticism at him at the end of season press conference.

 

[Andy99]

Because Dubas was throwing some pretty major criticism at him at the end of season press conference.

Sounded to me like he was trying to motivate him to come in and grab a top 4 spot…they’re desperate for a young LD…too young to give up on at a position of need

 

[Empoleon8771]

I made a proposal on the trade board that I'm curious for thoughts here. Would you do a deal of something like Rakell to New Jersey for Mercer and a 3rd? The idea is that you're getting much younger and you're gambling on Mercer both returning to form (27 goals and 56 points as a 21 year old in 2022-2023) and possibly being able to convert to center.

 

[chethejet]

Dubas after moving Karlsson will have plenty of cap to add a LD. He will sign or trade for a vet for Letang and I do think Pickering will be up next year to play LD. New coach and better system certainly will help the D play better positional defense. Graves will benefit from that as he wasn't a good fit for the Sullivans stretch pass and skating and pinching nonsense. I believe Sullivan was going to go as Dubas just got fed up with this crap. Side note Drury signing him for that 5 year reported 30 million dollar deal is a joke. You realize in 10 years he won one playoff series after 2016/17.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

I'd trade Pickering for Howard yesterday.

 

[Gurglesons]

I made a proposal on the trade board that I'm curious for thoughts here. Would you do a deal of something like Rakell to New Jersey for Mercer and a 3rd? The idea is that you're getting much younger and you're gambling on Mercer both returning to form (27 goals and 56 points as a 21 year old in 2022-2023) and possibly being able to convert to center.

yes. easily. you can move Mercer for a 1st next season.

 

[Empoleon8771]

yes. easily. you can move Mercer for a 1st next season.

Yeah Devils fans seemed interested in the deal but I was getting some wishy-washy responses from Penguins fans. I think you just slide Mercer into Rakell's old spot and he explodes in production, then you have a 24 year old 30-30 player who would likely have super high value. Or you could just keep him and have a young top-6er.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

Yes let's trade Owen Pickering. Geezes crist. We should leave stupid to the Mike Sullivan era.

It's a new day.

 

[Ugene Magic]

yes. easily. you can move Mercer for a 1st next season.

You can move Rakell for a 1st at any point.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Yes let's trade Owen Pickering. Geezes crist. We should leave stupid to the Mike Sullivan era.

It's a new day.

Howard is a clearly better prospect than Pickering is.

 

[Victor Z]

It's true that Graves is a low-IQ player, but that would be another reason why he might work better under a different coach, because Sullivan's system required a high-IQ to thrive in.

Graves didn't accidentally get 26 points with Colorado in 2019-20, 28 points with New Jersey in 2021-22, and 26 points with New Jersey in 2022-23.

About 99% of those points came at even strength. Graves has never had the luxury of padding his point totals with gimmes on the PP.

 

[HandshakeLine]

What exactly was so high-IQ about Sullivan’s system again?

 

[HandshakeLine]

It once took Kingerski 4 hours after the official team announcement to call the Tanev signing and he still managed to get it wrong.

This is not a joke, btw. He got roasted so hard here he stopped showing up.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

What exactly was so high-IQ about Sullivan’s system again?

It took a genius of Einstein magnitude to figure out what the f*** Sullivan was trying to do.

 

[The Old Master]

I made a proposal on the trade board that I'm curious for thoughts here. Would you do a deal of something like Rakell to New Jersey for Mercer and a 3rd? The idea is that you're getting much younger and you're gambling on Mercer both returning to form (27 goals and 56 points as a 21 year old in 2022-2023) and possibly being able to convert to center.

i think there are better deals to be made.

 

[Jacob]

We should trade our 2nd next year and Washington’s 2nd this year for Howard. That way we keep our current prospects and still have a couple 2nds next year. And a bucket of 3rds this year so that late 2nd isn’t a huge loss.

If he walks they get compensated with a late 2nd, so getting 2, 1 potentially high, seems like fair value. We can take Sheary as a small cap dump if they want.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

I'd trade Rakell for a 1st+ in a separate deal, just because that's a f***in' no-brainer trade to make if you can find it.

I'd try two 2nd rounders for Howard first. If that didn't work, I'd try to trade the 1st coming back for Rakell, likely a later one, for Howard. If neither worked, I'd dangle Pickering.

I don't think Howard is some can't miss prospect or anything, but I'm not really high on Pickering either so whatever.

 

[plaidchuck]

Why did a Hobey Baker winner drop so much that year? I thought the stock in that award has been higher the last few years with the emergence of Eichel, Gaudreau and Cellibrini.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Why did a Hobey Baker winner drop so much that year? I thought the stock in that award has been higher the last few years with the emergence of Eichel, Gaudreau and Cellibrini.

He was drafted in 2022. Won the Hobey Baker this season. Basically drafted as a meh prospect at the very end of the 1st round, jumped universities from Minnesota Duluth to Michigan State, and his game kinda took off over the past couple of seasons.

 

[Pens x]

Dubas after moving Karlsson will have plenty of cap to add a LD. He will sign or trade for a vet for Letang and I do think Pickering will be up next year to play LD. New coach and better system certainly will help the D play better positional defense. Graves will benefit from that as he wasn't a good fit for the Sullivans stretch pass and skating and pinching nonsense. I believe Sullivan was going to go as Dubas just got fed up with this crap. side not Drury signing him for that 5 year reported 30 million dollar deal is a joke. You realize in 10 years he won one playoff series after 2016/17.

If only Dubas wasn’t awful at signing free agents

 

[Jacob]

I don’t really think Howard’s stock is that much higher than it was when he was drafted. He’s mostly developed as expected. It’s rare for 1st rounders to stay more than 2 years in college. If McGroarty hadn’t signed he could’ve won the Hobey Baker.