Salary Cap: 24-25 Salary Thread Crosbicles Volume MXVI: Sad Penguins, no Ploffs, got tariffed instead

Status
Not open for further replies.
For those who keep close track of the cap and assets, where are we sitting heading into the offseason money wise?

Is it realistic we can sign someone like Marner without moving EK specifically? And what are the odds Dubas actually wants to, or is able to move that kind of money considering EK isn't worth the contract at this stage of his career.

Depth at F is obviously a problem right now, though with some of the prospects we have waiting in the wings, should hopefully work itself out, but that isn't the biggest issue at all.

Just like the post 08-09 Cup run world of the Bylsma era, defense and goaltending is shit, and that might be a generous term. Fixing those 2 areas seems to be the biggest obstacle to the Pens legitimately competing for a deep playoff run.

Even if you can run a tighter defensive ship, I have zero confidence in any of the goaltenders currently on the roster being SC caliber. Maybe one of the young guns like Murashov are diamonds in the rough, but we won't find that out next year.
The Pens have upwards of $20 million in cap space. They can easily sign Marner and a solid LD if they wanted to, even without moving out contracts.

Karlsson likely has trade value if the Pens retain $2-3 million.

With Koivunen, McGroarty, Ponomarev, Pickering, and potentially others are likely being in the NHL next year while on entry-level deals, the Pens will have a lot of cap flexibility.
 
I would take McKenna+DuPont over McKenna+Schaeffer every single day of the week. Not too often a "generational dman" comes knocking - IF he continues as promised.
I mean what are we talking about here? Choosing which B2B lottery wins to get? It’s incredibly stupid because it’s ridiculous

A) what happens this season has zero bearing on our odds to win it next year

B) We should be absolutely estatic to win the lottery this season. It’s something that even if you’re the worst team in the league you only have a 25.5% chance to do. Would be incredible to jump from 7 to 1. We could finish dead last 3 years in a row and never draft 1OA.

C) if you really want to think in absurd terms, we can still draft 1OA in both 2026 and 2027 and beyond if we win the lottery this year.
 
It's more likely to sign Tavares over Marner.... Toronto is gonna have like 26.0 to fill their roster with Marner/Knies the priority which will eat most of that. I'm guessing 18.0, 12.0 for Marner and 6.0 for Knies.

The Pens could sign Tavares to a 8.5/9.0 x 4/5 term.

Rakell, Crosby, Rust
Koivunen, Tavares, Malkin
McGroarty, Novak, Heinen
Tomasino, Pono, Lizotte
Dewer/Puustinen

That's a roster that will get them into the playoff.
 
The Pens have upwards of $20 million in cap space. They can easily sign Marner and a solid LD if they wanted to, even without moving out contracts.

Karlsson likely has trade value if the Pens retain $2-3 million.

With Koivunen, McGroarty, Ponomarev, Pickering, and potentially others are likely being in the NHL next year while on entry-level deals, the Pens will have a lot of cap flexibility.

Honestly, while I think Marner would work better with a shoot first C, it would be cool to give Sid the best talent he's skated with since Hossa, for the last few years of his career.

McG-Crosby-Marner looks like it would work on paper. McG (have to believe his numbers would also be boosted) has that grit and ability to play the glue-guy ala prime Kunitz, and Marner is oozing with offensive skill and IQ, which should mesh well with 87, though one of them will have to be a bit more aggressive in shooting.

If they could bring in Marner and bonafide top 4, LD, I think you're at least on the path towards making a playoff run. But much of that comes down to how some of the young F's pan out and if we can actually get viable goaltending when it matters.
 
It's more likely to sign Tavares over Marner.... Toronto is gonna have like 26.0 to fill their roster with Marner/Knies the priority which will eat most of that. I'm guessing 18.0, 12.0 for Marner and 6.0 for Knies.

The Pens could sign Tavares to a 8.5/9.0 x 4/5 term.

Rakell, Crosby, Rust
Koivunen, Tavares, Malkin
McGroarty, Novak, Heinen
Tomasino, Pono, Lizotte
Dewer/Puustinen

That's a roster that will get them into the playoff.
Tavares makes no sense for the Pens.

Marner is 27. Tavares is 34. Marner is young enough to be a part of the next competitive window for the Pens. Tavares is not.

Tavares is going to start declining, Marner will not.
 
  • Like
Reactions: OtherThingsILike
It's more likely to sign Tavares over Marner.... Toronto is gonna have like 26.0 to fill their roster with Marner/Knies the priority which will eat most of that. I'm guessing 18.0, 12.0 for Marner and 6.0 for Knies.

The Pens could sign Tavares to a 8.5/9.0 x 4/5 term.

Rakell, Crosby, Rust
Koivunen, Tavares, Malkin
McGroarty, Novak, Heinen
Tomasino, Pono, Lizotte
Dewer/Puustinen

That's a roster that will get them into the playoff.
I've always thought that Marner was pie-in-the-sky talk, but had a suspicion that Tavares would be a target for all the same reasons- Dubas connection, Sid connection, Pens have the cap space, etc. Plus, C is a more pressing need here than W. I just hope it's no longer than two years. He'll be 35 before the next season starts.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ugene Magic
Tavares makes no sense for the Pens.

Marner is 27. Tavares is 34. Marner is young enough to be a part of the next competitive window for the Pens. Tavares is not.

Tavares is going to start declining, Marner will not.

Yeah, but which one is gonna be realistic to be available?

Marner is a pipe dream.
 
I've always thought that Marner was pie-in-the-sky talk, but had a suspicion that Tavares would be a target for all the same reasons- Dubas connection, Sid connection, Pens have the cap space, etc. Plus, C is a more pressing need here than W. I just hope it's no longer than two years. He'll be 35 before the next season starts.
Agreed, but JT will want some security for sure. It's at least an option.
 
If we win the lottery this year (or draft top 2 at all really) I will be overjoyed.

End of the day, we need to draft a #1 centre and a #1 defenceman, and I'd really rather we do those things sooner rather than later.
 
The pens need a big name FA signing, so they can hype train with it.

They aren't going to be a contender with our without marner(etc whatever big player etc).

But they have suites to sell, and nothing is better to sell than hope. A bunch of second round picks aren't gonna do it. You need a headliner to go with sid, geno, the gang.

This is a business. And FSG are cutthroat businessmen, so I've been told.

Is $13mil too much to invest on ticket prices? I dunno. But the Penguins are closer to becoming the pirates if they keep waffling.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dennis Reynolds
Next year I hope they have Koivunen on line 2, McGroaty on line 3rd, and A. Hayes on the 4th.

Desperately need a 2C, 3C. I would say that’s the most important position of need next year.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dennis Reynolds
I mean what are we talking about here? Choosing which B2B lottery wins to get? It’s incredibly stupid because it’s ridiculous

A) what happens this season has zero bearing on our odds to win it next year

B) We should be absolutely estatic to win the lottery this season. It’s something that even if you’re the worst team in the league you only have a 25.5% chance to do. Would be incredible to jump from 7 to 1. We could finish dead last 3 years in a row and never draft 1OA.

C) if you really want to think in absurd terms, we can still draft 1OA in both 2026 and 2027 and beyond if we win the lottery this year.
I mean, the last several pages have been nothing but ridiculous hypotheticals. I merely said that I believe DuPont > Schaeffer and that given the ultra-unrealistic scenario that we are gifted two consecutive lottery wins, it would be better for the organization if it was 26 and 27.

It's also completely independent of one's "happiness" of winning the 2025 lottery. You're right, I would be ecstatic to win the 2025 lottery. If that were the case, the general "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" saying would immediately take over. It's like saying "if I wanted to win the powerball, I'd prefer it if the jackpot was $500 million but I would be over the moon if I won it at $50mil". In fact, if I could choose two lotteries to win, I'd like the Mega Million and Powerballs that were each over a billion. But I'd be just fine if I won them both this week as well.
 
Next year I hope they have Koivunen on line 2, McGroaty on line 3rd, and A. Hayes on the 4th.

Desperately need a 2C, 3C. I would say that’s the most important position of need next year.

It's Yohe, but he just posted an article that said Koivunen and McGroarty will be top-6 forwards for the Penguins next year (or more specifically, their top-7 forwards will be Crosby, Malkin, Rakell, Rust, McGroarty, Koivunen and Novak).

They'll probably be running with this top-9:

Koivunen/McGroarty-Crosby-Rust
McGroarty/Koivunen-Malkin-Rakell
Beauvillier type of UFA-Novak-Tomasino
 
Running back the forward group is encouraging, basically means we're not going to do some massive push to compete and Dubas understands where we are. I can easily see us being in huge trouble if any 2 of Crosby/Rakell/Malkin/Rust take a big step back.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Andy99
Next year I hope they have Koivunen on line 2, McGroaty on line 3rd, and A. Hayes on the 4th.

Desperately need a 2C, 3C. I would say that’s the most important position of need next year.
In reality, they could use a RHS 3C, but Novak is fine even though he's a lefty. It sucks relying on Acciari.
 
I'm probably the last person to realize this, but they are off until Thursday? Why the huge gap?

If I was on this team I'd be like "let's just get this over with"
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Users who are viewing this thread

Ad

Ad