Salary Cap: Dr Dubas | Off Season Acquire List | Nurse (X), EP40, Robertson, the other Robertson

[Ryder71]

Also, IF we had a top 5 pick and wasted it on a middle pair defensemen like Byram, I'd start breaking things!

My understanding was they absolutely loved Bjorck.

 

[Allie Kitsune]

As for EP40: I don't think you're trading for EP40 with the bonafide 1C player of the past in mind. I think the days of EP40 being like, a legit top line 1C are way in the past. You're trying to buy low on a guy whose mental game is beat to absolute shit and you're hoping you can provide the environment, coaching, and linemates to get him back to a good spot with his game on the ice. I think there's huge risk there to be totally honest, and unless JR is gonna give him away, I'd personally stay far away. Let someone else try to solve that puzzle.

As it stands, I'm not sure EP40 is really that much better than Novak, he just comes with the egregious contract situation (between term, cap hit, and NTC).

As for the offer sheet thing; after Carlsson, I think you're gonna see teams just cave to the demands of their core players and not even risk the mess we saw this summer. There are guys I'd willingly pay 4 1sts for, but I doubt they even get close to available. This team's gonna have to do things the hard way once Sid decides he's done playing--suck for like half a decade and pray you land some legitimate core pieces with your top picks, and some hits later on as well. The rest of the building's gonna come from smart hockey trades imo. FA and TDL are damn near always huge bait.

Absolutely do not want EP40. Even with the cap making salaries recalibrate, paying that much money for a 50 point player is still vomit-worthy.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Absolutely do not want EP40. Even with the cap making salaries recalibrate, paying that much money for a 50 point player is still vomit-worthy.

Yeah, I'm genuinely surprised so many people find it to be palatable tbh.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

I don't think people are ok with a 50-point $11.6M player. But I do think they're ok with acquiring-for-cheap an $11.6M center who they think has a chance of rebounding to being around a 70-point player.

 

[OtherThingsILike]

I think prices were way higher than Dubas was expecting, but the Penguins also didn’t have the assets to compete with what other teams were offering so it’s a moot point. The Penguins didn’t have a #4 overall pick that could get Byram. The Penguins didn’t have a #8 pick that could get either Robertson or Knies. It’s hard for me to get mad at Dubas for not pulling off a trade he didn’t have the ammo to make.

Plus, I feel like if we had somehow managed to get a hold of a #4 or #8 pick, that everyone would've been mad at Dubas for trading it.

 

[HandshakeLine]

I mean, it's the GM's job to get ammo to make trades with, if he wants to make trades.

Perhaps the PoHO and GM aren't on the same page?

 

[Randy Butternubs]

I mean, it's the GM's job to get ammo to make trades with, if he wants to make trades.

Perhaps the PoHO and GM aren't on the same page?

 

[Jacob]

I see no room for EP with Fantilli here.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Absolutely do not want EP40. Even with the cap making salaries recalibrate, paying that much money for a 50 point player is still vomit-worthy.

You’re not trading for EP because you think he’s a 50 point player, you’re trading for EP because you think a change of scenery can get him back up to the PPG form he has been over his career.

It’s no different than the situation with Kessel in Toronto.

 

[Ryder71]

I see no room for EP with Fantilli here.

 

[Ryder71]

I don't think people are ok with a 50-point $11.6M player. But I do think they're ok with acquiring-for-cheap an $11.6M center who they think has a chance of rebounding to being around a 70-point player.

It's not worth the Risk for that AAV nor that term. Kyle is still upset about the Graves mistake. He's not gonna do it.

And again ''MR quits on his team'' doesn't wanna leave the Vancouver area.

 

[Ryder71]

It’s no different than the situation with Kessel in Toronto.

Sure, sure, exactly the same.

 

[Ugene Magic]

I see no room for EP with Fantilli here.

Welcome to Fantasy Island....

 

[MayorofWBS]

I don't think people are ok with a 50-point $11.6M player. But I do think they're ok with acquiring-for-cheap an $11.6M center who they think has a chance of rebounding to being around a 70-point player.

It's low probability that he returns to his former self. There are both physical and mental aspects to fix. It's not a repeat Kessel scenario.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Ehhh, it's quite a bit different than Kessel's situation imo. The Kessel situation had the Pens with a core still in their prime and it was a "let's go for it" type of move. The EP40 situation is a dude who has had his game crater over the past couple of seasons, he's a center so if he's a dud that's much worse than if Kessel hadn't fit.

I just don't think it's worth it unless JR gives him away and EP40 waives to come here, negating his NTC in case he's dogshit and the Pens want to offload him in a couple years.

 

[Koivunsons]

Ehhh, it's quite a bit different than Kessel's situation imo. The Kessel situation had the Pens with a core still in their prime and it was a "let's go for it" type of move. The EP40 situation is a dude who has had his game crater over the past couple of seasons, he's a center so if he's a dud that's much worse than if Kessel hadn't fit.

I just don't think it's worth it unless JR gives him away and EP40 waives to come here, negating his NTC in case he's dogshit and the Pens want to offload him in a couple years.

JR got fired brother.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

JR got fired brother.

Then I have even less interest because the new GM doesn't have JR's grey mashed potato brain.

 

[Koivunsons]

Then I have even less interest because the new GM doesn't have JR's grey mashed potato brain.

Crab wonton and lettuce wrap brain*

 

[K Fleur]

I was at my peak drinking production at 21.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I don't think people remember how ghastly bad Kessel was at the end of his time with the Leafs and the start of his time with the Penguins. He dropped from a PPG player for 3 years to a 60 point player in 2014-2015, but what was more jarring was how he only had 20 points in 44 games while being a -30 in 2015 with the Leafs. He then didn't even hit 60 points with the Penguins in his first season and really didn't hit his stride until HBK was put together very later in 2016, he only had 21 points in 37 games with the Penguins in 2015. In the calendar year 2015, he finished with 41 points in 81 games.

I think EP has struggled for longer than Kessel did, but I think Kessel at his worst was far worse than EP. Kessel had some major question marks about whether he was just falling off or if he just needed a change of scenery, and it took until he clicked with HBK in early 2016 for him to really break out of that funk. EP may just be a 50 point 2-way 2C, but that's significantly better than what Kessel was when the Penguins acquired him.

 

[Kristopher Letang]

I don't think people remember how ghastly bad Kessel was at the end of his time with the Leafs and the start of his time with the Penguins. He dropped from a PPG player for 3 years to a 60 point player in 2014-2015, but what was more jarring was how he only had 20 points in 44 games while being a -30 in 2015 with the Leafs. He then didn't even hit 60 points with the Penguins in his first season and really didn't hit his stride until HBK was put together very later in 2016, he only had 21 points in 37 games with the Penguins in 2015. In the calendar year 2015, he finished with 41 points in 81 games.

I think EP has struggled for longer than Kessel did, but I think Kessel at his worst was far worse than EP. Kessel had some major question marks about whether he was just falling off or if he just needed a change of scenery, and it took until he clicked with HBK in early 2016 for him to really break out of that funk. EP may just be a 50 point 2-way 2C, but that's significantly better than what Kessel was when the Penguins acquired him.

You forgot to mention that almost everyone looked trash under Mike Johnston. We were nearly dead last in scoring. Kessel had only 18 points under him, then bounced back when Sully took over.

He was also the best player on the Leafs lol

 

[Duffy13]

I don't think people remember how ghastly bad Kessel was at the end of his time with the Leafs and the start of his time with the Penguins. He dropped from a PPG player for 3 years to a 60 point player in 2014-2015, but what was more jarring was how he only had 20 points in 44 games while being a -30 in 2015 with the Leafs. He then didn't even hit 60 points with the Penguins in his first season and really didn't hit his stride until HBK was put together very later in 2016, he only had 21 points in 37 games with the Penguins in 2015. In the calendar year 2015, he finished with 41 points in 81 games.

I think EP has struggled for longer than Kessel did, but I think Kessel at his worst was far worse than EP. Kessel had some major question marks about whether he was just falling off or if he just needed a change of scenery, and it took until he clicked with HBK in early 2016 for him to really break out of that funk. EP may just be a 50 point 2-way 2C, but that's significantly better than what Kessel was when the Penguins acquired him.

Kessel was still Toronto's best player and leading scorer the last 2 years he was there. It wasn't Kessel falling off a cliff, but the leafs having Bozak, Kadri, Santorelli, and Komorov as their starting centers. The Leafs went from 3rd in their division to 6th then 7th before Kessel was run out of town on a massive hit job by idiot Steve Simmons, and the rest of the Toronto sports reporting morons.

You make it sound like Kessel was Toronto's worst player when that team was absolute shit and he was actually their best player.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

I was at my peak drinking production at 21.

I think 19 for me

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

If EP40 is a 50pt 2C, just skip the bullshit and keep Novak in that spot. He's like a 40-45pt 2C but he doesn't come with half a decade of an $11.5M AAV cap hit and all the shit EP40 has to work through in order to stabilize his game. /shrug

Nobody's come up with a compelling argument to go after EP40 tbh. It's right on the cusp of "make a move to make a move" imo.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

I mean, it's the GM's job to get ammo to make trades with, if he wants to make trades.

Perhaps the PoHO and GM aren't on the same page?

Not to mention, don't tout those moves as your off-season aims if you're unwilling/unable to pull the trigger.

Dubas' end of year press conference smacked of politician talk. A lot of inferences that he's going to be adding impact players both on defense and up front, followed by his actual actions of nibbling around the edges and saying the prices were too high.