GDT: Free Agency Day 1: You're from Boston? Come on down

[Gurglesons]

Don't complain about Dubas.

But bring up how great Matheson and Marino would be any time.

 

[BusinessGoose]

There's nothing to be excited about in Pittsburgh sports

Pens are old with a bad coaching staff

Steelers have some interesting pieces but really bad coaching staff

Pirates pretty much the same as the Steelers but could be improved for $20mil even with the coaching staff

 

[Andy99]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1807922094291722560

 

[DesertPenguin]

Well I'm spent. I expected a quality player coming back in to replace the impact Reilly Smith was supposed to provide, and we didn't get it. We got a bunch of retreads and lotto tickets. So be it I guess.

Time to hibernate until training camp to see how Sullivan deploys this band of misfits. Poor Sid.

 

[ChaosAgent]

Don't complain about Dubas.

But bring up how great Matheson and Marino would be any time.

I was just bringing up the counterfactual to bringing back 71 and 58. Not saying it would be better - in fact I said the opposite.

But go off King, make your next 60 posts in 5 hours.

 

[Dennis Reynolds]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1807922094291722560

... in 2027.

If they hit a bullseye, a second-round pick in 2027 will likely get a cup of coffee in 2030, and earn a spot out of camp in 2031.

 

[BusinessGoose]

I'm about to make a comfortable living as a guillotine salesman. Can't wait.

Sir, the fans are mad that their team is beyond irrelevant

"let them eat cake"

 

[HandshakeLine]

Dubas rules. He's so demented.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

"The people in the room are too good for that." Grow a f***ing spine you dork ass loser. f***.

Somebody swirly this dweeb, stat.

You're not nuking things but it's pretty plain you're definitely not trying to compete or "do right by Sid" or whatever shlock Yohe and the Yinzers lap up.

 

[Gurglesons]

Dubas rules. He's so demented.

His legacy is gonna be torched after what he does here lol

 

[xlm34]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1807922094291722560

They don’t necessarily have to keep the picks they’re acquiring. If Dubas is serious about trying to contend right away and trading for good, young players then you need assets in order to do that.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I mean even in 2022.

Malkin and Letang are still good-ish players at $6.1M AAV. Maybe in the alt reality we sign Trocheck, trade a pick for Petry and trade Dumoulin for futures and run with:

GCR
Zucker-Trocheck-Rakell

Matheson-Petry
Petts-Marino

As our top-9/top-4. But I don't see that being better than what we did really. The alternative question would be if getting rid of Malkin and Letang would have shaken the Powerplay up sufficiently. Even though the Sid/Geno/Letang dynamic is toxic on the PP, I think the coaching is just as toxic and so I don't have much faith that the Powerplay shake-up would have been better.

I think there were definitely thing you could have done in 2022 that would have yielded a better team today, and not just with Malkin and Letang but also with Rust. I mention Gaudreau because it seems like Gaudreau could have been a legitimately attainable target, since he signed in Columbus and was looking at Philly as the alternative.

If they wanted to pursue it, I think they could have this top-6 right now:

Guentzel-Crosby-Rakell
Gaudreau-Trocheck-Rust

Your defense would have been way different, but would be way cheaper. And seeing how Matheson has done in an elevated role, I'm curious if he could have done that or something close to that in an expanded role with the Penguins.

 

[rdd8771]

Yikes Sids wingers are just yikes.

 

[Empoleon8771]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1807922094291722560

*whispers* It's because they're not legitimately trying to contend.

 

[Ulf5]

TBL got hosed on that deal

Hope they have a good set of earplugs or at least an ignore button.

 

[BusinessGoose]

Yikes Sids wingers are just yikes.

Geno says welcome to the club Mr Face of the Franchise

 

[Ryder71]

Kyle firmly embracing the rebuild, proud of him. The roster he's put forward here is a bottom 10 roster. We're gonna get a high 1st rounder. Exactly what we need.

 

[Turin]

Oh wow. Who comes off the books?

Cap is going up another 4+ million, Only forwards signed are Crosby (assuming), Malkin, Rust, Rakell, Bunting, Lizotte, Acciari and Hayes. Only defensemen singed are Karlsson, Letang and Graves. Then the goalies. So next offseason it looks 30+million to fill out the roster + being flush with draft picks. Will be interesting.

hate to tell you but the private equity bros are coming for everything mate

Yea.. hard to tell what's better between that and sleezy poltical grocery man. Kinda felt like our last guy was gonna get busted for something real soon in that climate.

 

[ChaosAgent]

I think there were definitely thing you could have done in 2022 that would have yielded a better team today, and not just with Malkin and Letang but also with Rust. I mention Gaudreau because it seems like Gaudreau could have been a legitimately attainable target, since he signed in Columbus and was looking at Philly as the alternative.

If they wanted to pursue it, I think they could have this top-6 right now:

Guentzel-Crosby-Rakell
Gaudreau-Trocheck-Rust

Your defense would have been way different, but would be way cheaper. And seeing how Matheson has done in an elevated role, I'm curious if he could have done that or something close to that in an expanded role with the Penguins.

Hasn't Johnny Gaudreau epically failed in Columbus though?

I agree that Matheson was a huge loss. As were ERod and Freddy Gaudreau.

Plus bringing Carter back, the whole Carter situation really would have hung over the team no matter what. A black hole at 3C.

 

[HandshakeLine]

Man, that Carter contract should be a case study of what not to do. Hextall should have been fired for that alone, but I suspect he wasn’t the only one angling for it.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

I'd be perfectly fine rolling with absolute bare bones in the roster. If they're gonna suck, let 'em suck with cheap, young talent that may end up being able to be flipped for more assets.

DOC-Sid-Rust (moved the second his NTC expires one year from now)
Bunting-Geno-Puustinen
Beau-Pono-Poulin
Lizotte-Eller-Hayes

Petts (can eat shit, dealt by the deadline) - EK
Grizzler or whatever the f*** his stupid name is - Letang
Graves - St. Ivany

Rakell can eat shit. Acciari can eat shit. Nieto can eat shit. Shop Graves cuz he can eat shit. Shop Jarry cuz he can eat shit.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Hasn't Johnny Gaudreau epically failed in Columbus though?

I agree that Matheson was a huge loss. As were ERod and Freddy Gaudreau.

Plus bringing Carter back, the whole Carter situation really would have hung over the team no matter what. A black hole at 3C.

Gotta ask about how the environment would be different for him on a 2nd line on a Crosby led team versus being on the mess that Columbus has been. But even then, I figure he'd be around a 25 goal, 80 point guy here.

The bigger consequence of signing Gaudreau in this hypothetical is that you probably couldn't have acquired Karlsson the year after. You'd definitely have to go cheaper on defense and have something like Matheson-Marino and Pettersson-Petry as your top-4.

Also to clarify, I'm not saying these moves are why the team is at where they're at. But I think the 2022 off-season was the last chance that this team could pivot in a new direction, and the path they're on right now was destined to happen regardless of what Hextall did after. Even with Hextall's horrid 2022 off-season, I don't think the Penguins would be much better now.

 

[Ryder71]

Kyle firmly embracing the rebuild, proud of him. The roster he's put forward here is a bottom 10 roster. We're gonna get a high 1st rounder. Exactly what we need.

 

[Dennis Reynolds]

Grizzler or whatever the f*** his stupid name is

May it be so.

 

[Turin]

Apparently the Celtics just went up for sale. Wonder if FSG dumps the Pens and buys them.

Or they could just buy everything I guess.