Line Combos: Pens 2022-2023 Training Camp thread: Its happenings

[dogthateats]

 

[Flying Dego]

I think Smith is a lock for the team unless he becomes catastrophically bad defensively, which I just haven't seen from him yet. If Smith is just a guy you don't notice for 85% of shifts and then dominates in the offensive zone for 15% of shifts, that's a great piece to have on your 3rd pair.




I think Archibald and Zohorna are battling to see who gets waived and who gets the 4th line spot with Blueger and McGinn. Poehling's the extra that will step in for a variety of roles whenever there's an injury. I also think Friedman is almost a lock to get waived based on this.

I'll vomit if Arch is kept and Big Z is waived...

It's a guarantee Arch makes it through waivers so I don't see why they wouldn't go that route regardless.

 

[Empoleon8771]

You know one of Carter or Blueger is going to be out to start the season, so no forwards are going to get waived

I'm still really curious to see what they do with the defense. I think Friedman is guaranteed to be waived, and I think it's pretty unlikely he'd get claimed. I don't think they'd want to waive POJ at all, and I think the ideal result is having 8D with him sitting as the extra LD, but I just don't see how you can do that with the cap unless someone goes on IR.

I think the ideal lineup for this year is:

Guentzel-Crosby-Rakell
Zucker-Malkin-Rust
Heinen-Carter-Kapanen
Zohorna-Blueger-McGinn
Poehling

Dumoulin-Letang
Pettersson-Petry
Smith-Rutta
POJ-Ruhwedel

But they just don't have the cap space to make this work. This team isn't cap compliant.

I'll vomit if Arch is kept and Big Z is waived...

It's a guarantee Arch makes it through waivers so I don't see why they wouldn't go that route regardless.

I bet someone is hurt so they won't have to waive anyone. But even if they waived Zohorna, I'm fairly confident he wouldn't be claimed off waivers.

He's a 26 year old depth forward who has played in 25 NHL games.

 

[Gurglesons]

I'll vomit if Arch is kept and Big Z is waived...

It's a guarantee Arch makes it through waivers so I don't see why they wouldn't go that route regardless.

Nobody cares about either of these players.

There are potential legitimate NHL players and prospects being waived. Kaut, Valimaki, etc. you think teams like Arizona are going to choose undrafted big guy who can’t make the NHL versus former 1st round picks that can’t break into elite rosters?

 

[Empoleon8771]

Imagine if Blueger left the ice early because he got traded

 

[Flying Dego]

Nobody cares about either of these players.

Incorrect. Big Z has at least one person besides his mother that believes in him.

I'll agree on Archibald.

Imagine if Blueger left the ice early because he got traded

I mean...hes candidate #1 if Hextall wants a 23 man roster. He's got Z and Poehling to play 4C...even DOC and Poulin as Center options beyond.

 

[OtherThingsILike]

But we have like 3 3LD guys?

Sure, for this season. If the plan for next season or beyond is to use a highly-discounted Dumoulin as a 3LD, then we wouldn't need All of the other 3LD guys. Maybe Smith (or Joseph) can work his way up to 2LD by next year?

I bet someone is hurt so they won't have to waive anyone. But even if they waived Zohorna, I'm fairly confident he wouldn't be claimed off waivers.

He's a 26 year old depth forward who has played in 25 NHL games.

I'd think it would depend on when we waive him. If it's right before the season starts, he'd probably slip through. If it's after, I think there are still enough size queens in NHL management positions who would take a chance on him.

 

[Gurglesons]

Imagine if Blueger left the ice early because he got traded

First thing I thought, but with the injuries I doubt they do it.

 

[Flying Dego]

First thing I thought, but with the injuries I doubt they do it.

Seems like Carters was minor and no concern to the start of the season...realistically we've got guys to plug into bottom 6 center roles.

 

[Flying Dego]

Sure, for this season. If the plan for next season or beyond is to use a highly-discounted Dumoulin as a 3LD, then we wouldn't need All of the other 3LD guys. Maybe Smith (or Joseph) can work his way up to 2LD by next year?

Even broken down Dumo likely gets 3M+ multi year easily....

We don't need a bloated anchor 3rd pairing guy...didn't we learn from JMFJ?

 

[OtherThingsILike]

$3M+ a year is still a discount, but only a slight one, so in that case I would agree that we shouldn't re-sign him, if he looks like he's going to decline quickly.

 

[Empoleon8771]

It seems like Dumoulin is going to be this year's whipping boy

 

[Flying Dego]

$3M+ a year is still a discount, but only a slight one, so in that case I would agree that we shouldn't re-sign him, if he looks like he's going to decline quickly.

Break it down in pairings as well that make sense
X-Letang
Petts-Petry
Smith-Rutta

That's your likely lineup next season so if Dumo can't be 1LD we need a solution there.

It seems like Dumoulin is going to be this year's whipping boy

Dumo is a special case cause at least he's done a lot for this team. But the injuries have plagued him the last few years. Of course I hope he comes back this year looking like his old self...we just have to be honest if that's likely with all his lower body injuries.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

It seems like Dumoulin is going to be this year's whipping boy

IDK I think people seem to hate Kapanen way worse. Usually at least when the Dumo question is raised there is a healthy debate.

 

[dogthateats]

You can always make a thread on the trade board where HFPens posters discuss over there instead of here

 

[Empoleon8771]

IDK I think people seem to hate Kapanen way worse. Usually at least when the Dumo question is raised there is a healthy debate.

Eh the "healthy debate" is just people way exaggerating how far Dumoulin has fallen off.

+/- isn't a great stat, but he was +24 last year and has been +90 in his last 4 seasons (221 games). He's been a net positive defensively at both 5v5 and on the PK in terms of goals against.

His analytics did take a step back last year, but I think most would agree that he didn't look quite right due to his ankle injury. If his skating is back to normal, which it looked normal yesterday, I don't really see what kind of "decline" Dumoulin has had.

 

[Pancakes]

Kapanen and Dumo are not going to be anywhere near the whipping boy that Carter will be.

 

[Flying Dego]

Kapanen and Dumo are not going to be anywhere near the whipping boy that Carter will be.

I don't know about that Kap is a pretty high bar.

 

[HandshakeLine]

It seems like Dumoulin is going to be this year's whipping boy

He can feel free to prove people wrong by not playing like ass.

I don't know about that Kap is a pretty high bar.

Yeah, like a good solid 2/3 of this board wanted to riot just because he was re-signed.

 

[Turin]

I think a better outcome than beating down a poor Detroit B team in the preseason withalmost your full roster is getting beat down like that. You want to fix the issues before the season - at least then preseason serves a purpose.

 

[HandshakeLine]

A player who used to be a decent top-pairing defenseman who is in decline can still be a useful third-pairing player.

Like who? I can't really think of anyone who does that, but I'm open to suggestions.

There are definitely guys who need less minutes as they age, but those aren't guys who are losing their skating and decision making and puckhandling skills.

 

[Jacob]

I think Smith is a lock for the team unless he becomes catastrophically bad defensively, which I just haven't seen from him yet. If Smith is just a guy you don't notice for 85% of shifts and then dominates in the offensive zone for 15% of shifts, that's a great piece to have on your 3rd pair.




I think Archibald and Zohorna are battling to see who gets waived and who gets the 4th line spot with Blueger and McGinn. Poehling's the extra that will step in for a variety of roles whenever there's an injury. I also think Friedman is almost a lock to get waived based on this.

Yeah my highest expectations of Smith is Goligoski. Largely unnoticed but once in a while chips in with some 5-on-5 offense. Maybe 2nd unit PP QB, 1st when Letang is hurt.

 

[3ladesof5teel]

Call me crazy but I would be slightly upset if Friedman gets the chop. I get it but I think he's better than some of the dmen that would stick over him

 

[Gurglesons]

Call me crazy but I would be slightly upset if Friedman gets the chop. I get it but I think he's better than some of the dmen that would stick over him

I'd keep Friedman over POJ at this point. POJ literally does nothing on the ice, but skate smoothly.

 

[Andy99]

Sounds like DOC didn’t make the team

So Archibald made the team over Caggiula? Wtf…are they blind?