Salary Cap: Pens 2024 Summer Thread: "Thus, knocking us out of these superior numbers when we emerge! Mr. President, we must not allow a non-playoff bound gap!"

[Dennis Reynolds]

Someone should send them a memo that they shouldn't wait until the last like three weeks of the season to attempt that next time around.

If I were a mod, all of the "It doesn't matter, it's a meaningless November game" comments after low-effort, early-season losses would result in infractions.

 

[Tom Hanks]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1804261616113848539

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Nice to have @Tom Hanks back BTW.

Even when he's insisting to me at some point this upcoming season that "split units" is the way to go and it will surely work THIS time.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Anyone familiar with Dakota Joshua? Seems like he could be a nice bargain bin UFA which is where we should be focusing for free agency.

He's going to get overpaid, IMO. The problem with him is you don't know if he was just a one year fluke or not (similar to Tanner Jeannot).

If you can get him for super cheap, then sure it's worth the risk. But if he hits FA you probably see some team overpay him (both salary and term) and I'd be worried about it becoming an albatross.

 

[Tom Hanks]

Nice to have @Tom Hanks back BTW.

Even when he's insisting to me at some point this upcoming season that "split units" is the way to go and it will surely work THIS time.

I eventually looked at the PP stats and they were 4th in scoring chances & 5th in high danger scoring chances

BUT 28th in goals & 30th in PP conversion.

Solution? We should have scored a lot more goals.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I eventually looked at the PP stats and they were 4th in scoring chances & 5th in high danger scoring chances

BUT 28th in goals & 30th in PP conversion.

Solution? We should have scored a lot more goals.

View attachment 885301

Bad finishing... been a constant, unaddressed issue for years.

Sticking guys like Lars Eller and whoever that adorable little gnome they picked off of waivers was on your top unit doesn't help.

 

[Turin]

I eventually looked at the PP stats and they were 4th in scoring chances & 5th in high danger scoring chances

BUT 28th in goals & 30th in PP conversion.

Solution? We should have scored a lot more goals.

View attachment 885301

Shows that the scoring chances stat is broken. Pens also don't have good shooters, obviously, but you don't need great shots in HDCs if they are truly HDCs.. shots like Rusts, Crosby, Malkin's should still suffice if that was true. Clearly something under the hood is wrong, not luck at this point.

 

[Tom Hanks]

More goalie talk

https://x.com/i/web/status/1804272394132996492

 

[Ryder71]

Most smart people know we aren’t contending but if you make playoffs anything can happen.

We’ll still push for it without selling high picks/prospects. Moves like Smith/Rakell for similar calibre and see if the chemistry works.

If we are struggling at the deadline then probably be more aggressive on selling. Then repeat the same process for the following year. Then I imagine it’s an aggressive rebuild from the pre season (2026/27).

That sounds like a very logical and measured take. 100% agree!

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Shows that the scoring chances stat is broken. Pens also don't have good shooters, obviously, but you don't need great shots in HDCs if they are truly HDCs.. shots like Rusts, Crosby, Malkin's should still suffice if that was true. Clearly something under the hood is wrong, not luck at this point.

Yeah. I still think lack of pure shooters (or specialized players of any sort on the team) is an issue. But between the guys you listed... those are still perfectly fine shooters. They haven't been able to leverage that into nearly enough success and like you said that isn't bad luck at this point.

I have no BIG issue with fancy stats. But living and dying by them like this team sometimes seems to like to do is folly. You can just push things off as "bad puck luck" for years while pointing at your shiny "shoulda scored goals" stat or whatever and saying "Ha... see?"

 

[eXile3]

I eventually looked at the PP stats and they were 4th in scoring chances & 5th in high danger scoring chances

BUT 28th in goals & 30th in PP conversion.

Solution? We should have scored a lot more goals.

View attachment 885301

3rd time trying to reply. The board is getting inoperable.

Goalies are too good. They see it they’ll stop it. We had no net front presence before Bunting came over.

 

[sauce66871]

What about this proposal? With the idea that all NTC’s work (or without the services of a third team). This would save the Pens over 2 million in cap.

To Montreal:
Jarry
Smith
Accari

To Pittsburgh:
Anderson
Kovacevic
Montembeault
#26 pick (WPG’s 1st)

 

[Andy99]

What about this proposal? With the idea that all NTC’s work (or without the services of a third team). This would save the Pens over 2 million in cap.

To Montreal:
Jarry
Smith
Accari

To Pittsburgh:
Anderson
Kovacevic
Montembeault
#26 pick (WPG’s 1st)

Why would MTL want to do this? Montembeault’s year was equal to Jarry’s…he’s younger and cheaper and they just signed him in December so they like him. Pens get too much back as well. Not a fair deal from MTL’s perspective

 

[sauce66871]

Why would MTL want to do this? Montembeault’s year was equal to Jarry’s…he’s younger and cheaper and they just signed him in December so they like him. Pens get too much back as well. Not a fair deal from MTL’s perspective

I wasn’t that familiar with him tbh, didn’t know they were that high on him. Looking at his stats, etc. didn’t look too great. I thought they had more promise in Primeau, but may have been confused.

 

[Al Smith]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1804261616113848539

So does he still play in WBS or does Carolina have their own AHL team next season? in spite of all of our blue-chip prospects, Smith was still the WBS leading scorer last season.

 

[GilbertSeinfeld]

So does he still play in WBS or does Carolina have their own AHL team next season? in spite of all of our blue-chip prospects, Smith was still the WBS leading scorer last season.

The Canes and Wolves agreed to an AHL affiliation starting next season.

 

[Tom Hanks]

So does he still play in WBS or does Carolina have their own AHL team next season? in spite of all of our blue-chip prospects, Smith was still the WBS leading scorer last season.

He won’t be with WBS next season. Carolina has their AHL team back.

Edit: beaten to it by @GilbertSeinfeld

 

[Jag68Sid87]

I think I saw a post-game thread started on the Panthers board...after the second period!

Anything can happen, indeed.

 

[The Great Mighty Poo]

What about this proposal? With the idea that all NTC’s work (or without the services of a third team). This would save the Pens over 2 million in cap.

To Montreal:
Jarry
Smith
Accari

To Pittsburgh:
Anderson
Kovacevic
Montembeault
#26 pick (WPG’s 1st)

Anderson is an industrial plant of smashed assholes.

 

[The Great Mighty Poo]

I think I saw a post-game thread started on the Panthers board...after the second period!

Anything can happen, indeed.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

I absolutely don't get the whinging about Rakell here or blokes like Gruden. I have read a few of the pages and the whining about certain players make sense, but I mean we know this coach has his ideas of how to use players that play a style that is suited to certain usage that has brought success with utilization of that player - Graves is another that has suffered under this system and coach.

I am all for moving these players to get something before the coach destroys them into negative value, but the hate for players like Rakell? After he returned from his injury, he was producing at a 50pt pace and was one of the reasons Sid's line stopped bleeding goals as much as it was consistently all season. He is a far better fit on the LW with Sid and Rust than O'Connor is. I think the issue with Drew is the same for what threw McCann off, anytime he got comfortable in his game on the 3rd line, Sullivan would pluck him off it and thrust him into Sid's line which would work in spurts but not consistently enough.

O'Connor on the 3rd allows him to use his size and speed to produce against better match-ups, which is what he was doing well with, I think going back to Puustinen on the 2nd line with Malkin would be a great move with Bunting now there as it gives a smarter winger there that fits Malkin's game and Bunting's game more than Rakell does. It's that 3rd line C spot that is once again, a massive issue and it'll always be one with how Sullivan utilizes it. He essentially uses the 3rd line like another 4th line.

Eller if he sticks around, should be the 4c, if he's playing in a 3c role again, there's problems. It's a shame Hallander decided he's had enough of the bs with Sullivan and his love for veterans, otherwise I think a 4th line of Hallander, Eller, UFA/etc would be a very smart line. Filip went back to Sweden for Timra and has really come into his own, he had some injury issues his final year in WBS and was pretty pissed off with the lack of games and ice time in his call up, understandable really, but he's the type of player that could really grow into a very useful player if he was actually developed which is a part of the HC's job as well.

Now Gruden, what's with the hate? You had an absolute muppet get 40+ games in Hansen and he brought some bizarre sticktoitiveness that Sullivan saw that no one else did. But Gruden, he played a strong game for a 4th line role. He was smart in his own end, was very good at the cycle game and agitating the other team, he was also trusted more by Vellucci to play on the PK than Jansen ever was, he's also a more versatile player that plays all 3 forward positions but more natural at C and LW. So we're now against players like that?

I despise the Oilers, their fan base, and their absolute squalor of a city where cocaine is their #1 export. Florida looks cooked and Luongo is having flashbacks to 2011. Thank goodness as Pens fans, we were on the other side of a team blowing a lead in the SCF. Panthers are about to throw this all away because they got complacent after the 3rd game and thought they had it in the bag without doing any research on why and how PDB blew it in the WCF.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

So does he still play in WBS or does Carolina have their own AHL team next season? in spite of all of our blue-chip prospects, Smith was still the WBS leading scorer last season.

We needed Smith up a few times for the powerplay and of course, he didn't have enough stone hands and jam in his game or whatever Sullivan gets off on, to get a call up. I saw enough WBS games to see a bloke very deserving of a shot and it just never came.

If I were a mod, all of the "It doesn't matter, it's a meaningless November game" comments after low-effort, early-season losses would result in infractions.

If we lose the mods we have like @Scandale du Jour @BHD and @Zirakzigil on this board, this place will lose any semblance of hope it still has left with being a fun place to post and even the latter is barely true these days. But not by their doing and no this isn't an ass kissing post, they're all wankers, but they're wankers we trust.

 

[Tom Hanks]

@Honour Over Glory has gone full Zito today

https://x.com/i/web/status/1804325164529664036

 

[66-30-33]

More goalie talk

https://x.com/i/web/status/1804272394132996492

Ulmark would be a good goalie for Vegas.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

@Honour Over Glory has gone full Zito today

https://x.com/i/web/status/1804325164529664036

Honestly mate, I have logged in a few times only the last couple of months to reply to PM's by a good bloke here and that was the only reason I was even perusing the thread, then after each reply I found myself reading some of the shit here and I had to log out immediately before I replied to some of the most mind numbingly stupid discussions I thought I'd never see on our Pens board.

I've been full Zito since March.