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!"

[DesertedPenguin]

Is it possible anyone had Utah on their NTC at the beginning of the year? Or is it still considered Arizona until the new year starts. This is kind of a gray area to work in.

All NTCs, regardless of clubs, get revised with the start of the new year.

 

[Turin]

Sick of this Karlsson slander

 

[Empoleon8771]

Sick of this Karlsson slander

Karlsson is a good player but paying him $10 million a year is wild.

He's like a $7 million player at this point.

 

[Turin]

Karlsson is a good player but paying him $10 million a year is wild.

He's like a $7 million player at this point.

Nah. Dude is handicapped by this bunk ass system

 

[Ulf5]

Now that's how you do a 3C.
Though he's still more of a 4C.

 

[Ryder71]

Now that's how you do a 3C.
Though he's still more of a 4C.

#nothingburger

 

[Empoleon8771]

Nah. Dude is handicapped by this bunk ass system

Karlsson at $10 million is the 4th highest paid defenseman in hockey. Is Karlsson the 4th best defenseman in hockey? Absolutely not.

He should be making what Carlson and Chabot are making, not more than Fox and McAvoy.

 

[ThosePuckingPenguins]

Utah is trying make a big splash eh?

Ryan Graves is big.

 

[DesertedPenguin]

Now that's how you do a 3C.
Though he's still more of a 4C.

Blueger - 68 games, 6 goals, 22 assists, 14:56 TOI

Eller - 82 games, 15 goals, 16 assists, 15:58 TOI

I'll take Eller over Blueger. Even though he's older and $600k more expensive, Eller is also significantly more consistent over his career. He's also healthier.

 

[Malkinstheman]

Blueger has also been astonishingly bad in the playoffs. 2 goals in nearly 40 games.

 

[DesertedPenguin]

Blueger has also been astonishingly bad in the playoffs. 2 goals in nearly 40 games.

And I'd much rather have Eller around for this year when you're trying to get players like Ponomarev, Poulin, and potentially Koivunen acclimated to the NHL. Eller's consistency gives them someone stable to play with in the bottom six, and for Ponomoarev and Poulin, a center they can work with to develop their skills.

 

[Empoleon8771]

XXXXX-Crosby-Rust
Bunting-Malkin-YYYYY
O'Connor-Copp-Smith
Ponomarev-Eller-Puustinen
Acciari-Puljujarvi

Even without trading Jarry or Smith, you'd have about $7.8 million in cap space to fill those 2 top-6 spots. I'd like to go a bit lighter on Crosby's LW and spend more on Malkin's LW, but you can also look to move out Smith and replace him with a cheaper guy if you want to spend more on the top-6.

 

[Tom Hanks]

Mitch Marner after seeing this

https://x.com/i/web/status/1806087745053585511

 

[DesertPenguin]

Blueger - 68 games, 6 goals, 22 assists, 14:56 TOI

Eller - 82 games, 15 goals, 16 assists, 15:58 TOI

I'll take Eller over Blueger. Even though he's older and $600k more expensive, Eller is also significantly more consistent over his career. He's also healthier.

But we could have had both at 3C/4C

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

But we could have had both at 3C/4C

Don't mind them. Penguins fans aren't truly happy unless they are spending like 1-2M too much on their 3C.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

Karlsson averages 67 points per 82 games in his career.
It's fair to say he was below his average for us offensively, since he got 56. Maybe that goes up by 5 points or so next year, but temper your expectations there. Maybe better on the PP but worse at ES.

On the flip side, we got an above average defensive season out of him, based on his career standard. It still wasn't even that good compared to other 1D's in the league. It's realistic to expect a drop-off there next year as well, since he won't be eager to impress this time out of the gate. It's likely he gets sloppier and lazier earlier in the season next time.

So where would that leave his value? I don't see a 10 mil D-man there at all. That's a 7 mil D-man.
He's not Adam Fox.

Plus the Pens are really sacrificing 11.5M to have EK play here, because they ate the Petry retention en route. That makes it even worse.
They were better off not making this trade, and just letting the bad short-term contracts expire.

 

[Turin]

XXXXX-Crosby-Rust
Bunting-Malkin-YYYYY
O'Connor-Copp-Smith
Ponomarev-Eller-Puustinen
Acciari-Puljujarvi

Even without trading Jarry or Smith, you'd have about $7.8 million in cap space to fill those 2 top-6 spots. I'd like to go a bit lighter on Crosby's LW and spend more on Malkin's LW, but you can also look to move out Smith and replace him with a cheaper guy if you want to spend more on the top-6.

Copp might be damaged goods. He has been butt in Detroit.

Mitch Marner after seeing this

View attachment 887724

https://x.com/i/web/status/1806087745053585511

He gone

 

[DesertPenguin]

Lets just hope his takes are as on-target as his shots on goal used to be.

Directly in the chest?

 

[Empoleon8771]

Copp might be damaged goods. He has been butt in Detroit.

He gone

Could absolutely be right but the dude was about as perfect of a middle-6 C as you could find just 2 years ago. For just the cost of Rakell straight up, I think the gamble would be worth it.

 

[DesertPenguin]

Karlsson at $10 million is the 4th highest paid defenseman in hockey. Is Karlsson the 4th best defenseman in hockey? Absolutely not.

He should be making what Carlson and Chabot are making, not more than Fox and McAvoy.

I mean, he is one year away from winning the trophy that says he's the best defenseman in hockey so...

 

[DesertedPenguin]

But we could have had both at 3C/4C

Eh.

I liked the Acciari signing more than I liked the Eller signing when it happened. And I still think Acciari will be a positive force in the bottom six if he can stay healthy.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Acciari shouldn't be playing center at all IMO.

 

[Ugene Magic]

Blueger has also been astonishingly bad in the playoffs. 2 goals in nearly 40 games.

Blueger has been highly overrated for being anything more than a 4th liner. A guy who worked his butt off, but still a 4th liner. Glad he fell into a cup last year,

JR and company still gonna overrate the hell out of him even though he's never once put in a full season. But he didn't overpay him this time... As a Pen he would have looked better at 1.8 over 2.2.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Acciari shouldn't be playing at all IMO.

Fixed it for you

 

[Turin]

Acciari shouldn't be playing center at all IMO.

Agreed 100%. Guy is not a C.