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!"

[KrisLetAngry]

There is zero urgency here to extend Petts. Do I consider that down the road? But Pens have to jettison contracts here as values will decline. Sid job one. Secondly, get a LW who brings size, juice and jam to the top 6. Sullivan has to know dubas and especially Spezza are going to redo the roster after next year. Plus what happens if Letang is done? Hope for the best but is he able to come back at 100% from what ailed him this year.

Defensemen maintain value longer
Petts is in his prime and should go to 33 or 35 prime wise
He is definitely a player you keep if under 6 million. A player that will also be easily traded as well.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

I'm sure they could get at least a second for him. He should be worth a late round first tbh but I don't know if nhl gms properly value him because he's not physical

I have no idea what he's worth. Wouldn't be surprised if be brought back a 1st. Wouldn't be surprised if he brought back some Legare-caliber prospect and like a 3rd.

If Petts is a UFA and not to be signed I will trade him. Guentzel wanted to play the wait to UFA game. If Petts wants that I will 100% trade him.



See Dubas we can do this too.

Personally, I stopped giving a shit about the here-and-now of this team years ago--after it was made blatantly clear they've forsaken trying to win and making difficult but correct decisions in favor of this middling path of being petrified into inaction.

I'm not gonna hold on to anybody if a team offers assets that make sense in the broader picture with the focus on the post-Sid era. I'd trade Petts the second I got any sort of worthwhile deal and not even think twice. He's a pretty meh player imo, and I know he's the only guy on the blueline who isn't completely wretched defensively but I don't think it changes much dealing him. /shrug

 

[SEALBound]

Since few @NHL clubs have been to Russia to see players +due to @NHL restrictions @GoldStarHockey headed by Dan Milstein is holding a pre @NHL Draft Showcase w several clients / top prospects June 18-23 in FLA, I’m told most @NHL teams will be there
i guess there wont be as big of drop (the russian factor) as i was thinking.

If you're a euro scout, I don't think it's that hard to get footage of the quality MHL guys, especially Demidov. Skill wise, he's the #2 talent in the draft. It just might depend on organizational needs for some (like if a team really needs a future #1-2 dman, they might pass on Demidov). But I don't think teams will pass on him because he's an unknown. He's the Michkov of this draft.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

See Dubas we can do this too.

I'm not sure whether to laugh or to cry at this tweet.

 

[KrisLetAngry]

I'm not sure whether to laugh or to cry at this tweet.

Probably cry.

 

[Gurglesons]

I'm not sure whether to laugh or to cry at this tweet.

If you laugh about a tweet you are going to have to find a way to cry about a tweet is what Kyle Dubas always says.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

If you laugh about a tweet you are going to have to find a way to cry about a tweet is what Kyle Dubas always says.

Dubas brought over his philosophy from Toronto. "We can and we will" this time applies to keeping the coaching staff at all costs.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I guess at least if the whole-ass garbo coaching staff is retained we start to get some definite answers to questions. As in... the GM is either a total moron or not actually in control of this team.

Silver linings!

 

[Malkinstheman]

I like the signing of Larsson, he's been good pretty much every where he's played. Could be some decent upside there. Hope they sign another back up calibre goalie to compete with him though

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

I'm not sure whether to laugh or to cry at this tweet.

You just gotta laugh. At the ineptitude, the constant 3rd period collapses, the absolutely spineless decision making. All of it.

Maybe it's a defense mechanism, but watching this team flounder lately has been about as interesting as they've been for years.

 

[The Old Master]

If you're a euro scout, I don't think it's that hard to get footage of the quality MHL guys, especially Demidov. Skill wise, he's the #2 talent in the draft. It just might depend on organizational needs for some (like if a team really needs a future #1-2 dman, they might pass on Demidov). But I don't think teams will pass on him because he's an unknown. He's the Michkov of this draft.

films and numbers can only give you half a picture. not having him play against teams out side of Russia, and not being able to talk to him is the other half.

 

[Jacob]

It’s also hard to gauge when a guy only plays in the MHL and not in the Hlinka tournament or U18s.

The MHL looks pretty garbage to me. Like so little physical play and body contact it looks like a high level adult league game at UPMC.

 

[Jacob]

I’ve changed my mind on Smith, I think we can keep him.

Probably decent chance he bounces back and if he does he’ll have more value at the deadline (either to us if we’re a playoff team or in a trade if we’re not) than the 4th or 5th round pick we’d get in the summer. He’s overpaid but I don’t really see that money going elsewhere and I don’t see him blocking any prospects. Even if Poulin starts as the 13th forward the chances of the 12 forwards ahead of him all being healthy are like zero so he’ll see plenty of games.

It’s a contract year and his first time to hit the open market I think so he’ll be plenty motivated.

 

[canadianguy77]

Defensemen maintain value longer
Petts is in his prime and should go to 33 or 35 prime wise
He is definitely a player you keep if under 6 million. A player that will also be easily traded as well.

Getting real tired of spending years developing dmen and then losing them as they enter their prime years. It’s getting super old. I really hope they can get something reasonable done. And if they can’t, they had better get a haul.

 

[Le Magnifique 66]

I’ve changed my mind on Smith, I think we can keep him.

Probably decent chance he bounces back and if he does he’ll have more value at the deadline (either to us if we’re a playoff team or in a trade if we’re not) than the 4th or 5th round pick we’d get in the summer. He’s overpaid but I don’t really see that money going elsewhere and I don’t see him blocking any prospects. Even if Poulin starts as the 13th forward the chances of the 12 forwards ahead of him all being healthy are like zero so he’ll see plenty of games.

It’s a contract year and his first time to hit the open market I think so he’ll be plenty motivated.

Agreed. It's 1 more season. Give him ice time and pp time if possible, get those stats packed up and try to move him during the season if we're out of a playoff spot. I'm sure we could get at least a 2nd for him.

The 2 big problems are Jarry and Graves! Those contracts will hurt us, especially Graves

 

[TimmyD]

So what do we think is happening?

 

[HandshakeLine]

Kevin Weekes saw a bridge and marveled at such amazing design?

 

[orby]

If Weekes isn't just farming engagement and is actually sitting on interesting information about the Pens, I would hope it's related to Sullivan. Coach firings are pretty much the only thing going on at the moment among teams who missed the playoffs.

If that's the case...buckle up, because i'm starting to hear Sheldon Keefe's entrance music.

 

[SEALBound]

films and numbers can only give you half a picture. not having him play against teams out side of Russia, and not being able to talk to him is the other half.

That's true but hardly unusual. Plenty of good Russian players never played in NA before being drafted. Yeah, there's always going to be concerns about how his game will transfer but that's on the mind of every scout regarding every single European player they want to draft. That's even a concern for NCAA and CHL players. Hell, look at Bemstrom - AHL stud, NHL dud. You just never know, that's why the draft is a crap shoot to an extent.

But realistically, Demidov displays skill sets well above his peers in the MHL. I don't buy that the MHL is in any meaningful way different than years past that would make it an unreliable benchmark for assessing talent.

Ivan Demidov - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Ivan Demidov, 2005-12-10 Sergiyev Posad, RUS Russia. Most recently in the KHL with SKA St. Petersburg. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

He's the consensus #2. There are a couple of random lists that have him higher but outside of Bobby Mac's, I don't put much stock in the lists. One of them has Eisermann at #2 with Demidov at #3 which I don't buy into at all. Bobby Mac is the only credible list that doesn't have him at #2 so that can be taken for what it's worth.

As I've said in previous posts, the only reason I can see a team not taking Demidov is if there's a true organizational need for a dman. Then you look at Dickenson, Levshunov, or Parekh. I could also see a team opting for the size of Lindstrom if they want to add a power forward. That said, skill wise, Demidov is way past Lindstrom but again, organizational needs may dictate.

 

[Zbynek]

Edit - my post about Sully to NJD has been moved to the coaching thread

 

[Al Smith]

If Weekes isn't just farming engagement and is actually sitting on interesting information about the Pens, I would hope it's related to Sullivan. Coach firings are pretty much the only thing going on at the moment among teams who missed the playoffs.

If that's the case...buckle up, because i'm starting to hear Sheldon Keefe's entrance music.

Notwithstanding the Toronto connection with Keefe, I'd say if Pens were ever going to fire Sully, they'd see the newly available Hakstol as the creme de la creme.

Or maybe Weekes is just on a mission to visit one casino in every state that has them and Rivers is next on his list.

 

[Beauner]

He also tweeted this yesterday.

Would love to see the reaction if this happens

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

View attachment 862248
So what do we think is happening?

Todd Reirden's days might be numbered after all.

 

[chethejet]

spezza knows what is what here. He is Dubas's ex player who lends perspective. Yes the Pens coaches are gone. Sullivan I am no longer 100% he is here next year. But I bet he is if Pens make the decision. Sullivan may just want a change and if Seattle can't get Carolina's coach, I can see a trade here. Dubas didn't jump at this job. FSG had to meet his wants. One was control. If he thinks firing Sullivan is the move, he has full authority to do so. But I would not be shocked if Sullivan is coaching elsewhere as Dubas remakes the roster.

 

[GilbertSeinfeld]

My guess on that Weekes post is Pittsburgh is either getting a PWHL expansion team, or an All-Star Game.