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!"

[SomeDude]

Yeah sounds like Letang might need major surgery. Not great. If he does, hopefully they can do it sooner than later.

Mentally prepare for a summer of physical therapy and major surgery October 3rd.

 

[HandshakeLine]

From the presser...sounds like nothing will change. So yay!

Remember when certain people said it would? Lol.

 

[Jacob]

Am I correct that we can simply choose whether or not to keep this year's 1st? Or is it somehow contingent on the draft lottery itself.

 

[ThosePuckingPenguins]

Mentally prepare for a summer of physical therapy and major surgery October 3rd.

Didn’t they do that with Sid 2-3 years ago? That was infuriating.

 

[SEALBound]

Remember when certain people said it would? Lol.

There were some pretty significant roster changes from last year to this year. I just want that same level of change in the coaching staff this year.

It wouldn't shock me to see:

DOC-Sid-Rust
Bunting-Malkin-Rakell
Smith-Eller-Puustinen
Nieto-Acciari-Poulin

Graves-Letang
Pettersson-Karlsson
POJ-Ludvig

Jarry-Blomqvist

as the opening night lineup next year.

I think my problem is, if they don't see the need to change, then it doesn't really matter. The best move would likely to shifting Eller to 4C and running Nieto-Eller-Acciari as your defense line and then bolster the third line with more offensive capability.

Am I correct that we can simply choose whether or not to keep this year's 1st? Or is it somehow contingent on the draft lottery itself.

If it's 11OV or above, it automatically goes to SJS.

If it's 1-2-3OV (because that's the only ones we could get), we can choose to keep it.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Mentally prepare for a summer of physical therapy and major surgery October 3rd.

"Well we tried at least a baker's dozen types of ways to AVOID the problem. You know... stretching, some rehab, massages, extra crepes with my breakfast. Really put in the work. But it turns out that a completely ripped apart groin requires surgical procedures. Whoda thunk?!? Anyway sucks that it's already the Fall but thems the breaks I guess. All part of the process! Couldn't be avoided."

 

[BusinessGoose]

Am I correct that we can simply choose whether or not to keep this year's 1st? Or is it somehow contingent on the draft lottery itself.

If we end up outside the top ten AFTER the lottery, there is no choice, it goes

If we end up inside, we choose

It's very unlikely we will move up onto top ten, with where we finished, the draft odds are pretty poor

"Well we tried at least a baker's dozen types of ways to AVOID the problem. You know... stretching, some rehab, massages, extra crepes with my breakfast. Really put in the work. But it turns out that a completely ripped apart groin requires surgical procedures. Whoda thunk?!? Anyway sucks that it's already the Fall but thems the breaks I guess. All part of the process! Couldn't be avoided."

Hey, last time we didn't have letang we won a Cup

I think.. I dunno.. It's been so many years

 

[Jacob]

If we end up outside the top ten AFTER the lottery, there is no choice, it goes

If we end up inside, we choose

It's very unlikely we will move up onto top ten, with where we finished, the draft odds are pretty poor

So guaranteed no 1st this year unless Carolina makes the finals.

 

[BusinessGoose]

So guaranteed no 1st this year unless Carolina makes the finals.

VERY likely outcome, yes

 

[Deport Ogie]

IMO assistant coaches are even more useless than head coaches and one of their primary functions is meat shield. Once the head coach's seat is hot... they are the first tossed into the breach.

Speaking as a former assistant coach for a local youth developmental program when i say hey man....those oranges aren't going to slice themselves.

Look, we know Jeff Carter has a role on this team next year. Maybe they 'bring him along slowly' with one of those dev coach titles like they did with Daley and Cullen and (I think) even Guerin but he's going to be on the team somewhere.

The sad thing is they had a (apparently) adequate power play specialist coach with very close ties to the team available for years in Paul Coffey and never reached out. Now he's filling that role for Edmonton and their 26% though how much of that is coaching and how much of that is *gestures* can be argued.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

Reminds me a bit of Paul Martin here. First year was complete garbage, settled in after that.

I think he’s very different than Martin and doubt his skillset works on the left of Letang or Karlsson. Hope I’m wrong but if we can’t move him just gotta hope he’s passable as a more offensive 3LD.

Praying you can get out of one of he and Jarry.

 

[Gurglesons]

Kinda crazy Letang was able to have the season he did offensively at his age with a major injury.

 

[SomeDude]

Didn’t they do that with Sid 2-3 years ago? That was infuriating.

Pretty sure Jake waited until his important DA BEAUTY league season ended before getting his ankle surgery too.

 

[Deport Ogie]

I think he’s very different than Martin and doubt his skillset works on the left of Letang or Karlsson. Hope I’m wrong but if we can’t move him just gotta hope he’s passable as a more offensive 3LD.

Praying you can get out of one of he and Jarry.

He's been miscast since day one and the lion's share of that is on coaching and scouting. The Pens are spectacularly successful at cornering the market on large men who play small. Graves fits as a bottom 4 offensive minded dman maybe. Poor man's Brian Dumolin he is not and that's how they played him and paid him.

 

[Pens1566]

The whole 20 years I've been on here... often being critical of the team... has just been one long ruse to fool a bunch of people I don't even know into thinking I like a sports team that I ACTUALLY don't!

...

Yeah... I don't have much going on in my life.

I'm busted too. Came in just before the Crosby draft, and started watching the Pens in the late 80s just to build up my cred to bolster my "sleeper cell" status.

Having finally admitted it, I feel so free now.

 

[SEALBound]

So guaranteed no 1st this year unless Carolina makes the finals.

Worst case: 11ov+ and Carolina doesn't make the SCF.
Medium case: Send our 1st to SJS and Carolina makes the SCF and we get their 1st
Best case: We get 1/2/3OV AND Carolina makes SCF. Then we have a top 3 pick and the 31/32ov.

 

[Pens1566]

Reminds me a bit of Paul Martin here. First year was complete garbage, settled in after that.

Eh, Gonchar was pretty awful at first as well.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Speaking as a former assistant coach for a local youth developmental program when i say hey man....those oranges aren't going to slice themselves.

Look, we know Jeff Carter has a role on this team next year. Maybe they 'bring him along slowly' with one of those dev coach titles like they did with Daley and Cullen and (I think) even Guerin but he's going to be on the team somewhere.

The sad thing is they had a (apparently) adequate power play specialist coach with very close ties to the team available for years in Paul Coffey and never reached out. Now he's filling that role for Edmonton and their 26% though how much of that is coaching and how much of that is *gestures* can be argued.

It's funny how well Gonchar is going in Vancouver, as well. But yeah I always thought it was weird this team never reached out to Coffey. I realize that BEING a legendary powerplay guy doesn't necessarily translate into coaching it. But uh... they probably have more constructive things to say on the subject than Todd Reirden and his like one powerplay goal ever.

 

[HandshakeLine]

Letang being injured is the absolute least surprising thing. Impressive and yet also 100% predictable.

Eh, Gonchar was pretty awful at first as well.

I think Gonchar and Martin are both completely different levels of quality compared to Graves though.

 

[Pens1566]

Letang being injured is the absolute least surprising thing. Impressive and yet also 100% predictable.


I think Gonchar and Martin are both completely different levels of quality compared to Graves though.

I'm not saying he's the same player or type of player, just that the "underwhelms first year in after signing" scenario could be happening again.

We did almost completely misuse him ...

 

[Zirakzigil]

I think he’s very different than Martin and doubt his skillset works on the left of Letang or Karlsson. Hope I’m wrong but if we can’t move him just gotta hope he’s passable as a more offensive 3LD.

Praying you can get out of one of he and Jarry.

I am not saying they are similar players, Im saying they both were trash their first year. Didnt help with Letang being injured most of it too.

 

[Zirakzigil]

It's funny how well Gonchar is going in Vancouver, as well. But yeah I always thought it was weird this team never reached out to Coffey. I realize that BEING a legendary powerplay guy doesn't necessarily translate into coaching it. But uh... they probably have more constructive things to say on the subject than Todd Reirden and his like one powerplay goal ever.

Rude. He had 2.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I was a little skeptical of Graves from the moment he called 37 year old Malkin "pretty intense" during training camp when he was halfheartedly plodding around the ice during drills.

 

[Zirakzigil]

I was a little skeptical of Graves from the moment he called 37 year old Malkin "pretty intense" during training camp when he was halfheartedly plodding around the ice during drills.

A big bear of a guy yelling at you in Russian feels that way.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

A big bear of a guy yelling at you in Russian feels that way.

Between Ruh and this guy I think maybe the lesson is we should start listening to Malkin when it comes to defensemen lol