Salary Cap: Pens '23-'24 Salary Cap Thread: "But if you don't get the President of the Pittsburgh Penguins on that phone, you know what's gonna happen to you?"

[Ryder71]

This is what Sullivan wanted folks…build a low event wall in the bottom six so they don’t give up as many goals as last season and that’s it…anyone except the great coach in chief could see this was a shit plan lol

He wants the bottom six to be completely useless in every way? Are you sure?

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

Kane's been awful for a while now, is coming off of pretty major hip surgery, and I don't think he's gonna get any less than like $3 million AAV.

Also, he's a piece of shit.

Yeah, I’d take him if we could fit him.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I mean... probably. But for the record an alternative of making the top six play with scrubs for the sake of L3 and/or blowing a bunch of money on that mythical "bottom six badass" everyone seems to want is equally dumb so I dunno. Should have drafted/developed better I guess.

This is ultimately what it comes down to no matter how many times people try to argue otherwise. Their bottom-6 sucks because of the piss poor job they did with drafting and developing from 2017-2022.

 

[Zirakzigil]

Expected the Harkins waive, didnt work out, it happens. Curious if Poulin gets the call up with injuries though. Pens need another center.

 

[Ryder71]

I remember when we signed Acciari and I was told by several here that it was a good signing. Well, let me tell you... I didn't think it was a good signing then and I don't think it's a good signing now.

 

[Andy99]

He wants the bottom six to be completely useless in every way? Are you sure?

he wants them to forecheck and keep the puck out of our net…oh and PK…that’s it…so yes, that’s useless in the same way he played ZAR forever and he was useless

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

This is ultimately what it comes down to no matter how many times people try to argue otherwise. Their bottom-6 sucks because of the piss poor job they did with drafting and developing from 2017-2022.

Yep.

And again... dead cap/Carter extension. But mostly drafting/development IMO. That's where good teams get their depth. That's where the B2B teams largely got their depth.

 

[Ryder71]

I mean... probably. But for the record an alternative of making the top six play with scrubs for the sake of L3 and/or blowing a bunch of money on that mythical "bottom six badass" everyone seems to want is equally dumb so I dunno. Should have drafted/developed better I guess.

Definitely contributes to our ineptitude in that capacity no question.

he wants them to forecheck and keep the puck out of our net…oh and PK…that’s it…so yes, that’s useless in the same way he played ZAR forever and he was useless

So, he's instructing them to not score? Are you sure? And the forecheck other than an odd shift is almost on life support, is that HIS instructions to them? When are the players accountable? When do they get challenged. When do we start pointing fingers at them?

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Yeah, I’d take him if we could fit him.

I wouldn't be surprised if he was Kessel-bad until he hung 'em up, and he's probably either going to Buffalo or Detroit.

He's not a good add.

 

[Andy99]

Definitely contributes to our ineptitude in that capacity no question.


So, he's instructing them to not score? Are you sure? And the forecheck other than an odd shift is almost on life support, is that HIS instructions to them? When are the players accountable? When do they get challenged. When do we start pointing fingers on them?

Of course he’s not telling Jeff Carter to shoot well above the net or into the goalie’s pads when he has a clear shot on net…but he designed a bottom six where scoring is going to be nigh impossible with the type of player he wants there and where/how he wants them to play lol

 

[Empoleon8771]

Looking back on it, those 2021 playoffs piss me off so much because I genuinely think that was the last chance the Penguins had to truly go on a run and potentially win a cup. That team was great both at forward and on defense, and then Jarry just absolutely shit himself in the playoffs. I don't think this team is ever going to have as complete of a lineup as they had at the end of the 2021 season again.

Compare that team to today's team:

Guentzel-Crosby-Rust
Zucker-Malkin-Kapanen
McCann-Carter-Rodrigues
ZAR-Blueger-Tanev

Dumoulin-Letang
Pettersson-Marino
Matheson-Ceci

I know people don't fondly remember the BART line, but ZAR, Blueger and Tanev combined for 23 goals and 53 points in a 56 game season. And that was with all of those guys missing double digit games (11 for ZAR, 13 for Blueger and 24 for Tanev). The 3rd line had a guy who was on pace for 60 points in McCann with a red hot Carter who put up 13 goals in 20 regular season plus playoff games. Even Rodrigues still paced for 33 points, which is good 3rd line production but seems like an afterthought compared to McCann and Carter.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

I wouldn't be surprised if he was Kessel-bad until he hung 'em up, and he's probably either going to Buffalo or Detroit.

He's not a good add.

IMO - you can’t pine for more skill/scoring and then turn your nose up at Kane. Even if his hip isn’t better and last year wasn’t an aberration— he’s still likely more effective than calling up Nylander.

I take him all day.

Also Kessel is kind of a bad example- he scored 12 goals and 15 assists at ES for the Cup winning team last year. We’d kill for that production in our bottom 6, even if it’s just for the regular season.

 

[Ryder71]

Of course he’s not telling Jeff Carter to shoot well above the net or into the goalie’s pads when he has a clear shot on net…but he designed a bottom six where scoring is going to be nigh impossible with the type of player he wants there and where/how he wants them to play lol

Here's where I find fault with ''crazy'' Sully. He's not spreading the top six over three lines like I done told him to. That's on him. We need scoring threats on THREE lines not two. He's not aptly utilizing his talented players. TWO line teams have no chance to succeed. That's on him no doubt!!!! However Eller and Acciari need to be a bit better in their own right. Along with DOC they're EMBARRASSING themselves and the city! And that makes me madder than fishgrease!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Looking back on it, those 2021 playoffs piss me off so much because I genuinely think that was the last chance the Penguins had to truly go on a run and potentially win a cup. That team was great both at forward and on defense, and then Jarry just absolutely shit himself in the playoffs. I don't think this team is ever going to have as complete of a lineup as they had at the end of the 2021 season again.

Compare that team to today's team:

Guentzel-Crosby-Rust
Zucker-Malkin-Kapanen
McCann-Carter-Rodrigues
ZAR-Blueger-Tanev

Dumoulin-Letang
Pettersson-Marino
Matheson-Ceci

I know people don't fondly remember the BART line, but ZAR, Blueger and Tanev combined for 23 goals and 53 points in a 56 game season. And that was with all of those guys missing double digit games (11 for ZAR, 13 for Blueger and 24 for Tanev).

I know it's easy to say now but one of the big reasons at the time that I was furious about the Carter extension is because I thought there were a handful of decent options to let play out at center that season and assess at years-end what would be best. Chief among them ERod. He stunk as Sid's RW but that's not always the easiest gig. He seemed ideal at near everything else and would look awful good right now in this team's bottom six... especially instead of Jeff Carter.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

The way this team hemorrhaged assets chasing guys like Brassard, Zucker and Kapanen for years, while simultaneously sporting a horrendous drafting/developing resume for the picks and prospects they did keep, is genuinely impressive.

IMO - you can’t pine for more skill/scoring and then turn your nose up at Kane. Even if his hip isn’t better and last year wasn’t an aberration— he’s still likely more effective than calling up Nylander.

I take him all day.

Also Kessel is kind of a bad example- he scored 12 goals and 15 assists at ES for the Cup winning team last year. We’d kill for that production in our bottom 6, even if it’s just for the regular season.

Those are Jeff Carter numbers. Kessel didn't play a single second of playoff hockey though. When the games really mattered, he was in the press box because he sucks.

Just what the team needs. Another 35 year old dude who is slow, soft, terrible defensively but still has the hands to make a highlight reel play every 20 games.

It doesn't even matter, because unless he's taking a league minimum deal (he won't), he's an impossibility. Thankfully.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I know it's easy to say now but one of the big reasons at the time that I was furious about the Carter extension is because I thought there were a handful of decent options to let play out at center that season and assess at years-end what would be best. Chief among them ERod. He stunk as Sid's RW but that's not always the easiest gig. He seemed ideal at near everything else and would look awful good right now in this team's bottom six... especially instead of Jeff Carter.

What sucks is that ERod has the exact skillset you want out of a guy to carry that 3rd line or play in the top-6 if you want to push a top-6 guy down. The 3rd line would be in a wildly better situation right now with ERod on the 3rd line.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

What sucks is that ERod has the exact skillset you want out of a guy to carry that 3rd line or play in the top-6 if you want to push a top-6 guy down. The 3rd line would be in a wildly better situation right now with ERod on the 3rd line.

Plus he actually IS a guy that gives you a little top six insurance.

I dunno. Not worth getting too worked up about, now. But man that extension and the timing was just so foolish.

 

[Gurglesons]

Looking back on it, those 2021 playoffs piss me off so much because I genuinely think that was the last chance the Penguins had to truly go on a run and potentially win a cup. That team was great both at forward and on defense, and then Jarry just absolutely shit himself in the playoffs. I don't think this team is ever going to have as complete of a lineup as they had at the end of the 2021 season again.

Compare that team to today's team:

Guentzel-Crosby-Rust
Zucker-Malkin-Kapanen
McCann-Carter-Rodrigues
ZAR-Blueger-Tanev

Dumoulin-Letang
Pettersson-Marino
Matheson-Ceci

I know people don't fondly remember the BART line, but ZAR, Blueger and Tanev combined for 23 goals and 53 points in a 56 game season. And that was with all of those guys missing double digit games (11 for ZAR, 13 for Blueger and 24 for Tanev). The 3rd line had a guy who was on pace for 60 points in McCann with a red hot Carter who put up 13 goals in 20 regular season plus playoff games. Even Rodrigues still paced for 33 points, which is good 3rd line production but seems like an afterthought compared to McCann and Carter.

Rodrigues was scratched by Mike Sullivan.
McCann scored 0 goals in the playoffs.
Malkin was hurt.
GCR sucked ass.
Those defensive groups were absolutely wrecks.

The funny part is people think that team was so great when they did exactly what we've done for years. Beat up on teams based on individual efforts, did not play a collective team game. Had terrible special teams and got no production from the bottom six.

The biggest player we missed out on from that team was Gaudreau who you didn't even mention.

 

[Darren McCord]

Looking back on it, those 2021 playoffs piss me off so much because I genuinely think that was the last chance the Penguins had to truly go on a run and potentially win a cup. That team was great both at forward and on defense, and then Jarry just absolutely shit himself in the playoffs. I don't think this team is ever going to have as complete of a lineup as they had at the end of the 2021 season again.

Compare that team to today's team:

Guentzel-Crosby-Rust
Zucker-Malkin-Kapanen
McCann-Carter-Rodrigues
ZAR-Blueger-Tanev

Dumoulin-Letang
Pettersson-Marino
Matheson-Ceci

I know people don't fondly remember the BART line, but ZAR, Blueger and Tanev combined for 23 goals and 53 points in a 56 game season. And that was with all of those guys missing double digit games (11 for ZAR, 13 for Blueger and 24 for Tanev). The 3rd line had a guy who was on pace for 60 points in McCann with a red hot Carter who put up 13 goals in 20 regular season plus playoff games. Even Rodrigues still paced for 33 points, which is good 3rd line production but seems like an afterthought compared to McCann and Carter.

You can blame Jarry for that but that was a huge coaching blunder too. Sullivan refused to adjust like always. They were also not great on defense. The ictime is laughable on defence as well. Ceci was there number 3 not 6.

Cody Ceci 22:25 TOI
Petts 13:19 TOI

GCR combined to be a -11 but was never broken up.

Jarry made bone head plays but the team structure was awful.

 

[Josey Wales]

What sucks is that ERod has the exact skillset you want out of a guy to carry that 3rd line or play in the top-6 if you want to push a top-6 guy down. The 3rd line would be in a wildly better situation right now with ERod on the 3rd line.

Stop having Orgasms about ERod he was not that good

 

[Zirakzigil]

eRod was only good here when he was getting top minutes, including PP. Liked the player, but he was never going to get the payday he wanted to be 3rd line center.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Ugh... yeah... Gaudreau was another miss.

This team seems to have issues recognizing talent/roles sometimes. What a mystery.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

I'm not gonna wax poetic about guys like ERod or McCann but they'd be a lot more fun to watch on any given night than Eller (who is the best of the bunch, sad as it is to say) or any of the other bottom-6 guys this team has.

 

[Gurglesons]

Ugh... yeah... Gaudreau was another miss.

This team seems to have issues recognizing talent sometimes. What a mystery.

Don't worry. Mark Friedman isn't going to become anything in Vancouver. He went unclaimed on waivers.

I'm not gonna wax poetic about guys like ERod or McCann but they'd be a lot more fun to watch on any given night than Eller (who is the best of the bunch, sad as it is to say) or any of the other bottom-6 guys this team has.

Obviously you forget what watching Rodrigues and McCann was like at times lol.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Rodrigues was scratched by Mike Sullivan.
McCann scored 0 goals in the playoffs.
Malkin was hurt.
GCR sucked ass.
Those defensive groups were absolutely wrecks.

The funny part is people think that team was so great when they did exactly what we've done for years. Beat up on teams based on individual efforts, did not play a collective team game. Had terrible special teams and got no production from the bottom six.

The biggest player we missed out on from that team was Gaudreau who you didn't even mention.

And yet that team finished with 77 points in a 56 game season, which would have been a 113 point pace over a full season. The only Penguins team in the Crosby/Malkin era that had a better pace than that was the 2013 lockout team.

If you think that team sucked, I don't even know why you're watching this team.