Salary Cap: Pens '24-'25 Salary Thread: The Crosbicles Volume XIX

[Andy99]

I just want to know why we’re always in on the shitty skating players..every trade and prospect we get we always hear “well, he has to work on his skating.” F**k that. It’s important, probably the second most important skill to hockey IQ…let’s be in on the good skaters please lol

 

[Turin]

Seems that whatever strengths Sullivan has as a coach they are only relevant to an NHL team trying to win now or an AHL team where he can’t just ignore players he doesn’t like. Not an NHL team trying to develop guys into being useful NHL players

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I just want to k ow why we’re always in on the shitty skating players..every trade and prospect we get we always hear “well, he has to work on his skating.” F**k that. It’s important, probably the second most important skill to hockey IQ…let’s get in on the good skaters please lol

Honestly I don't listen to this team's assessment of players at all since they are almost universally wrong.

 

[The Old Master]

I just cannot understand how you can watch this team and conclude Puljujarvi is the guy who should sit. He’s been one of the only bright spots on this team the last month and I think was trending towards returning a 3rd or so at the deadline.

Make it make sense

see post above

 

[SEALBound]

I'm sure this will go over well...



In a vacuum, he's right. Puustinen goes invisible. So did Poulin.

The argument, of course, is that Sullivan's measure of "impact" is highly questionable at this point. Harkins made an impact? Is Nieto really making an impact? I think Nieto, in particular, is better defensively and a better forechecker than Puustinen or Poulin. But does that outweigh his lack of offense? Is it worth keeping instead of letting someone like Poulin play 20 games to truly get a sense of where he is?

Just because I believe Sullivan to be wrong with Nieto, Acciari, and then Harkins, doesn't mean I think he's wrong with Puustinen here. Basically, Sullivan is saying that when he plays, he's invisible. Which, Sullivan or not, is the accurate truth. It was part of my frustration with him as well.

With Poulin, McGroarty, Puljujarvi, Pono, and now Tomasino, losing Puustinen isn't the end of the world. That's the ebs and flows of a roster over the course of a season.

If Dubas couldn't get a 2033 6th for Puustinen, shows he has no value.

I actually thought about that initially. As I stated on the mainboards, I think every single team has a Puustinen-level player. If he can't impact a Penguins game, of what value is he really? I feel like this was also true with Poulin when they waived him at the beginning of the season.

 

[steelcityassault]

He just sucks.

We were one day off.

 

[Duffy13]

Should have waived Nieto... Ufa after this year, no value or potential contributions, no trade value, costs 125,000 more cap.

Puustinen could be a body to put in a trade package, no one wants 32 yr old non contributing Nieto, a 25 yr old looking for a chance is much more appealing.

Unless Nieto can't be waived or something

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Should have waived Nieto... Ufa after this year, no value or potential contributions, no trade value, costs 125,000 more cap.

Puustinen could be a body to put in a trade package, no one wants 32 yr old non contributing Nieto, a 25 yr old looking for a chance is much more appealing.

Unless Nieto can't be waived or something

I don't believe that's possible (without crazy trade clauses) but now I'm imagining Sullivan taking this case to Dubas.

"He can't be waived Kyle! It's in his contract!"

"That's weird Mike because I was the one that presented the contract to him."

Oh who am I kidding Dubas probably actually believes Nieto is the lynchpin in their big bad 10th overall penalty killing unit.

 

[Duffy13]

Can't tell me a bottom 6 that has Pono, Poulin, Puustinen, Puljujarvi, O'Connell, glass, Lizotte, is going to be worse than what is being iced currently.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Should have waived Nieto... Ufa after this year, no value or potential contributions, no trade value, costs 125,000 more cap.

Puustinen could be a body to put in a trade package, no one wants 32 yr old non contributing Nieto, a 25 yr old looking for a chance is much more appealing.

Unless Nieto can't be waived or something

Why would anyone trade anything of value for Puustinen?

 

[Andy99]

Just because I believe Sullivan to be wrong with Nieto, Acciari, and then Harkins, doesn't mean I think he's wrong with Puustinen here. Basically, Sullivan is saying that when he plays, he's invisible. Which, Sullivan or not, is the accurate truth. It was part of my frustration with him as well.

With Poulin, McGroarty, Puljujarvi, Pono, and now Tomasino, losing Puustinen isn't the end of the world. That's the ebs and flows of a roster over the course of a season.


I actually thought about that initially. As I stated on the mainboards, I think every single team has a Puustinen-level player. If he can't impact a Penguins game, of what value is he really? I feel like this was also true with Poulin when they waived him at the beginning of the season.

If Puusty was invisible, and he was, it’s because the coach demands offensive players play without the puck in a way he likes…if you don’t, you’re benched…it’s also hard to produce offense when you get 8 min a night and start in the D zone a lot in the bottom six…since Puusty isn’t a big physical or energy type player, the only way he’s not going to be “invisible” is getting opportunities in the top six under this coach…it’s unfair and unfortunate for him that he gets lumped in with the other invisible players who PK , because the coach loves that lol…

I hope Puusty gets picked up and shines elsewhere …he had 20 points in the NHL last season in like 50 games, which is not nothing…

I also find it interesting that he had one goal and one assist in 10 games this season and gets waived and Tomasino had one assist in 11 games and gets traded for a fourth…the difference mostly reflects where the player was selected in the draft, which hovers over the imagination of GMs like a cloud of air pollution lol

 

[Duffy13]

Why would anyone trade anything of value for Puustinen?

Not as a key piece... I don't believe Puustinen has zero value like Nieto. He can be body in a package that gets a Karlsson trade done, is a moving piece, noooooo, but it's better than Nieto.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I still don't think the team is going to miss out on a ton re: Puus but you never know. He has some talent and wasn't often enough put in the position here to use it without MAJOR catches. I can agree with that. It wasn't often ENOUGH but he showed flashes of offensive ability/IQ that I don't hardly ever see from some of this team's "legitimate" top six wings.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Puustinen spent 40% of his ice time last year with Malkin. This idea that Puustinen never got a shot in the top-6 is just not true.

Again, the dude has no traits that suggests he's a NHLer. His best trait is his shot, but he has too slow of a release for it to be effective in the NHL. You're left with a guy who's 5'9" that isn't fast, doesn't offer any sort of defense/physicality and can't score goals at the NHL level. What is even left there? I guess he has decent playmaking, but as evidence with this year he can't be a driver with his playmaking.

I really struggle to see what differentiates Puustinen from Emil Bemstrom here, and I don't think anyone cared that Bemstrom was waived to start the year. The two are the same age, they were born 3 days apart from each other.

 

[Andy99]

Puustinen spent 40% of his ice time last year with Malkin. This idea that Puustinen never got a shot in the top-6 is just not true.

Again, the dude has no traits that suggests he's a NHLer. His best trait is his shot, but he has too slow of a release for it to be effective in the NHL. You're left with a guy who's 5'9" that isn't fast, doesn't offer any sort of defense/physicality and can't score goals at the NHL level. What is even left there? I guess he has decent playmaking, but as evidence with this year he can't be a driver with his playmaking.

I really struggle to see what differentiates Puustinen from Emil Bemstrom here.

I guess we’ll find out about Tomasino too…I’ll be interested to see why he’s worth a 4th vs just waiving him like Puusty..

 

[Empoleon8771]

I guess we’ll find out about Tomasino too…I’ll be interested to see why he’s worth a 4th vs just waiving him like Puusty..

Tomasino is younger and bigger than Puustinen while he has also had more success at the NHL level.

From age 20-22, Tomisano had 70 points in 148 games in the NHL. Over that same age range, Puustinen played in 1 NHL game.

 

[Le Magnifique 66]

I just hope he clears, he would be a great addition to WBS

 

[BillyOcean]

Oh God. Just realized Nieto went to Boston University. Jesus f***ing Christ. No wonder they signed him, kept him around after major injuries, and glued him immediately to the lineup despite not having any reason to be in it.

 

[DesertPenguin]

I don't want to trade O'Connor yet just because he's a guy who could potentially have value and selling him right now would be getting nothing back for him. If you can get a 3rd for him now, yeah go for it, but I severely doubt you'd be getting that right now.

I think putting him at 3C and showing he can be a capable bottom-6 center could be an easy way to increase his value. You could run with this top-9 and try to showcase O'Connor as a bottom-6 center:

Rakell-Crosby-Rust
Bunting-Malkin-Tomasino
Beauvillier-O'Connor-Puljujarvi

I like this a lot. Tomasino on the 2nd right away is the right move I never thought Sully would make. Pulju healthy scratch to make room makes my blood boil.

 

[Duffy13]

I'm not saying Puustinen is this amazing young player we are missing out on... I'm basically saying Nieto is worse and Puustinen can be leveraged more in a trade package that includes bigger pieces. Nieto is waiver and termination of contract worthy. Cut the fat on the roster, and they're both fat.

Anyways, it's not that huge a deal, they both are ass. Lol

 

[DesertPenguin]

Should have waived Nieto... Ufa after this year, no value or potential contributions, no trade value, costs 125,000 more cap.

Puustinen could be a body to put in a trade package, no one wants 32 yr old non contributing Nieto, a 25 yr old looking for a chance is much more appealing.

Unless Nieto can't be waived or something

I hate this, but I think Nieto being in the lineup is a favor to a veteran to let him re-establish his career after a bad injury. If he got sent straight to the A his career is probably over. Maybe gets a PTO somewhere. This way he gets some games to show something to either be a minor deadline asset or at least get picked up on waivers and stay in the show.

 

[Duffy13]

I hate this, but I think Nieto being in the lineup is a favor to a veteran to let him re-establish his career after a bad injury. If he got sent straight to the A his career is probably over. Maybe gets a PTO somewhere. This way he gets some games to show something to either be a minor deadline asset or at least get picked up on waivers and stay in the show.

He's made over 12 million, he'll be ok

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I hate this, but I think Nieto being in the lineup is a favor to a veteran to let him re-establish his career after a bad injury. If he got sent straight to the A his career is probably over. Maybe gets a PTO somewhere. This way he gets some games to show something to either be a minor deadline asset or at least get picked up on waivers and stay in the show.

I mean... this is not untrue and probably at least part of the reason. And this isn't aimed at you because I know you said in this very post that you hate that train of thought but it's not the Penguins job to be a charity organization for journeymen players and their future job placement. Especially at this juncture.

 

[BillyOcean]

I hate this, but I think Nieto being in the lineup is a favor to a veteran to let him re-establish his career after a bad injury. If he got sent straight to the A his career is probably over. Maybe gets a PTO somewhere. This way he gets some games to show something to either be a minor deadline asset or at least get picked up on waivers and stay in the show.

He wouldn't be on 95% of NHL teams. His career is over in the NHL. Its being prolonged because he's from Boston and reminds Mikey of himself.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Nieto being in the lineup is a problem because it's taking away opportunities from Ponomarev and Poulin, not Puustinen. Puustinen shouldn't be in the NHL, he should be in the AHL adding some extra scoring talent for WBS.

Right now, their bottom-6 should probably be something like:

Beauvillier-O'Connor-Puljujarvi
Lizotte-Glass-Poulin

With planning on trading Beauvillier, O'Connor and Puljujarvi for a 3rd the second you can get one. I think O'Connor brings that back fairly easily but Beauvillier and Puljuijarvi are tougher.