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

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Fancy Gina Carano
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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.
Nieto for sure and possibly Acciari should be gone for the exact same reason Eller was traded which is what you said - to make room for the younger kids.

Going down those two still provides a solid roster, even without Puustinen.

Rak-Sid-Rust
Beau-Geno-Tomasino
Puljujarvi-DOC-Poulin
Hayes-Glass-Lizotte
 
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canadianguy77

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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
They’re not “shitty” skaters as much as they’re one-dimensional skaters. They can basically go north/south the same as other NHL players, it’s their east/west game sucks. Mike prefers these types. He has no use for east/west skating, which is why he doesn’t care if they’re good at it.
 

Empoleon8771

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Regarding the veterans, I do think there is some complexity with deciding who to play based on some of the roster rules in the AHL. The AHL has strict veteran rules and stashing a bunch of guys like Nieto and Hayes in the AHL is going to make things complicated from an AHL roster perspective. Putting Nieto, Hayes and Acciari on waivers to send to WBS and then calling up Poulin, Ponomarev and Broz to play in the NHL would really put WBS in a bind to be able to play a full roster.

My big complaint with the roster decisions are not giving Puljujarvi a larger role and not having 1 young guy on the 4th line. You're going to have to have 1 or 2 of guys like Hayes and Acciari in your lineup, simply because you don't have anywhere to put them. That doesn't mean you need 4 of those guys in your bottom-6 while you have numerous NHL ready prospects.

Something I'd be trying to do is swapping some of these depth NHLers for depth AHLers who do not fall under AHL veteran status. You can have more guys like Poulin and Ponomarev in the NHL if you acquire more young AHLers to play in the AHL, even if they don't realistically have NHL upside. I wouldn't add much to do it, but sending Nieto or Acciari (if they can move him) to a team for their team's version of John Gruden or Avery Hayes would be the kind of moves I'd be looking at to clear out some of the crap at the bottom of the Penguins roster.

The Penguins have so many 4th and 5ths that I'd be trying to do something like Acciari and a 4th to someone for their young AHLer, just to clear out his roster spot.
 
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Big Friggin Dummy

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I wonder if Larsson would be an attractive piece for the Jackets. Their goalie situation within the org seems pretty weak.

I like Jiricek but I'm a bit wary of throwing the kitchen sink at the Jackets to get him. Not that he's not worth like, McG and someone like Murashev or Blomqvist or Larsson, but this team's not really in a position to part with talented prospects even if it's to get talented prospects. Kinda defeats the purpose imo.

But even as a dude who likes McG a lot, I think Jiricek is easily a better prospect in a vacuum.
 

BlindWillyMcHurt

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I wonder if Larsson would be an attractive piece for the Jackets. Their goalie situation within the org seems pretty weak.

I like Jiricek but I'm a bit wary of throwing the kitchen sink at the Jackets to get him. Not that he's not worth like, McG and someone like Murashev or Blomqvist or Larsson, but this team's not really in a position to part with talented prospects even if it's to get talented prospects. Kinda defeats the purpose imo.

But even as a dude who likes McG a lot, I think Jiricek is easily a better prospect in a vacuum.

I just don't think there is much worth losing if I'm being honest. Not even their top guys.

I mean... there are certainly some players in there that could be very useful depth players (this is where I see Groat topping out) or possible league starters but frankly if there is any chance to bundle several of them for a guy that was 6th overall just a couple of seasons ago, plays a much more important position, is the "correct" handedness and is 6'4" I don't hesitate.

I know this is cynical (shocker) but RIGHT NOW I think almost every team has one or several of what this team considers it's "top" prospects.
 

Big Friggin Dummy

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I just don't think there is much worth losing if I'm being honest. Not even their top guys.

I mean... there are certainly some players in there that could be very useful depth players (this is where I see Groat topping out) or possible league starters but frankly if there is any chance to bundle several of them for a guy that was 6th overall just a couple of seasons ago, plays a much more important position, is the "correct" handedness and is 6'4" I don't hesitate.

I know this is cynical (shocker) but RIGHT NOW I think almost every team has one or several of what this team considers it's "top" prospects.
Yeah, no, I mean I get it. I just think you need to accumulate the kinda guys not just swap 'em around.

I do think it's easier to land a McG-type than a Jiricek though, for sure.

The main thing is not parting with a 1st. This team's set to be picking near top-5 every year for a long while imo. If something like McG + Larsson gets it done, cool. Stings a bit but Jiricek is pretty consistently considered like a top-15 prospect *league wide* so I get it.
 

BlindWillyMcHurt

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Yeah, no, I mean I get it. I just think you need to accumulate the kinda guys not just swap 'em around.

I do think it's easier to land a McG-type than a Jiricek though, for sure.

The main thing is not parting with a 1st. This team's set to be picking near top-5 every year for a long while imo. If something like McG + Larsson gets it done, cool. Stings a bit but Jiricek is pretty consistently considered like a top-15 prospect *league wide* so I get it.

Merit in that line of thought... I get it. The team's pipeline has been barren a while so fans wanting them to start hoarding prospects is understandable and frankly as bad a job as Dubas has done handling the NHL team he really has taken steps to move their farm systems ahead so kudos, there. But I'm like 99% sure this team's timeline isn't even at the "Brooks Orpik and Colby Armstrong" part of the program, yet. So I just don't care much about any of these guys unless they compel me to care. And they aren't doing that aside from some flashes from the goaltenders. Their "top" prospect has like 3 points in 13 games or whatever. Sorry... I know there are legit reasons but that's a player that probably just isn't someone that is going to pan out enough to make you regret it. It's almost always immediately apparent if a player is "special" or not or even fascinating. Don't see much/any of that in the pipeline, currently.
 
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Big Friggin Dummy

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Merit in that line of thought... I get it. The team's pipeline has been barren a while so fans wanting them to start hoarding prospects is understandable and frankly as bad a job as Dubas has done handling the NHL team he really has taken steps to move their farm systems ahead so kudos, there. But I'm like 99% sure this team's timeline isn't even at the "Brooks Orpik and Colby Armstrong" part of the program, yet. So I just don't care much about any of these guys unless they compel me to care. And they aren't doing that aside from some flashes from the goaltenders. Their "top" prospect has like 3 points in 13 games or whatever. Gross.
Yeah. Again, even as a big McG fan who thinks he could end up as a like Landeskog/Hornqvist/Kunitz type down the line, Jiricek is a hell of a prospect and you just gotta kinda jump at an opportunity when you can.

I'm still skeptical this team's gonna be able to outbid others, especially given the whole divisional "rivals" thing and all that.

All I really hope for is that the Pens don't get ratf***ed into paying a 1st rounder. Absolutely cannot trade those with where this team's at and where it's headed imo.
 

Empoleon8771

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So Puustinen got 10 games of being overall pretty useless before waivers.
Harkins got 45. Acciari's at 78 and counting.

So it goes in Pittsburgh.

Puustinen has been pretty useless for the entire 2024 calendar year.

He was on fire when first called up last year where he had 7 points in his first 10 games. He then had 13 points in his next 43 games and has 2 points in 10 games this year. In terms of that points/60 stat that you love, Puustinen has a 1.5 5v5 points/60 in 53 games in the 2024 calendar year.

Believe it or not, if you're an offense-only winger that only puts up an 8 goal, 23 point pace in the NHL for an entire calendar year, you're not going to stick in the NHL.
 
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