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

[Jacob]

Maybe we could secretly cut Kakko’s sticks incrementally longer until after 12-15 games he’s playing with a normal stick and doesn’t even notice.

 

[Andy99]

How the rival Capitals and Penguins have ended up in very different places

One team swam against the current and is headed nowhere. The other accepted its fate and is trending upward.

www.dailyfaceoff.com

 

[Goalie_Bob]

It's much easier to accept your fate when two of your top players are dead/LTIR.

 

[Ryder71]

What I've learned is that several here were right! The East is kinda bad, like! I just thought we aged out and that the coach wouldn't aptly adjust! Problem is, Kyle brought in some young legs, Sullivan decided to play a 20 yr old on the blue line (his recent struggles noted) and they modified their structure. They actually look like a low tier playoff team. 7-2-1 Like what the hell?

Early on in that streak they lucked out playing the Canucks 3rd string goalie and nearly blew that lead. Then against FLA BOB'S wife was having a baby they played Knight, garnered a big lead, yet they blew that lead but won in OT. It was a crazy high wire act. But somehow they derived some modicum of confidence through these events. Now, they have belief. They beat a really good team last night. Not the quickest team, but a structured team.

Point is, while I don't see them buying at all, I'm not so sure about a huge sell off now - MP.

 

[Gurglesons]

It's much easier to accept your fate when two of your top players are dead/LTIR.

Accept what fate?

Washington has largely been in the same position as us in every season since the cup win.

The reality is they've won more trades, they've been more willing to take bigger swingers, they've been better at drafting, and they've focused on winning over commitment to their players.

 

[Dennis Reynolds]

bigger swingers

Exactly why I stopped going to key parties.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

How the rival Capitals and Penguins have ended up in very different places

One team swam against the current and is headed nowhere. The other accepted its fate and is trending upward.

www.dailyfaceoff.com

I'd argue that the Capitals were the ones who didn't simply accept their fate. They worked to change things, took risks. The Pens are happy to waste literally the final decade of the Sid/Geno era just to keep everyone happy and comfortable as they have their sentimental circlejerk.

 

[Gurglesons]

How the rival Capitals and Penguins have ended up in very different places

One team swam against the current and is headed nowhere. The other accepted its fate and is trending upward.

www.dailyfaceoff.com

This article is honestly completely wrong and ignores the real issue which is that Pittsburgh was uncreative, unintelligent, and conservative in their approach under both Hextall and now Dubas.

Capitals made shrewd high risk draft picks. Capitals made shrewd signings. And Capitals fired multiple coaches because "simply existing" was not enough.

 

[Kristopher Letang]

Man f*** these clowns. Playing with my emotions again.

Can’t even tank right.

 

[Empoleon8771]

The difference between the Penguins and Capitals go much further back than just the 2022 off-season. The two franchises have been operated way differently since basically the 2017 cup, I'd say that Washington's 2017 deadline where they went all-in and paid a fortune for Shattenkirk was the last time they acted like the JR-led Penguins. When you don't trade a billion picks, surprisingly you actually have some young talent.

It also helps that guys like Backstrom and Oshie LTIRetired and Kuznetsov was shipped out, the Capitals have shown a willingness to move on from former core pieces while the Penguins have adamantly refused to. Much easier to make those kind of Dubois and Strome gambles when you have a spot open for them, which the Penguins have basically refused to make. You still have people here arguing they should have kept Guentzel, which would have been another example of the Penguins refusing to move on.

 

[Pancakes]

How the rival Capitals and Penguins have ended up in very different places

One team swam against the current and is headed nowhere. The other accepted its fate and is trending upward.

www.dailyfaceoff.com

Oddly timed article given the Pens have dragged themselves back into the playoff race.

Might not last, but this article would have made a lot more sense a few weeks ago.

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

The difference between the Penguins and Capitals go much further back than just the 2022 off-season. The two franchises have been operated way differently since basically the 2017 cup, I'd say that Washington's 2017 deadline where they went all-in and paid a fortune for Shattenkirk was the last time they acted like the JR-led Penguins. When you don't trade a billion picks, surprisingly you actually have some young talent.

It also helps that guys like Backstrom and Oshie LTIRetired and Kuznetsov was shipped out, the Capitals have shown a willingness to move on from former core pieces while the Penguins have adamantly refused to. Much easier to make those kind of Dubois and Strome gambles when you have a spot open for them, which the Penguins have basically refused to make. You still have people here arguing they should have kept Guentzel, which would have been another example of the Penguins refusing to move on.

I see the logic behind the thought the poster is trying to make.

The pivot point really is that Backstrom retired, and that is when the Caps accepted what was happening and started their rebuild.

This would be no different if Crosby had a significant injury and he could no longer play. You could make the argument that the Pens would then consequently accept their own fate and start tearing down.

But since Crosby and Malkin are still functional, it's more difficult to walk that tightrope. Because with both of them on the roster, they are taking up:

1. Roster spots
2. Relatively significant cap space

Do not take my post as advocating for 1 vs the other. Merely objectifying the issue at hand.

 

[Khelandros]

I see the logic behind the thought the poster is trying to make.

The pivot point really is that Backstrom retired, and that is when the Caps accepted what was happening and started their rebuild.

This would be no different if Crosby had a significant injury and he could no longer play. You could make the argument that the Pens would then consequently accept their own fate and start tearing down.

But since Crosby and Malkin are still functional, it's more difficult to walk that tightrope. Because with both of them on the roster, they are taking up:

1. Roster spots
2. Relatively significant cap space

Do not take my post as advocating for 1 vs the other. Merely objectifying the issue at hand.

Backstrom isn't retired.

 

[Turin]

Backstrom isn't retired.

He basically is.

Backstrom semi retired, Oshie is cooked and Kuznetsov is coked in the KHL. That’s like if Malkin and Letang and Rust all retired/went on IR. That affords way more flexibility.

 

[SEALBound]

The difference between the Penguins and Capitals go much further back than just the 2022 off-season. The two franchises have been operated way differently since basically the 2017 cup, I'd say that Washington's 2017 deadline where they went all-in and paid a fortune for Shattenkirk was the last time they acted like the JR-led Penguins. When you don't trade a billion picks, surprisingly you actually have some young talent.

It also helps that guys like Backstrom and Oshie LTIRetired and Kuznetsov was shipped out, the Capitals have shown a willingness to move on from former core pieces while the Penguins have adamantly refused to. Much easier to make those kind of Dubois and Strome gambles when you have a spot open for them, which the Penguins have basically refused to make. You still have people here arguing they should have kept Guentzel, which would have been another example of the Penguins refusing to move on.

31 teams had the opportunity to sign Strome. Dude was damn near done in the league but he got the 1yr deal from Washington, took it, and got his game back - or maybe rather, he realized his full potential. As the article states, they were willing to spend a couple years in middling like we are now and it gets them a couple guys like McMichael and Protas.

I would say their current success is not unlike ours in 2016 and 2017, when every trade they made turned out well. Sometimes, you get major returns on trades and signings like Strome, Sandin, Chychrun, and Kuzy. Other times, it's Brassard or Pearson-like trades.

That kind of fortune doesn't happen to every team every time.

Their willingness to move on from Orlov and Kuzy are interesting parallels. I wonder where we'd be if no one stopped JR from pursuing a Letang trade. Then say you don't resign Malkin and opt for Trocheck. That "might" put us on a similar path. Whether or not it's better, who knows.

 

[Ryder71]

This is a very tumultuous time in Pens land. You can't trust them to win or lose. Up is down and down is up. I think we should all be fearful of the mushy middle. I know I'm afraid, and I don't scare easily.

 

[Ryder71]

Man f*** these clowns. Playing with my emotions again.

Can’t even tank right.

Agreed, we should all be very concerned as to what's going on here. I think the moral of the story is Sullivan simply won't leave. And even if we lose five in a row Sullivan has restored order to this team.

The Dinosaurs and Sullivan have defeated us all! And Kyle bringing in younger players like Lizotte, Tomasino and Glass have outpunched their size here. Pickering? A 20 yr old defensemen gets a jersey with Sullivan as head coach? What the hell is going on here?

 

[Turin]

Feels like any notion of Petts to VAN is probably dead.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Feels like any notion of Petts to VAN is probably dead.

He pulled a Robert Lang on us.

Shouldn't he be fine by the TDL, though?

 

[Turin]

He pulled a Robert Lang on us.

Shouldn't he be fine by the TDL, though?

Yea, but Vancouver is trying to get a top 4 defenseman by today or tomorrow. They don't need 2.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Yea, but Vancouver is trying to get a top 4 defenseman by today or tomorrow. They don't need 2.

Ah I see... yeah that's probably that, then.

Oh well. They'd have just pooched it, anyway.

 

[Turin]

Ah I see... yeah that's probably that, then.

Oh well. They'd have just pooched it, anyway.

Unless JR doesn't care about waiting a couple weeks after Christmas to get him. I guess in Petts case, there is gonna be less feeling out since mgmt knows him. But it just seems less likely, and it seems like they're targeting a more offensively inclined dman from what their radio guys are saying.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Interested to see if there's anyone available to poach from Buffalo. Also interested to see how bad the Rangers are about to blow shit up.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Also I mean... c'mon... how disappointed can we REALLY be about not getting like... Hoglander and a 4th back?

Interested to see if there's anyone available to poach from Buffalo. Also interested to see how bad the Rangers are about to blow shit up.

Well if their current meltdown wasn't enough to do them in then paying a f***ing goaltender like 12M a year for the next decade will sure do the trick.

 

[Ryder71]

Unless JR doesn't care about waiting a couple weeks after Christmas to get him. I guess in Petts case, there is gonna be less feeling out since mgmt knows him. But it just seems less likely, and it seems like they're targeting a more offensively inclined dman from what their radio guys are saying.

MP should be available before the new year.