Salary Cap: Pens Off Season Thread: Pre Free Agency Shenanigans!

[Turin]

I have no problem at all with trying to bring in guys who are better than this years crop of UFAs off of cap strapped teams. So long as you can actually pull it off.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Ah well. Bring on the draft already.

At least it's looking like the UFAs may be allowed to walk. Hopefully. Maybe.

Well Dumo, at least.

At this point that at least feels like a win. Because if I had to watch that guy bellyflop like a beached whale then slowly slide out of frame while the opposing forward easily skates around him another 100+ times next season I think I'd finally lose it.

 

[Gurglesons]

I have no problem at all with trying to bring in guys who are better than this years crop of UFAs off of cap strapped teams. So long as you can actually pull it off.

Yeah that’s the issue. What happens if you can’t?

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Well Dumo, at least.

At this point that at least feels like a win. Because if I had to watch that guy bellyflop like a beached whale then slowly slide out of frame while the opposing forward easily skates around him another 100+ times next season I think I'd finally lose it.

I hope they all walk. I like Zucker, and think he's a fine third wheel in the middle-6, but this team lacks the talent on the opposite wing. Jarry's El Stinko Grande. Dumo's next deal is gonna leave some dumb team stuck with end of career Scuderi.

 

[K Fleur]

Resigning Zucker is stuuuuuupid.

 

[Andy99]

This a great quote.

“Our biggest need is you know…good players”.

Except we dont want to pay for them with any significant assets or high end contracts lol…we want to try to pick up buy out candidates like Matt Murray and players not given a QO and hope to get them on a cheap contract and that they work out..in other words, hope is our strategy

 

[K Fleur]

“Haven’t closed the door on Jarry”

That’s kinda ironic cause Jarry has never closed the door on any team he’s played against.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I hope they all walk. I like Zucker, and think he's a fine third wheel in the middle-6, but this team lacks the talent on the opposite wing. Jarry's El Stinko Grande. Dumo's next deal is gonna leave some dumb team stuck with end of career Scuderi.

If the other realistic option is to go get some scrub or bump Granlund up I'll just take Zucker back, thanks. The devil you know and all that.

And I've said multiple times that I think signing Zucker is extremely foolish.

 

[Darren McCord]

Lol okay. Hextall let multiple UFAs walk in his time here and it has been insinuated that management forced his hand last year.

Ya management forced his hand to resign the All-Stars DeSmith, Chad, Friedman, Heinen, Carter and Kap.

Who has walked under him? Erod? Gaudrea? Boyle? Ceci? Thats literally it.

Don't act like Hextall made any tough decisions. Hextall took the path of least resistance everytime. Hextall would have signed Dumo already if he was still here

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

If the other realistic option is to go get some scrub or bump Granlund up I'll just take Zucker back, thanks. The devil you know and all that.

And I've said multiple times that I think signing Zucker is extremely foolish.

Yeah. I don't hate Zucker the player, but god damn--do not bet on that guy suddenly staying healthy and productive long term. Especially with as many other holes this roster has.

Let 'em all walk, hire somebody to put itching powder in Carter's gear so he thinks he has to retire due to a skin allergy, and fire Granlund into the sun.

 

[K Fleur]

Ya management forced his hand to resign the All-Stars DeSmith, Chad, Friedman, Heinen, Carter and Kap.

Who has walked under him? Erod? Gaudrea? Boyle? Ceci? Thats literally it.

Don't act like Hextall made any tough decisions. Hextall took the path of least resistance everytime. Hextall would have signed Dumo already if he was still here

ERod and Gaudreau are guys he probably should have resigned too lol.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Yeah. I don't hate Zucker the player, but god damn--do not bet on that guy suddenly staying healthy and productive long term. Especially with as many other holes this roster has.

Let 'em all walk, hire somebody to put itching powder in Carter's gear so he thinks he has to retire due to a skin allergy, and fire Granlund into the sun.

Eh. Honestly not worth fretting over. I think you and I both know how things will be handled for L2.

If anything I'm betting by the time the season rolls around we'll be begging for Jason Zucker.

 

[Andy99]

If Dubas is not going to make at least 3 significant adds to this team to replace Zucker, Jarry and Dumo, then he might as well trade Guentzel…if he just picks up short term depth forwards and calls it a day and resigns Jarry, there’s no way we’re competing…just get some assets back for Jake

 

[Peat]

I could have sworn a very similar goal was put out after Dubas was announced, but who knows.

Like you said, if they’re just all in on contending there’s no reason the pick shouldn’t be in play.

The only way possible to actually ice a contender while still future building would be to draft flawlessly and win every trade you make. Seems doable.

So my belief is he said it was about winning and building for the future in the hockey ops department, and the latter part of that is the key part to me. Dubas goal is to put together the best in class hockey ops department/front office. But I don't think anything was said about prospects.

But I've gone over all the press stuff - at least the stuff on the Pens website - to try and confirm and goodness, he doesn't really say anything much. He says he believes in the Penguins core, he says he believes in FSG's dedication to being best in class in hockey ops... kinda it.

Anyway, while difficult, I do think it's possible long term if a team is willing to be bold. To me, St Louis have been impressive there. Selling Stasny and Shattenkirk when they were merely okay helped them get Schenn and O'Reilly and go over the top. That 2019 core is now entirely played out but drafting well on Thomas and Kyrou gives them hope for a quick turn around.

Unfortunately when you're on a short term window and countless years before have been unkind, you are indeed right it's going to involve flawless decision making.

He said it today.

Oh, so he did. "I think we have to build up the system". Bleh.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

If Dubas is not going to make at least 3 significant adds to this team to replace Zucker, Jarry and Dumo, then he might as well trade Guentzel…if he just picks up short term depth forwards and calls it a day and resigns Jarry, there’s no way we’re competing…just get some assets back for Jake

I'm to understand that Sidney Crosby, the real conductor of the orchestra, would throw a tantrum.

Eh. Honestly not worth fretting over. I think you and I both know how things will be handled for L2.

If anything I'm betting by the time the season rolls around we'll be begging for Jason Zucker.

Are you telling me that this roster doesn't seem f***ing awesome to you?

Jake-Sid-Rust
Granlund-Geno-Rakell
DOC-Carter-Kerfoot
ZAR-Poehling-Nylander

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

ERod and Gaudreau are guys he probably should have resigned too lol.

I'll never get over not resigning Gaudreau. Basically, the choice was Erod or a slightly inflated Gaudrea contract. Dude was great for us here

 

[Gurglesons]

Ya management forced his hand to resign the All-Stars DeSmith, Chad, Friedman, Heinen, Carter and Kap.

Who has walked under him? Erod? Gaudrea? Boyle? Ceci? Thats literally it.

Don't act like Hextall made any tough decisions. Hextall took the path of least resistance everytime. Hextall would have signed Dumo already if he was still here

The UFAs. Half of the players you named were RFAs

Regardless, Hextall followed the same exact message Dubas just pushed.

 

[pistolpete11]

A bunch of mixed bag stuff from Dubas today, IMO.

+ Looing to weaponize their cap space.

+/- Looking to replace Dumo. + Sounds like they will move on from Dumo. - Sounds like that will be a priority when I think they've got bigger fish to fry.
+/- Doesn't like buyouts. + Says there is better ways to get rid of "problematic" contracts, so at least he recognizes there are problematic contracts (and could really only be talking about Granlund and Carter). - If they can't find a trade, buyout is the next best option.
+/- Aren't looking at any big FA's. + If they can go the weaponizing cap space route, that's fine. - If they can't, we're going to end up with basically the same team unless they get aggressive in FA.
+/- Don't want to use the 1st or Pickering, but will for the right guy. This could mean anything, so who knows?
+/- Is on the same page as Sully. + Seems like a pretty simple idea, but wasn't been put into practice under Hextall and the last few years of JR. - Sully's going to be here forever.
+/- Haven't closed the door on Jarry/Zucker. + I mean, sure, but...- I really don't want Jarry or Zucker back.

- I'm on the side of you can't really try to win now while also rebuilding. If he does it, this would become a huge +, but in the words of Ron Swanson, "Never half ass 2 things. Whole ass 1 thing."



I don't know. In total, seems like a bunch of GM speak that doesn't really mean anything because it's so vague.

 

[Darren McCord]

The UFAs. Half of the players you named were RFAs

Regardless, Hextall followed the same exact message Dubas just pushed.

Up Kap was the only RFA. So one person. Ehhh friedman might have been idk. Heinen went to ufa before coming back.

So tops it was 2 players.

I’ll agree they are pushing the same things but if Dubas hinted at letting dumo go he is already ahead of hextall.

 

[Andy99]

I'm to understand that Sidney Crosby, the real conductor of the orchestra, would throw a tantrum.

Are you telling me that this roster doesn't seem f***ing awesome to you?

Jake-Sid-Rust
Granlund-Geno-Rakell
DOC-Carter-Kerfoot
ZAR-Poehling-Nylander

Sid should throw a tantrum anyway just listening to the press conference because nothing he said there indicates he’s going all to compete the next two seasons

 

[Gurglesons]

Up Kap was the only RFA. So one person. Ehhh friedman might have been idk. Heinen went to ufa before coming back.

So tops it was 2 players.

I’ll agree they are pushing the same things but if Dubas hinted at letting dumo go he is already ahead of hextall.

Sure. We will see who is saying Harry Potter along with @Pens x in a few years.

 

[eXile3]

Loved Dubas’ comments. We were never going to successfully build a playoff team through free agency. He’s said what I’ve been saying for a while, leverage the cap space we have in trades. Though I would be a little more open to trading futures.

Can he do it? Who knows. I’m just glad he’s thinking about it the right way.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

We're all hung up on Dubas' wording as if it's not the same exact bullshit every single GM around the league says in their stupid, cliche, scripted pressers for the past forever.

It was all expected. We just gotta wait and see what he actually *does* now.

Sid should throw a tantrum anyway just listening to the press conference because nothing he said there indicates he’s going all to compete the next two seasons

This team was never gonna pull a complete 180 and revamp like 50% of the roster though. Sid's more aware of that than any of us, even though he'll never publicly say it.

This shit is just an extended farewell tour for some franchise legends, and after the way JR, Hextall and Sullivan f***ed things up the past half decade, now it's all about not further f***ing things up. There's no assets to trade for big name guys, there's no reason for FAs to tie themselves to a sinking ship at the end of its era of competitiveness.

All *I* personally want is for things to be more entertaining than in recent years. I don't give a shit if they make the playoffs because they have no shot at Cups anymore. But don't be boring. (They will be boring. )

 

[Ugene Magic]

Don't care. Still riding the Hellebuyck train til the wheels fall off

Man, sleeping behind the wheel isn't a good thing, even if you are sitting there with a missing tire and no spare...

 

[Darren McCord]

Sure. We will see who is saying Harry Potter along with @Pens x in a few years.

I mean Harry Potter is a wizard. So I hope he is considered a wizard in a few years.