Salary Cap: Pens Salary Cap: Free Agency, everyone panic!!! Geno talk to the Geno thread only please

[Zirakzigil]

Off season time. New thread time apparently cause @Ugene Magic doesn’t like high page counts.

So how about them Malkin and Letang UFAs? Maybe we should sign one or both.

Geno thread. Keep Geno talk here:

Rumor: - Geno where art thou?

With all the Geno rumors and news, time for its own thread. Keep the Geno talk here please.

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[Empoleon8771]

If you go into next year with keeping Zucker, I honestly think the best case scenario for the forward group is:

Guentzel-Crosby-Rust
Rakell-Malkin-Kapanen
Zucker-Carter-Heinen
O'Connor-Blueger-McGinn

I don't think it's that bad, but it also doesn't even remotely excite me and it's just the same lineup they ended last year with, just subbing out ERod for O'Connor. If this off-season is just subbing out ERod and Pettersson for O'Connor and POJ (which is what that roster would be, everything else would stay the same), what's even the point?

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

To be serious it's hard for me to imagine Crosby doing anything other than hockey. But I agree that he isn't going to hang around some mediocre-to-bad team with all his buddies long gone. And it's not like he hasn't taken his fair share of abuse over the years.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

I gotta think Rakell's as good as gone with how long the Geno/Letang thing is dragging on. I also have a strong suspicion that the team will try too hard to keep E-Rod around once the dust settles with Geno/Letang, and they've decided Rakell's too expensive for their plans.

Jake-Sid-Rust
Zucker-Geno-Kap
Heinen-Carter-E-Rod
DOC/Zoho-Blueger-McGinn

Probably the forward lineup we'll see on opening night. /shrug

 

[Empoleon8771]

I gotta think Rakell's as good as gone with how long the Geno/Letang thing is dragging on. I also have a strong suspicion that the team will try too hard to keep E-Rod around once the dust settles with Geno/Letang, and they've decided Rakell's too expensive for their plans.

Jake-Sid-Rust
Zucker-Geno-Kap
Heinen-Carter-E-Rod
DOC/Zoho-Blueger-McGinn

Probably the forward lineup we'll see on opening night. /shrug

I can't see a scenario where they let Rakell go because he'll be "too expensive" while they re-sign ERod.

ERod himself is likely getting around $3.5 million a year in UFA.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I feel like if you guys give Zucker just one more year he's really gonna do things this time.

 

[jmelm]

I gotta think Rakell's as good as gone with how long the Geno/Letang thing is dragging on. I also have a strong suspicion that the team will try too hard to keep E-Rod around once the dust settles with Geno/Letang, and they've decided Rakell's too expensive for their plans.

Jake-Sid-Rust
Zucker-Geno-Kap
Heinen-Carter-E-Rod
DOC/Zoho-Blueger-McGinn

Probably the forward lineup we'll see on opening night. /shrug

Barf.

 

[edog37]

This is why bloggers are ridiculous when they put absurd stuff up like this. Trade a first round pick for what exactly?

You want to keep a core together that hasn't won a playoff series since 2018 & is aging rapidly for what reason? To make it next year & lose again in the first round?

This franchise has never won anything going that route. They've won by complete rebuilds & drafting high.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I really feel like if you guys give Zucker just one more year he's really gonna do things this time.

The best part about giving Zucker one more year is that we won't have to give him any more years after it.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

I can't see a scenario where they let Rakell go because he'll be "too expensive" while they re-sign ERod.

ERod himself is likely getting around $3.5 million a year in UFA.

I think Rakell's probably gonna end up somewhere close to Rust at $4.5-5 million, but E-Rod could stick around for $2.75-3 million. Entirely possible that hypothetical lineup ends up being the Pens starting forwards--shitty as it seems.

 

[Empoleon8771]

This is why bloggers are ridiculous when they put absurd stuff up like this. Trade a first round pick for what exactly?

You want to keep a core together that hasn't won a playoff series since 2018 & is aging rapidly for what reason? To make it next year & lose again in the first round?

This franchise has never won anything going that route. They've won by complete rebuilds & drafting high.

If rebuilds are completed by drafting high, why is it a problem to trade a 1st that's like 23rd overall?

 

[jmelm]

If you go into next year with keeping Zucker, I honestly think the best case scenario for the forward group is:

Guentzel-Crosby-Rust
Rakell-Malkin-Kapanen
Zucker-Carter-Heinen
O'Connor-Blueger-McGinn

I don't think it's that bad, but it also doesn't even remotely excite me and it's just the same lineup they ended last year with, just subbing out ERod for O'Connor. If this off-season is just subbing out ERod and Pettersson for O'Connor and POJ (which is what that roster would be, everything else would stay the same), what's even the point?

I would still MUCH rather have Puustinen in over Kapanen, especially if it's in a top 6/top 9 scoring role like that.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

I feel like if you guys give Zucker just one more year he's really gonna do things this time.

Just needs a good pep talk and hug from Mikey Sullivan.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I think Rakell's probably gonna end up somewhere close to Rust at $4.5-5 million, but E-Rod could stick around for $2.75-3 million. Entirely possible that hypothetical lineup ends up being the Pens starting forwards--shitty as it seems.

Nah I can't see Rakell and ERod as being that far apart. ERod outscored Rakell last year, he had 43 points to Rakell's 41 points.

They're both going to get paid like middle-6 guys, Rakell probably comes in at around $4.5 million while ERod comes in at around $3.5 million. The fact that ERod can play center will also help his value a lot.

 

[Coastal Kev]

Barf.

perfect summation

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

The best part about giving Zucker one more year is that we won't have to give him any more years after it.

Zucker seems like a terrific guy and on top of some flashes he's shown here and there over the years I was very impressed by his sheer brass balls in these past playoffs.

But I guess outside of those kind words I'm extremely done pretending this guy hasn't been a big swing and a miss here and that 5.5M really stings regardless of what a swell guy he is. IF you could put the exact perfect high-ish tier wing on his other side he could maybe make a nice complimentary piece to a scoring line. This team cannot/will not do that. So...

 

[Coastal Kev]

I gotta think Rakell's as good as gone with how long the Geno/Letang thing is dragging on. I also have a strong suspicion that the team will try too hard to keep E-Rod around once the dust settles with Geno/Letang, and they've decided Rakell's too expensive for their plans.

Jake-Sid-Rust
Zucker-Geno-Kap
Heinen-Carter-E-Rod
DOC/Zoho-Blueger-McGinn

Probably the forward lineup we'll see on opening night. /shrug

If this is what they're icing, I'll be rooting against nearly every night.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Nah I can't see Rakell and ERod as being that far apart. ERod outscored Rakell last year, he had 43 points to Rakell's 41 points.

They're both going to get paid like middle-6 guys, Rakell probably comes in at around $4.5 million while ERod comes in at around $3.5 million. The fact that ERod can play center will also help his value a lot.

We'll see. It's just my gut feeling. The bulk of E-Rod's points came early on before he tailed off hard to end the season--30 points in his first 33 games, 13 points in his final 49 games. Rakell's a bigger name with a better history of production. GMs are dumb and often get enamored with the name on the back of the jersey. /shrug

 

[HandshakeLine]

Both are fairly versatile, Rakell can play both wings, E-Rod can play C/W.

 

[edog37]

If rebuilds are completed by drafting high, why is it a problem to trade a 1st that's like 23rd overall?

Because we have no farm system to speak of. You have to also stock up the farm system with credible talent as well. We have depleted the system & the bill is coming due. I'm not at all mad they mortgaged the future in '16 & '17 because the Cups were worth it. But this core is clearly done winning Cups on its own. It isn't on the level to play with a Tampa or Colorado.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I hesitate to even say this because I know everyone is such a big fan but... should we really be THAT high on Raks, anyway? He didn't score at anything close to a good pace here which... granted... small sample size. And while I definitely appreciate some aspects of his game and loved how he looked with Sid when tried I don't think that's where he is going to slot in and I feel like this team needs more goal scorers. Not another questionable goal scorer with some nice complimentary attributes to his game. Seems like they already have assloads of those.

I'm not opposed to him being back. I just am not convinced he's an actual pressing need and will be getting at least 4+ million to maybe just be more of the same on this roster.

 

[Andy99]

I’m gonna laugh so hard when we re-sign ERod and ZAR….

 

[Empoleon8771]

I also think it's worth pointing out that Rakell himself has only hit 50 points in a season twice and not since 2017-2018. His seasons since then have been seasons of 43 points, 42 points, 28 points and 41 points. He pretty consistently misses games and it prevents him from putting up totals you'd think he should based on his ability.

He probably should be falling in the $4 million to $4.5 million range, and I think he'll fall around that or slightly above that. I think Penguins fans (including me, I love Rakell) overrate him a bit because of how good he looked here, but I think he's pretty firmly in "middle-6 tweener" territory.

 

[edog37]

Nah I can't see Rakell and ERod as being that far apart. ERod outscored Rakell last year, he had 43 points to Rakell's 41 points.

They're both going to get paid like middle-6 guys, Rakell probably comes in at around $4.5 million while ERod comes in at around $3.5 million. The fact that ERod can play center will also help his value a lot.

Erod's points occurred during a hot streak early in the season. He was utterly useless the second half & in the playoffs. Rakell is a far better player.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Both are fairly versatile, Rakell can play both wings, E-Rod can play C/W.

ERod plays both wings and also plays center. I think he had the versatility edge on Rakell because of that.

But that's not the point of what I'm saying, the point of what I'm saying is that I don't think Rakell and ERod really come that far apart in money in free agency. I'm thinking Rakell comes in at $4.5 million while ERod comes in at $3.5 million.

 

[Pancakes]

Since when has that stopped Kapanen?

I mean, it has...he's sucked here?