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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[Tom Hanks]

Well they're very nearly at the last leg for that.

Unfortunately when Geno put his right foot in he got injured and will be out for the season

 

[ChaosAgent]

Okay, but I’ll say this: this board plays it fast and loose with “Sid is demanding this person be signed and this person on his line,“ well, Sid and Geno are best friends and I promise you Sid would rather have Geno re-signed than Letang (not that he doesn’t want 58 back). So if Geno doesn’t return, that narrative needs to be 6-feet under.

I don't think Sid explicitly demands certain players on his line.

But the vibes ain't hittin right if the line ain't in the mold of KCD or Sid & the Kids.
Which means GCR.

Kessel was on Sid's line for like, 4 seconds.

 

[Scandale du Jour]

Okay, but I’ll say this: this board plays it fast and loose with “Sid is demanding this person be signed and this person on his line,“ well, Sid and Geno are best friends and I promise you Sid would rather have Geno re-signed than Letang (not that he doesn’t want 58 back). So if Geno doesn’t return, that narrative needs to be 6-feet under.

I think Sid wants both back, badly.

 

[HandshakeLine]

See, I've been thinking over this in the arguments of where we should allocate team needs, and I'm increasingly of the opinion that I think that's not far off how most successful teams do it. It's how we did it for the double. Washington paid roughly the same amount to Eller and Beagle as we're about to do with Carter and Blueger only with 6m less of cap to work with, and had 5.5m of Orpik roaming the bottom six for reasons. Tampa have tried to get their bottom six cheap, but by chucking about 5 1st rounders plus at it in 3 years, which is a different type of expensive.

Players who can take hard match-ups and keep scoring aren't that common. Players who can ride shotgun as a third wheel on a scoring line are probably no more rare. And the savings between cheap players who matter and players who are at market value is considerable, while the difference between Brock McGinn and a minimum wage player is a little under 2m.

I guess Colorado executed a great studs and duds model this year, but then Lehkonen-Kadri-Nuke was a fairly cheap 2nd line that's about to get a ton more expensive, they had 4.9m Burakovsky in the bottom six, they had 10m worth of blueline playing under 15 minutes of 5v5 a night in Erik Johnson and Manson...

So... I don't see the disposition of the money as an issue. I see the fact we've no cheap high end talent worth a damn as an issue, and I see the make-up of the roster as an issue, and I see having an core that maybe requires more help than other cores/can't be relied on to stay fit at crunch time as an issue, but the basic model of looking for bargains who fit very well to round out the top six and being willing to seriously invest in who plays the hard minutes? Doesn't look like an issue to me. The fact we've spent the money on the wrong players is an issue, but not the philosophy.

I mean, you're exactly right, Peat, except that I feel that model only really only works that way for a younger team. If Sid and Geno were, again, 27-29 then it'd be a perfectly great plan. The problem is, our older players need younger blood and paying UFAs or generously fair deals for bottom 6/ 3rd pairing guys instead of cheaping out there means we have less to spend where it's needed most and will have the best impact--in the top 6, the first pairing, and in net.



To put it another way, I feel the major problem with this club over two GMs now is a steadfast refusal to adapt to the reality of aging stars.

 

[SEALBound]

I think you need a post about how it's important to remember to root for the crest on the front of the jersey, not the back. Because if you have a crest on the back, you're obviously wearing your jersey backwards.

I actually do not order any player jerseys for just this reason. All of mine are blank on the back. Even the Avs ones.

I don't think Sid explicitly demands certain players on his line.

But the vibes ain't hittin right if the line ain't in the mold of KCD or Sid & the Kids.
Which means GCR.

Kessel was on Sid's line for like, 4 seconds.

My wife doesn't "demand" certain things. Or rather, she doesn't come right out and say it. But I know. All husbands "know". Ya know?

Sid is the wife of the Pittsburgh Penguins franchise at the moment.

 

[IcedCapp]

I think Sid wants both back, badly.

Yes, I agree. But if you made him choose one, I really do think it’s Malkin

 

[SEALBound]

Yes, I agree. But if you made him choose one, I really do think it’s Malkin

"If I have to choose, it's absolutely Evg-..."

*flashback to 2007*
Geno "Me...three years Super League"

"Evg-etang. Kris. Kris Letang. And I want something put in his contract that I go out last".

 

[Empoleon8771]

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I know everyone has convinced themselves lately that Malkin is a like 4M dollar player just barely holding on to a career at this point but I don't know how smart it is to let him test free agency if they REALLY have any aspirations to sign him.

 

[DesertedPenguin]

I don't think Sid explicitly demands certain players on his line.

But the vibes ain't hittin right if the line ain't in the mold of KCD or Sid & the Kids.
Which means GCR.

Kessel was on Sid's line for like, 4 seconds.

Sid and Phil played together 5-on-5 for 261 minutes, 25 seconds in the first two years Phil was on the Penguins. Most of that was under Mike Johnston.

But even then, Sid was much better away from Phil than with him. Better possession, better production and better defensively.

 

[edog37]

I forgot that points early in the season don't count all of a sudden.

God, this place gets so funky when you give any sort of positive praise to any of the whipping boys. I didn't even say I wanted Rodrigues back, I specifically don't, I just think he's going to be making a nice payday in UFA from a team who needs a center.

They count, but they need to be taken into context. I could care less about Erod one way or the other, but I'm against throwing good money after questionable players.

 

[Zbynek]

End of the day I think Geno likes his comfort in Pittsburgh. He likes the dynamic of playing with Sid and he likes playing in front of the fanbase that (for the most part) reveres him. Even with the franchise legend disrespect and all the public milking Burke+Hextall+Media has done to drive his price down, I just don't see him playing in any other sweater.

 

[SEALBound]

This follows my general thought of "what teams have the cap space to sign Malkin to a deal that's worth so much more than we can offer that offers a better overall environment than Pittsburgh?"

Caps...maybe. You wanna go to Detroit, Arizona, Seattle, Buffalo to chase the money? Fine. Have fun on bottom feeders for the next 4-5 years.

Just never really made sense. Especially when term was an issue. Like, sure, NYR and Carolina could MAYBE squeeze you in for 1yr. 2-3-4-5 year deals? No.

 

[ThosePuckingPenguins]

This follows my general thought of "what teams have the cap space to sign Malkin to a deal that's worth so much more than we can offer that offers a better overall environment than Pittsburgh?"

Caps...maybe. You wanna go to Detroit, Arizona, Seattle, Buffalo to chase the money? Fine. Have fun on bottom feeders for the next 4-5 years.

Just never really made sense. Especially when term was an issue. Like, sure, NYR and Carolina could MAYBE squeeze you in for 1yr. 2-3-4-5 year deals? No.

Didn’t the Caps GM already come out and say they’re replacing Backstrom internally because they expect him to be back anyways?

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

End of the day I think Geno likes his comfort in Pittsburgh. He likes the dynamic of playing with Sid and he likes playing in front of the fanbase that (for the most part) reveres him. Even with the franchise legend disrespect and all the public milking Burke+Hextall+Media has done to drive his price down, I just don't see him playing in any other sweater.

I dunno. I think the fans for the most part seem lukewarm to downright hostile towards Malkin these days. This board... not so much. I do think you're right that his heart is in Pittsburgh and with his buddy of 16 years, Crosby. But he might be surprised how much more hyped another fanbase would be to have him in the fold even near the end of his career. Then again I'm not sure how much he really likes dealing with that attention.

 

[Beauner]

Let's go!!!

 

[IcedCapp]

It should be noted that “playing in the shadow of Sid” and “needs to be the guy on his own” are media (and hfboar) driven narratives. I don’t think Sid or Geno feels like they are a 1/2 situation. They are both 1s in their minds. Equals. I know people will say, “well the team doesn’t blah blah blah,” I ain’t gonna argue your opinions. I’m just saying if Geno leaves its not to be the guy or because of Sid’s shadow. It’s 1000% because the team chose to not re sign him.

 

[Ragamuffin Gunner]

Lock them both 4+ year deals. Who cares? The franchise is gonna be in shambles in 3 years anyways.

 

[Clare2904]

$5.1per is great for Tanger

EDIT

It is $6.1, mmmmmm m, a little less love now

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Didn’t the Caps GM already come out and say they’re replacing Backstrom internally because they expect him to be back anyways?

They could just be treating their longtime franchise player with respect publicly but internally might have a whole other POV. His surgery is very serious and possibly career-threatening.

Hey that's weird... parallels to my previous point!

 

[IcedCapp]

6.1 is nice.

 

[Clare2904]

The 6 years, less great

 

[Ragamuffin Gunner]

Let's go!!!

Love it! 6.1 for Tanger is awesome.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

I know everyone has convinced themselves lately that Malkin is a like 4M dollar player just barely holding on to a career at this point but I don't know how smart it is to let him test free agency if they REALLY have any aspirations to sign him.

I think people vastly underestimate how many teams and GMs would fall over themselves to add Evgeni Malkin. Biz wise, instant credibility to casual fans and people are tuning in. Players would be fired up to play with a legend. Etc etc etc

(Whether you think that would be warranted or not from an on-ice standpoint)

So if you’re trying to keep him, idk if I let him touch the market.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Not thrilled on 6 years, but a $6.1 million AAV is just downright dumb.