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]

 

[Scandale du Jour]

Just sign Geno please.

 

[Empoleon8771]

DOC and Zohorna have one ways. They will be with the team. Both are ready and one will be on line 3

One will probably be on L4 and the other will be a healthy scratch when the team is healthy.

They're not going into next year with both as regulars, especially if they keep Zucker and have him on L3.

 

[OnMyOwn]

So you have Sid still producing like a top flight center, Letang having great analytics and the most points hes ever put up, plus a team that put up 100 points on the season.

Burn it down because we had goalies shit the bed the last couple years…

I’d be ok with “moving on” if they were all dragging their corpses around. Hell, even injured Geno put up a point per game with sub par line mates. But the truth is, they’re playing really well for the most part. Why are you trading them all when Sid is still awesome?

 

[Power Surge]

Not sure I see why. Rakell showed chemistry with Crosby and Malkin. If I had to choose between the two in a vacuum, I’ll go with the guy I know rather than a guy who should play well.

Fair opinion. Im not sure if Palat is realistic anyway and hope we resign Rakell.

At the end of the day, sign one or the other. Don't go empty.

 

[DesertedPenguin]

You're trapped in the vacuum of looking at only this offseason. First you sign no one for more than 4 years around the age of 30. You should have traded this year's crop of FA's probably 18 months ago when they held tremendous value. You trade a guy like Jake right now because he's back at peak value.

But this franchise and fan base doesn't want to make the tough choices. They don't want to go without next year. By not making the tough decisions now, you are going the route of the Red Wings. It's been 15 or so years since they last competed, and they're still not close.

That's what this fanbase is staring at right now; and your just starting year 5 of that process.

I think your assessment of where the team currently sits is incredibly off base.

First, with league average goaltending, they beat the Rangers in 5 or 6 games. That puts them against Carolina, a very winnable series. They might not have beaten Tampa, but this team was league average goaltending away from being one of the Top 4 teams in the league this year, even with an aging core. You don't tear it down prematurely when you're that close to playing for the Cup.

Second, the nuclear method isn't as successful as the Penguins have made it look. For example, if the Penguins had begun dismantling the team last year like you suggested and begun to stockpile draft picks, they'd be picking in two of the shallowest drafts in recent years. None of the top picks recently have rated as an Ovechkin, Malkin, Crosby, etc. type. Bedard does next year, but there is no guarantee that the Pens would get the top pick.

Third, you may point to the Wings, but I point to the Kings. After a couple early exits following their Cup, they began to emphasize getting younger and missed the playoffs three years in a row. They kept their core of Doughty, Kopitar and Quick, brought in younger players, and are now on the rise again behind guys in their mid-to-early 20s with their older core still playing major roles.

 

[Factorial]

And construct a second line and a better back up goalie.


The guy was trash for the first half of the season and he’s been injured in the playoffs for two straight years. Keeping him was pure laziness. Not having a back up available has killed the team.

They just signed one of those so you better get used to it unless of course you want to complain about it for the next two years.

 

[JRS91]

I'd honestly rather have Palat than Rakell and I was big on Rakell coming here.

I think Rakell is obviously going to produce more during the regular season, but very few players have produced better when it's mattered than Palat. The Penguins need better secondary scoring in the playoffs.

 

[Tom Hanks]

They just signed one of those so you better get used to it unless of course you want to complain about it for the next two years.

I mean, you know who you are replying too

Still love you @Pens x

I'd honestly rather have Palat than Rakell and I was big on Rakell coming here.

I think Rakell is obviously going to produce more during the regular season, but very few players have produced better when it's mattered than Palat. The Penguins need better secondary scoring in the playoffs.

I’d pick Palat if I had the choice but being 31 and UFA the contract might get bid up into not worth it territory.

Getting Rakell & Palat would be amazing though (with Geno)

 

[Jobeycool]

Either they know they are going to make more cap space and advertise and sign Malkin on July 13th or the Pens organization knows Malkin wants way to much for 3 years.. Kind of like how the advertised Letang at the draft..

 

[DesertedPenguin]

I'd honestly rather have Palat than Rakell and I was big on Rakell coming here.

I think Rakell is obviously going to produce more during the regular season, but very few players have produced better when it's mattered than Palat. The Penguins need better secondary scoring in the playoffs.

Why not both? Move Pettersson, don't bring back Heinen or Kapanen, and it might be close to being doable.

 

[Extra Texture]

You know thinking about

-Letang for 6 more years
-The cap eventually rising
-The window being open for another 2 years at best

Screw it, tell Geno we can do 5M/5Y. He gets basically teh same final payday and we save another 1m on the cap. If he completely falls apart physically, we LTIR him, and that money becomes perpetual in-season cap space. If he finds the fountain of youth (and the Pens suck), we eat 50% of his deal and he calls his shot in terms of a new team. Or he has a great end of his career, and retires on a high

Load up that top 6 and lets go for it now. I think it would be a very rare occurrence that we're still competitive in 5 years and AND/OR we have absolutely no way to move or LTIR him. And if we are still competitive at that time, the nits probably because Geno has had some late career renaissance and stay healthy. All good problems to have.

 

[Darren McCord]

One will probably be on L4 and the other will be a healthy scratch when the team is healthy.

They're not going into next year with both as regulars, especially if they keep Zucker and have him on L3.

I think they both will be regulars. I bet they are both regulars with a vet as your 13th forward.

I think DOC can be almost as effective as Heinen for half price. I imagine this will be the bottom 6 to start the year.

DOC - Carter - Kap/Heinen
Zohorna - TB - McGinn

Spend the money on Geno and legit top 6 wingers. Upgrade the bottom 6 at the deadline.

 

[dogthateats]

I hope we sign a better defensive system in free agency

 

[Tom Hanks]

Either they know they are going to make more cap space and advertise and sign Malkin on July 13th or the Pens organization knows Malkin wants way to much for 3 years.. Kind of like how the advertised Letang at the draft..

It sounded like Letang had a big 4yr offer from someone else.

Malkin isn’t likely to get much more than what the Pens will give him on the open market.

99% sure it gets done. If Malkin wants 4 yrs I’d up the AAV to 7mil max and stick to 3yrs max.

If he’s healthy and performing then he can go for big AAV 1 year deals.

Thornton got single year deals in the end for
8mil
5mil
2mil
700k
750k

 

[ChaosAgent]

You know thinking about

-Letang for 6 more years
-The cap eventually rising
-The window being open for another 2 years at best

Screw it, tell Geno we can do 5M/5Y. He gets basically teh same final payday and we save another 1m on the cap. If he completely falls apart physically, we LTIR him, and that money becomes perpetual in-season cap space. If he finds the fountain of youth (and the Pens suck), we eat 50% of his deal and he calls his shot in terms of a new team. Or he has a great end of his career, and retires on a high

Load up that top 6 and lets go for it now. I think it would be a very rare occurrence that we're still competitive in 5 years and AND/OR we have absolutely no way to move or LTIR him. And if we are still competitive at that time, the nits probably because Geno has had some late career renaissance and stay healthy. All good problems to have.

I like it, but now I think there's a real problem with having Malkin at a lower AAV than Letang (and Guentzel/Rust I suppose). There's some real pecking order shiz going on with our guys. I don't like it.

 

[Darren McCord]

I hope we sign a better defensive system in free agency

Palat?

Move Zucker and Petts.

Sign Rakell and Palat.

Jake - Sid - Rakell
Palat - Geno - Rust
DOC - Carter - Kap/Heinen
Zohorna - TB - McGinn

You can upgrade the 3rd and 4th line at the deadline.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I think they both will be regulars. I bet they are both regulars with a vet as your 13th forward.

I think DOC can be almost as effective as Heinen for half price. I imagine this will be the bottom 6 to start the year.

DOC - Carter - Kap/Heinen
Zohorna - TB - McGinn

Spend the money on Geno and legit top 6 wingers. Upgrade the bottom 6 at the deadline.

They're probably not moving Zucker this off-season so I really don't think that's going to be their bottom-6 going into next year.

Being able to move both Zucker and Pettersson in free agency is a probably unrealistically optimistic plan for an off-season.

 

[Darren McCord]

They're probably not moving Zucker this off-season so I really don't think that's going to be their bottom-6 going into next year.

Being able to move both Zucker and Pettersson in free agency is a probably unrealistically optimistic plan for an off-season.

If you dont move Zucker than move Kap. I would be fine with letting Kap got if you can move Petts.

Jake - Sid - Rakell
Palat - Geno - Rust
Zucker - Carter - Zohorna
DOC - TB - McGinn

Palat 6
Geno 6
Rakell 4.5

You can squeeze in that with Petts and Kap both gone.

 

[Corvidae]

Fair opinion. Im not sure if Palat is realistic anyway and hope we resign Rakell.

At the end of the day, sign one or the other. Don't go empty.

Not calling out you in particular but people seem to be pretty damn gung-ho about bringing back the exact same team that lost in the first round after a 3-1 lead.

Not sure what people think is going to happen here. They got dumped in the first round for the past 4 years.

 

[JRS91]

The Penguins currently have about $15.3M in cap space.

Moving Pettersson gives them about $19.3M. Even if you manage to sign Malkin to $6M a season, Palat to $5.75M a season and Rakell to $4.5M a season, that's still only $3M left to sign two bottom-six wingers. Not to mention including Pierre-Oliver Joseph.

 

[Zbynek]

Palat sounds great in these lineups and all guys, but..

 

[Empoleon8771]

If you dont move Zucker than move Kap. I would be fine with letting Kap got if you can move Petts.

Jake - Sid - Rakell
Palat - Geno - Rust
Zucker - Carter - Zohorna
DOC - TB - McGinn

Palat 6
Geno 6
Rakell 4.5

You can squeeze in that with Petts and Kap both gone.

Replace Palat with Trocheck and that's what I'm thinking the realistic best case scenario is. Pettersson out, they let their RFAs go and they sign Trocheck and Rakell to play with Malkin.

 

[Kristopher Letang]

Heading to free agency without a 2C is scary. What makes y’all think Hextall won’t lowball every other option and end up with nothing lol

He better give Malkin what he wants or this might turn into one of the worst gamble.

4x6M is more than fair.

 

[Empoleon8771]

The Penguins currently have about $15.3M in cap space.

Moving Pettersson gives them about $19.3M. Even if you manage to sign Malkin to $6M a season, Palat to $5.75M a season and Rakell to $4.5M a season, that's still only $3M left to sign two bottom-six wingers. Not to mention including Pierre-Oliver Joseph.

Those two "bottom-6 wingers" are a 3rd line RWer and a 14th forward. You can go for an ERod/Heinen reclamation project for the 3rd line and a league minimum depth forward like Boyle for the extra forward.

It's tight, but you could definitely make Malkin, Rakell and a Trocheck/Palat level guy work with the cap by just trading Pettersson.