Salary Cap: Pens Salary Cap Thread: If we score 6 we win, its science!

[66-30-33]

I'd be fine with a 1st, 2nd, prospect for Chy. We would sell high on Petts and let Dumo walk.

Chychrun-Letang
POJ-Petry
Smith-Rutta

Looks pretty good to me, at least on paper but who knows how they will function. Last few years of this core, let's go out swinging with our dicks out.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

He was in that role the majority of the year last year for the Devils and he put up 20 points in 65 games.

Good offense, but it came at the cost of being -26. Yeah shit team and all that, but he contributed to them being that way.

I don't think having Pettersson, POJ and Smith as our LDs makes sense either, but I'm not sure who I'd want to move out because we desperately need goals from someone that isn't Letang or Petry and Smith has shown he is capable of doing that in the NHL.

Smith has 7 goals in 114 games. I don't agree that we need a few more goals from other sources so desperately that we can allow for significantly worse defending from a defenseman for the full year. He'd pump out more with PP1, but is he gonna get the job?
We have enough money to bring in someone very effective. Maybe someone who can mesh with Letang and also PK, boosting our D corps greatly. It would push Petts and POJ down into roles where they have a good chance to succeed again.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

I'd be fine with a 1st, 2nd, prospect for Chy. We would sell high on Petts and let Dumo walk.

Chychrun-Letang
POJ-Petry
Smith-Rutta

Looks pretty good to me, at least on paper but who knows how they will function. Last few years of this core, let's go out swinging with our dicks out.

Not sure we have the pieces, but I do think a guy like Chychrun would be a great add, especially because he's a LHD. I'm comfortable with our RD side, but not so much with our LD side. IMO, we could use a top pairing caliber defender for that side.

 

[Pancakes]

I'd be fine with a 1st, 2nd, prospect for Chy. We would sell high on Petts and let Dumo walk.

Chychrun-Letang
POJ-Petry
Smith-Rutta

Looks pretty good to me, at least on paper but who knows how they will function. Last few years of this core, let's go out swinging with our dicks out.

I wouldn't move MP. The value he's providing is exceptional given his low cap hit.

If you let Dumo/Zucker walk in the off season that's the cap space needed for Chychrun. Then you can package whatever assets and get him.

I wouldn't pay much more than a first/prospect for him though. I don't think he's worth throwing every last asset at.

 

[66-30-33]

Not sure we have the pieces, but I do think a guy like Chychrun would be a great add, especially because he's a LHD. I'm comfortable with our RD side, but not so much with our LD side. IMO, we could use a top pairing caliber defender for that side.

Adding Chy can help reduce Letangs minutes too. Who am I kidding Letang will keep his minutes even if we got Karlsson from the Sharks.

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

We have enough money to bring in someone very effective. Maybe someone who can mesh with Letang and also PK, boosting our D corps greatly.

Here's another way to look at it: you need to replace Dumo

What roles does he capture now?
-3rd pairing dman
-Top PKer

That isn't too tall of an ask for in FA (trade). In fact there are tons of LHD guys that will likely be available

The issue of "who will mesh with Letang?" component that we were all worried about can be put to bed, because Petts has proven capable.

Yea it'd be nice to get essentially another Petry, but this team should not be breaking the bank to acquire that type of player.

 

[66-30-33]

I wouldn't move MP. The value he's providing is exceptional given his low cap hit.

If you let Dumo/Zucker walk in the off season that's the cap space needed for Chychrun. Then you can package whatever assets and get him.

I wouldn't pay much more than a first/prospect for him though. I don't think he's worth throwing every last asset at.

I don't trust Petts can keep this up beyond this season.

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

I'd be fine with a 1st, 2nd, prospect for Chy. We would sell high on Petts and let Dumo walk.

You're comfortable with trading our best and most consistent Dman? That's insanity.

 

[Pancakes]

I don't trust Petts can keep this up beyond this season.

Even a downgrade in performance would still make him worth the cap hit he's currently at unless it was a dramatic downturn.

He's 26 as well, so theoretically in his prime. No reason he shouldn't be able to continue this for a few more years.

 

[Gurglesons]

Good offense, but it came at the cost of being -26. Yeah shit team and all that, but he contributed to them being that way.

Smith has 7 goals in 114 games. I don't agree that we need a few more goals from other sources so desperately that we can allow for significantly worse defending from a defenseman for the full year. He'd pump out more with PP1, but is he gonna get the job?
We have enough money to bring in someone very effective. Maybe someone who can mesh with Letang and also PK, boosting our D corps greatly. It would push Petts and POJ down into roles where they have a good chance to succeed again.

People said the same thing about Matheson prior to coming here and he was a net positive in most years with PIT.

I think people really overplay how bad , bad environments make a player look. Smith’s goal per sixty doesn’t really compare to Matheson’s at 5v5 but his points per sixty is much better outside of Matheson’s outlier year when he was traded when he played forward.

Also we have to add in the fact Matheson was much older than Smith.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

Here's another way to look at it: you need to replace Dumo

What roles does he capture now?
-3rd pairing dman
-Top PKer

That isn't too tall of an ask for in FA (trade). In fact there are tons of LHD guys that will likely be available

The issue of "who will mesh with Letang?" component that we were all worried about can be put to bed, because Petts has proven capable.

Yea it'd be nice to get essentially another Petry, but this team should not be breaking the bank to acquire that type of player.

This is banking on Petts continuing this form. He's been up and down in his time in Pitt. That seems like a needless risk to me, given we have the money to put him into the role that suits him best (pairing 2, or 3 if it's one of his bad years). He can cope on pairing 1 at his peak, but we'd be asking him to maintain that peak long term.

Our cap is allocated next year in a way that gives us freedom to strengthen the blue line.
The guy we could bring in would influence results favorably more than whatever else we'd spend the cap space on.

 

[Gurglesons]

I don't trust Petts can keep this up beyond this season.

Why? He’s performed in the role he is playing now before. If anything the previous year was the outlier.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

You guys need to chill on Smith. He'll get his shot at a few NHL practices where he can bask in the presence of Mike Sullivan in the next 7-8 years geez. Until then he has training camps which are definitely consequential on this team.

 

[Pancakes]

I do think we should be careful about how we use cap space as well. Like what is better, giving Malkin a legit top six winger to pair with him and Rust, or using that cap space on a top 4 d?

I dunno the answer to that. But I do know if we let Zucker walk and use that cap space on defense instead, Malkin's line is probably gonna suffer for it. And the older Sid and Geno get, the more help they'll need from their wingers to play at a high level.

Ideally we find an answer at both top 4d and top 6 wing, but it will be tricky to navigate that cap-wise.

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

Our cap is allocated next year in a way that gives us freedom to strengthen the blue line.
The guy we could bring in would influence results favorably more than whatever else we'd spend the cap space on.

Maybe, but here are the unkowns:

- Jarry is gonna get a raise. Unsure how much
-Sign Zucker or no? If not, then you better have a viable backup plan for Geno's winger. He will likely ask for a raise as well
-Blu is going to get a raise too if they resign him

I'm not so sure we'll have as much money leftover to get what we want as people believe.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I do think we should be careful about how we use cap space as well. Like what is better, giving Malkin a legit top six winger to pair with him and Rust, or using that cap space on a top 4 d?

I dunno the answer to that. But I do know if we let Zucker walk and use that cap space on defense instead, Malkin's line is probably gonna suffer for it. And the older Sid and Geno get, the more help they'll need from their wingers to play at a high level.

Ideally we find an answer at both top 4d and top 6 wing, but it will be tricky to navigate that cap-wise.

I say we retool the defense EVERY offseason! Malkin can make do with whatever.

Defense wins championships! Or something!

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

You guys need to chill on Smith. He'll get his shot at a few NHL practices where he can bask in the presence of Mike Sullivan in the next 7-8 years geez. Until then he has training camps which are definitely consequential on this team.

While I love to rip them for burying players, they did choose the correct path for POJ. His time marinating the AHL last year seems to be the right move. Smith will likely get up next year.

 

[DesertPenguin]

HFCoyotes seems to think that one of the below (depends on the poster) is fair for Chychrun:

2023 1st, Pickering, and 2025 1st
2023 and 2024 1st and 2023 2nd/Pickering
2023 1st & 2nd and Pickering
2023 and 2025 1st and 2023 2nd/Pickering

I think I like the bold/italic/underline the best.

I'll give up a 1st and top prospect. I won't give 2 1sts.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

While I love to rip them for burying players, they did choose the correct path for POJ. His time marinating the AHL last year seems to be the right move. Smith will likely get up next year.

POJ only got a shot because they had no other option but to lose him to waivers IMO.

But of course I agree that young defensemen in particular need to be handled with some care. I'm mostly just goofing on this team's extremely safe, stale ways. This core's Cup teams were liberally sprinkled with young players and I don't really think that was a coincidence.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

I do think we should be careful about how we use cap space as well. Like what is better, giving Malkin a legit top six winger to pair with him and Rust, or using that cap space on a top 4 d?

I dunno the answer to that. But I do know if we let Zucker walk and use that cap space on defense instead, Malkin's line is probably gonna suffer for it. And the older Sid and Geno get, the more help they'll need from their wingers to play at a high level.

Ideally we find an answer at both top 4d and top 6 wing, but it will be tricky to navigate that cap-wise.

When comparing Chychrun and upcoming UFA LHDs it looks to me like Chychrun will likely be one of the cheaper (cap hit wise) top 4 LD.

Anyway, I've dwelled enough on Chychrun. Time for me to find something else to obsess over.

 

[Goalie_Bob]

I don't understand this infatuation with Chychrun. Dude is always hurt. If I'm trading a 1st, 2nd and Pickering I would rather put that into a player like Hanifin. Or spend less and look for a 2016 Dumo.

I also wouldn't have a problem with sending that kind of a haul for a winger for Malkin.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Surely Chychrun's injury history would be cleared right up once he was a Pittsburgh Penguin.

Why would Malkin need more help? He's only 36 and has the injury history roughly that of being run over by a cement truck and then backed over a few times for good measure. That seems like something you can just park Bryan "Sometimes I like to take three months off teehee" Rust and some third liner next to and he'll be set.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

Maybe, but here are the unkowns:

- Jarry is gonna get a raise. Unsure how much
-Sign Zucker or no? If not, then you better have a viable backup plan for Geno's winger. He will likely ask for a raise as well
-Blu is going to get a raise too if they resign him

I'm not so sure we'll have as much money leftover to get what we want as people believe.

19.2 mil of space as things stand.
I'm a firm no on re-signing Zuck long term into his mid 30's, given how easily he gets hurt. Even this year he left the ice like 3x before this recent injury happened.

We'll have 6F, 1D, 1G to sign. I would trade Kap and push that to 22.4 mil, making that 7F to fill.
Rough estimates: Jarry 6 mil, new D 4 mil, Geno winger 4 mil, Blue 2.5 mil.
5.9 mil left for 5 Forwards. We got RFA's in Poehling and DOC, both who get league minimum again...leaving 3F's who are each close to 1 mil.

If Blue doesn't start scoring more this year then he probably won't be able to ask for much more than 2.5. Maybe 3 at most, which we can accommodate.

I admit it's close, but it's possible.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Carter isn't tradeable without his consent AFAIK.

A paltry 4M investment for L2's wing seems foolish but obviously YMMV.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

Carter isn't tradeable without his consent AFAIK.

You're right. I forgot that.
Well then I'll change it to trade Kap.