Salary Cap: Pens Summer Salary Thread: Dull days of August... Oooo! A trade!

[Tom Hanks]

Respectfully... I wish I had your optimism. This roster is garbage and it's being run by even worse garbage.

Hopefully they just flat out suck. Probably the best outcome at this point.

During the season last year, youth worked in top 6 roles and Sullivan still kept f***ing it up. You may have more faith than I do mate, more power to you for that. I envy you.


POJ was good with Letang for a couple of seasons in a shitty system but we needed more Ruhwedel on the roster because he had that joose. That sticktoitiveness. Had that raspberry jam to his game mate.

I’m slightly optimistic that because the #1 priority isn’t playoffs anymore that Sully may change a little for the better

I’m slightly optimistic that the roster will play better this season eg Bottom 6, PP, Karlsson a year in (it can be hard on D men at new clubs).

BUT IF

• Sid starts declining and the other 3 stars drop off even more
• Sully coaches the same
• Dubas doesn’t adjust through the season as needed

THEN it will be bad.

Having said all that even if Dubas/Sully their jobs well we still might tumble just due to age of our best players.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

I don't think this team is much different than it's been for the past two years. Sure, Jake's gone, but Jake wasn't the difference maker a lot of people believe imo. /shrug

They'll probably still be in the WC race for a bit unless age/injury catches up to Sid notably. Like BlindWilly said; wish they'd keep parting things out like Petts and eventually Rust, and they just full on sucked.

 

[Gurglesons]

Since we all think we are going to suck, I bet we do the annoying thing and look really good and get our hopes up.

Then Sullivan and Jarry pull their usual shit in R1 and we don't fire him for some reason.

 

[GilbertSeinfeld]

Since we all think we are going to suck, I bet we do the annoying thing and look really good and get our hopes up.

Then Sullivan and Jarry pull their usual shit in R1 and we don't fire him for some reason.

This is probably what will really happen.

The team won't fire Sullivan even if they start out like 0-10 because he's coaching Team USA, so he's as untouchable as a coach can get, but I'd love to be wrong.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Since we all think we are going to suck, I bet we do the annoying thing and look really good and get our hopes up.

Then Sullivan and Jarry pull their usual shit in R1 and we don't fire him for some reason.

Probably.

And I think Sullivan's here until he doesn't wanna be--hopefully that coincides with the rebuild (too good to coach a bottom feeder and all that).

 

[Tasty Biscuits]

Since we all think we are going to suck, I bet we do the annoying thing and look really good and get our hopes up.

Then Sullivan and Jarry pull their usual shit in R1 and we don't fire him for some reason.

If we get a chance the see Sid in the POs one more time, I'm good. We know nothing else is happening with the core at this point.

 

[TheGoldenJet]

In a vacuum, getting Cody Glass, a 3rd, and a 6th for a ECHL level guy is a great deal. I do like his size and potential though.

My non-vacuum stance is that:
1. This is $2.5mil of our $3mil in space. I would have rather tried for someone like Robertson to use the remaining cap on.
2. This is another potential roadblock to prospects.
3. Recent performance is nothing to write home about however his 2022 season looked good.

This is where I’m at as well. Was hoping Doobler would forego his annual dumpster diving traditions this year in lieu of going after a real/proven player, but alas.

 

[TheGoldenJet]

I was quite surprised we re-signed Bemstrom.

Doobler usually tries to prove himself right (ie. that he made a move for a worthwhile prospect) by force.

 

[TheGoldenJet]

Dubas is literally on record saying this team is starting a rebuild yet people act all surprised Pikachu when the Penguins make rebuilding moves

Did the rebuild start right before or right after the draft where Doobler traded our first?

 

[AuroraBorealis]

Did the rebuild start right before or right after the draft where Doobler traded our first?

Dubas has egotistical tendencies, so the Karlsson trade was sort of like his "Hey, I'm here now" move.
I think he just wanted a year to assess how far they are away. Then after watching the team, realization quickly hit hard, and before the deadline he had already given up on any short-term, lofty goals.
This off-season he's committed to what needs to be done. If it wasn't for ownership's mandate, this restocking would be more aggressive.

 

[TheGoldenJet]

Dubas has egotistical tendencies, so the Karlsson trade was sort of like his "Hey, I'm here now" move.
I think he just wanted a year to assess how far they are away. Then after watching the team, realization quickly hit hard, and before the deadline he had already given up on any short-term, lofty goals.
This off-season he's committed to what needs to be done. If it wasn't for ownership's mandate, this restocking would be more aggressive.

So he spent one year “going for it” in Pittsburgh and ended up doing even worse than Hextall did the year before (and this was after “going for it” for half a decade in Toronto and coming up woefully short each time there as well). Only then did the rebuild commence, heading in to the 2024-25 season. Just wanted to set the record straight.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

So he spent one year “going for it” in Pittsburgh and ended up doing even worse than Hextall did the year before (and this was after “going for it” for half a decade in Toronto and coming up woefully short each time there as well). Only then did the rebuild commence, heading in to the 2024-25 season. Just wanted to set the record straight.

Keep in mind he also had Hextall's mess to contend with upon arrival. It's not as simple as a clean slate.
I'm waiting longer before judging. I've been happy with every trade practically. The signings made sense, outside of maybe the Graves one. It was not the time to give 5-year term, when you're a year or 2 away from wrapping things up. He overextended himself for short-term pursuits, at a time when they weren't contenders.

I'm more bothered by his inactions in regards to the coaching staff, than anything else. That's what hurt results most.

 

[TheGoldenJet]

Possibly but he was initially hired as Pres of Hockey Ops and was to search for a GM. That was as the original hire and intention. He didn't seem to really look at wanting to be a GM again after Toronto but then later pivoted to taking the GM role as well. Absolute asshat.

Yep, and so far has failed in his GM role yet again.

 

[HandshakeLine]

Charlie Brown ass fanbase we got here.

 

[TheGoldenJet]

Keep in mind he also had Hextall's mess to contend with upon arrival. It's not as simple as a clean slate.
I'm waiting longer before judging. I've been happy with every trade practically. The signings made sense, outside of maybe the Graves one. It was not the time to give 5-year term, when you're a year or 2 away from wrapping things up. He overextended himself for short-term pursuits, at a time when they weren't contenders.

I'm more bothered by his inactions in regards to the coaching staff, than anything else. That's what hurt results most.

You definitely hit the nail on the head there. On the one hand, I wanted Laine instead of these Hayes/Glass types. On the other hand, I know that without a coaching change, it doesn’t really matter, as nothing will actually change.

 

[OtherThingsILike]

This is where I’m at as well. Was hoping Doobler would forego his annual dumpster diving traditions this year in lieu of going after a real/proven player, but alas.

He forewent his "annual dumpster diving traditions" just last season by acquiring Karlsson.

 

[Zbynek]

This

O'Connor, Crosby, Rakell
Bunting, Malkin, Rust
Beauvillier, Glass, Puustinen
Gruden/Poulin, Hayes, Lizotte

This roster absolutely sucks ass lmao.

We are absolute doo-doo.

 

[HandshakeLine]

He forewent his "annual dumpster diving traditions" just last season by acquiring Karlsson.

And boy that sure moved the needle!

 

[OtherThingsILike]

And boy that sure moved the needle!

Turns out the window was shut and trying to pry it back open didn't work. *shrug*

 

[HandshakeLine]

I mean, it could have moved the needle with a few minor coaching adjustments but we'll never know.

 

[HandshakeLine]

Again, not being flippant, but I think that no matter what moves we made or didn't make, having a different coaching staff would make them a lot more palatable. As is I just don't see why bringing in Cody Glass (not a bad move in a vacuum) is worth the mid-to-late picks we received if we're just going to run the same old stupid system. If we're trying to win (lol), it's not going to give us the results we need. If we're trying to tank and gain assets for flipping, it's not going to showcase/improve any assets worth flipping since anyone not in the top 6 is going to get shelled or never used.

 

[K Fleur]

No team playing DOC on their 1st line is trying to win.

 

[HandshakeLine]

No team playing DOC on their 1st line is trying to win.

And yet we just keep tanking the value of what assets we can move by not moving them.

 

[Andy99]

Keep in mind he also had Hextall's mess to contend with upon arrival. It's not as simple as a clean slate.
I'm waiting longer before judging. I've been happy with every trade practically. The signings made sense, outside of maybe the Graves one. It was not the time to give 5-year term, when you're a year or 2 away from wrapping things up. He overextended himself for short-term pursuits, at a time when they weren't contenders.

I'm more bothered by his inactions in regards to the coaching staff, than anything else. That's what hurt results most.

Imo, worse than Graves was the signing of Jarry to that term…Dubas, if anyone, should know the fate of tying your hands to mediocre goaltending … Pens have goaltending prospects too…was a scared signing reminiscent of Hextall feeling pressure to do something at the deadline and coming away with Granlund…only worse because of the term lol

 

[eXile3]

No team playing DOC on their 1st line is trying to win.

Bobby McCann is being penciled into the Leafs top 6. Most teams have someone playing in roles they shouldn’t be.