Confirmed with Link: Pens trade Eller to Washington

[Turin]

Poulin's been playing RW in WBS due to Broz and Ponomarev playing C. Not that Poulin can't play C but he's not really been playing it recently.

Oh yea you're right, I just saw he was playing RW with Broz and McGroarty.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Because this is how you get your prospects to line up with a potential contender window.
2025 picks will probably be ready to be difference makers when they're 22, in 2029. We know full well how bad it's gonna be in 2029.
We need them to be 22 years old in like 2031, or later.

Who was the last 3rd rounder we had that was a difference maker by age 22?

I'll wait.

 

[Pens x]

Last time Kyle had cap space to “weaponize” he ended up with Kevin Hayes.

Yay

 

[wgknestrick]

I can't wait until the mantra is "You gotta let Dubas see the development of his picks through! You gotta give him until 2035 at least."

....When Sully's contract expires

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Many of us have been wanting the Pens to make space for prospects to play in the NHL. Eller was the vet that they could move now.

Maybe they could have gotten more for Eller if they'd waited, but that's certainly no guarantee. In the meantime, they've gotten something for him, guaranteed, and they've made room in the roster for at least one prospect to play for at least a few games.

Is this a great move? No, but it's not a bad one either. I mean, the players have already made it clear that they're going nowhere this year, so I see no problem with moving out older players for picks. 2nd vs 3rd rounder isn't all that different in terms of quality, and at least this wasn't Tarnstrom at peak value for Jani Rita and Cory Cross (not that Tarnstrom had much value, even at peak, but draft picks would have had a better chance of turning into something useful than Rita and Cross!)

Mostly, I'm just hoping that this is a sign that the Pens are finally accepting reality and starting a rebuild for real. At least this way, we get a chance to see some more prospects play.

Now go unload more veteran players, and get some more prospects up here. They'll still lose, but at least the prospects are going to try.

The more I think on it the more I mostly agree. We'll see on the "more prospects up here" part. But hopefully.

In the end it's just Lars Eller. Competent sure but not great or anything. Kinda sucks they traded him to Washington, though. But I'm also starting to suspect my half joke about him wanting out I made earlier might be not such a joke.

Tough to care at this point honestly. They are just too far gone for a variety of reasons.

 

[canadianguy77]

Basically guaranteed lottery status for this season now. Probably more of a message to the big guys that they’re calling it a day, and if they want out, just ask.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Lmao

https://x.com/i/web/status/1856364149418123286

https://x.com/i/web/status/1856365827747946692

 

[Empoleon8771]

Who was the last 3rd rounder we had that was a difference maker by age 22?

I'll wait.

Guentzel and Murray both fit that. Marino counts as well if you're including guys the Penguins traded for as prospects.

 

[wgknestrick]

Sully is doing exactly what the team needs in the moment. IE running the team 3 floors below their basement. He's dead money at the moment and its just better to pay him to coach the team into oblivion rather than to still pay him the exact same amount to retire a king (and still be in oblivion), and have to pay a 2nd coach.

He's a perfect scape goat to everyone....fans, players, etc. when the time ultimately comes. This team needs to suck and get good at it as this is the next 4-5 years, so get used to it.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

Last time Kyle had cap space to “weaponize” he ended up with Kevin Hayes.

Yay

Hayes and a 2nd.

 

[Rudy Russo]

Who was the last 3rd rounder we had that was a difference maker by age 22?

I'll wait.

Jake or Murray?

 

[The Old Master]

Would have liked a 2nd but Ill take it

if they would waited till the trade deadline, they may have gotten that. imo

 

[Empoleon8771]

Edit: moving this to the salary cap thread where it's more appropriate.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

Letang was a 3rd rounder. Got some use out of him if I recall.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Guentzel and Murray both fit that. Marino counts as well if you're including guys the Penguins traded for as prospects.

10 years ago.

 

[Empoleon8771]

10 years ago.

They've had like 3 3rd round picks in the last 10 years

 

[vodeni]

Best thing about this trade: get to watch Acciari the warrior as a third line center

 

[Tacitus Kilgore]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1856501310419329517

This was also a quote from him earlier today. I wouldn't claim that he 100% asked for a move but it sure as hell wouldn't surprise me if he basically just said "get me out of here".

I get vibes of another Ian Cole situation

 

[AuroraBorealis]

We can be a bottom 3 team this year. We are that bad. High cap hits do not correlate with ability. Tristan Jarry, Ryan Graves, Michael Bunting, etc are not going to keep this team from the bottom. Sid isn't either unless we light a fire by firing the coach which isn't going to happen.

I never said they did.
I'm saying having a lot of net negative contracts like we do prevents us from using a lot of cap to funnel in more draft picks. That's gonna slow our return to relevance.
And the NMCs are a pain in the ass.
Hopefully Rakell has a strong a year and we can be free of that. Maybe Jarry pops off here and a desperate team take him.
Unloading contracts like that would be huge.

 

[Freeptop]

They've had like 3 3rd round picks in the last 10 years

The funny thing is, this isn't really much of an exaggeration.

The last 3rd round pick the Pens made who amounted to anything was Guentzel, in 2013.
Since then:
2014: no third
2015: no third
2016: Connor Hall (bust)
2017: Clayton Phillips (bust; also the very last pick of the third round)
2018: no third
2019: Legare (bust, but at least he was part of the Karlsson trade)
2020: Clang (traded for Rakell, still in AHL)
2021: no third
2022: no third
2023: Pieniniemi (in Major-Juniors)
2024: no third

So, five third round picks in 11 years, and it's too soon to judge two of them.

(That said, the 2016 through 2018 drafts were absolutely horrible for the Pens, making even the terrible 96 through 99 run of drafts look almost decent in comparison).

 

[Honour Over Glory]

I don’t know how as a GM you can watch this this team and think “Yeah Eller has gotta be the first one gone”.

I don't know what a dipshit like Dubas sees anymore. Either he pushes to fire Sully or he's the next fired and at this point f*** Dubas and Sullivan.

 

[SomeDude]

I don’t know how as a GM you can watch this this team and think “Yeah Eller has gotta be the first one gone”.

He seemed like he was pretty vocal about how bad the situation was getting. He got the ol' Ian Cole treatment. You can't go talking to the press like that and risk someone thinking Mike Sullivan is not absolute perfection personified.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

Who was the last 3rd rounder we had that was a difference maker by age 22?

I'll wait.

You're looking at time when you should be looking at amount of 3rds.
From 2005-2020 we drafted 12 3rd rounders.
Of those 12 the successful ones were Letang, Guentzel, Murray and Rust. That's a pretty admirable hit rate for 3rd rounders.
Sundqvist and Bortuzzo became NHL'er regulars too.

So far we have 7 3rds lined up for the next three years. There's gonna be more to come too. By the time Dubas is through we may match the quantity of 3rds from 2005-2020 in a span of 3-4 years.

 

[Sike Mullivan]

(That said, the 2016 through 2018 drafts were absolutely horrible for the Pens, making even the terrible 96 through 99 run of drafts look almost decent in comparison).

Thanks, I was just starting to forget Craig Hillier and Robert Dome

 

[Jaded-Fan]

About time.