Salary Cap: Pittsburgh Penguins Salary Cap Thread - JJ and Letang drama

[CallArnoldSlick]

I doubt we give Poulin more than a look, because this team seems intent on its prospects getting at least a year in the AHL to acclimate to professional hockey's speed/intensity, but I wouldn't be surprised if he played well enough in camp and pre-season to make the coaching staff and front office have to think about keeping him around.

...

The Poulin spot is probably the one I question most, because again, this team seems against allowing a prospect to step in and learn/develop at this level without an AHL experience first.

To be fair, the Penguins haven't really had 19-year-old former first round picks available to play in recent years. Daniel Sprong (second round) was given 18 games at 18. His usage can be debated, but he got a chance in the lineup. Poulin plays a style of hockey coaches will prefer to Sprong, so that should help him. Kapanen was traded before he got a chance to play at 19. Maatta and Pouliot were the last first round picks before that. Maatta played 78 games at 19.

Poulin can't play in the AHL this year, so it's not like he's getting that experience any time soon. I think he'll get a look. He took a big step forward in the Q last year. I agree, he's far from guaranteed a roster spot though.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Well, hopefully in any event, we find a way to jettison guys like JJ and Bjugs, and allow the Schultzes, Shearys, and Simons to walk.

If we land a guy like Rakell, Nylander (no idea how, but I've seen people mentioning him a bit the last 10-or-so pages of the cap threads), Arvidsson or Ehlers, I think we can safely say the top-6 is about as strong as it'll ever possibly be and we can make due with a weaker 3rd line than I'd like. Still gotta find a better LW for Blueger-Hornqvist or Blueger-Poulin, but yeah.

All of those guys will take a lot to get, even with the flat cap and cap issues for teams, they aren't just going to discard players for nothing, neither of these guys are like Erik Haula either where a few picks and a meh prospect would get it done.

I am also ok with this team walking away from Simon, Schultz, Johnson, Blueger, McCann, and maybe a couple of more. This team needs a massive re-tool and a lot of those guys aren't "harder to play against" as much as they are useless and make it hard for this team to play together as a unit. I think I would maybe move Ruhwedel as well, small deal, but you can't hang on to a 7th guy THAT f***ing long, you need to clear that shit out and give another guy the opportunity. If you keep Riikola on the 3rd pair, you go after a veteran RD at a lesser cost and allow the kids to fight for jobs.

I would maybe only hang on to Rodrigues, I think HE makes the 4th line harder to play against as C vs maybe Angello as a C (I like him better as a winger).

Lafferty, Rodrigues, Tanev has a good look to it too as a 4th line.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

I think the real issue with handedness is about the PP. Obviously simply having a RH shot on the wall doesn't solve all the issues, but it opens up a whole slew of options with the man advantage that don't really exist with the LH shots we have available.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

All of those guys will take a lot to get, even with the flat cap and cap issues for teams, they aren't just going to discard players for nothing, neither of these guys are like Erik Haula either where a few picks and a meh prospect would get it done.

I am also ok with this team walking away from Simon, Schultz, Johnson, Blueger, McCann, and maybe a couple of more. This team needs a massive re-tool and a lot of those guys aren't "harder to play against" as much as they are useless and make it hard for this team to play together as a unit. I think I would maybe move Ruhwedel as well, small deal, but you can't hang on to a 7th guy THAT f***ing long, you need to clear that shit out and give another guy the opportunity. If you keep Riikola on the 3rd pair, you go after a veteran RD at a lesser cost and allow the kids to fight for jobs.

I would maybe only hang on to Rodrigues, I think HE makes the 4th line harder to play against as C vs maybe Angello as a C (I like him better as a winger).

Lafferty, Rodrigues, Tanev has a good look to it too as a 4th line.

Well, I think if we're gonna claw our way out of the shithole we've dug for ourselves over the course of the past few years, and do so while the Big 3 are still here, we're going to have to get really aggressive in pursuing trades. Any indication that a guy like Ehlers, Arvidsson, Rakell, Nylander is available should be pursued heavily, imo. Cap stuff can be figured out, I'm more worried about having the actual assets needed to land those guys though. The position we're in with free agents walking, and (hopefully) guys like JJ and Bjugs being dealt, we should have more than enough room cap-wise to sort this out. We can always try to get Hornqvist to waive his NTC as well, because I don't see a reason to pay a guy nearly $5.5 million AAV to be a third liner/PP specialist, especially when the PP has been absolutely terrible lately.

I don't really know enough about E-Rod to care one way or another. He couldn't keep a spot in the lineup, but in the few games I remember seeing him in, I didn't hate the guy. I guess that's a plus.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

We've still got issues on the blueline as well, imo. Unless Marino can take the next step with regard to transition play and offensive pressure/production, we're gonna need another guy back there who can produce points. We saw how miserable the blueline's impact can be when Letang's not firing on all cylinders offensively, both against the Isles as well as the Habs. I'd like more insurance in that regard, though it's another in a growing list of expensive additions.

Ideally, that new pickup would be a LD to play alongside Marino so they can grow/develop together an assume the top pairing role in a year-ish. Again, a big ask, but something I think we need to fix sooner rather than later.

 

[Doogle]

No we don't. We need players capable of playing those wings and not being converted to them. Mike Hoffman has played a lot of right wing.

It's never stopped Dom Simon, a lefty, from playing on Sid's rw the last few years.

Or you know, Pascal Dupuis.

The point I made was about finding a right handed wing for the left side of the power play because we've lost two over the past calendar year. None of those players would address that fact. Maybe Hoffman would solve the top line RW issue, but he doesn't solve the power play problem. If we add him, which I'm not against, we still have that box unchecked. So I think trading assets for a guy who does both well is worth trading said assets. If you want to go the free agent route instead, RW is a little barren, but Toffoli could be serviceable.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

The point I made was about finding a right handed wing for the left side of the power play because we've lost two over the past calendar year. None of those players would address that fact. Maybe Hoffman would solve the top line RW issue, but he doesn't solve the power play problem. If we add him, which I'm not against, we still have that box unchecked. So I think trading assets for a guy who does both well is worth trading said assets. If you want to go the free agent route instead, RW is a little barren, but Toffoli could be serviceable.

Malkin at the point, Letang on the left side boards, Sid on the lower/right side, Hoffman in the slot, Horny wreaking havoc..

Looks good to me.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Boy if we could get Gallagher and Domi from the Habs, I might be interested.

 

[EightyOne]

The bottom six is not a threat to put in 2-4pts (not goals..points...total..spread amongst all six) each night.

They aren't good enough. And the idea that they team should make 2 offensive and 2 defensive lines seems....archaic.

 

[Lust for Life]

There seems to be something brewing with Montreal and Gallagher, the fan base seem to have given up on him and he is frustrated. He's a guy I've liked for a long time. He's getting up there in age (28) and only one year left so maybe you could get him for a good price if they want out. I wonder what it would take to pry both him and Domi and if it would make sense to explore that avenue.

 

[Rakell67]

Boy if we could get Gallagher and Domi from the Habs, I might be interested.

Gallagher, Domi, Petry
For
Rust, Letang, pick and prospect

 

[Peat]

There seems to be something brewing with Montreal and Gallagher, the fan base seem to have given up on him and he is frustrated. He's a guy I've liked for a long time. He's getting up there in age (28) and only one year left so maybe you could get him for a good price if they want out. I wonder what it would take to pry both him and Domi and if it would make sense to explore that avenue.

Gallagher ticks a lot of boxes - quality, RH shot, scores goals (albeit off volume), no quit - but him having one year left to UFA when he's a guy whose numbers shout large contract, and his play style/body/injury history says will not age gracefully is not ideal. If this team wants to get younger and more injury-proof, he's more or less exactly what we don't want.

I'd expect the price to remain high - I think any team who think they're close but short of goal scoring and intensity will want him. As such - do we think we're that close? Do we think our issue is dirty goals? Is that extra top 9 RW the priority?

Those are three questions that I don't think are definitely yeses from us.

 

[The Great Mighty Poo]

First of all, love the show, I'll hang up and listen to your thoughts.

 

[The Great Mighty Poo]

 

[Headshot77]

Alright, well, find him a prime Hagelin and Kessel then.

Nylander and some burner from the western conference

 

[Empoleon8771]

Nylander and some burner from the western conference

I think you could just do Nylander and Tanev and that would work.

They would be dumb to do that though, any Nylander to Pittsburgh trade is going to involve Letang going out and they shouldn't do that.

 

[Peat]

Nylander and some burner from the western conference

Tanev is that burner.

But it's very hard to imagine Nylander being satisfied with the third line.

Best source of third liners is second liners at crap orgs. Got the quality but don't have the ego.

If we could free up the money, I'd go hard after Granlund in FA. His numbers might be repressed enough that we can afford him, he's got a lot of skill and quality, and I doubt he'd object to 3rd line - although if he does mesh with a top 6 C and refinds his chemistry with Zucker, you have a curbstomp line (regular season at least).

 

[Empoleon8771]

I'd be acquiring Granlund as a RW for Crosby, not a 3rd liner, but I would like to bring him in. He seems like a guy that may get squeezed by a flat cap, so I think he's in the Penguins price range on a short term deal. I think you can get him for a 1 year, $3 million or so deal.

He's the kind of player I hope JR targets a few of this off-season. Younger players coming off of down seasons that should be cheap to acquire/sign due to those down years and a flat cap. I hope JR fills a top-6 RW, 3C and #5D with players in that mold.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

Honestly, if VGK is going to go with Lehner now and the future, I'd take Fleury back if they ate 1m of his salary and took JJ and Bjugstad in addition to Simon and a pick.

Then you have Jarry-MAF, MAF retires with the proper team and plays mentor before he calls it a career, Murray can go f*** off somewhere and then in a cafe in that town, someone will walk by him and say "They replaced you with Fleury."

I'm not against it, but that really, really screws up Vegas's cap situation.

[edit: I'm not 100% against it]

All of those guys will take a lot to get, even with the flat cap and cap issues for teams, they aren't just going to discard players for nothing, neither of these guys are like Erik Haula either where a few picks and a meh prospect would get it done.

I am also ok with this team walking away from Simon, Schultz, Johnson, Blueger, McCann, and maybe a couple of more. This team needs a massive re-tool and a lot of those guys aren't "harder to play against" as much as they are useless and make it hard for this team to play together as a unit. I think I would maybe move Ruhwedel as well, small deal, but you can't hang on to a 7th guy THAT f***ing long, you need to clear that shit out and give another guy the opportunity. If you keep Riikola on the 3rd pair, you go after a veteran RD at a lesser cost and allow the kids to fight for jobs.

I would maybe only hang on to Rodrigues, I think HE makes the 4th line harder to play against as C vs maybe Angello as a C (I like him better as a winger).

Lafferty, Rodrigues, Tanev has a good look to it too as a 4th line.

Blueger?

 

[Turin]

There was a shot chart on the Athletic showing the best finishers from wrist shots, slap shots, backhands and deflections. No Penguin made any of the top 10 lists besides Zucker who was 10th in deflections.

Obviously Sid, Geno, Guentzel and Hornqvist aren’t healthy enough lately to maybe crack any of those lists when they would otherwise but it does sort of confirm the eye-test and what Jeff Marek has said recently: the Penguins for all their talent need to work really hard to score/win.

 

[EightyOne]

I'm sure dead elbows, shoulders, and abs kinda neuter offense a bit, too

That said, it only explains the recent

Been a lack of finish for a LONG time

Where you watch other teams and just know in certain situations success about happen,, and does. Then you watch the Pens. Empty handed. It's crazy.

 

[Peat]

That was actually our best 5v5 regular season shooting percentage since 16-17, believe it or not.

I think if we want better shooting, we want better chance making as much as anything. The team takes transition chances well when offered but doesn't exactly force them all that much.

 

[Rave7215]

I'm not against it, but that really, really screws up Vegas's cap situation.

I've seen this come up from people a few times and I can't get behind it. Why would you want to do that to Jarry? Having MAF behind him will cause the media and fans to go nuts. Every time Jarry has a bad game, MAF worshipers will come out of the woodwork for him to start. People still believe MAF was traded to keep Murray. That's not to mention that his cap hit is pretty high for a back up and can be used better places elsewhere. I just don't understand why you'd want Flower back other than love of the guy.

 

[Peat]

I've seen this come up from people a few times and I can't get behind it. Why would you want to do that to Jarry? Having MAF behind him will cause the media and fans to go nuts. Every time Jarry has a bad game, MAF worshipers will come out of the woodwork for him to start. People still believe MAF was traded to keep Murray. That's not to mention that his cap hit is pretty high for a back up and can be used better places elsewhere. I just don't understand why you'd want Flower back other than love of the guy.

Need to create multiple accounts to like this enough. It's very hard to decide which would be least welcome here - a 6m declining goaltender, or an ongoing goaltending controversy. Neither should be wanted though.

Not sure bringing back a much beloved former vet equals shake-up either.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

At this point I'll just kind of have to laugh and shake my head if/when they bring Fleury back (and then sign Matt Cullen to coach... something) in an offseason that is being characterized as a "shakeup"