Salary Cap: The Endless Speculation Edition

[Sidney the Kidney]

I'll just say it. I think Kahun shows more upside than Simon and if one of them had to go, I'd keep Kahun and trade Simon. Kahun, at least, doesn't shoot as though he's using a rubber stick.

 

[Ryder71]

I'll just say it. I think Kahun shows more upside than Simon and if one of them had to go, I'd keep Kahun and trade Simon. Kahun, at least, doesn't shoot as though he's using a rubber stick.

Kahun (in the limited time I've seen him in Pittsburgh) is a more efficient version of Simon and has better finishing ability. I'd definitely move Simon over Kahun. After a slow start Kahun has been solid both with and without the puck and in all three zones.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

I'll just say it. I think Kahun shows more upside than Simon and if one of them had to go, I'd keep Kahun and trade Simon. Kahun, at least, doesn't shoot as though he's using a rubber stick.

I'm not sure that's exactly a hot take.

I think we'll have a much better idea when we see Kahun with Sid-Jake, if we put those three together. Simon's basically in a situation where he's on Sid's wing or he's scratched with a healthy lineup, imo. If Kahun proves he can do well with Sid and Jake, there's really no spot for Simon up and down the lineup, on either wing.

 

[EightyOne]

I'll just say it. I think Kahun shows more upside than Simon and if one of them had to go, I'd keep Kahun and trade Simon. Kahun, at least, doesn't shoot as though he's using a rubber stick.

Be still, my heart.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

It's hard to discount the play of Sid's line with Jake and Simon, but we've yet to see a comfortable/confident Kahun on that line. If Kahun sticks there, again, I don't see a spot for Simon in this lineup.

On another note; not only does Galchenyuk playing poorly suck for us now, but it makes him essentially nothing more than a throw-in for a trade at the deadline, and an expensive one at that. I suppose we could make something work for a team trying to get an expiring contract like Florida when they traded for Brass and Sheahan.

Maybe Galchenyuk+ for Zucker? Dammit, Zucker would be so good with Geno and Rust. Maybe the Wild are committed enough to the tank that they'd do something like that.

 

[The Greatest 101]

I mean, both Simon and Kahun are dirt cheap. There’s no point to move them. Enjoy the depth we have.

 

[EightyOne]

I mean, both Simon and Kahun are dirt cheap. There’s no point to move them. Enjoy the depth we have.

Now, I was under the impression that irrational, emotion driven hatred/love of players was acceptable. Am I mistaken?????

 

[Tender Rip]

So, and old favorite of mine and DarkChampagneWishes, before Kessel took his soul and made him a Soggy Biscuit, was Voinov.

Apparently he is free to sign for any team by game 42.

So... sign Voinov, trade Schultz for best return? Voinov is absolutely the superior player.

I know, I know.... that. But it’s been years, they’re still together. I frankly wouldn’t care about that baggage if it is beyond them... and maybe wouldn’t even if it wasn’t.

 

[JRS91]

I'll just say it. I think Kahun shows more upside than Simon and if one of them had to go, I'd keep Kahun and trade Simon. Kahun, at least, doesn't shoot as though he's using a rubber stick.

I think before Kahun even played a game he was basically advertised as a better version of Simon.

I'm fine with keeping both of them, as someone else mentioned they're both dirt cheap. I'd much rather have Simon around than Aston-Reese.

 

[Peat]

So, and old favorite of mine and DarkChampagneWishes, before Kessel took his soul and made him a Soggy Biscuit, was Voinov.

Apparently he is free to sign for any team by game 42.

So... sign Voinov, trade Schultz for best return? Voinov is absolutely the superior player.

I know, I know.... that. But it’s been years, they’re still together. I frankly wouldn’t care about that baggage if it is beyond them... and maybe wouldn’t even if it wasn’t.

Just because they're together doesn't mean its actually beyond them.

In any case - I'm against it morally, but I'm also feeling pretty conservative about replacing members of the team who are actually playing well when there's this sort of group spirit going around. Introducing this sort of controversy and scrutiny to the team might knock them off-balance; Voynov himself mightn't be the superior player in his first time back in the NHL in five years, in a different system, with all that scrutiny on him either. I'm up for replacing Schultz but I want less risk than that involved.

Finally... most importantly... DarkChampagneWishes? Did anyone tell him his name sounded like a bad 90s pop-punk band that mostly sings about how they'd love to have sex with vampires?

 

[Tender Rip]

Finally... most importantly... DarkChampagneWishes? Did anyone tell him his name sounded like a bad 90s pop-punk band that mostly sings about how they'd love to have sex with vampires?

Well, I might have made it a muck up of old handles.... to be fair .

In any case, Voinov is superior, and I am one of the people here supporting Schultz.
Asset management wise it seems to me a home-run.

 

[Peat]

Well, I might have made it a muck up of old handles.... to be fair .

In any case, Voinov is superior, and I am one of the people here supporting Schultz.
Asset management wise it seems to me a home-run.

It would be, asset management wise, if everything went right. But there seems to be a pretty sizeable possibility that it all goes wrong.

 

[JTG]

So, and old favorite of mine and DarkChampagneWishes, before Kessel took his soul and made him a Soggy Biscuit, was Voinov.

Apparently he is free to sign for any team by game 42.

So... sign Voinov, trade Schultz for best return? Voinov is absolutely the superior player.

I know, I know.... that. But it’s been years, they’re still together. I frankly wouldn’t care about that baggage if it is beyond them... and maybe wouldn’t even if it wasn’t.

Wait...Soggy Biscuit is CW?

I cannot see this team taking on a guy with that kind of baggage. Great hockey player though.

 

[Shrimper]

So, and old favorite of mine and DarkChampagneWishes, before Kessel took his soul and made him a Soggy Biscuit, was Voinov.

Apparently he is free to sign for any team by game 42.

So... sign Voinov, trade Schultz for best return? Voinov is absolutely the superior player.

I know, I know.... that. But it’s been years, they’re still together. I frankly wouldn’t care about that baggage if it is beyond them... and maybe wouldn’t even if it wasn’t.

Slava Voynov?

 

[McGroarty2]

To TOR:
Jarry ($.675)
Aston-Reese ($1.00)
Schultz @ 50% ($2.75)
To PIT:
Kaskisuo ($.675)
Hyman ($2.25)
Barrie ($2.75)
5th rounder

PIT trades Bjugstad and 5th rounder to some team...

TOR acqures cap space needed for when Marner comes off LTIR and Jarry can take over for Andersen in a few years.

PIT comes out of this with an extra roster spot for Lafferty and another Finnish goalie (Larmi, DeSmith can be recalled if needed) and actualy gain a little cap space ($.100). Hyman is faster than Aston-Reese and i think fits what the Pens are trying to do better.

Guentzel Crosby Simon
Galchenyuk Malkin Rust
Kahun McCann Hornqvist
Hyman Blueger Tanev
Lafferty

Dumoulin Letang
Pettersson Barrie
Johnson Marino
Riikola Ruhwedel

Murray
Kaskisuo (DeSmith)

Obviously the lines wouldn’t be as I constructed.

 

[JTG]

Can he play LD? Cuz we need a LD for Marino if/when we move Schultz.

If we can get him in at under 4m a year, that would be ideal. Marino is far better than him already and I'm not sure Petts lasts as a 2nd pair guy with the kids we have in wbs. But if he's our 3rd pair LD and we move Johnson, quality. All quality.

We have a LD who is going to play on the 2nd pair next season. He’s playing on the 2nd pair now and has been doing a great job.

Who in the world is going to push Petts out of the top 4 in WBS? Our top 4 next year will be Dumo, Letang, Petts, and Marino. The only real guy who is going to push Petts out of the top 4 is Addison and he plays on the right side, so he’s really of no threat.

I’d also trade ZAR/Simon before Bjugstad

I wouldn’t. Those two have at least proven that they can fit with others in the lineup. Bjugstad has looked like shit with absolutely everyone.

If Jarry continues to play the way he is playing right now I would consider letting MM leave in the summer. Anything over 6M would be an over payment for him. He is not a top 10 goalie in this league.

I'd be very careful about trading Jarry. And though CDS might not be as attractive as it pertains to contract, potential and age, he still did a very credible job when he was up with the big club. He probably isn't gonna garner a lot of value, but if you're a team like the Leafs, he's a sizable and definite upgrade to what you have in house.
Jarry is a young, talented, cost controlled goalie who has played exceedingly well in his starts this season. It's a small sample size, but again unless it's a real good deal for the Pens I'd be inclined to keep him. I wouldn't really want to move CDS but I'd me more amenable to doing that certainly. MM is scaring me a bit so I'd like to see how Jarry does over the next couple of months. He has all the tools, he just needs to be consistent. And that'll be hard to gauge in such a limited role. If he continues to put up the numbers he is I'd expect him to start with more regularity moving forward.

Murray is a RFA, as is with Jarry, I would keep them both as long as possible. I’d move forward signing Murray, and give Jarry a good backup deal. Let this play out and let a market develop.
I personally like Jarry better as a goaltender. He’s much bigger and stronger, and has that workhorse goaltender type of frame. I absolutely LOVE how he can handle the puck. He is a throwback goaltender in that regard. I’d honestly let these two go at it as long as we can, and have CDS in the wings when something happens. It sucks for Casey, but he is at least getting an NHL salary in WBS and he will ultimately be back.

Now if a team wants to come and back up a Brinks truck, we can listen. I wouldn’t be using Jarry as a throw in though. I’d hold on to him until a market develops because it’s going to. He’s a really good goaltender.

I'll just say it. I think Kahun shows more upside than Simon and if one of them had to go, I'd keep Kahun and trade Simon. Kahun, at least, doesn't shoot as though he's using a rubber stick.

I mean, both Simon and Kahun are dirt cheap. There’s no point to move them. Enjoy the depth we have.

I would keep Kahun too, but I think we keep both. I like how both of them play. Kahun, IMO, has some real untapped potential. Consistency eludes him but I think that is just part of him growing. The guy has some real potential and does a lot really well. I don’t know if I have seen a player look so atrocious and then do a complete 180 like Kahun has.

 

[JTG]

We are in a really good position right now and I'd let this roster shake itself out. If I were JR I wouldn't make any deals until after the new year. Let these guys continue building chemistry.

If Toronto really wanted Jarry, I think we could leverage Jarry's cap hit, along with our cap space to assist them to make some breathing room, but charge them a premium to do that.

With McCann, have we found our 3C? Do we still think he's a better as a winger? Right now it doesn't appear that it matters where we put him. His stat line right now is insane.

What also gets forgotten sometimes is that we have Ruhwedel here still. If we need someone to get us through if a trade comes along that JR cannot refuse, we have a legit guy to put into the lineup.

 

[wej20]

Imagine how many goals McCann would have if he could score anywhere but blocker side.

 

[Ryder71]

I mean, both Simon and Kahun are dirt cheap. There’s no point to move them. Enjoy the depth we have.

Simon frustrates me a bit, he's afforded tons of chances, and in some cases gets himself in position to score, but flubs the chances quite often. He's on pace for eight goals, but on the other hand also on pace for 40 points. I know his underlying numbers are good and I wouldn't just give him away, but to me he's a pretty frustrating player to watch. I'm not a big fan of his game. I'm not in a hurry to move him out necessarily but I wouldn't miss him if he were traded. And depending on the asset coming back I doubt we would either. With as well as we're playing however, I'm not inclined to make a move. If another GM panics a bit you gotta listen, but otherwise keep on keeping on. And hope we can start stringing some wins together.

 

[Ryder71]

We are in a really good position right now and I'd let this roster shake itself out. If I were JR I wouldn't make any deals until after the new year. Let these guys continue building chemistry.

If Toronto really wanted Jarry, I think we could leverage Jarry's cap hit, along with our cap space to assist them to make some breathing room, but charge them a premium to do that.

With McCann, have we found our 3C? Do we still think he's a better as a winger? Right now it doesn't appear that it matters where we put him. His stat line right now is insane.

What also gets forgotten sometimes is that we have Ruhwedel here still. If we need someone to get us through if a trade comes along that JR cannot refuse, we have a legit guy to put into the lineup.

McCann is pretty unremarkable on faceoffs though. Typically you'd want your third line pivot to be more proficient in that regard. I think his % this season is in the low 40's. He's also a better shooter than he is a passer, not that he's anemic at it, but his forte is his shot. Which generally speaking fits more in line with what a winger does than it would a center.

 

[JTG]

McCann is pretty unremarkable on faceoffs though. Typically you'd want your third line pivot to be more proficient in that regard. I think his % this season is in the low 40's. He's also a better shooter than he is a passer, not that he's anemic at it, but his forte is his shot. Which generally speaking fits more in line with what a winger does than it would a center.

The faceoffs are an issue to me also. I personally think in terms of being a true 3C, Lafferty is much better in that spot. I think that guy is so underrated.

 

[Ryder71]

The faceoffs are an issue to me also. I personally think in terms of being a true 3C, Lafferty is much better in that spot. I think that guy is so underrated.

The problem there as I see it is that we don't have much to go on with Lafferty. I like his game quite a bit, but it's too early to hand him a third line center role. It's still a work in progress, but I would say his game may translate better to center in the showings I've seen.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Like I said in the GDT last night, I have no idea how people still have reservations about McCann in the 3C spot. Sure, the faceoff numbers are concerning, but he's been performing at a top-6 level at center this year. To be on pace for 30 goals and 55 points with the defensive metrics he has is clearly top-6 caliber.

 

[Ryder71]

Like I said in the GDT last night, I have no idea how people still have reservations about McCann in the 3C spot. Sure, the faceoff numbers are concerning, but he's been performing at a top-6 level at center this year. To be on pace for 30 goals and 55 points with the defensive metrics he has is clearly top-6 caliber.

You answered your own question in your 2hd sentence. Faceoffs. That's kind of an important thing to be good at particularly as a third line center.

 

[JTG]

The problem there as I see it is that we don't have much to go on with Lafferty. I like his game quite a bit, but it's too early to hand him a third line center role. It's still a work in progress, but I would say his game may translate better to center in the showings I've seen.

I know and that is why I would really like to see him get some mins there. Bjugstad, when healthy, should sit.

Like I said in the GDT last night, I have no idea how people still have reservations about McCann in the 3C spot. Sure, the faceoff numbers are concerning, but he's been performing at a top-6 level at center this year. To be on pace for 30 goals and 55 points with the defensive metrics he has is clearly top-6 caliber.

Not even the goals and points - I'm not a +/- guy, but he is on pace to be like a +70 this season (no exaggeration). He has played so many roles, on so many different lines, with so many linemates. To hold a stat like that with how he has been moved around is kind of incredible to me.