With the 14th overall selection in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, the Pittsburgh Penguins select…

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Sucks that the coach who should've been fired years ago gets to suggest GM candidates and have a say in draft picks/signings. Love the way this team leans into dysfunction!

I have been assured that Mike Sullivan is simply conducting exit interviews and stoically cleaning out the locker room as he contemplates what he could have done differently this year and has absolutely no say in personnel, player evaluation, roster construction, the GM search, or hell really nothing much at all as far as I can tell. But when things are going well he magically is responsible for everything! I'm still a bit confused as to how this works but I've been told it's the case and I totally believe it!

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Ugh. I know we have some Garland fans but I really don't get it. He seriously reminds me exactly of everything this team already has and I hate in a wing. Decent at everything... truly great at nothing.

He's a name that's been brought up for the last several years linked to this team that just makes me physically recoil. Small? Check. Expensive? Check. A 40ish point middle-6 guy? Check. At least he's not injury prone--yet.

I have been assured that Mike Sullivan is simply conducting exit interviews and stoically cleaning out the locker room as he contemplates what he could have done differently this year and has absolutely no say in personnel, player evaluation, roster construction, the GM search, or hell really nothing much at all as far as I can tell. But when things are going well he magically is responsible for everything! I'm still a bit confused as to how this works but I've been told it's the case and I totally believe it!

Just gotta get Sully nominated for the Jack Adams so he's fired.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

He's a name that's been brought up for the last several years linked to this team that just makes me physically recoil. Small? Check. Expensive? Check. A 40ish point middle-6 guy? Check. At least he's not injury prone--yet.

Yeah well we all know he'll tick that last box once he's this team's latest contract disaster.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Yeah well we all know he'll tick that last box once he's this team's latest contract disaster.

How many middle-6 guys can this team pay $5 million a year? Find out in about two months!

 

[Sidgeni Malkby]

He's a name that's been brought up for the last several years linked to this team that just makes me physically recoil. Small? Check. Expensive? Check. A 40ish point middle-6 guy? Check. At least he's not injury prone--yet.

For a minute there, I thought you guys misspelled Granlund!

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

For a minute there, I thought you guys misspelled Granlund!

The day Hextall traded for Granlund I got bummed because I read it as Garland, and then I realized it was Mikael Granlund, and got even more bummed.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Yeah I know I just got done dunking on Garland but I take him 11/10 times over Granlund and his "elite playmaking" I've never actually seen any of.

The thing with guys like Garland or re-signing Zucker is this... I'm down! Buuuuuuutttttttt ya gotta get rid of Rust AND Granlund, first. No flexibility or leeway on that. Only way it is acceptable. ONE of those two in and the other two absolutely out... I could deal with that. But having SO many of what are essentially the same exact player just in varying flavors of "meh" is a killer.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Yeah I know I just got done dunking on Garland but I take him 11/10 times over Granlund and his "elite playmaking" I've never actually seen any of.

The thing with guys like Garland or re-signing Zucker is this... I'm down! Buuuuuuutttttttt ya gotta get rid of Rust AND Granlund, first. No flexibility or leeway on that. Only way it is acceptable. ONE of those two in and the other two absolutely out... I could deal with that. But having SO many of what are essentially the same exact player just in varying flavors of "meh" is a killer.

Just wait until the lineup is something like this come October. (tbf, I don't think this works cap-wise, but they'll find a way)

Jake-Sid-Rust
Zucker-Geno-Garland
DOC-Granlund-Rakell
Nylander-Carter-Poehling

-edit- You know what... Quick and dirty math, they might actually be able to make it work. I hope I haven't spoken it into being like some kind of hideous tulpa.

 

[Gurglesons]

Yeah I know I just got done dunking on Garland but I take him 11/10 times over Granlund and his "elite playmaking" I've never actually seen any of.

The thing with guys like Garland or re-signing Zucker is this... I'm down! Buuuuuuutttttttt ya gotta get rid of Rust AND Granlund, first. No flexibility or leeway on that. Only way it is acceptable. ONE of those two in and the other two absolutely out... I could deal with that. But having SO many of what are essentially the same exact player just in varying flavors of "meh" is a killer.

I’m fine with us bringing in Garland if we balance it out throughout the roster.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Just wait until the lineup is something like this come October. (tbf, I don't think this works cap-wise, but they'll find a way)

Jake-Sid-Rust
Zucker-Geno-Garland
DOC-Granlund-Rakell
Nylander-Carter-Poehling

-edit- You know what... Quick and dirty math, they might actually be able to make it work. I hope I haven't spoken it into being like some kind of hideous tulpa.

Ugh. It's like a roster of skating tubs of mayonnaise.

Or even worse... Miracle Whip.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Ugh. It's like a roster of skating tubs of mayonnaise.

Or even worse... Miracle Whip.

I kicked around some hypothetical numbers and it's pretty realistic with Zucker at $4.5 million AAV, Dumo walking, Jarry at $6 million ( ) and like $1 million for DOC and Poehling apiece.

Get excited, buddy.

 

[Freeptop]

Hextall's scouts, JR's scouts, whatever. They've all sucked for like half a decade at this point.

Fun fact - a surprising number of the scouts have been here since Shero was the GM:
Brian Fitzgeral, Jay Heinbuck, Warren Young, and Tommy Westlund were all scouts in 2014 before Shero was fired, and are still scouts with the Pens today.
(I'm still amazed that Jay Heinbuck is still around, seeing as how he was demoted from Director of Amateur Scouting ages ago...)

Then there's Gilles Meloche who has been with this team since Craig Patrick was the GM.

 

[K Fleur]

If we give Jarry an extension at 6m per I swear I’m gonna come on here and complain about it.

 

[Pancakes]

If we give Jarry an extension at 6m per I swear I’m gonna come on here and complain about it.

We're gonna have 12 million sitting on IR about a quarter of the way through next season when Jarry and Zucker are inevitably hurt.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

We're gonna have 12 million sitting on IR about a quarter of the way through next season when Jarry and Zucker are inevitably hurt.

Sid and Geno are also due for their classic 30ish games missed. Don't forget that.

 

[Ryder71]

We should keep the same core, keep the same head coach, and expect a different result. Yes, that sounds like a sensible and logical plan to me.

We're gonna have 12 million sitting on IR about a quarter of the way through next season when Jarry and Zucker are inevitably hurt.

That's okay, if the key players Miss more games next year just means a higher draft pick in next year's draft. Let's just hope we can pile up some high draft picks and build through the draft. Surely that's our only hope.

 

[Pancakes]

We should keep the same core, keep the same head coach, and expect a different result. Yes, that sounds like a sensible and logical plan to me.


That's okay, if the key players Miss more games next year just means a higher draft pick in next year's draft. Let's just hope we can pile up some high draft picks and build through the draft. Surely that's our only hope.

We won't be bad enough to get Celebrini probably but he is highly regarded

 

[Andy99]

What the No. 14 pick usually produces and how long it takes

Here is what the Pittsburgh Penguins have to look forward to if they keep their first round pick.

www.pensburgh.com

yep, trade it…

 

[Le Magnifique 66]

We're gonna have 12 million sitting on IR about a quarter of the way through next season when Jarry and Zucker are inevitably hurt.

They better turn the page on both players...

 

[The Old Master]

What the No. 14 pick usually produces and how long it takes

Here is what the Pittsburgh Penguins have to look forward to if they keep their first round pick.

www.pensburgh.com

yep, trade it…

if you think this is just an average draft class, then maybe. but this is not an average draft class. so everything above is bs.

 

[Andy99]

if you think this is just an average draft class, then maybe. but this is not an average draft class. so everything above is bs.

Ok…well the best draft class in NHL history was the 2003 draft and the #14 player selected was Brent Seabrook…who went on to have a fantastic career but no one would put him up there as the top three reason the Hawks won the Cup…it also took him two seasons in juniors before he made the Hawks and many more years before he really made his mark on the club…we’d be extremely lucky to get a Seabrook out of this class but if we did, he still is not going to singlehandly carry the next wave of Penguins to the SCF by the time he’s ready…so again, trade the pick

 

[3ladesof5teel]

if you think this is just an average draft class, then maybe. but this is not an average draft class. so everything above is bs.

It's average in the fact that nobody is going to make an immediate impact in the next 2 years to help this team. (I would be fine with being dead wrong)

And also average that even if we do strike gold by the time this 14 pick will come around we will be such an average to below average team it won't matter.

Best case scenario we would be lucky to have a playoff team again after this era is over at the earliest 8 years. By that time this 14 pick is on his way out the door because he doesn't fit the team direction.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

We might even get the next Brooks Orpik, guys!

 

[Freeptop]

Ok…well the best draft class in NHL history was the 2003 draft and the #14 player selected was Brent Seabrook…who went on to have a fantastic career but no one would put him up there as the top three reason the Hawks won the Cup…it also took him two seasons in juniors before he made the Hawks and many more years before he really made his mark on the club…we’d be extremely lucky to get a Seabrook out of this class but if we did, he still is not going to singlehandly carry the next wave of Penguins to the SCF by the time he’s ready…so again, trade the pick

And that's aside from the fact that even in that draft, you can find some players that were just sort of, fine, but not spectacular in the top half of the first round: Nikolia Zherdev at 4th overall, Andrei Kostitsyn at 10th overall.

Or the biggest bust of the first round being Hugh Jessiman at 12th overall.

You hope that your team will be the one grabbing Brent Burns (20th) or Corey Perry (28th), and not the team that ends up with Robert Nilsson (15th).

Let's just say chances are far more likely that at 14th you're getting Steve Bernier (16th) than Zach Parise (17th).

 

[Freeptop]

I will say that I agree with Gretz that even if they don't move the 14th out for another player, it might be best to trade down for more picks. If you're not getting players who are going to help right away, then in a good draft, you could still pick up a similar caliber prospect later in the first round, and then end up having additional picks as well. Even better if they find a way to end up in both the first and second rounds at this point.

They might even be able to then parlay the additional pick into an NHL player, while still having a first (albeit a later one).