Salary Cap: 2015 offseason roster-building thread I | Charts in post #1 | Cap projection: $71.5M

[JTG]

This org doesn't see the players the way this board does.

For five years they saw Adams as some key component to this team and it became one of the most bizarre events I ever saw in hockey.

Scuds, Kunitz, Orpik, Lovejoy, etc.

I'm a Sutter guy, but I have a different vision for this team and it includes having a third line that is difficult to play agt.

The Pens see Sutter as a key component and they will re-sign him and eat up salary cap space in the wrong area once again. I know it, and so do you.

Brandon Sutter is so far away from what this team needs as a 3rd line center. If he did one thing well (i.e. he was a 3rd liner who could give you 20-25 goals consistently while increasing the production of the wingers around him, or a legitimate top shutdown center/great faceoff man), then he would be more palatable. He needs to gain a good 30 pounds, and his dad and uncles need to show him how to play.

 

[eXile59]

Losing Martin is really going to Hurt. Especially with Letang being made of glass.

I do think Dumoulin showed he has a lot of potential. Letang,Maatta, DP, & Dumoulin should all be in the lineup next year. Good skaters who can move the puck which you need in today's NHL.

Hopefully Lovejoy stays as a 7th guy. Not sure if keeping Scuds around for the PK is worth it at that price.

 

[JTG]

Losing Martin will absolutely hurt us.

 

[Rectify]

Looking at the roster, we are not far off from having a good team. Here are the moves I would make during the summer:

Re-Sign UFA's:

Ehrhoff- If he fully recovers from his concussion, we should be able to get him for $3-4.
Winnik- Loved the way he played, very versatile, can be plugged up and down the lineup. Give him around the same money he made this season.
Lapierre- Showed he was worth it in the playoffs..
Downie- Love him or hate him, you need someone like this on your roster.
Comeau- Like the OP said, wrist injuries should keep his price tag low.
Chorney- League minimum, I thought he was decent in the PO's considering the situation.

Re-Sign RFA's:

Bennett- The OP nailed this one on the head too, give him legit time on the big lines to see what he's got.
Dumo- Obvious, he looks like he has the speed/skill to do well. Plus, we need to start keeping the talent we draft instead of trading them away for nothing.
Cole- Very surprising how well he played down the stretch.

Bye bye:

Kunitz/Scuderi- I don't know how, just do it. I would be more than happy with a 2nd/3rd and a 5th/6th respectively.
Spaling- He has done nothing to make me love or hate him, which means he costs way to much.

15-16 Roster:

Perron(3.8)-Crosby(8.7)-Horny(4.25)
XXX(5.5)-Malkin(9.5)-BB(1)
Comeau(1.5)-Sutter(3.3)-Dupuis(3.75)
Winnik(1.3)-Lappy(1.2)-Downie(1)

Maatta(.9)-Letang(7.2)
Ehrhoff(3.5)-Pouliot(.9)
Dumo(1.2)-Cole(1)/Lovejoy(1.1)
Cole/Lovejoy

Fleury(5)
XXX(1.5)- I am not a fan of bringing Murray up for a full time gig yet. I do want him to see at least 5 games in the NHL next year though, start 2-3, backup 2-3.

CAP- 71,000,000
TOTAL- 67,100,000

Tons of room to wheel and deal during the summer/deadline. Pick up a non-useless vet as an extra forward, bring up Harrington if injuries occur on the D side of things. We should be able to find Malkin his winger for 5.5, if not, fire the damn GM.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

Maybe. Maybe not. The bottom line, though, is that we absolutely NEED to find out if we'll miss Paul Martin.

Any other decision would just be ridiculous, though sadly not surprising.

 

[roquay]

Do we need to seriously consider Dumoulin-Chorney as our bottom pair next season. Their GA stats are amazing.

Problem with our D is we have too many bottom pair guys right now. As much as it pains me to say I'd move Pouliot. Package him with Sutter and/or 2016 1st and go after a high end age appropriate winger for Sid.

We'd have to sign a top 4 D but I think we needed to do that anyway.

Maatta-Letang
Cole-Petry
Dumoulin-Chorney
Lovejoy

As for the forwards:
Trade-Crosby-Hornqvist
Perron-Malkin-Bennett
Winnik-Matthias-Dupuis
Sundqvist-Lapierre-Rust

Petry,Matthias doesn't have to be them but some bigger bodies that can play. If Duper is LTIR Id give Kapanen a shot. We'd still have a lot of cap space to bring in players if that team didn't work out.

 

[Sh00terMcGavin]

I'm....starting to question putting Beau in the top 6. The guy has certainly NOT been given a great opportunity by the organization, but I still expected a bit more production at this point.

Still a much, much better option than Kunitz however. I'm hoping that Kapanen will be ready by next season.

 

[AquaticBirdman]

Losing Martin will absolutely hurt us.

Not as much as some of you would like to think. Paul Martin isn't the player he was when we first signed him. I for one won't miss him or his cap hit AT ALL.

 

[roquay]

Maybe. Maybe not. The bottom line, though, is that we absolutely NEED to find out if we'll miss Paul Martin.

Any other decision would just be ridiculous, though sadly not surprising.

He wants a big contract so we cant give that to him. He's a great partner for Letang and I would have loved to have seen this top 4

Martin-Letang
Maatta-Despres

but you know injuries, **** trades and all.

 

[Kovifan27]

Based on the way Chorney played I'd be shocked if some team didn't offer him stupid money and a 3 year contract.

If he can be retained for a reasonable amount and term I would do it. The bottom pairing of him and Dumo would be fine.

We need Letang and Maatta to stay healthy and that is a big task. I would look for a solid 3-4 in free agency and one more reclamation project to slot in as the 7th Dman. Give Lovejoy away for a sack of potatoes.

I'm interested to see how Kap does and if he is even ready to hit the NHL and contribute. If you are BB you have to take the ball in your own hands and tell Geno you are training with him in Russia this off season. Make yourself relevant.

 

[AquaticBirdman]

He wants a big contract so we cant give that to him. He's a great partner for Letang and I would have loved to have seen this top 4

Martin-Letang
Maatta-Despres

but you know injuries, **** trades and all.

It would be idiotic to give Martin a big contract and a step in the wrong direction. For as bad as he's been this season I can't believe people would still want to bring him back for a few more years. We have some talented dmen in the pipeline. Time to actually make use of them.

 

[Fordy]

I'm....starting to question putting Beau in the top 6. The guy has certainly NOT been given a great opportunity by the organization, but I still expected a bit more production at this point.

Still a much, much better option than Kunitz however. I'm hoping that Kapanen will be ready by next season.

go watch his 3 games with Malkin then come back here and say it's not worth a shot

 

[chethejet]

Martin brought in to be a top pair guy. He wasn't. Now old slow,no shot and tissue paper soft and anyone thinks the Pens will miss him are stone wrong. He will find a home somewhere.

 

[DegenX]

I'd be willing to give Lovejoy a chance to make the team on a pairing with Pouliot. They looked okay before Pouliot's defensive game went to Hell, which was somewhat independent of Lovejoy. But my leash would be short.

To me, him, Cole and, I guess, Harrington (if he can play the right) are battling for one roster spot, assuming DP makes the team, which is a foregone conclusion they seem to be making ,but I'm not sure I would be.

Dumoulin and Chorney would very probably be my second pair unless they start getting lit up, strange as that would have sounded two weeks ago. They gave up no goals together in five playoff games and five on the season in the AHL. Something's right with that pair. Both, independently, were better than Paul "soon to be highest-paid free agent D of 2015" Martin.

I don't think we really have a choice as far as Lovejoy goes. It's unlikely that they trade him in the wake of the fallout of acquiring him. If Scuderi does, in fact, somehow get moved, either by trade or a buy-out, your scenario is the most realistic, I think.

I think it was another thread where you mentioned Backes. Not sure which one, but, the idea that the Blues would be looking to dump him for cap space is an intriguing one. Any idea what it would take to acquire him?

 

[Asuna]

With an earlier reported interest in Letestu at the trade deadline, I would expect the Penguins to go after him in free agency.

Sigh.

 

[Will Hunting]

Let Martin, Ehrhoff go, dump Scuderi. Sign someone like Petry + run the youth. Lovejoy is fine as a 6th/7th D but he really needs to be at that role.

A group of Letang, Maatta, Petry, Cole, Pouliot, Dumoulin, Chorney, Lovejoy, Harrington is still pretty deep and quite cheap as well.

As far as forwards go, there´s gonna be a problem. Kunitz needs to go, majority of UFAs will go.. Give a chance to Sundqvist, KK, Wilson. Pray to god that Perron lives up to expectations and that Malkin won´t give up on this team just yet. Still 2-3 another solid additions from the market are required there.

 

[Coastal Kev]

Losing Martin will absolutely hurt us.

I hated when they signed him. I hated him even more when I watched him every game. I think he was way overpaid and not what the Pens needed. I will be glad if and when he is gone. soff

 

[cygnus47]

Kunitz and Sutter are definitely movable and we'll get real assets back. Honestly, I think Scuderi too, but we won't be getting anything back for him.

There just aren't any real top 6 solutions out there in UFA and we don't have the pieces to make a trade. We're just going to have to plug that hole with something that doesn't cost us assets for next year. We also have 1 big hole and 1 fair hole in the top 4 of the D, but there are plenty of guys that we can sign for a year or two until Pouliot/Dumoulin/Harrington are ready to step up.

For developments sake, I think it's worth signing one top 6 and one top 4 veteran on 1 year deals so that the kids aren't thrown straight into the fire. At this point, I'd move Lovejoy for whatever we can get as well to move him out of the way. We need the spots to develop our guys and he's not helping the top 4.

Next year the team should lie low, cut the dead weight and do everything they can to properly develop what we have as long term solutions. Hope that having more youth around inspires some more excitement to bring the team together and build towards a real cup run 24 months from now.

We've already borrowed a lot from the future to stay competitive the last few years, we don't have the assets to do that anymore. We also don't have the team to do so anyway, nor are the necessary pieces available in free agency.

1Y Stopgap - Sid - Horny
Perron - Malkin - Open for taking
Winnik - Spaling - Bennett
Wilson - Sundqvist - PKer signing
WBS

Maatta - Letang
Pouliot/Dumoulin - 1Y Stopgap
Pouliot/Dumoulin - Cole
Chorney/Whoever

Fleury
Zatkoff

Some of those spots could be filled by returns from trades or WBS dudes stepping up too. The year after we will be a much better team for having given the young guys an opportunity.

 

[OnMyOwn]

Yea I like Martin overall. Paying tons of money for an older guy whose only high level skill is his poke check, though, isn't smart.

 

[iFishyHD]

Agreed but if they trade or buy-out LJ then they are admitting to a horrendous mistake.

JR has pretty much said it was trash himself.

 

[cheesedanish87]

I would definitly try and trade Letang. Try to get some young forwards in return who can play in the top 6 for the pens.

Then i'd try and sign a couple top 4 def, Petry being one of them.

I know that wouldn't happen though, they will probably sign a top 4 def to replace Martin, and they will sign somebody like Drew Stafford to play in the top 6.

 

[AquaticBirdman]

I hated when they signed him. I hated him even more when I watched him every game. I think he was way overpaid and not what the Pens needed. I will be glad if and when he is gone. soff

Same here. over 5 million per year on a guy that is slow, can't hit, can't shoot, and can't clear the front of the net. He's essentially been a puck-moving Rob Scuderi.

 

[AquaticBirdman]

I would definitly try and trade Letang. Try to get some young forwards in return who can play in the top 6 for the pens.

Then i'd try and sign a couple top 4 def, Petry being one of them.

I know that wouldn't happen though, they will probably sign a top 4 def to replace Martin, and they will sign somebody like Drew Stafford to play in the top 6.

When are some of you going to realize that no GM in his right mind is going to trade anything worthwhile for Letang right now?? The guy is coming off a season-ending concussion and has a history of injury concerns. Add to that a long-term contract at a 7 million dollar per season cap hit and I really don't see many teams lining up to offer a top 6 forward for him.

Learn to temper your expectations a bit people...

 

[SEALBound]

With an earlier reported interest in Letestu at the trade deadline, I would expect the Penguins to go after him in free agency.

I think it would depend on their plans with Sutter. If we can ship Sutter out for a Top 6 wing, I would be okay with looking into bringing Letestu back. Dude only made $1.25mil last year. What would be ideal is if you can stick Sundqvist with him and they can eventually share center jobs. Maybe a 2 yr signing at $3mil? Low cost and after 2 years you can have Sundqvist fill in? I'm just not sure where Sundqvist is right now in development. I know he looked darn good in camp this year...

If we are looking to buy out Scuderi, that HAS to be off set by playing a young kid. It just has to. It pains me that I would have to "explain" that to the organization but I feel it needs to be.

With that, if Kunitz is bought out, that HAS to be off set by young kid. This is where signing Panarin would be all too perfect. That cheap contract would off set the cap penalty. If that's the path we want to go down, we have to think outside the box and take some chances.

Here's where I'm at:

XXXXX-Crosby-Hornqvist
Perron-Malkin-XXXXX
XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX
XXXXX-Lapierre-XXXXX

Lapierre was a beast for us in the playoffs. Average 4C in the regular season. I want him back. I think he proved his worth to us. Spaling will be back as he is signed. Him as a 4th line wing would be nice. I really liked what I saw out of Spaling-Lapierre-Comeau. I REALLY like what I saw. If we can put that together again next year for the same price, I would be thrilled. Maybe Comeau to $1mil? $1.05mil would be a 50% raise.

Bennett is a conundrum for me. I like him in theory...I like what his game COULD be. I just have no idea where the organization stands on him. Does he go in a 1:1? Lol, watch it be RFA rights for Bennett for UFA rights for Letestu!

I would still pursue a Bennett-Kassian swap. Both have injuries, neither are reaching their potential with their respective clubs, this could be a new start / new beginning for both of them. This is one of those "old yeller" type things where you kill something because you love it. I like Bennett. I really, really do...I want him to succeed. And it's because I want him to succeed that I believe we need to trade him. Not unlike Despres. Thank god he went to Anaheim where he will likely find success.

Where Kassian would play, I do not know. Likely 3rd line but he could obviously get looks elsewhere.

Hate to beat the horse or sound like a broken record...but...Panarin and Tikhonov. Especially Panarin. Makes so much sense to pursue him. Signing him lessen the blow of missing out on so many forward prospect draft picks. If you get him you have Kapanen, Sundqvist, and Panarin as your young forwards. That's not terrible. That could even bee a good 2nd line some day

That would give us:

Perron-Crosby-Hornqvist
Kassian-Malkin-Panarin
Sundqvist-Letestu-Tikhonov
Spaling-Lapierre-Comeau

Not the best...would need some sweeks here and there. Perhaps Sundqvist in the AHL, Kassian to the 3rd line, and the Sutter trade brings back a top 6 LW. Sundqvist is 1st call up, Kapanen is 2nd. Wonder what the odds of us being able to get Foligno from Buffalo are...?

Perron-Sid-Horny
Foligno-Malkin-Panarin
Kassian-Letestu-Tikhonov
Spaling-Lapierre-Comeau

That's decent. If Letestu turns bad, ship him off, insert Spaling or Sundqvist.

Now with the defense...I literally can not believe we went from a stacked defense to a questionable defense in one season. Despres-Lovejoy was just disastrous in so many ways. Just...so bad for us. Painful. Just painful. If you have Despres in the lineup next season you have:

Letang-Maatta
Despres-XXXX
XXXX-XXXX

As a base with plenty of possible fillers: Scuds, Cole, Dumo, Pouliot, Chorney, Harrington...it would have been manageable. Now we have a top pairing, and several bottom pairing dmen. We now have to sign an additional top 4 dman. With Despres, you didn't have to. Now we do. Losing Martin-Ehrhoff (an amazing 2nd pairing, possible 1st pairing) will hurt a lot. But now is the time we look to the youth. One top 4 job is open and as far as I'm concerned, the bottom pairing should be too.

The other thing we still have yet to find out is the true condition of Letang. That could be bad and we need to have the personnel on hand to fill the gap. Maatta I hope comes back 100%. I think we need to sign Petry, or Sekera, or Franson. In that order.

With Letang:

Letang-Maatta
Petry-XXXX
XXXX-XXXX

With the best young player taking the top 4 and next two best getting the bottom pairing. Ideally, for me: Pouliot takes the top 4 job, Cole and Dumo take the bottom pairing. Chorney-Harrington are the back ups. Lovejoy is sent away. But as we all know, injuries WILL happen and everyone will get the chance to play. The key is letting the young kids play enough so that they have the experience needed to step when needed. Dumo and Chorney played amazing. Very impressive. I do believe a lot of that had to do with their comfort level with each other. Stepping up into the playoffs and having to build chemistry with a new partner...I don't think they do as well as they did (in the playoffs anyay).

So...there it is. TL/DR?

Summary:

Buy out Scuds and Kunitz
Sign Panarin and Tikhonov
Re-sign Comeau and Lapierre
Sign Petry
Trade Bennett for Kassian

 

[cheesedanish87]

When are some of you going to realize that no GM in his right mind is going to trade anything worthwhile for Letang right now?? The guy is coming off a season-ending concussion and has a history of injury concerns. Add to that a long-term contract at a 7 million dollar per season cap hit and I really don't see many teams lining up to offer a top 6 forward for him.

Learn to temper your expectations a bit people...

If the only injury he has now is a concussion i definitly think you can get good value from him.

He played well this year, unlike last year, PMD who can play 25-30 mins a game and put up lots of points have huge value in the NHL.