Salary Cap: 2016-17 Roster Building XXII | Only 75 shopping days left till the deadline

[shureshot66]

All figures are cap numbers, not salaries.

2016-17 salary ceiling​

​

​

|

73,000,000​

​

​

Pens' projected spending |

76,114,806​

Approx. LTIR cushion |

3,750,000​

Deadline cap space |

903,231​

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

Forward.................​

|

Pos.​

|

Age​

|

2016-17​

|

2017-18​

|

2018-19​

Evgeni Malkin|

C​

|

30​

|

9,500,000​

|

9,500,000​

|

9,500,000​

Sidney Crosby|

C​

|

29​

|

8,700,000​

|

8,700,000​

|

8,700,000​

Phil Kessel|

RW​

|

29​

|

6,800,000​

|

6,800,000​

|

6,800,000​

Patric Hornqvist|

RW​

|

29​

|

4,250,000​

|

4,250,000​

|

UFA​

Carl Hagelin|

LW​

|

28​

|

4,000,000​

|

4,000,000​

|

4,000,000​

Chris Kunitz|

LW​

|

37​

|

3,850,000​

|

UFA​

Eric Fehr|

RW​

|

31​

|

2,000,000​

|

2,000,000​

|

UFA​

Nick Bonino|

C​

|

28​

|

1,900,000​

|

UFA​

Matt Cullen|

C​

|

40​

|

1,000,000​

|

UFA​

Conor Sheary|

LW​

|

24​

|

667,500​

|

RFA​

Bryan Rust|

RW​

|

24​

|

640,000​

|

640,000​

|

RFA​

Scott Wilson|

LW​

|

24​

|

625,000​

|

625,000​

|

RFA​

Tom Kuhnhackl|

LW​

|

24​

|

625,000​

|

625,000​

|

RFA​

Defense.................​

|

Pos.​

|

Age​

|

2016-17​

|

2017-18​

|

.2018-19​

Olli Maatta|

D​

|

22​

|

4,083,333​

|

4,083,333​

|

4,083,333​

Trevor Daley|

D​

|

33​

|

3,300,000​

|

UFA​

Ian Cole|

D​

|

27​

|

2,100,000​

|

2,100,000​

|

UFA​

Justin Schultz|

D​

|

26​

|

1,400,000​

|

RFA​

Derrick Pouliot|

D​

|

22​

|

863,333​

|

RFA​

Steve Oleksy|

D​

|

30​

|

575,000​

|

UFA​

David Warsofsky|

D​

|

26​

|

575,000​

|

UFA​

Chad Ruhwedel|

D​

|

26​

|

575,000​

|

UFA​

Goalie............,.......​

|

Pos.​

|

Age​

|

2016-17​

|

2017-18​

|

.2018-19​

Marc-Andre Fleury|

G​

|

32​

|

5,750,000​

|

5,750,000​

|

5,750,000​

Matt Murray|

G​

|

22​

|

620,000​

|

3,750,000​

|

3,750,000​

|

RFA​

Injured reserve.......​

|

Pos.​

|

Age​

|

2016-17​

|

2017-18​

|

.2018-19​

Kris Letang|

D​

|

29​

|

7,250,000​

|

7,250,000​

|

7,250,000​

Pascal Dupuis|

RW​

|

37​

|

3,750,000​

|

UFA​

Brian Dumoulin|

D​

|

25​

|

800,000​

|

RFA​

Retained salary......​

|

Pos.​

|

Age​

|

2016-17​

|

2017-18​

|

.2018-19​

Rob Scuderi|

D​

|

37​

|

1,125,000​

WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON PENGUINS

Forward...............​

|

Pos.​

|

Age​

|

2016-17​

|

2017-18​

|

2018-19​

Thomas Di Pauli|

C​

|

22​

|

742,500​

|

742,500​

|

RFA​

Jake Guentzel|

LW​

|

22​

|

734,167​

|

734,167​

|

734,167​

Teddy Blueger|

C​

|

22​

|

705,000​

|

705,000​

|

RFA​

Oskar Sundqvist|

C​

|

22​

|

700,833​

|

RFA​

Dominik Simon|

C​

|

22​

|

692,500​

|

692,500​

|

RFA​

Josh Archibald|

RW​

|

24​

|

659,167​

|

RFA​

Carter Rowney|

RW​

|

27​

|

612,500​

|

612,500​

|

UFA​

Jean-Sebastien Dea|

C​

|

22​

|

585,000​

|

RFA​

Kevin Porter|

C​

|

30​

|

575,000​

|

UFA​

Garrett Wilson|

LW​

|

25​

|

575,000​

|

UFA​

Danny Kristo|

RW​

|

26​

|

575,000​

|

UFA​

Tom Sestito|

LW​

|

29​

|

575,000​

|

UFA​

Defense...............​

|

Pos.​

|

Age​

|

2016-17​

|

2017-18​

|

2018-19​

Ethan Prow|

D​

|

24​

|

730,000​

|

730,000​

|

RFA​

Lukas Bengtsson|

D​

|

22​

|

705,000​

|

705,000​

|

RFA​

Cameron Gaunce|

D​

|

26​

|

575,000​

|

UFA​

Stuart Percy|

D​

|

23​

|

575,000​

|

RFA​

Tim Erixon|

D​

|

25​

|

575,000​

|

RFA​

Goalie..................​

|

Pos.​

|

Age​

|

2016-17​

|

2017-18​

|

2018-19​

Tristan Jarry|

G​

|

21​

|

589,167​

|

589,167​

|

RFA​

WHEELING NAILERS

Goalie..................​

|

Pos.​

|

Age​

|

2016-17​

|

2017-18​

|

2018-19​

Sean Maguire|

G​

|

23​

|

705,000​

|

705,000​

|

RFA​

SIGNED PROSPECTS

Player​

|

Pos.​

|

Age​

|

Current Team​

|

Contract​

Daniel Sprong|

F​

|

19​

|

Charlottetown (QMJHL)​

|

2 years, $692,500 per​

UNSIGNED PROSPECTS

Player​

​

​

|

Pos.​

|

Age​

|

Current Team (League)​

Niclas Almari|

D​

|

18​

|HPK (Liiga)

Anthony Angello|

F​

|

20​

|Cornell (ECAC)

Dane Birks|

D​

|

21​

|Michigan Tech (WCHA)

Kasper Bjorkqvist|

F​

|

19​

|Providence (HEA)

Blaine Byron|

F​

|

21​

|Maine (HEA)

Filip Gustavsson|

G​

|

18​

|Luleå HF (SHL)

Connor Hall|

D​

|

18​

|Kitchener (OHL)

Ryan Jones|

D​

|

20​

|Nebraska-Omaha (NCHC)

Troy Josephs|

F​

|

22​

|Clarkson (ECAC)

Sam Lafferty|

F​

|

21​

|Brown (ECAC)

Joe Masonius|

D​

|

19​

|Connecticut (HEA)

Nikita Pavlychev|

F​

|

19​

|Penn State (B1G)

Alexander Pechurskiy|

G​

|

26​

|Amur Khabarovsk (KHL)

Jeff Taylor|

D​

|

22​

|Union (ECAC)

Frederik Tiffels|

F​

|

21​

|Western Michigan (NCHC)

Dominik Uher|

C​

|

23​

|HC Sparta Praha (ELH)

Click to read more...

 

[ColePens]

Dat thread title... A+

 

[madinsomniac]

Dat thread title... A+

Itll be wrong tomorrow....

 

[SEALBound]

Every time I look at that chart I see Alexander Pechurskiy and think "DAMN! We STILL own his rights!?" Seems like forever ago...

 

[Riptide]

WTH are you watching....kunitz is awful defensively, he just floats and waves his stick around all lazily.

If that's the case, why is his GA60 the 4th lowest on the team? And this isn't some new thing - it's been like this for several years.

 

[Riptide]

Going in a different direction, with Letang looking to miss some time (news said a couple weeks), I guess this means Pouliot will finally get his chance. How do you think the pairings will match up?

Do they bump up Schultz and move Cole to RD? Or do they try Pouliot on RD and play him with Maatta/Dumoulin?

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

If that's the case, why is his GA60 the 4th lowest on the team? And this isn't some new thing - it's been like this for several years.

If the best thing you can say about a forward in your top 9 who has 2 goals in 24 games and 1 assist on an EN goal in his last 6 games is that he generally makes the safe play, then you have the wrong player in your top 9.

Kunitz is trash and we'll be a better team the sooner he's off the team. Remember this discussion when Guentzel's recalled and how you argued against him in favour of that waste of a roster spot.

 

[hagelin1381]

Going in a different direction, with Letang looking to miss some time (news said a couple weeks), I guess this means Pouliot will finally get his chance. How do you think the pairings will match up?

Do they bump up Schultz and move Cole to RD? Or do they try Pouliot on RD and play him with Maatta/Dumoulin?

I think what you said will happen. I shudder when I think of Daley playing top pairing minutes consistently.. Should be an interesting couple of weeks, to say the least

 

[Riptide]

If the best thing you can say about a forward in your top 9 who has 2 goals in 24 games and 1 assist on an EN goal in his last 6 games is that he generally makes the safe play, then you have the wrong player in your top 9.

Two things.
One, I notice you keep bringing up his last 6 games since coming back from injury. What happens if you bring up the 6 games (or hell his 12 games) before that injury? 1g/5pts in 6 games (12 games, 2g/9pts,+5). But then that wouldn't fit your narrative now would it, so I understand why you omit it.
Two, him "generally making the safe play" isn't why he continuously has very good possession stats and an extremely low GA60 stat. That might be valid for the GA60 if you looked at it in isolation, but not his possession numbers.

Kunitz is trash and we'll be a better team the sooner he's off the team. Remember this discussion when Guentzel's recalled and how you argued against him in favour of that waste of a roster spot.

What do you want me to say here? He's expected to do well. Realistically he'll be playing with Malkin or Crosby and is an offensive player. When he's eventually back up here, he will A) have learned from his time here and B) hopefully improved individually as a player based on his lessons from his initial call up. Or at least he should have. Most talented young players do as they continue to develop. But that doesn't really change how things are today.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Two things.
One, I notice you keep bringing up his last 6 games since coming back from injury. What happens if you bring up the 6 games (or hell his 12 games) before that injury? 1g/5pts in 6 games (12 games, 2g/9pts,+5). But then that wouldn't fit your narrative now would it, so I understand why you omit it.
Two, him "generally making the safe play" isn't why he continuously has very good possession stats and an extremely low GA60 stat. That might be valid for the GA60 if you looked at it in isolation, but not his possession numbers.

I didn't include it because he was still playing like garbage but was leeching points on account of a superstar linemate, which is his wont. Remove the star center and voila, you have a guy with 1 EN assist in 6 games.

But no, let's blame the mystery injury haha. Maybe he has the fewest goals of any forward on our roster because he's low on zinc this time.

What do you want me to say here? He's expected to do well. Realistically he'll be playing with Malkin or Crosby and is an offensive player. When he's eventually back up here, he will A) have learned from his time here and B) hopefully improved individually as a player based on his lessons from his initial call up. Or at least he should have. Most talented young players do as they continue to develop. But that doesn't really change how things are today.

Guentzel's numbers from his most recent call-up speak for themselves. He doesn't have to improve one iota to be better than Kunitz, because he's already played and produced better.

If you're gonna argue for Kunitz, own it. Claiming that any further success for Guentzel would be on account of improvement is a cop out. You're having your cake and eating it too here.

 

[High Flying Birds]

Fehr's time as a Penguin might be nearing the end. I like his versatility to play C and W but he's been a disappointment this year and good portions of last year. I think he's much more suited to center full time but he won't get that here with Bones and Cullen around. Maybe we can package him with Kunitz and kill two birds with one stone haha

 

[Riptide]

I didn't include it because he was still playing like garbage but was leeching points on account of a superstar linemate, which is his wont. Remove the star center and voila, you have a guy with 1 EN assist in 6 games.

Wait... now I'm confused. Kunitz's stat line from when he was playing with Malkin in the exact same role Guentzel played in shouldn't count because he was "leeching points on account of a superstar linemate". But Guentzel playing that role with an off the charts shooting percentage is an exact indication of the player he is? Jesus. And you give me **** for trying to project Guentzel's production with a sustainable shooting percentage.

Guentzel's numbers from his most recent call-up speak for themselves. He doesn't have to improve one iota to be better than Kunitz, because he's already played and produced better.

Sure... but then you're coming back to his unsustainable shooting % as justification/proof as to why he's better - and everyone and their dog knows that that will go down. Not might, but will. And that's a statistical fact backed up by years and years of players, numbers and averages. But hey keep touting that as if it's the end all be all.

You're also aware that in his 5 games, when he was on the ice, he had 4 goals scored against him? And if it wasn't for him shooting 37.5%, that he'd have a negative goal differential? Kunitz barely has twice that (10 GA) over almost 5 times as many games, while playing more minutes per game and not getting as favorable zone starts.

If you're gonna argue for Kunitz, own it. Claiming that any further success for Guentzel would be on account of improvement is a cop out. You're having your cake and eating it too here.

I don't deny that. But that does that make it any less true? You're trying to point to something that's almost a certainty and applies to most young kids who have high end potential; and are stating that the only way what I'm saying could be true is if he somehow bucks the trend.

 

[AjaxTelamon]

Piggybacking here, but if Guentzel was inconsistent, what the hell has Kunitz been?

Guentzel had more impact shifts in 5 games than Kunitz had in '15-'16 and '16-'17 combined.

Yeah, I am with you here. For my money, Guentz outplayed Kunitz' average game for this year when he was up, and I'd have him in over Kunitz. At least Kunitz isn't on the 2nd line any more though, so baby steps.

 

[Fordy]

If that's the case, why is his GA60 the 4th lowest on the team? And this isn't some new thing - it's been like this for several years.

i guess i'll repeat myself from the last thread when this exact same thing was said

"yeah because he ends every play by turning the puck over in a generally safe area and the whole line has to give up and backcheck which i know because i watch the games. they're always going to be in a defensive posture with him out there because they really have no other option. does that make him a great defensive player because most of his shifts are uneventful?

if kunitz has been making amazing defensive plays all year i musta missed it. please link a few"

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Wait... now I'm confused. Kunitz's stat line from when he was playing with Malkin in the exact same role Guentzel played in shouldn't count because he was "leeching points on account of a superstar linemate". But Guentzel playing that role with an off the charts shooting percentage is an exact indication of the player he is? Jesus. And you give me **** for trying to project Guentzel's production with a sustainable shooting percentage.

Don't be confused...take away Kunitz's last 6 games and he still only has 2 goals and 11 points in 18 games leeching off Malkin. Is that supposed to be impressive?

Am I supposed to dock Guentzel points for being more accurate and efficient with limited opportunities than Kunitz has been with all the opportunities in the world?

Sure... but then you're coming back to his unsustainable shooting % as justification/proof as to why he's better - and everyone and their dog knows that that will go down. Not might, but will. And that's a statistical fact backed up by years and years of players, numbers and averages. But hey keep touting that as if it's the end all be all.

The combination of his production and his play is why he's better. His points weren't "passenger points". He was a catalyst for his line more often than not.

Can you say that about Kunitz with a straight face?

I don't deny that. But that does that make it any less true? You're trying to point to something that's almost a certainty and applies to most young kids who have high end potential; and are stating that the only way what I'm saying could be true is if he somehow bucks the trend.

Yep. Because Guentzel has already played and produced better than Kunitz, and I'm not talking about a call-up at some distant point in the future with the benefit of ample development time. I'm saying that next time he comes up, he's going to outclass Kunitz again, because he's already done it.

Ask yourself why you're so hesitant to commit to the guy you think is better actually being better the next time around.

CK's a hot mess - it's not hard to improve on him, as every single WBS call-up shows. The guy has half as many goals as Scott Wilson despite having twice the opportunities. That's not the sort of depth any fan should be losing sleep over.

 

[Penske]

JR should have only asked himself one question this off season regarding Kunitz:

Do I want a player that passes on a wide open net in a Stanley Cup final?
That answer should have been no!

 

[Pancakes]

Thing about Kunitz is you have to take his strong possession/defensive numbers with a grain of salt because he has started almost 50% of his shifts in the offensive zone. Still he's performing respectably in terms of possession so even though his situation is extremely favorable he is at least doing okay with it. I think it's likely Guentzel would contribute more offense than Kunitz at this point but I'm not so sure about the possession side of it. I would have liked more games from Jake to get a better read on how that part of his game would hold up.

You know who has impressive possession stats? Matt Cullen who starts 50% of his shifts in the defensive zone and is still breaking even on corsi close at 50%. That's simply phenomenal.

 

[MrBurghundy]

For the people saying Guentzel was inconsistent when he was up here from the last thread, I just have to ask. Who the hell wasn't with their first few games in the NHL? Was Sheary? Was Rust? Was Kuhnhackl? Was any player that wasn't a star immediately? But how important were those guys to the cup run?

Inconsistency happens BECAUSE you don't have experience. If you never play, you never become more consistent. Not understanding that basic fact is how Shero and Bylsma got fired.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

For the people saying Guentzel was inconsistent when he was up here from the last thread, I just have to ask. Who the hell wasn't with their first few games in the NHL? Was Sheary? Was Rust? Was Kuhnhackl? Was any player that wasn't a star immediately? But how important were those guys to the cup run?

Inconsistency happens BECAUSE you don't have experience. If you never play, you never become more consistent. Not understanding that basic fact is how Shero and Bylsma got fired.

I watched every minute of Guentzel's call-up, and I can't for the life of me figure out why people are calling him inconsistent. Did people get collective amnesia and forget the spark he brought Malkin's line?

He was consistently one of our best wingers for those games...hustling, creating, and scoring. Kunitz has gone half-seasons looking like dog **** and scoring 1 ES point beside Sidney Crosby, but God forbid Guentzel has a shift where he's not tilting the ice.

 

[Son Goku]

I watched every minute of Guentzel's call-up, and I can't for the life of me figure out why people are calling him inconsistent. Did people get collective amnesia and forget the spark he brought Malkin's line?

He was consistently one of our best wingers for those games...hustling, creating, and scoring. Kunitz has gone half-seasons looking like dog **** and scoring 1 ES point beside Sidney Crosby, but God forbid Guentzel has a shift where he's not tilting the ice.

The kids really really good

 

[billybudd]

Fehr's time as a Penguin might be nearing the end. I like his versatility to play C and W but he's been a disappointment this year and good portions of last year. I think he's much more suited to center full time but he won't get that here with Bones and Cullen around. Maybe we can package him with Kunitz and kill two birds with one stone haha

Wilson and Kuhnhackl showing more chemistry and scoring more than Fehr/Wilson or Fehr/Kuhn is bad for him. Rust learning to PK and doing a good job is worse.

If Sundqvist comes up due to injury at some point and plays well, that might be a death sentence for Fehr as a Penguin, unless he gets back into the lineup and plays much better than he had been.

I've always liked this player, but the circumstances surrounding the team and the general level of his game isn't looking good for him having even a near future here.

 

[Gurglesons]

Don't be confused...take away Kunitz's last 6 games and he still only has 2 goals and 11 points in 18 games leeching off Malkin. Is that supposed to be impressive?

Am I supposed to dock Guentzel points for being more accurate and efficient with limited opportunities than Kunitz has been with all the opportunities in the world?



The combination of his production and his play is why he's better. His points weren't "passenger points". He was a catalyst for his line more often than not.

Can you say that about Kunitz with a straight face?



Yep. Because Guentzel has already played and produced better than Kunitz, and I'm not talking about a call-up at some distant point in the future with the benefit of ample development time. I'm saying that next time he comes up, he's going to outclass Kunitz again, because he's already done it.

Ask yourself why you're so hesitant to commit to the guy you think is better actually being better the next time around.

CK's a hot mess - it's not hard to improve on him, as every single WBS call-up shows. The guy has half as many goals as Scott Wilson despite having twice the opportunities. That's not the sort of depth any fan should be losing sleep over.

I mean if you really want to get all over Kunitz you have to get on Hagelin. He has been playing minutes with either Crosby, Malkin or Kessel every one of his shifts and he has the worst production in our top 9. He is supposed to be a dedicated PK, but our PK is one of the worst in the league. Kunitz is old and I'd definitely take Guentzel over him simply for the fact that Guentz can show his promise in that role, but the amount of **** Kunitz gets on this forum is just absolutely insane. It's like the people that complain about Letang when he's playing 27 minutes a night and every other defenseman is lucky to hit around 20. Players have their roles and just because the coaching staff wasn't playing Kunitz in his proper one doesn't make him a horrible player. Suddenly, he is on Bonino's line and Bones is putting up goals. Not to mention Rust as well. People are insanely hard on Kunitz who has been an integral top six forward in three Stanley Cup champions.

 

[Asuna]

Yohe has an article up about how Rutherford is more open to trading Fleury during the season now.

So that's cool.

 

[Ogrezilla]

I mean if you really want to get all over Kunitz you have to get on Hagelin. He has been playing minutes with either Crosby, Malkin or Kessel every one of his shifts and he has the worst production in our top 9. He is supposed to be a dedicated PK, but our PK is one of the worst in the league. Kunitz is old and I'd definitely take Guentzel over him simply for the fact that Guentz can show his promise in that role, but the amount of **** Kunitz gets on this forum is just absolutely insane. It's like the people that complain about Letang when he's playing 27 minutes a night and every other defenseman is lucky to hit around 20. Players have their roles and just because the coaching staff wasn't playing Kunitz in his proper one doesn't make him a horrible player. Suddenly, he is on Bonino's line and Bones is putting up goals. Not to mention Rust as well. People are insanely hard on Kunitz who has been an integral top six forward in three Stanley Cup champions.

Hagelin had a bad start for sure. There's a few key differences with Hags and Kunitz though.

1. Hagelin was really good last year.
2. Hagelin is playing well now.
3. Hagelin helps the team even when not scoring.

None of those are true for Kunitz. Hagelin fits the style we play perfectly. Kunitz couldn't fit it much worse. That's not to say we don't need Hagelin to be better than he's been so far. But he's got 4 points in his last 6 games after only having 7 in the 24 before that. I'm hoping he's turning that corner.

My overall thought on Kunitz is that he could probably be somewhat serviceable still if he was playing with Malkin and Rust. But really he's not good enough to justify a top 6 spot, and I just don't think he can be successful in our bottom 6 away from Sid or Geno. He's just about as a bad fit in our system as Fehr is imo.

 

[UnderratedBrooks44]

I mean if you really want to get all over Kunitz you have to get on Hagelin. He has been playing minutes with either Crosby, Malkin or Kessel every one of his shifts and he has the worst production in our top 9. He is supposed to be a dedicated PK, but our PK is one of the worst in the league. Kunitz is old and I'd definitely take Guentzel over him simply for the fact that Guentz can show his promise in that role, but the amount of **** Kunitz gets on this forum is just absolutely insane. It's like the people that complain about Letang when he's playing 27 minutes a night and every other defenseman is lucky to hit around 20. Players have their roles and just because the coaching staff wasn't playing Kunitz in his proper one doesn't make him a horrible player. Suddenly, he is on Bonino's line and Bones is putting up goals. Not to mention Rust as well. People are insanely hard on Kunitz who has been an integral top six forward in three Stanley Cup champions.

And I'll say it for the billionth time: People being ******** over a 37 year old making $3.85 mil not producing so well is just a great case of how good we have it here. I mean honest to god if you're complaining about Kunitz it means there isn't a whole hell of a lot to complain about. Oh no, we signed a guy for a little too long who doesn't even make a lot of money in the grand scheme of things. It happens.....to literally every team.

I like Guentzel. I think it's crazy that he's not on this team until he proves he shouldn't be. If they could dump Kunitz for a draft pick I would do it, but I'd potentially scratch another guy or two in favor of Guentzel as well, or at least rotate him in if possible.

They moved Kunitz down to the third line, so I don't know what all the crying is about. In the past that was the mantra: if they bumped him down to the third line all would be right in the world. They're not going to scratch him long-term, and you can't complain all day every day about how bad he is and then wonder why they can't find another team that wants him in a trade. Plus, there's also the crazy possibility that the coaches know something this board doesn't, which is likely that the guy is old and slow but he knows what he's doing out there. He's been around the block, and he's pretty much our only forward that has any kind of physical game.

I'm not saying that's much, but I try to see what the coaches see instead of deeming them all morons and me the god of the internet.