Salary Cap: 2017-18 Roster Building Thread V | Contract/FA charts in Post #1 | CAP SET at $75M

[thecore]

I feel Niemi is a good fit. He's gotten paid, so he's going to be looking for fit. He is inconsistent, but has the ability to get hot and win a series or two if needed. I don't know that we can do better for under $1 million. You can do better for 2-3, but I don't know if hedging against injury to that extent outweighs depth elsewhere.

 

[Speaking Moistly]

I doubt his personality changed.

And we all remember Orpik pointing fingers when he was a problem. Age and decline don't necessarily make some people shut up. I'd still be interested in Miller but it's a concern.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

Alright, I've compiled a list of potential two-way targets for Wilkes.



Defensmen:

Jeff Taylor is the only incoming prospect. If you operate under the assumption all free agents are leaving, combined with who the hell knows what's going to happen with Pouliot, and WBS is pretty thin as of right now. So, as with last season, we're going shopping on defense.

Nick Ebert
David Musil
Dylan Blujus
Reece Scarlett
Jordan Oesterle
Brenden Kichton
Joel Hanley
Yohann Auvitu
Alex Grant
Brad Hunt
Jamie McBain
Matt Taormina

The first few names are unqualified, younger guys. Musil and Blujus were high second round picks with some two-way ability, and Blujus' name is Blue Juice, which is a bonus. Kichton's shown some offensive upside, albeit inconsistently. Auvitu is a that Frenchman who Shero brought to New Jersey and made the team out of camp, but struggled as the year went on and ended up in the AHL. But he's skillful and can skate. Hanley is my attempt at finding another Ruhwedel. Grant, Hunt, McBain and Taormina are offensive guys to potentially replace what's lost with Warsofsky. McBain has a wealth of experience at the NHL level and could be a solid 'first call' option. Hunt is more a rover than a defenseman, but he gets results, offensively at least. Grant is familiar with the Penguins, has a heavy shot and a physical game. Taormina's been a consistent AHL scorer for several years. These are all older guys, however, and might be looking at Europe as opposed to another year grinding it out on the AHL bus.


C
Greg McKegg
Gabriel Dumont
Byron Froese
Michael Sgarbossa
Paul Carey
Phil Varone

I don't think we need much at center, which is good since there aren't many available. But another top six guy wouldn't go astray. I like Gabriel Dumont. He's feisty, has some offensive upside, kills penalties, takes faceoffs and has been a captain the last two years. I don't think he's that far off being a full time NHL fourth line center, which is why he'll probably get some one-way offers, but he's probably my favourite player of anyone listed.

W
Seth Griffith
Emerson Etem
Brendan Ranford
Kenny Agostino
Stan Galiev
Buddy Robinson
Tyler Pitlick
Mitch Callahan
Stefan Matteau
Brandon Mashinter
Cole Schneider

Griffith and Agostino might be the top-two free agent targets of anyone who played in the AHL last season. They were pretty dominant. I don't know how Etem's health is, but his speed alone would make for a handy asset to have in our back pocket. Tyler Pitlick has chipped in a little offensively in the NHL. Galiev spent most of last season trying to get out of the Caps org. where he felt buried in their forward depth chart. Buddy Robinson is intriguing due to his size (6'6) and semi-useful offensive skillset - basically a middle six guy with size to replace Garrett Wilson. I've got Matteau there in case they want a rat, and Mashinter in case they want a new Sestito that's a bit less of a knuckledragger and less likely to spend half the year out injured. McGrath is already coming back as the resident AHL idiot who can't play.

I didn't bother with goaltenders.

So there it is for the four people who might be interested. I had a bit more detail, but my laptop crashed for the first time ever, which naturally ate my post.

Good stuff, clefty. I, for one, appreciate reading lists like these.

One note: Gabriel Dumont re-signed with Tampa Bay today, so scratch him off your list.

 

[Empoleon8771]

And it would stall Jarry's development because he wouldn't be the starting goaltender, handling that pressure and workload. Jarry needs to start 60 games this season and be the guy in WBS. He needs that pressure and workload to grow as a goaltender. He will get NHL starts, but there's no reason to have him here full time.

Why would Jarry starting 30 games in the NHL as opposed to 50 games in WBS stall his development? Jarry wouldn't start 60 games in WBS next year even if he stays there a full season. He got 45 games last year while being in WBS for a majority of the season, and WBS still has a very good 1B goalie in DeSmith.

 

[froods]

And we all remember Orpik pointing fingers when he was a problem. Age and decline don't necessarily make some people shut up. I'd still be interested in Miller but it's a concern.

Yea, if you could find an exact opposite personality from Flower, it is Miller.

 

[ColePens]

I spy Alex Grant on clefty's post.

 

[Peat]

Why not do both? Also, we don't need a backup to play a ton of games. If Murray goes down, Jarry moves right into #1

I'd like a backup to handle a lot of games (including all those b2bs) to keep Murray nice and fresh for the play offs.

 

[froods]

I'd like a backup to handle a lot of games (including all those b2bs) to keep Murray nice and fresh for the play offs.

Could we not just bounce Jarry back and forth like we did with Murray?

 

[ncm7772]

People overrate how bad he was here. He wasn't terrible. He had awful moments because he was being asked to be a #1 defender. He isn't that. If Hainsey is cheap and your #6/#7, he's not awful in any way. It's not my ideal pick up, but defensive depth, as we all know, is freaking important.

Agree with you.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

Could we not just bounce Jarry back and forth like we did with Murray?

Yup. But if we pencil the backup in for 27-30 games already, we may not even need to. But in a situation where he sits out several games in a row, yeah send him down and call up our No. 3.

 

[Gurglesons]

I really like Hainsey and was pretty impressed with how he played especially given how ridiculously they rode him. He basically was our #2-3 in a Stanley Cup win. He had some great moments where he stepped up. If we he would come back for 2 million x 2 I'd definitely take him back.

My main thing with him is he didn't seem like he felt like part of the team. Maybe it was because of how close this team is, but he referred to the Pens as them throughout interviews after winning the cup. Just a really strange situation.

 

[Peat]

Could we not just bounce Jarry back and forth like we did with Murray?

I thought Murray mainly went up and down due to injuries?

 

[Tender Rip]

I really like Hainsey and was pretty impressed with how he played especially given how ridiculously they rode him. He basically was our #2-3 in a Stanley Cup win. He had some great moments where he stepped up. If we he would come back for 2 million x 2 I'd definitely take him back.

Hey hey, Pixies!
We agree on something! This has to recorded for posterity.
It's our "moment" .

 

[canadianguy77]

How much better is McDavid that Crosby? I wouldn't say he's any better. He's about to cost 4.5m more. Advantage: Crosby.

If Crosby didn't spend 30 games or whatever it was with Kunitz, this isn't even a thing.

 

[NeedleInTheHay]

I'd much rather pay Daley 3 than Hainsey 2.

 

[ColePens]

I'd much rather pay Daley 3 than Hainsey 2.

I am really interested in seeing what Daley makes. I could see a bad overpayment. He's 33 and his last contract was 3.3. He's been in the 20 pts. I think someone could go for like 4x4 that could pay him. I think he goes above his 3.3.

 

[Riptide]

First point, why wouldn't he have that sort of value? I never said "elite 3C", I just said "3C". 3rd line winger for a 3rd line center is hardly a horrific trade suggestion. And why would Girgensons be a capable 3C? You don't need to have Bonino as your 3C to have a capable 3C.

Riley Sheahan is a 3C. Do you think that Wilson for Sheahan would be far off, or that Sheahan wouldn't be a capable 3C here?

He had 2g/13 pts in 81 games last season. The year before was better... with 14g/25pts, only 17 of which were at ES. Even if he bounced back to his 10% shooting percentage (vs 1.8%), that still only puts him in the low 20s production wise. He would be at best no different Fehr as a #3C... which would be bad all around.

He's young, big, and can win 50% of his draws. But he doesn't have the offensive game to be a decent #3C on a contending team. About the only redeeming quality he has is his faceoffs and the fact that he'd probably be cheap to acquire. However odds are he would quickly start receiving Bonino level hate - especially if he produced half of what Bonino did this year while carrying a bigger cap hit then Bonino did this year.

 

[ColePens]

Riley Sheahan is not a name to throw around the main boards. I think he went 81 games without a goal? We already have a guy in the playoffs who has one point in 36 games. We cannot replace Kunitz/Cullen with 1g in 81 games and 1 point in 36 playoff games.

As silly as it sounds.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Riley Sheahan is not a name to throw around the main boards. I think he went 81 games without a goal? We already have a guy in the playoffs who has one point in 36 games. We cannot replace Kunitz/Cullen with 1g in 81 games and 1 point in 36 playoff games.

As silly as it sounds.

Do you really expect Sheahan to stick around that? Sheahan had 14 goals in 81 games last season and 13 goals in 79 games in 14-15.

He had 2g/13 pts in 81 games last season. The year before was better... with 14g/25pts, only 17 of which were at ES. Even if he bounced back to his 10% shooting percentage (vs 1.8%), that still only puts him in the low 20s production wise. He would be at best no different Fehr as a #3C... which would be bad all around.

He's young, big, and can win 50% of his draws. But he doesn't have the offensive game to be a decent #3C on a contending team. About the only redeeming quality he has is his faceoffs and the fact that he'd probably be cheap to acquire. However odds are he would quickly start receiving Bonino level hate - especially if he produced half of what Bonino did this year while carrying a bigger cap hit then Bonino did this year.

From 2013-2016, Sheahan had a 35 point pace per 82 games (36 goals and 85 points in 202 games). That's plenty good enough to be a decent 3C on a contending team. He was awful this year, but he was good before this year. And do you really think his production wouldn't increase while playing on a 3rd line with Kessel?

 

[Riptide]

**** yeah. He'd get more games here.

Yeah, but his wife is an actress. Regardless of how good of one people think she is... she needs to be in LA. Which means Miller probably doesn't want to be on the east coast if he doesn't have to be.

 

[Pens x]

Is there a chance Kunitz re-signs here?

Please tell me know

 

[ColePens]

Do you really expect Sheahan to stick around that? Sheahan had 14 goals in 81 games last season and 13 goals in 79 games in 14-15.



From 2013-2016, Sheahan had a 35 point pace per 82 games (36 goals and 85 points in 202 games). That's plenty good enough to be a decent 3C on a contending team. He was awful this year, but he was good before this year. And do you really think his production wouldn't increase while playing on a 3rd line with Kessel?

I always wonder why people refuse skepticism. It's like the guy/girl who goes into roulette table and throws a crap load of money on red because it's been black for so long.

You don't know if this guy is going to boom or bust. And his bust is brutal. His boom is marginal. I'd rather stick with the guy I know in Bones, if at all possible. For the record - not saying he won't work here. But I think we have a guy with 1 point in 36 playoff games. We need to make sure we have something for sure. I don't think a reclamation project is fitting right now.

 

[ColePens]

Is there a chance Kunitz re-signs here?

Please tell me know

Absolutely. He's been here since 2009. He's an organizational vet. A lot of people like him. He was a hero of Game 7 ECF. He made the pass in Game 6 to start the Cup winning goal.

If he said he'd take a small contract to stay, I absolutely think the organization would do it. Not saying I agree with it, but I could see them doing so. I'd be shocked if Kunitz chases money over family comfort at this time. Although.. Vegas would be dope to be with MAF.

 

[66-30-33]

Is there a chance Kunitz re-signs here?

Please tell me know

Minny were talking to him per Russo IIRC, along with Cullen.

 

[SHOOTANDSCORE]

I think we'll see him improve, tbh, it's a question of how much but he's 22. Aside from that they don't have the defensive depth to be trading him and I still don't see how they're supposed to properly replace him without creating another problem. And even if he doesn't improve it's a young top 4 D with a tonne of playoff experience and Sprong's potential for two years of Duchene on the third line with Letang being such a question mark.

Yeah, 22 and missed a season worth of games to injury. I don't think he's close to done developing.

Plus, people seem to forget that we already have a serious hole left by Daley. We also are losing Hainsey, who was frustrating at times but still played a big role. If we move Maatta, we're down a full half of our Cup winning defense.

IMO, we need to suck it up and let Maatta and Dumo continue to develop. I expect them to both have improved seasons this year.