News Article: Despres/Ebbett to WBS, Bennett to ECHL, Pouliot to WHL, Letang/Vokoun to IR

[IcedCapp]

hahahaha. they think they can fit WBSimon on a bus. they're going to need a dump-truck for his fat ass.

He's not ON THE BUS.

HE IS THE BUS

 

[Corvidae]

Yep. It was explained to me that Ruopp has a higher cap hit than Despres and Bennett, so calling him up gets them as close to the upper limit as possible, allowing them to maximze the use of putting Vokoun on LTIR. So there ya go.

Everything makes sense but this. I'm still baffled as to why this is something that would need to be done.

 

[Shady Machine]

If there planning on bringing up Despres why not send him to wheeling like they did to BB?

Because Despres is likely down there until Maatta goes back to juniors (if he does). My guess is there is a duel message here. Get your **** together and cap move.

 

[cygnus47]

We'll see how they treat Despres this year. The writing was on the wall when they decided to keep Niskanen around. If they continue to jerk him around between the AHL and then benching him for random games once he gets called back up, then you can chalk this up as another wasted year of development.

Like I said though, we'll just have to wait and see at this point.

For better or worse, Vokoun's situation has delayed the decision on Niskanen so we won't really know management's decision about the D until he comes back.

 

[radapex]

Maybe there was truth to the team being upset with Despres' conditioning?

And how is Bennett a cap move? Do you think the intention is to keep him down there?

Bennett isn't necessarily a cap move, but it's just a "move on paper". They did the same thing with Tangradi two years ago. Wheeling is ~3 hours closer than WBS, so they assigned Bennett there so it's easier to report (which league rules say he MUST do) and head right back to Pittsburgh.

 

[Ugene Magic]

Everything makes sense but this. I'm still baffled as to why this is something that would need to be done.

Because the closer they're to the limit means they can use practically all of Vokoun's cap hit over the limit.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

It's a pretty impressive example of Botterill massaging the cap a little bit for the Penguins. Until you consider that the only reason they were "forced" to get this creative is to guarantee roster spots for mediocre to flat out bad players with overblown contracts. The Despres situation is obviously frustrating... but like MrBurgundy said, we'll have to wait and see to really gauge that.

I'm very eager to see Maatta in some games that matter (HA!), though. He certainly earned his extended look, even if it's mostly due to Letang's injury. It's also encouraging to see that Kobasew looks like he'll get his contract.

So... some good... some bad.

 

[IcedCapp]

For better or worse, Vokoun's situation has delayed the decision on Niskanen so we won't really know management's decision about the D until he comes back.

no for better. Niskanen hasn't been better than Despres.

This board is pretty disgusting. "This is a message, get your **** together!"

What ****? Was his camp worse than Niskanen's? Or, hell, most other players on the roster? The only person they are "sending a message" to is Despres. How convenient for them.

You know what the message is? If you're old and useless like Glass and Adams, you can do whatever you want.

 

[Waffle Fries]

Nah not Despres. If it was just a cap thing he would have just been sent to Wheeling as its closer to Pittsburgh than WBS. They intend to have Maatta up until Letang is back at least.

Well we don't know how long Letang is going to be out. Maatta is not spending the whole year here, I can guarantee that. Letang might be missing more than 10 games for all we know. So there's no way to definitively say that they intend to have Maatta up until Letang is back. Also Maatta might look completely out of place in real live NHL action and they may send him back sooner.

All of this is a roster/cap thing. Despres will be back up soon.

 

[Corvidae]

Because the closer they're to the limit means they can use practically all of Vokoun's cap hit over the limit.

It stills seems unnecessary. It's not like a government surplus where you need to spend it or it will go away (...right?). Why not bring someone up who might actually play?

 

[wej20]

Bennett isn't necessarily a cap move, but it's just a "move on paper". They did the same thing with Tangradi two years ago. Wheeling is ~3 hours closer than WBS, so they assigned Bennett there so it's easier to report (which league rules say he MUST do) and head right back to Pittsburgh.

Maybe he can pick up a few doughnuts for Despres while he's there.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Yeah... I agree with IC.

The only message that they are really sending to Despres is that he's easy to jerk around due to his waiver status. This move was probably in the works for a while, honestly. Which, by the way, isn't exactly the greatest motivator to look like some sort of hero during training camp and preseason if you are Despres.

 

[Darth Vitale]

It amazes me that some people are still confused by these moves, but I came in here for the entertainment anyway. Further proof the nation's reading comprehension skills are going down the toilet.

We've been talking for several weeks about the fact that if the Pens sent Elmer down, he wouldn't go through waivers, so he was the likely "cap balancer" at the start of the season (in the absence of a trade). He may or may not stay down there a while (until some like Niskanen or Engo is traded), but it was pretty much a given that this was going to happen once it was clear no trade was happening. All other NHL D would have to clear waivers.

And the Bennett thing... this is why I spend 0 minutes of my life reading dumbass fan comments on Facebook and Twitter or Penguins.com. The idea that there are people out there dumb enough to think Bennett has been demoted down not one but two levels, makes me want to print up some brochures and hit the Pittsburgh mall scene to sell some bridges. Jesus. ****ing pay attention, kiddies. Watch a pre-season game... read up on how happy everyone is with his play and that he's a lock for the roster. Then try and put two and two together without using a calculator or having yer head explode.

Our capologist guy does all sorts of crazy **** at the start of the season (based on all the fine print in the rules), to get us cap compliant. The only aspect of these moves that are hockey moves are Ebbett (not ready), Pouliot (not ready). As for Letang I think his IR move is probably a precautionary one and after a week or whatever it is (retroactive to Saturday when he was declared "out"), he'll be back. Just let him rest up a bit to make sure he's structurally OK in the knee area before getting him into games.

 

[mpp9]

Despres needed to outplay Bortuzzo, not Niskanen. He didn't. I realize everyone here assumed Nisky was a goner, and maybe he is in the near future, but the Pens clearly like what he brings and would like to keep him. Most every NHL regular on our roster was average to **** for most of the preseason. I'll reserve my judgment on Nisky until the regular season.

 

[Waffle Fries]

Yeah... I agree with IC.

The only message that they are really sending to Despres is that he's easy to jerk around due to his waiver status. This move was probably in the works for a while, honestly. Which, by the way, isn't exactly the greatest motivator to look like some sort of hero during training camp and preseason if you are Despres.

The other motivation for the Pens to keep Despres down to start the season may also be his contract status. He's an RFA at the end of the season and the less games he plays, the cheaper they can sign him for in his next contract.

It amazes me that some people are still confused by these moves, but I came in here for the entertainment anyway. Further proof the nation's reading comprehension skills are going down the toilet.

We've been talking for several weeks about the fact that if the Pens sent Elmer down, he wouldn't go through waivers, so he was the likely "cap balancer" at the start of the season (in the absence of a trade). He may or may not stay down there a while (until some like Niskanen or Engo is traded), but it was pretty much a given that this was going to happen once it was clear no trade was happening. All other NHL D would have to clear waivers.

And the Bennett thing... this is why I spend 0 minutes of my life reading dumbass fan comments on Facebook and Twitter or Penguins.com. The idea that there are people out there dumb enough to think Bennett has been demoted down not one but two levels (and not just a 48 hour cap move), makes me want to print up some brochures and hit the Pittsburgh mall scene to sell some bridges. Jesus. ****ing pay attention. Watch a pre-season game... read up on how happy everyone is with the kid's play and that he's a lock for the roster.

Our capologist guy does all sorts of crazy **** at the start of the season (based on all the fine print in the rules), to get us cap compliant. The only aspect of these moves that are hockey moves are Ebbett (not ready), Pouliot (not ready).

I read a few comments on the Penguin's site and I couldn't handle it. It's amazing how uneducated some 'fans' are.

 

[Jacob]

I mean, the Penguins did the same thing with Tangradi 2 years ago. So you'd have to be dense AND completely new to the game to not understand.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

So... what line do you guys think Bennett will be playing on in Wheeling?

 

[Stad]

So... what line do you guys think Bennett will be playing on in Wheeling?

4th line scrub.

 

[Darth Vitale]

Grind line for sure.

 

[Crafton]

So... what line do you guys think Bennett will be playing on in Wheeling?

duh. he'll play with his linemate from the BCHL.

WBS Penguins ‏@WBSPenguins 4h
Manderson and Minella Loaned to Wheeling; Twelve players also released from training camp roster. http://*******/1bmiv6J

https://twitter.com/WBSPenguins/status/384746689405263872

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

So... what line do you guys think Bennett will be playing on in Wheeling?

Fourth. With Minella. A real grind combo.

 

[SHOOTANDSCORE]

Maybe my math is off but it seems like when the dust settles we have about 300k in cap space? That means that with Maatta or Despres up, we would have to make an additional move to fit Kobe under the cap.

 

[MonsterSurge]

Sending Beau Bennett to frickin West Virginia. Disco Dan badly mishandles another young, highly talented kid. See Simone Depres.

Tell me that's not hilarious...

 

[Tasty Biscuits]

Mmmmm.... delicious.

 

[penguins2946*]

Pens opening day lineup is pretty self explanatory. Sign Kobasew, put him on the 3RW. I'm assuming Maatta will play 9 games, then will be demoted for Despres. A Despres-Bortuzzo pair will exist for at least 1 game, because Letang is on LTIR for 10 games and Maatta will only be here for 9 games.