Due Respect to Dupuis' OFFENSIVE Game...

[Ziggyjoe21]

$3 mil would be fair for him. 25 even strength goals is VERY impressive. Not to mention it's hard as is to find a winger for Sid.

 

[deakka]

The question is... Is he pricing himself out of Pittsburgh?
If i were him i would look to cash in on a last contract. Look at what players with his production has gotten the last years. He could be get paid in the 4-4.5 range and then we cant afford him. Unless he takes a hometown discount.

Only thing i can think of hurting his stock is the "sid-factor". Meaing teams pay him less because the think its all sids doing that Dupuis racks up points.

 

[Ogrezilla]

Right now Dupuis is a better hockey player than Kunitz.

I'd rather have Dupuis playing 3rd wheel on Sid's line than Kunitz if a winger is acquired, and never did I think I'd say that.

no he's not. Unless by right now you literally just mean yesterday.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

Dupuis has never had more value as an NHLer. He's playing at a very high level. So, I would be VERY CURIOUS to know what he'd fetch in a trade right about now.

As good as he is playing, he turns 34 in April and he's a potential UFA. Is he part of the plan going forward?

If you include a Dupuis in a trade for a winger, you may not have to give up the better D prospect, or you may not have to give up an extra asset.

Maybe Dupuis and Pouliot gets us that coveted winger. Hey, you never know. Dupuis is a respected player around the NHL. We may not have a better asset to move.

Oh sure, dealing Tyler Kennedy is the better move for us. But not if it means we have to add a LOT more in the deal. Kennedy looks like a sunk cost for the acquiring team. Dupuis looks like a versatile veteran Cup winner that a team could plug just about anywhere. And they don't have to commit to him if he doesn't pan out. Win-win.

Instead of continuing to sell low (Strait, Tangradi), perhaps it's time we sell high on a player.

 

[IcedCapp]

How much do you think it'll cost us to keep him this Summer then, and for how long?

I actually think he likes playing with Sid (and the Penguins) and might continue to take relatively cheap contracts as long as he continues to be that guy.

I might be Naive on this one, but I'm not usually a "hometown-discount" guy. I just think Dupers knows he has a good thing going there.

 

[vodeni]

I actually think he likes playing with Sid (and the Penguins) and might continue to take relatively cheap contracts as long as he continues to be that guy.

I might be Naive on this one, but I'm not usually a "hometown-discount" guy. I just think Dupers knows he has a good thing going there.

you're naive, if his contract is up and he gets a bump say $1M he's gone, rightfully so...cash it in when you can

 

[WVP]

Dupuis has never had more value as an NHLer. He's playing at a very high level. So, I would be VERY CURIOUS to know what he'd fetch in a trade right about now.

You are consistently the most outside the box poster, that is for sure....

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

Like I said before, if he had the pedigree( high draft pick) ...had that " name" ....with the numbers he's been putting up recently people would be willing to give up maata + 1st round pick for him. He'd be talked about more than Stewart, setoguchi , and kulemin combined.

His name doesn't look good on paper. That's what it boils down to.

 

[Shwag33]

you're naive, if his contract is up and he gets a bump say $1M he's gone, rightfully so...cash it in when you can

Didn't he already take a discount to stay here cause he liked it?

 

[IcedCapp]

Didn't he already take a discount to stay here cause he liked it?

Yes, he did. But we gotta be keyboard tough guys around here

 

[vodeni]

Yes, he did. But we gotta be keyboard tough guys around here

nothing tough about it, you posted a rethorical question, I just gave you confirmation, why jumping on right away it is more to bring the point to the topic we are discussing. I have no desire for personal interactions here, don't care about it
the question here is does he have another two years in him:
He signed 1.5 M/year two year contract when he was 18-20 and 17-20 player for two years before. After he signed 2-year deal he had 25-34 year last year and is on pace to have 21-15 year (as soon as Sid starts scoring more goals his assist number will go up I hope), so the real question is does he deserve next 2-year 4 mil contract. That is 1 million dollar difference in two years. I have a pretty good job but that is not kind of money you leave on the table.

Kennedy was awarded with the same 2year-4 mil contract after his 21-24 season, since than his last season was 11-22 and he is on the pace to have a whooping 3-3 season.

Considering Duper's fittness and excellent physical condition, I cannot beleive that there will not be takers for 2year-4M if not higher....

 

[Coach Travis]

Last season he ended the year on a 17-game point streak. And that wasn't on Crosby's line. He was being bounced between flanking Sid, Geno, and Staal but no matter where you put him, the man produced. Anyone else; Tangradi, Bennett, TK, anybody and everyone would be on their knob. Dupuis pretty much has to produce at twice the level he's expected to to get any respect around here.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

You are consistently the most outside the box poster, that is for sure....

You should see my fantasy teams.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

Last season he ended the year on a 17-game point streak. And that wasn't on Crosby's line. He was being bounced between flanking Sid, Geno, and Staal but no matter where you put him, the man produced. Anyone else; Tangradi, Bennett, TK, anybody and everyone would be on their knob. Dupuis pretty much has to produce at twice the level he's expected to to get any respect around here.

I don't think it has anything to do with respect. If we gave a guy with more talent, as much drive and better hands Dupuis' spot next to Crosby, that guy would produce double what Dupuis does. It's not his fault, it's just reality. For all he produces, he could be producing oh so much more if he cashed in on more than 1-2 of his 7+ chances per game.

After all, there is a reason he agreed to less than $2 million/year. Even he knows a great thing when he sees it...i.e. playing with Crosby. Doesn't mean we have to continue down this path, if we can do better.

I'm not advocating a trade or letting Dupuis go as a UFA, per se. I'm saying I wouldn't blindly re-sign him now just because he'd be cheap. Let's see if we can get out of Round 1 this spring.

 

[eXile59]

Crosby & Letang hand him a couple of goals & he's better than Kunitz. Put him on Washington & he's a 35 point winger again. Great all around player that we need but let's not pretend like he isn't helped greatly by the talent around him.

 

[HuskerTornado]

You guys finally starting to figure this out? There has been so much unwarranted Dupuis hate over the past couple of years, it's been ridiculous.

He took a discount to stay in Pittsburgh last time around, and probably will again. Total team guy. He's not the most talented guy in the league, but he's a guy that can go anywhere in the lineup and perform well. That should be enough for the guy to be appreciated. For all of the things he brings to the team, it's a damn joke when people want to toss him in some absurd trade or let him walk.

Does he botch some great set ups? Sure, but so does everyone else.

Are his numbers higher because of the guys around him? Absolutely, but it's not as if you can just plant anyone in his skates and get that output.

 

[Riptide]

How much do you think it'll cost us to keep him this Summer then, and for how long?

2.5m (min) and at least 2 years. Probably closer to 3m and 3 years. At which point I'd likely pass.

 

[eXile59]

$3 mil would be fair for him. 25 even strength goals is VERY impressive. Not to mention it's hard as is to find a winger for Sid.

3 Million a year!!!

We have the leverage here. He doesn't score 20 on any other team & he knows that. I even think he hinted at how good he has it on 24/7

 

[Captain Hook]

Agree that he may be pricing himself out of town since he's 34 and it will likely be his last chance to really cash in during UFA. He's really never been in position to get the kind of money he can get this coming off-season. He won't get a long deal at 34 but he'll get a 2 or 3 year deal for probably around 3 million/per or so.

 

[Malkin4Top6Wingerz]

$3-4 million is about what Dupuis would get on the open market. Don't think I'd want to retain him at that price, but he could absolutely command that kind of money and get a few bites.

 

[HuskerTornado]

He'll take a discount to stay in Pittsburgh again. He could have gotten much more on the open market last time around, but signed for just $100K more than his previous contract (1.4M to 1.5M). Around $2.25M is my guess for 2-3 years.

 

[mpp9]

Cooke and TK can go anytime. Ill keep Dupuis for as long as he's got his skating ability. He's an invaluable part of our roster. Pay him 2-2.5 in the offseason for another year.

 

[Riptide]

I do believe a lot of teams in this league are both desperate and foolish enough to offer him a 3 year deal at 3 million per season. We've seen worse players in this league get that kind of money recenetly (ex. Colby Armstrong). That being said, there are a lot of variables that Dupuis himself must take into account. For one, he's spent 4-5 years building considerable chemistry with Sid and Kunitz. Needless to say it won't be easy to quickly rebuild that chemistry on a new team with new linemates. On top of that, it's not every day you get to play night in and night out with the best player on the planet, which he has the priviledge of doing. Lastly, he has built quite a comfortable life for himself and his family in Pittsburgh, which is something that a lot of players around his age place massive importance on. I think those variables alone will make it difficult for him to go elsewhere for a raise of a million or so dollars a season. Personally I think he's definitely entitled to a pay raise, but not for anything more than 2.2-2.5 million per season for maximum of 3 years.

I don't see that as being a huge issue for him. If the market is 3.3m for 3 years (not unrealistic), and we're only offering 2.3m (I don't think I'd be comfortable going higher than that... 2.5m max), I don't think he stays. He's 34 in a month or two. He has 3-5 years left max. He's someone who hasn't made a lot of money to date (9.5m total over his career - 50% of which went to taxes).

If it's within 500k, then perhaps he stays. But if the difference is higher than that, he's gone.

 

[Captain Hook]

I'd be surprised if he'd take a discount again. This isn't Sidney Crosby who's made huge money all of his career. Dupuis has been a role player making role player salary for his entire career. This will be his one and only chance to go out and get top 2 line winger money if he keeps up this performance. I'd be surprised if he can pass that up.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

If we give him a raise, we'd be making a mistake. At 34, do we really expect him to get better from hereon in?

I don't like paying UFA dollars for past performance, and that's pretty much what we'd be doing if we gave Dupuis a raise (and in his case, past performance would be last season and this season).

We need to be VERY careful here. The last thing I want management to be thinking is that Pascal Dupuis is the scoring winger we've been looking for all along. That would be really terrible thinking.