Free Agency XII | All Pens FA News, Legit FA Rumors, Trade Ideas Here

[Jules Winnfield]

I'd rather try Sutter on Sid's wing than recreate KCD. Sutter's actually got some decent hands, is responsible defensively, and has a nice shot. We've got enough centers that Goc and Spaling can just take over the 3C/4C spots with Sutter promoted.

Not ideal, mind you. But it looks like we're starting the season with these holes in the top six.

We had Sutter at wing last year for a bit and he looked like ****.

 

[cygnus47]

Considering handedness, I think the pairs of wingers should be something along the lines of:

Kunitz - C - Bennett
Duper/Downie - C - Hornqvist

I think Geno will do fine with the second, as he is happiest taking most of the possession. Horny can bang in Malkin's dirty work and the other winger will hopefully create some turnovers down low. Horny will probably create better screened opportunities for his centre than any other winger.

With Bennett and Kunitz both capable of board work, Sid could do LESS of the hard work than he's had to do recently, giving him more opportunities to shoot, and Bennett will also be able to take advantage of the open space better than any of our other wingers. Obviously Kuny and Sid have pretty good chemistry too.

 

[Shady Machine]

The move that makes a heluva lotta sense to me is letting Scuds prove he still has game left in him while Maata is out and moving him before the deadline for Geno's LW'er. (like the Scuds for Upshall move discussed earlier. something like that).

Atleast, if you wanted to contend this year, that makes the most sense. The next one would be packaging Martin with something but you're losing alot on the back end if you want to contend. Other move would be moving a blue chip (Maata or Pouliot) with a money player(or players) to fit the winger coming back under the cap.

Except that Scuderi won't have enough value to bring back a top 6 winger and Upshall isn't very good. He's nearly always injured too. I'd personally take Kopecky over him. Not that he's a top 6 winger either.

 

[Shady Machine]

We had Sutter at wing last year for a bit and he looked like ****.

It was a small sample size. I have my doubts that it will work, but I wouldn't mind trying it again.

 

[joeyjake5]

For all of Scud supporters, please go to Ryan Wilson's blog in Hockey Buzz. His article tells you why Scuds and Orp were the two worse Ds on the Pens last year. Simply put, Scuds needs to go for the Pens to improve. And at a cap hit of over $3MM for 3 years is one of the reasons that RS is gone. And DB is gone for playing this Scud disaster. All Pens fans must realize this, Scud is not going to improve and no one in their right mind will trade for him. He must go.

 

[#1GuinFan]

For all of Scud supporters, please go to Ryan Wilson's blog in Hockey Buzz. His article tells you why Scuds and Orp were the two worse Ds on the Pens last year. Simply put, Scuds needs to go for the Pens to improve. And at a cap hit of over $3MM for 3 years is one of the reasons that RS is gone. And DB is gone for playing this Scud disaster. All Pens fans must realize this, Scud is not going to improve and no one in their right mind will trade for him. He must go.

So if no-one will trade for him, how is he going to go?

 

[joeyjake5]

So if no-one will trade for him, how is he going to go?

Waive him, buy him out, or send him to Wheeling. He does not belong on the Pens team or for that matter in W.B

 

[Shockmaster]

Waive him, buy him out, or send him to Wheeling. He does not belong on the Pens team or for that matter in W.B

So wait I forget... you think Scuderi is the best NHL defenseman of all time, right? Certainly you've NEVER said anything contrary to that opinion on these boards.

 

[vikingGoalie]

you have to play him in the early part of the season. the hope being that he will improve his tradability enough that you can trade him.

otherwise we are mostly screwed. I don't think you can bury his contract per the CBA, and we can't use one of the "good" compliance buyouts on him.

The real screw that Ray put to the team is he gave him a modified NTC. I don't know the details of it. But you gotta imagine the teams (bottom feeders) that would be willing to take him in a dump for 6 rounder are all on his no trade destination list.

Best case right now is we are stuck with only part of his cap hit. Best case in December is he is playing good enough that we can (and do) trade him.

 

[mikethelegacy]

Waive him, buy him out, or send him to Wheeling. He does not belong on the Pens team or for that matter in W.B

All of your options other than buying him out will not work. They will never send him down. They won't risk losing him for nothing. His contract may make him virtually untradeable but trades for a bag of pucks just don't happen in this league. Buying him out will also mean we still have the following cap hits on the books for the next three years:

2014-15 $430,556
2015-16 $1,430,556
2016-17 $1,930,556

IDK about you, but I'd rather let him bounce back when fully healthy and then make a trade for a pick or something and get ALL the salary off the books, rather than have 2 million in wasted cap in two years.

 

[Ogrezilla]

All of your options other than buying him out will not work. They will never send him down. They won't risk losing him for nothing. His contract may make him virtually untradeable but trades for a bag of pucks just don't happen in this league. Buying him out will also mean we still have the following cap hits on the books for the next three years:

2014-15 $430,556
2015-16 $1,430,556
2016-17 $1,930,556

IDK about you, but I'd rather let him bounce back when fully healthy and then make a trade for a pick or something and get ALL the salary off the books, rather than have 2 million in wasted cap in two years.

If we could give him away for nothing I would be so happy. I would give another team a 4th rounder to take him. Sadly, I don't think that's allowed.

 

[Shady Machine]

If we could give him away for nothing I would be so happy. I would give another team a 4th rounder to take him. Sadly, I don't think that's allowed.

Just take back a 7th which is basically worthless. It would likely take a higher pick than a 4th though.

 

[Ogrezilla]

Just take back a 7th which is basically worthless. It would likely take a higher pick than a 4th though.

What if we throw in Adams? Does that make it better or worse for the other team?

 

[Shady Machine]

What if we throw in Adams? Does that make it better or worse for the other team?

Honestly, we should just waive him. There has to be a team out there that would take him for free for "veteran leadership".

 

[mpp9]

They've been really pushing the idea that he can play both sides, and I believe he mentioned it when he had his conference call with our media. Maybe he played it more frequently in Sweden. I honestly don't think it would affect his game very much the way it would for Bennett. As Ogre said, Bennett shouldn't play LW. I haven't heard anything about Downie being able to play both sides. So if we're saying that Hornqvist can only play LW, that means we're penciling in one of Spaling or Dupuis in the top six, which limits our options a lot.

My point is that we should be preparing ourselves for one of Spaling/Dupuis in the top 6 if Tocchet follows up on what he's said in the past on handedness and wing position.

I could definitely see him going to the extreme in the other direction when it comes to players on their offwings.

I don't think it matters what happened with Team Canada. Having pairs that were already comfortable together were important in the Olympics because of the very limited amount of time the team had to practice together and build chemistry. We have 82 games for that to take place.

If a better winger was brought in, I'd be more confident that Kunitz with Sid wouldn't be a lock. But as of right now, I'd bet on them staying together.

It's also not just about Sid and what makes the best possible first line, it's about making the best possible lineup from the first to the fourth.

Kunitz+Sid > Kunitz+Geno, IMO. Crosby played a shutdown role and put up 100+ pts with Kunitz as his only legit winger all season. Keeping them together and giving them a winger better than Brian Gibbons seems like a good idea to me.

I'm not saying that Johnston is definitely going to split them up, but it's a possibility that shouldn't automatically be pushed aside.

Fair enough. I'm just saying Dupuis-Sid-PH is not an upgrade over Kunitz-Sid-XXX. I can understand wanting our two most proven top 6 wingers on different lines. But if that happens, just put PH with Geno. And hope Bennett and Downie have great seasons. Or a great trade comes along.

 

[Ogrezilla]

Honestly, we should just waive him. There has to be a team out there that would take him for free for "veteran leadership".

I think so too. And if they don't we don't actually have to send them down if we don't want to pay them for barely any cap relief. And I believe that would be the case with either of them, right?

 

[Ogrezilla]

Kunitz+Sid > Kunitz+Geno, IMO. Crosby played a shutdown role and put up 100+ pts with Kunitz as his only legit winger all season. Keeping them together and giving them a winger better than Brian Gibbons seems like a good idea to me.

We've never seen Kunitz with Geno when he is the main option though. He was there as a 3rd wheel in a completely different role. We've never seen what he can do in that situation.

Honestly, I think both Kunitz and Hornqvist are capable of playing with either Sid or Geno. And with Hornqvist able to play either wing, we should have a fair amount of flexibility in that regard.

I'm of the opinion that Johnston should basically come into camp pretending these guys have never played together before, and just start everything fresh. Clean slate for everyone to earn whatever spot they can earn. Try new combinations. Try things that maybe didn't work before under Disco like Sid and Bennett. Try Sutter on wing (even though I don't think it'll work). Try it all.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

We had Sutter at wing last year for a bit and he looked like ****.

Small sample size.

IMO, Sutter's a better option than a lot of what's being thrown around for Sid's wing (assuming Sid doesn't get both Hornqvist and Kunitz). I think he could be a better goal scorer for that line than the other options.

Plus, I simply don't want to ever see KCD again. KCD has made me start to dislike Dupuis, even though I actually don't mind Dupuis as a player on his own.

 

[Shady Machine]

Small sample size.

IMO, Sutter's a better option than a lot of what's being thrown around for Sid's wing (assuming Sid doesn't get both Hornqvist and Kunitz). I think he could be a better goal scorer for that line than the other options.

Plus, I simply don't want to ever see KCD again. KCD has made me start to dislike Dupuis, even though I actually don't mind Dupuis as a player on his own.

I agree. I doubt they even really try it but with Sutter's speed and shot off the rush, I think he could be a decent option on Sid's right wing. Make Kunitz be the primary forechecker and puck retriever. Plus a very good defensive line. Theoretically, this looks very good to me:

Kunitz-Crosby-Sutter
Hornqvist-Malkin-Bennett
Duper-Spaling-Downie
Comeau-Goc-not Adams

 

[Riptide]

Thanks for posting. The video is much more helpful. I think he just said Adams along with the list of guys he's met so far. I don't put much stock in that. Hopefully, he evaluates the ability of these guys first and their personality second.

I think many of you are in for disappointment when it comes to Adams. He'll A, be on the roster on opening night, and B will play most games if he's healthy. The big thing for me, is that he plays a hell of a lot less than he did for Bylsma. IF that happens, then while I'd rather he be moved, it's not the end of the world if he gets 4th line PK role player type of minutes... aka 6-8 minutes a game.

Adams issue wasn't that DB played him - because as a 4th liner in a limited role it's not a big deal, but that DB played him 12:27 a game.

 

[DearDiary]

Craig proved how useful he was, that's all there is to it. His possession numbers are poor, he's not great offensively, and turns over the puck a lot. But there's something to be said about a guy who knows he isn't best player on the ice, but even knowing that, tries to do his best to create something, anything. He doesn't get much done, but he earns the respect of both teams when he steps on the ice. He's very intelligent, I recommend you read up on him some more before forming an opinion.

Put him with some skilled 4th liners. He will fight for the puck and show his leadership and how good of a work horse he can be. The team feeds off that, every team needs a guy like Craig. Good guy with a low cap hit, he can't do anything by himself but surround him with good players and he will shine

 

[AjaxTelamon]

Craig proved how useful he was, that's all there is to it. His possession numbers are poor, he's not great offensively, and turns over the puck a lot. But there's something to be said about a guy who knows he isn't best player on the ice, but even knowing that, tries to do his best to create something, anything. He doesn't get much done, but he earns the respect of both teams when he steps on the ice. He's very intelligent, I recommend you read up on him some more before forming an opinion.

Put him with some skilled 4th liners. He will fight for the puck and show his leadership and how good of a work horse he can be. The team feeds off that, every team needs a guy like Craig. Good guy with a low cap hit, he can't do anything by himself but surround him with good players and he will shine

I don't know about "shine", but he won't be the massive liability he has been in the past if he plays 6 minutes a night. That being said, he is not one of our top 12 (or 14 or 15) forwards, so we should get rid of him at the earliest opportunity.

 

[Gurglesons]

Craig proved how useful he was, that's all there is to it. His possession numbers are poor, he's not great offensively, and turns over the puck a lot. But there's something to be said about a guy who knows he isn't best player on the ice, but even knowing that, tries to do his best to create something, anything. He doesn't get much done, but he earns the respect of both teams when he steps on the ice. He's very intelligent, I recommend you read up on him some more before forming an opinion.

Put him with some skilled 4th liners. He will fight for the puck and show his leadership and how good of a work horse he can be. The team feeds off that, every team needs a guy like Craig. Good guy with a low cap hit, he can't do anything by himself but surround him with good players and he will shine

I'd agree with this, but last year his game completely fell off. Adams was always a good PKer, last year he had trouble even clearing it out on obvious clearing passes. I love the guy, and there is a reason that he has two Stanley Cups, but he is 37 and I think its time he starts transitioning into a coaching role whether it be with WBS or elsewhere in the league.

 

[Shady Machine]

I think many of you are in for disappointment when it comes to Adams. He'll A, be on the roster on opening night, and B will play most games if he's healthy. The big thing for me, is that he plays a hell of a lot less than he did for Bylsma. IF that happens, then while I'd rather he be moved, it's not the end of the world if he gets 4th line PK role player type of minutes... aka 6-8 minutes a game.

Adams issue wasn't that DB played him - because as a 4th liner in a limited role it's not a big deal, but that DB played him 12:27 a game.

The issue is that we have better, younger versions of him. He's old and washed up. We need younger, hungrier guys. Other than shot blocking, Adams is not useless. I'd much rather play Sill.

 

[Shady Machine]

Craig proved how useful he was, that's all there is to it. His possession numbers are poor, he's not great offensively, and turns over the puck a lot. But there's something to be said about a guy who knows he isn't best player on the ice, but even knowing that, tries to do his best to create something, anything. He doesn't get much done, but he earns the respect of both teams when he steps on the ice. He's very intelligent, I recommend you read up on him some more before forming an opinion.

Put him with some skilled 4th liners. He will fight for the puck and show his leadership and how good of a work horse he can be. The team feeds off that, every team needs a guy like Craig. Good guy with a low cap hit, he can't do anything by himself but surround him with good players and he will shine

I'm highly convinced you are related to Bylsma.

He USED to be valuable. He USED to be a good work horse (as in a 4th liner that can grind, block shots, and play PK well). Now he is slow and washed up. Not only that, but he was supposedly a mole for the previous coach and was jealous and harsh toward younger players (allegedly). Also, what the hell does this mean "I recommend you read up on him some more before forming an opinion"? What is there to read up on? He graduated from Harvard, cool. I'm sure he's a smart dude but when the wheels fall off, they fall off. The game is too fast for him now. It's time to move on.