Line Combos: HFPens Decides - 22/23 - INTERLUDE: Decide on the Extras

[Randy Butternubs]

INTERLUDE: Given the current HFPens lineup, the Pens cannot have a 23-man roster. What positions do you want those extras to be?

Current HFPens Line Combo:

Guentzel (63%) - Crosby - Rakell (54%)
Zucker (47%) - Malkin - Rust (83%)
Heinen (56%) - Carter (67%) - Kapanen (84%)
Poehling (43.5% → 57%) - Blueger (84%) - McGinn (77%)

Dumoulin (81%) - Letang
Pettersson (81%) - Petry
Joseph (65%) - Rutta (100%) [3 abstained from voting on a LD]

Jarry - DeSmith

current cap of $80.7M

Click to read more...

 

[Andy99]

Let’s be honest…what we want apparently ( one forward, one D) isn’t going to happen unless the Pens can make a trade to get under the cap…if they have to use waivers only, we will be carrying 2 D and 12 forwards on a 22- man roster….

 

[Gurglesons]

Smith, Z

 

[SEALBound]

The extra dman will be Rudwedel or Freidman. Knowing this board, they will take Freidman.

The extra forward will be Archibald or Zohorna and I couldn't care less which one it is.

Smith will go to WBS because he is waiver-exempt. 100%. They aren't losing guys that are so close to each other.

 

[HandshakeLine]

All of this is also assuming that we get out of training camp without injuries and if past practice is any future indication, lmao.

How many of us would even blink if we saw a headline like "Jason Zucker sneezed and is now month-to-month with a hernia"?

 

[Andy99]

All of this is also assuming that we get out of training camp without injuries and if past practice is any future indication, lmao.

How many of us would even blink if we saw a headline like "Jason Zucker sneezed and is now month-to-month with a hernia"?

Well, I would…because, per Sullivan, none of these details will be present lol…he’ll first be called day to day with a LBI and then after two weeks of no sightings, he’ll be announced as out “week to week,” followed at some point with a tweet from the Pens media folks that he just had successful hernia surgery and everyone will be searching the sky for answers…

 

[Flying Dego]

This is odd because going into the year as a 22 man roster up against the cap for an injury driven team seems questionable....

Z and Smith would be my 2 but that's fools gold.

It'll likely be Arch and Ruh. Ruh is as much a lock on this roster as any player.

Friedman probably would get waived. I think they want Smith up but it'll probably mean someone is traded to open up to a 23 man.

Waiving Z is also likely but a mistake IMO.

 

[Pancakes]

The extra dman will be Rudwedel or Freidman. Knowing this board, they will take Freidman.

The extra forward will be Archibald or Zohorna and I couldn't care less which one it is.

Smith will go to WBS because he is waiver-exempt. 100%. They aren't losing guys that are so close to each other.

Not so sure about that. If Smith has a good camp I wouldn't be surprised if they lose POJ or Friedman for nothing. They've never seemed that high on POJ anyways.

 

[Flying Dego]

Not so sure about that. If Smith has a good camp I wouldn't be surprised if they lose POJ or Friedman for nothing. They've never seemed that high on POJ anyways.

Hextall doesn't strike me as a GM to lose assets for nothing. POJ may not be liked but he's still high on our list of valuable assets.

He's in a much different boat than a Friedman for reference

 

[Peat]

This is odd because going into the year as a 22 man roster up against the cap for an injury driven team seems questionable....

An injury prone team can probably count on some LTIR soon enough.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

Hextall doesn't strike me as a GM to lose assets for nothing. POJ may not be liked but he's still high on our list of valuable assets.

He's in a much different boat than a Friedman for reference

Hextall has that connection with Friedman from Philly though. POJ is a Rutherford guy.
There's gonna be some tough calls coming up here if everyone stays healthy, which is super unlikely.

Our boring options on 3rd pair may end up being our best if Smith can't deliver here. Ruh was pretty good for a large chunk of last year.
POJ will have to make strides if he wants to defend as well as him. Far from a lock.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

Joseph was sitting with Pickering recently so who knows.

I recall this but I'm not sure what you're getting at.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

I recall this but I'm not sure what you're getting at.

Are you saying he wasn't hurt and wasn't supposed to be out there to begin with?

 

[Randy Butternubs]

Are you saying he wasn't hurt and wasn't supposed to be out there to begin with?

I don't believe POJ was supposed to be participating in that camp. He was just at the complex.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

I don't believe POJ was supposed to be participating in that camp. He was just at the complex.

Ah ok. Good to hear. My bad then.

 

[Flying Dego]

Hextall has that connection with Friedman from Philly though. POJ is a Rutherford guy.
There's gonna be some tough calls coming up here if everyone stays healthy, which is super unlikely.

Our boring options on 3rd pair may end up being our best if Smith can't deliver here. Ruh was pretty good for a large chunk of last year.
POJ will have to make strides if he wants to defend as well as him. Far from a lock.

I'm not denying they may rid the team of POJ but it'll be for some other asset.

I'm hopeful Smith is a terrific compliment to Rutta...I don't really want to see a Ruh-Rutta 3rd pairing. Like at all.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

I'm not denying they may rid the team of POJ but it'll be for some other asset.

I'm hopeful Smith is a terrific compliment to Rutta...I don't really want to see a Ruh-Rutta 3rd pairing. Like at all.

A trade before waivers? That'd be nice. I wonder if you could even get a 3rd for him.

Ruh-Rutta pairing would be boring but I could see it working. Two play-it-safe veterans with no egos who's focus will be communication and partner support.

For the record I think POJ has a 2nd pair ceiling and a trade seems premature. Would prefer testing him more at this level before pulling that trigger.

 

[Flying Dego]

A trade before waivers? That'd be nice. I wonder if you could even get a 3rd for him.

Ruh-Rutta pairing would be boring but I could see it working. Two play-it-safe veterans with no egos who's focus will be communication and partner support.

For the record I think POJ has a 2nd pair ceiling and a trade seems premature. Would prefer testing him more at this level before pulling that trigger.

Before seeing their camps. I have to believe they'll want POJ playing and then trade him if it's not going well.

Smith may unfortunately have to wait in the A for a bit to get a shot. Ruh will be involved as a player regardless, that much is obvious.

Friedman is likely a waiver casualty barring us being able to keep 23.

But we can't play 12F. How many freaking games to we have where a guy randomly can't go? Our forwards are old and we can't be playing down a man in that group.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

With how this poll is pacing I'll likely close it tomorrow evening. Then I'll run concurrent polls for the extra forward and d-man.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

Before seeing their camps. I have to believe they'll want POJ playing and then trade him if it's not going well.

Smith may unfortunately have to wait in the A for a bit to get a shot. Ruh will be involved as a player regardless, that much is obvious.

Friedman is likely a waiver casualty barring us being able to keep 23.

But we can't play 12F. How many freaking games to we have where a guy randomly can't go? Our forwards are old and we can't be playing down a man in that group.

Won't be 12F. It'll be 13F and 7D. But yeah, that's still a man down compared to the standard build.
Smith likely demoted and POJ/Frieds waived. Sully likes Ruh too much for it to be him imo.
Z waived and DOC/Archibald demoted/waived most likely.
I highly doubt they'd waive Poehling cuz they just acquired him as a sweetener in trade. Plus he has some Center experience.

Only way to have 14F like most teams would have been trading a McGinn, Blueger or Zucker. Philly even offered Hextall to take Zuck of our hands if we surrendered a 1st. Montreal wanted Blueger in the Petry deal too. Both got shut down.
The fact that we haven't traded any of these medium salary Forwards this long tells us they're cool with rolling 22 this year.

Injuries can still derail the plan though.

 

[Gurglesons]

Won't be 12F. It'll be 13F and 7D. But yeah, that's still a man down compared to the standard build.
Smith likely demoted and POJ/Frieds waived. Sully likes Ruh too much for it to be him imo.
Z waived and DOC/Archibald demoted/waived most likely.
I highly doubt they'd waive Poehling cuz they just acquired him as a sweetener in trade. Plus he has some Center experience.

Only way to have 14F like most teams would have been trading a McGinn, Blueger or Zucker. Philly even offered Hextall to take Zuck of our hands if we surrendered a 1st. Montreal wanted Blueger in the Petry deal too. Both got shut down.
The fact that we haven't traded any of these medium salary Forwards this long tells us they're cool with rolling 22 this year.

Injuries can still derail the plan though.

Maybe for a minute, but not for any real time.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

Maybe for a minute, but not for any real time.

Hopefully not. I'd like to be entertained this year.

 

[Flying Dego]

Smith certainly is #1 for entertainment when it comes to a 3rd pairing guy.

He also uniquely would be great on the Power Play. I hope that weighs on the decision.

 

[dogthateats]

[write in submission] 2 goalies

 

[Gurglesons]

Smith certainly is #1 for entertainment when it comes to a 3rd pairing guy.

He also uniquely would be great on the Power Play. I hope that weighs on the decision.

I think the fact he has played 100 NHL games is what will put him over POJ tbh.