Speculation: If the cap drops in 2013-2014...

[SUBdrewgANS]

It's no wonder Adams has been on the front line of the CBA discussions.

it's not his Harvard Education

 

[wgknestrick]

Cooke is 34 and will be 35 at the start of next season (if there is one). He shouldn't be resigned by this team for 2013-14 at $1.8M. At his age, I'm fine with the team letting him walk away; I also wouldn't be upset if he hung around for another two years if he takes an annual paycut of between $800K and $1M ... and we sever ties with Adams.

I'm not an Adams hater, but he'll be 36 in April. Just for age/injuries concerns, I think there's no way the team should keep both of these aging role players.

I think you are overlooking the fact that Adams also sucks at playing hockey, 5v5, or just shooting the puck off the ice. He is great at letting things hit him though....If you need someone to take a puck in the shin or 5 fist punches to the face, he's your man. His advanced stats are as horrible as his fighting. His salary and ice time should go to someone else (hopefully not named Tanner Glass). Call me a hater.

 

[Hottubber]

I think you are overlooking the fact that Adams also sucks at playing hockey, 5v5, or just shooting the puck off the ice. He is great at letting things hit him though....If you need someone to take a puck in the shin or 5 fist punches to the face, he's your man. His advanced stats are as horrible as his fighting. His salary and ice time should go to someone else (hopefully not named Tanner Glass). Call me a hater.

Adams gets a lot of hate and some is deserved but its not his fault he is one of Bylsmas guys. Every team needs an Adams. I think it's time the pens go to a younger version of him but his time here has been decent IMO. Last year was probably his worst. But if you need a guy out there with a minute left to grind it out, take a hit or shot and be a team first guy, he is your man.

You mentioned he is a punching bag which for the most part is true but he will stand up for everyone of his teammates. You need those kind of players. As I stated above I think it's time to move on from Adams and let a younger guy with more upside fill his roll but its not cause if lack of effort, heart or character.

 

[Shady Machine]

Adams gets a lot of hate and some is deserved but its not his fault he is one of Bylsmas guys. Every team needs an Adams. I think it's time the pens go to a younger version of him but his time here has been decent IMO. Last year was probably his worst. But if you need a guy out there with a minute left to grind it out, take a hit or shot and be a team first guy, he is your man.

You mentioned he is a punching bag which for the most part is true but he will stand up for everyone of his teammates. You need those kind of players. As I stated above I think it's time to move on from Adams and let a younger guy with more upside fill his roll but its not cause if lack of effort, heart or character.

Yeah but his advanced stats suck!!!

 

[mrzeigler]

Yeah but his advanced stats suck!!!

As someone with pretty crappy basic stats, I'm not one to throw stones.

 

[Shady Machine]

As someone with pretty crappy basic stats, I'm not one to throw stones.

Yeah that was an unnecessary comment by me. I wasn't trying to defend Adams at all, but rather call out that poster's overuse of advanced stats in rating every player I've seen him/her comment on. Adams is nearly useless to this team at this point and I have been a supporter of letting him go ASAP.

 

[mrzeigler]

Yeah that was an unnecessary comment by me. I wasn't trying to defend Adams at all, but rather call out that poster's overuse of advanced stats in rating every player I've seen him/her comment on. Adams is nearly useless to this team at this point and I have been a supporter of letting him go ASAP.

meh. I merely saw an opening for an easy self-deprecating joke and took it; wasn't taking anyone to task for necessary or unnecessary comments.

 

[Shady Machine]

meh. I merely saw an opening for an easy self-deprecating joke and took it; wasn't taking anyone to task for necessary or unnecessary comments.

Good deal. I suppose the tone in print is sometimes difficult to discern.

 

[Crafton]

I have nothing to contribute. I just wanted to say you win the award for best Avatar ever. Congratulations, bud!

says the guy with the epic Geno-as-David-Byrne-in-"Stop Making Sense"-avatar. high praise indeed.

 

[Hottubber]

Yeah that was an unnecessary comment by me. I wasn't trying to defend Adams at all, but rather call out that poster's overuse of advanced stats in rating every player I've seen him/her comment on. Adams is nearly useless to this team at this point and I have been a supporter of letting him go ASAP.

I'm not quite sure which players I'm overrating that I make comments on. I hope your not basing it on Adams and you have other examples.

As for Adams I said I think his time in Pittsburgh should be over but recognized a couple things he did well.

 

[Shady Machine]

I'm not quite sure which players I'm overrating that I make comments on. I hope your not basing it on Adams and you have other examples.

As for Adams I said I think his time in Pittsburgh should be over but recognized a couple things he did well.

Huh? I was not talking about you. I was actually agreeing with you in general. Adams time in Pittsburgh should be over IMO, but he did bring valuable things to the table in the past, despite his weak "advanced stats". My whole comment was a sarcastic remark about advanced stats and their usefulness in evaluating a role player like Adams.

 

[Hottubber]

Huh? I was not talking about you. I was actually agreeing with you in general. Adams time in Pittsburgh should be over IMO, but he did bring valuable things to the table in the past, despite his weak "advanced stats". My whole comment was a sarcastic remark about advanced stats and their usefulness in evaluating a role player like Adams.

Got cha. No worries!

 

[Ogrezilla]

Adams and TK are two of my favorite penguins. I love the hard working guys. They might also be the 2 forwards I would care the least about losing because those kinds of guys are the most replaceable. I really don't want to see Adams in the line-up over Jeffrey or Tangradi. Let him be the extra forward.

 

[Harv]

Player values will adjust based on the cap. Obliviously this is effects the higher salaries more so than the lower.

 

[SEALBound]

The recent proposal being debated has the cap dropping from $70.2 mil to $60.5 mil for the start of the 2013-2014 season.

Play GM Shero's role and get the Pens under the cap. Then post your proposed line-up.


UFA's:

Matt Cooke ($1.8m - 12/13)
Pascal Dupuis ($1.5m - 12/13)
Craig Adams ($0.675m - 12/13)
Ben Lovejoy ($0.525m -12/13)


RFA's:

Tyler Kennedy ($2.0m - 12/13)
Eric Tangradi ($0.726m - 12/13)
Dustin Jeffrey ($0.575m - 12/13)
Brian Strait ($0.606m - 12/13)

Cooke back at $2mil/2yr
Dupuis back at 3.5/2yr
Adams back at $0.675/1yr
Tangradi back at $1.5/2yr

TK, DJ, Lovejoy, one of Bortz/Strait all trade bait or GTFO.

Wing-Crosby-Dupuis
Kunitz-Malkin-Neal
Cooke-Sutter-Wing
Glass-Vitale-Adams

Several options for the wings...hopefully a trade with a team needing to dump.

 

[Shockmaster]

Cooke back at $2mil/2yr
Dupuis back at 3.5/2yr
Adams back at $0.675/1yr
Tangradi back at $1.5/2yr

TK, DJ, Lovejoy, one of Bortz/Strait all trade bait or GTFO.

Wing-Crosby-Dupuis
Kunitz-Malkin-Neal
Cooke-Sutter-Wing
Glass-Vitale-Adams

Several options for the wings...hopefully a trade with a team needing to dump.

They could probably just stick Jeffrey in Kennedy's current spot on the 3rd line. As for Tangradi, I admit he hasn't really gotten a fair opportunity because of guys like Adams, Park, and Vitale - but I just don't see him with the Penguins long term.

Instead of signing a bunch of role players, maybe the fourth-line could be a developmental line. Guys like Cooke, Dupuis, Sutter, Jeffrey, Kunitz, and even some of Crosby and Malkin can spend time on the PK. Sure you'd need some gritty guys come playoff time, but for the regular season give the youngsters more playing time.

 

[SEALBound]

They could probably just stick Jeffrey in Kennedy's current spot on the 3rd line. As for Tangradi, I admit he hasn't really gotten a fair opportunity because of guys like Adams, Park, and Vitale - but I just don't see him with the Penguins long term.

Instead of signing a bunch of role players, maybe the fourth-line could be a developmental line. Guys like Cooke, Dupuis, Sutter, Jeffrey, Kunitz, and even some of Crosby and Malkin can spend time on the PK. Sure you'd need some gritty guys come playoff time, but for the regular season give the youngsters more playing time.

Jeffrey could move into TK's spot as a cheaper replacement. I would be okay with that. Same with Tangradi...actually...stick Tangradi on that third line. I'm liking his play in WBS...but for some reason I'm still skeptical about his ability to translate that in the NHL full time.

I'd advocate bringing Cooke and Dupuis back because I believe they provide good veteran leadership in the playoffs and they could prove to be those good value players (especially Dupuis) that help win cups.

Not saying that Cooke and Dupuis are the keys to our Cup run but I think they have proven to be good effective players that are worth bringing back.

Wing-Crosby-Dupuis
Kunitz-Malkin-Neal
Cooke-Sutter-Tangradi
Glass-Vitale-Adams

That could be a decent line up depending on who we can get to fill the Crosby wing gap. But then again...

Kunitz-Crosby-Dupuis
Tangradi-Malkin-Neal
Cooke-Sutter-Jeffrey
Glass-Vitale-Adams

...that could work for a season's start then made an addition at the deadline.

 

[Milliardo]

The cap won't drop below what it was last season now, so we're in even less trouble.