Salary Cap: Pen Salary Cap: Dr StrangeDubas "Sir, you can't let him in here. He'll see everything. He'll see the big board!"

[ChaosAgent]

No better time than now if you're Grier...

It's good housekeeping to make the trade, but is also such foul-tasting medicine (retain on a hall of famer, 100 point Norris guy and take terrible players/contracts in return) that there isn't a lot of incentive to do it, honestly. No one is going to look at you as the hero when you're retaining $3m on Karlsson 3 years from now.

 

[SomeDude]

Here’s something new: let’s try to come up with an Erik Karlsson trade proposal.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

It's good housekeeping to make the trade, but is also such foul-tasting medicine (retain on a hall of famer, 100 point Norris guy and take terrible players/contracts in return) that there isn't a lot of incentive to do it, honestly. No one is going to look at you as the hero when you're retaining $3m on Karlsson 3 years from now.

It's kind of a shit sandwich SOMEONE has to eat though I guess.

Trading superstar players hardly ever goes how people want it to go.

EDIT: Unless they are young and on a friendly contract. But that hardly ever happens.

 

[Ryder71]

Here’s something new: let’s try to come up with an Erik Karlsson trade proposal.

That's long over due. I'll endeavor to conjure one up here relatively soon.

 

[Jobeycool]

I wonder how much money people on you make for putting Penguins Announcing Big Trade Soon? Some of the videos are from last month and last week .. lol. Bunch of baloney...

 

[Andy99]

It's always a little funny to me that somehow Chad Ruhwedel has been on this team for like seven seasons.

Straw that stirs the drink bucket of bogwater.

“he’s a good teammate” — Mike Sullivan

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

Except you are taking out what little physicality we have on the blueline, Rutta and Petry arent afraid to use the body and clear the front of the net. Our defense is already toilet paper soft, lets not make it worse.

Not wanting Erik Karlsson b/c you don’t want to lose Jeff Petry’s and Jan Rutta’s physicality is a yikes take

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

“he’s a good teammate” — Mike Sullivan

"He NHL defenseman. He should be able skate puck"

 

[Zirakzigil]

Not wanting Erik Karlsson b/c you don’t want to lose Jeff Petry’s and Jan Rutta’s physicality is a yikes take

Thats not what I said. I said I dont want Karlsson for the assets being tossed around in trades/rumors. Trading serious assets for a 34 year old on a bad contract AND taking away the only defensemen who wouldnt lose to a bunch of grandmas in a bingo hall makes it even more nope for me.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Graves-Letang
Pettersson-Karlsson
Smith/POJ-Foote
POJ/Smith

I honestly don't have any concerns with this defense, it just has Ruhwedel getting pushed to WBS and the Penguins signing Cal Foote to replace him. You maintain Rutta's physicality with Foote and get a much more cost appropriate RD for someone playing behind Letang and Karlsson.

Foote's analytics over his career suck, so I certainly don't think he's anything special as a player, but I don't think sheltering him as a 14 minute a night #6 defenseman on the 3rd pair would be an issue. You have 1 future HOF defenseman and 1 future HOVG defenseman ahead of him, you don't need anyone special on the 3rd pair. Just have him be a physical presence and kill penalties, that's all you need from him. Lean heavily on the top-2 pairs and use the 3rd pair in sheltered usage.

 

[Darren McCord]

I don't know why people keep penciling in Karlsson. At this point he is most likely staying put.

 

[Turin]

And they do not have to trade him.

They kind of do since they essentially told him they will.

I don't know why people keep penciling in Karlsson. At this point he is most likely staying put.

Both Friedman and Johnston have said confidently that he’s gonna be on a different team next season.

 

[KrisLetAngry]

It's always a little funny to me that somehow Chad Ruhwedel has been on this team for like seven seasons.

Straw that stirs the drink bucket of bogwater.

I'm not a fan or anything and rather him not play but

He takes cheap deals and probably has stayed this long understanding most games are in the press box.

Not everyone wants to do that.

 

[Peat]

Just have him be a physical presence and kill penalties, that's all you need from him. Lean heavily on the top-2 pairs and use the 3rd pair in sheltered usage.

Both Karlsson and Letang want those sheltered minutes to attack people though. If you can give those minutes to them, you've got to question why spend the money on them.

I'm not dead set against moving Rutta but whoever is on the third pairing should expected to see miserable situations and be fine with it.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Both Karlsson and Letang want those sheltered minutes to attack people though. If you can give those minutes to them, you've got to question why spend the money on them.

I'm not dead set against moving Rutta but whoever is on the third pairing should expected to see miserable situations and be fine with it.

I mean sheltered as in facing lower quality competition, not getting more offensive opportunities. Foote had a 40% offensive zone start% last year, so he was used to getting those defensive minutes. He just had super easy QoC.

The top-4 should be playing about 45-50 minutes a night, which leaves the bottom pair for only about 10-15 minutes a night.

 

[ColePens]

The concept of trading anyone (outside of Sid/G at this point) should be met with one simple thought: "Meh.. we've lost for the last 5 years so who cares? Try anything at this point."

Everyone and anyone is available outside of Sid/G.

 

[Empoleon8771]

For reference, here is what Foote's usage was last year relative to the other Penguins defensemen. This is the kind of usage I'm referring to when I say "sheltered minutes", he'll be used against similar competition to POJ from last year but get a lot more defensive zone starts.

 

[KrisLetAngry]

The concept of trading anyone (outside of Sid/G at this point) should be met with one simple thought: "Meh.. we've lost for the last 5 years so who cares? Try anything at this point."

Everyone and anyone is available outside of Sid/G.

I mean add Letang to that note for 2 more years and I'd like to keep Rakell preferably.

Down to trade anyone else though.

 

[Scandale du Jour]

The concept of trading anyone (outside of Sid/G at this point) should be met with one simple thought: "Meh.. we've lost for the last 5 years so who cares? Try anything at this point."

Everyone and anyone is available outside of Sid/G.

Letang is not available.

Maybe you WOULD trade him, but the Penguins definitely won't.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I'm not a fan or anything and rather him not play but

He takes cheap deals and probably has stayed this long understanding most games are in the press box.

Not everyone wants to do that.

You're not wrong.

Injuries are a thing and there have been times where the D depth is truly so deplorable that Ruh is maybe your best overall option. But you know me, man... I have little faith in this team's lineup decisions and Ruh looks more and more like a convenient roadblock rather than an asset as the years go on.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

The concept of trading anyone (outside of Sid/G at this point) should be met with one simple thought: "Meh.. we've lost for the last 5 years so who cares? Try anything at this point."

Everyone and anyone is available outside of Sid/G.

Most definitely. But we (as in Dubas) are limited in terms of who actually wants to move.

 

[ColePens]

Letang is not available.

Maybe you WOULD trade him, but the Penguins definitely won't.

I mean sure.. i defend him personally, but realistically if it's Letang, it's Letang. So be it.

 

[SomeDude]

The concept of trading anyone (outside of Sid/G at this point) should be met with one simple thought: "Meh.. we've lost for the last 5 years so who cares? Try anything at this point."

Everyone and anyone is available outside of Sid/G.

Anyone, but not anything meaning future picks/prospects unless we want to just perpetually suck.

I’ve shifted to the just say no to Karlsson wagon. His value is never going to be higher despite having what is an outlier season compared to his previous 4 or 5 years and absolute albatross contract.

You’ve also got reports that he and Burns didn’t get along and the whole weird thing with the wives of him and Hoffman that ended up not exactly painting either side in a positive light.

Just….no. Go get someone else good. Or don’t. Whatever.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I mean sure.. i defend him personally, but realistically if it's Letang, it's Letang. So be it.

I dunno man you gotta wring out ALL six of those years doncha?

 

[Peat]

I mean sheltered as in facing lower quality competition, not getting more offensive opportunities. Foote had a 40% offensive zone start% last year, so he was used to getting those defensive minutes. He just had super easy QoC.

The top-4 should be playing about 45-50 minutes a night, which leaves the bottom pair for only about 10-15 minutes a night.

I get what you mean, but those are still opportunities to attack bad players. They are good minutes for good dmen to have. And, while accepting this is somewhat a bridge to burn when they get there, they're minutes that don't really exist in the playoffs.

Not to mention this guy is one injury away from playing top four minutes.

I mean if running this red light is the difference between Karlsson at a reasonable price or not then fine, but there will be a price to pay when they collect the rental dman who fixes it later, and if they can fix the cap through other means (i.e. Carter to Robidas Island) then so much the better.

You're not wrong.

Injuries are a thing and there have been times where the D depth is truly so deplorable that Ruh is maybe your best overall option. But you know me, man... I have little faith in this team's lineup decisions and Ruh looks more and more like a convenient roadblock rather than an asset as the years go on.

This team has brought in a crap ton of young RHD through the last few years and none have got close. The most he's blocked is Friedman or Riikola playing off hand and, well, while I'd have preferred Friedman (he does after all prefer playing there) it's not one I feel strongly about. Maybe next year I will as it feels like we've got all the good out of Ruh and all that's left are the dregs but see how it goes.