Salary Cap: Penguins 2013-14 cap/roster building discussion (Contract chart in Post #1)

[Pens1566]

Please tell me that you don't actually like shero at this point?

I feel like Shero will get support until he trades Crosby for some dmen.

He can't draft, he hasn't made a worthwhile trade since Neal on his own merit and fails to sign outside respectable free agents.

Do you remember last offseason?
Scuderi, Adams, Dupuis, Jeffrey, D'ags, Kobasew were all signed?

The summer before was the Parise fiasco. We went into the season with Eric Tangradi in out top 6...

Shero is not a good GM. We continue to blow our load on dmen but only Maatta can crack regular spot. Blame it on whatever, but if it's the coach, why hasn't Shero fired him?

Outside of drafting primarily blueliners, the drafting hasn't been bad under RS. The Jokinen trade was a steal and getting the return he did for Staal was more than anyone could have realistically expected under the circumstances. Oh, and he can't just sign anyone he wants to. It has to be a mutual thing. Bolded is nothing more than ridiculous.

 

[Ogrezilla]

Stempniak was a worthwhile trade.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Stempniak was a worthwhile trade.

If the Pens had him next season as a third liner, I'd be stoked.

Stemps Sutter Dupuis

That be a bad ass third line.

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

I think you need to back away from the keyboard if that's a legit toss up.

This game doesn't affect you in real life.

Maybe if the sarcasm emoticon wasn't so lame, it would be used more.

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

Please tell me that you don't actually like shero at this point?

I feel like Shero will get support until he trades Crosby for some dmen.

He can't draft, he hasn't made a worthwhile trade since Neal on his own merit and fails to sign outside respectable free agents.

Do you remember last offseason?
Scuderi, Adams, Dupuis, Jeffrey, D'ags, Kobasew were all signed?

The summer before was the Parise fiasco. We went into the season with Eric Tangradi in out top 6...

Shero is not a good GM. We continue to blow our load on dmen but only Maatta can crack regular spot. Blame it on whatever, but if it's the coach, why hasn't Shero fired him?

He's done some good things...and bad. Extending Bylsma being the worst. Shero should definitely be on a short leash, so not really disagreeing with you. However, we are finally being affected by the cap. Doesn't excuse signing Scuderi( part of the bad) and other questionable moves, but we also have to realize it's not easy having that much money tied up to your top players and fill out the rest of the roster. Yes I know, some of that could be solved by replacing glass and Adams with our own in Wilkes . But let's not forget we've been right up against the cap lately.

Which reminds me, very frustrating we didn't get that 2nd cup before this caught up to us. For example, Chicago will be in our situation in 2 years, but at least they won 2 before it happens.

 

[MrBurghundy]

I think you need to back away from the keyboard if that's a legit toss up.

This game doesn't affect you in real life.

Joke?

 

[Ogrezilla]

If the Pens had him next season as a third liner, I'd be stoked.

Stemps Sutter Dupuis

That be a bad ass third line.

agreed.

 

[penguins2946*]

I have conflicting feelings with Shero. On one hand, the issues we have now start back with him. Just in the last year, re-signing Bylsma after the Bruins series, re-signing Letang for 8 years, re-signing Dupuis for 4 years, signing Scuderi, the entire 2013 deadline minus JJ and dicking around Despres are just a few if the bad things he has done recently.

He's done much less bad than Bylsma has, so I'm not as critical on him as Bylsma. His drafting is finally paying off, his college FA signings are looking successful, and he has restocked our depleted goalie pipeline with 2 guys that have legit starter potential. He managed to keep our important forwards under contract for fair prices (Dupuis at $3.75 isn't a problem, Dupuis at 4 years is a problem), and I'm expecting him to be active in getting a legit forward this summer (aka Ryan Kesler). I'm a bit worried with the D, but that has to do with extensions.

 

[JTG]

I would like Stempniak and Niskanen back in the fold.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

I would like Stempniak and Niskanen back in the fold.

If Orpik wasn't re-signed and Scuds was moved its very do-able.

I can't see Shero moving Scuds though so...

 

[Fordy]

i just wish we could trade niskanen still

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

One thing that has bothered me with Shero is him focusing on getting one player and when that doesn't work, there's no backup plan. Hossa...Parise...Kesler. I know most don't care for him here, but I think a guy like Cammalleri would've done wonders for us. Especially if we did get to the ECF and faced Boston or Montreal. Either facing his former team or a team he enjoyed scoring against.

And yeah I don't even know if we were in on Parise( too many conflicting reports I lost track after the first few) but listing 3 guys was better than 2.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Scuds needs "the Martin talk" in the exit interviews, at the very least.

 

[Jacob]

I hope there's cap room for both Jokinen and Stempniak. I think with those two in the fold the Pens would have one of the most talented and deepest top-9s in the NHL.

But I think it'll come down to Jokinen or Stempniak, not both. Jokinen is better offensively, significantly, but Stempniak is more physical and a more needed right-handed shot. Stemp's cap hit will probably be at least 25% less than Juice's, too.

 

[Fire Shero*]

Jokinen needs to go.

Keep stemp

If Shero wasn't a total idiot and realized Scuderi kinda sucks, would any team trade for him?

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

Jokinen needs to go.

Keep stemp

If Shero wasn't a total idiot and realized Scuderi kinda sucks, would any team trade for him?

Yeah. I think it's fair to assume that a lot of GMs out there have picked up on the fact that the Pens system has made plenty of dmen look worse than they are.

 

[DoktorZaius]

Is there any way Letang's contract won't look bad? I mean I know he's been playing with Scuds, but still. Between the two of them, that's 10+ million locked up in a pairing that I'm convinced could played by ELC D-men in our system about as well, with savings of about 8.5 million, or the cost of two top six wingers. Realistically that's more like 10.5 million to play with, assuming you're losing 4th liner contracts of ~1mil each (i.e. Gladams).

In short, FML.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Is there any way Letang's contract won't look bad? I mean I know he's been playing with Scuds, but still. Between the two of them, that's 10+ million locked up in a pairing that I'm convinced could played by ELC D-men in our system about as well, with savings of about 8.5 million, or the cost of two top six wingers. Realistically that's more like 10.5 million to play with, assuming you're losing 4th liner contracts of ~1mil each (i.e. Gladams).

In short, FML.

Sure there is. He just needs to play at the level he had been the previous 3 seasons, hopefully while simplifying his game.

No other defenseman on our roster can have the same sort of dynamic impact Letang can when he's playing well.

 

[Tender Rip]

If the Pens had him next season as a third liner, I'd be stoked.

Stemps Sutter Dupuis

That be a bad ass third line.

I agree that it is a very nice line.

I think considering cap-ramifications it would necessitate some choices I don't think will be made on D, and further I would hope a guy like Megna gets a shot from the start of the season there to play himself into a real role. One can always get a 'Stempniak' at the deadline if there's a need (would really rather keep Stemps and trade Dupuis if possible), and I hope we can find at least one psychopath with size and adequate skating for the 4th line also - if not for both the 3rd and 4th lines.

 

[Shwag33]

Sure there is. He just needs to play at the level he had been the previous 3 seasons, hopefully while simplifying his game.

No other defenseman on our roster can have the same sort of dynamic impact Letang can when he's playing well.

Letang has never played to the level of his current contract. That contract was given on the basis he would be getting better not worse.

I'm not saying he was bad in the last 3 years, he had one really good year, but not 7+million a year good. He put up a lot of points, but still had his negatives.

 

[Captain Hook]

Is there any way Letang's contract won't look bad? I mean I know he's been playing with Scuds, but still. Between the two of them, that's 10+ million locked up in a pairing that I'm convinced could played by ELC D-men in our system about as well, with savings of about 8.5 million, or the cost of two top six wingers. Realistically that's more like 10.5 million to play with, assuming you're losing 4th liner contracts of ~1mil each (i.e. Gladams).

In short, FML.

I think a new coach and system could do wonders for Letang. The talent is there. His decision making can be pretty atrocious at times but more structure and accountability from the coaches could help that.

 

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Very few defensemen deserve $7M+, and Letang isn't one of them. Not even during his "Thanks for showing up here's a participation award," distant 3rd place in Norris votes year. He's not worth that here, and never will be as long as we have the likes of Kobasew/Gibbons/Vitale/Jokinen/Dupuis/Pyatt in our top six, and while our bottom six is laughable for an AHL team. I really think he's gotta go. Bylsma being around doesn't help, but I doubt a coach comes in a changes all of his numerous flaws.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

I agree that it is a very nice line.

I think considering cap-ramifications it would necessitate some choices I don't think will be made on D, and further I would hope a guy like Megna gets a shot from the start of the season there to play himself into a real role. One can always get a 'Stempniak' at the deadline if there's a need (would really rather keep Stemps and trade Dupuis if possible), and I hope we can find at least one psychopath with size and adequate skating for the 4th line also - if not for both the 3rd and 4th lines.

Here is a roster with:

- NK signed at 3.5, but there is play in there for maybe 4m for a top six winger.
- Sutter re-signed at 3m
- Despres at 1.2
- Stemps and Dupes on the third line
- Winchester as the perfect fourth line plug

So it would be Scuds or Nisky, basically. Moving Scuds and keeping Nisky would give them just around 2m in cap space most likely, with only a depth blueliner needed.

CAPGEEK.COM ARMCHAIR GM ROSTER
Why Scuds Why?
FORWARDS
Chris Kunitz ($3.850m) / Sidney Crosby ($8.700m) / Beau Bennett ($0.900m)
Nikolai Kulemin ($3.500m) / Evgeni Malkin ($9.500m) / James Neal ($5.000m)
Lee Stempniak ($2.800m) / Brandon Sutter ($3.000m) / Pascal Dupuis ($3.750m)
Jesse Winchester ($0.750m) / Joe Vitale ($0.800m) / Jayson Megna ($0.874m)
Craig Adams ($0.700m) /
DEFENSEMEN
Kris Letang ($7.250m) / Paul Martin ($5.000m)
Rob Scuderi ($3.375m) / Olli Maatta ($0.894m)
Robert Bortuzzo ($0.600m) / Simon Despres ($1.200m)
GOALTENDERS
Marc-Andre Fleury ($5.000m)
Jeff Zatkoff ($0.600m)
------
CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
(estimations for 2014-15)
SALARY CAP: $71,100,000; CAP PAYROLL: $68,043,292; BONUSES: $0
CAP SPACE (21-man roster): $3,056,708

 

[UnrealMachine]

Scuds needs "the Martin talk" in the exit interviews, at the very least.

Won't make even the most negligible of differences unless Shero has access to a Ford Delorean, flux capacitor...

 

[themethod7]

Won't make even the most negligible of differences unless Shero has access to a Ford Delorean, flux capacitor...

If he does, he damn well better bring me back a hoverboard after he drops Orpik and Scuderi off at the old folks home in... 2015.