Confirmed with Link: Penguins re-sign Zach Aston-Reese (2 years, $1m AAV)

[Peat]

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[ColePens]

Said it before and i'll say it again - an NHLer for 1m. It's a good deal. Zero complaints unless he gets pushed to the top 6 again.

 

[BrookswasHere44]

No real specifics to offer to back up my opinion but I'm just over him.

Prove me wrong ZAR. Please!

 

[farscape1]

So we are over the cap right?

 

[Randy Butternubs]

Very reasonable. [toot]I think I predicted him between $1M and $1.2M for 2 years.[/toot]

 

[wej20]

So we are over the cap right?

I think we are but they have us carrying all three of Trotman, Ruhwedel and Riikola though obviously we've also not re-signed Pettersson.

 

[Clare2904]

So we are over the cap right?

157k over

 

[Empoleon8771]

With how the team is currently constructed, I don't think ZAR is worth $1 million to this team. He's the 13th forward that doesn't really play the style of game that the Penguins thrive with. However, get back to me after they become cap compliant and that may change.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Said it before and i'll say it again - an NHLer for 1m. It's a good deal. Zero complaints unless he gets pushed to the top 6 again.

For sure. Usage is like...90% of my problem with the player.

 

[dogthateats]

 

[JRS91]

Great deal.

I think if Aston-Reese can remain healthy there's no reason he couldn't produce 10-12 goals and 20-25 points on the 4th line.

 

[Jacob]

Like 300k more than league minimum for an everyday player seems fine to me.

 

[mpp9]

His production seemed very lucky last year but if he's healthy scratch material most of the year, it's not a lot of money.

 

[pistolpete11]

Fair deal. Nothing to complain about as long as he's played in the bottom 6 when they are healthy.

Now dump JMFJ, sign Petts to a 3-ish year deal, and let's get the season started.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

That's a pretty cheap price for Malkin's winger for the next two years.

 

[Woodrow]

Seems reasonable.

 

[orby]

This is fine in a vacuum. ZAR is a competent bottom 6 player. Still, I can't shake the sinking feeling that it's one more domino in the chain reaction that results in Rust getting traded for peanuts.

 

[davemess]

Pretty solid deal, its low enough that the team probably isn't forced to move him on.

Lets see how he goes.

 

[Gurglesons]

Neat.

 

[Mario_is_BACK!!]

This is the kind of deal you sign a bottom six player to.

 

[Durden Tyler]

at that salary if he's the guy they decide to trade it make him more attractive

 

[SHOOTANDSCORE]

Nice deal. Surprised they got him for 2 years.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

ZAR is an NHL bottom sixer who can sometimes look competent for a few games in the top six here and there. I don't have this huge belief in him that the team and some fans seem to but it would be pretty pointless to complain about this deal.

 

[Andy99]

Why? Not about the contract but about his place on this team. I guess you never know what happens with injuries etc, but I’d rather have someone who’s waiver exempt called up from the WBS to replace him and be the 13th forward or compete for a place on L4...

 

[Peat]

Why? Not about the contract but about his place on this team. I guess you never know what happens with injuries etc, but I’d rather have someone who’s waiver exempt called up from the WBS to replace him and be the 13th forward or compete for a place on L4...

First off, I dislike the idea of having a youngster jerked out of his developmental pathway just to be 13th forward and there's nobody in WBS who's a serious contender for L4 as things stand - maybe halfway through the season, there's some close ones, hell maybe even post-camp, but not right now.

But in terms of ZAR's place on the team - we do know we've got several injury prone forwards. We do know we've possibly got a forward trade coming. We do know we've got several inconsistent forwards and a very strong 13th forward, if that's what he is, to keep the pressure on them is good. And hell, if it comes to it, there's worse things than having someone that good at 13F if you can afford it... and maybe we can't given the defence, but fixing the defence probably means trading a good forward for a good dman, at which point enter ZAR.

As such, given the myriad of ways this could work out with him having a sensible place in the team, it makes sense to me. Maybe two months down the line he's 13th forward and we're in a weird cap place and it makes no sense why we kept him... but we can always trade him then. No need to race to conclusions about his place imo.