Confirmed with Link: Penguins sign Tanev for way too long and way too much

[Peat]

The angst over the Tanev contract seems a bit much. It’s too long and for too much but he’s a decent bottom 6 forward. Unless they were going to use that extra 1M that they “overpaid” him to sign Panarin, it doesn’t seem that big a deal to me even if a clear overpay.

Next off-season, we need to find -

About 3-4m for Murray's pay raise.
About 1-3m extra each for each of Simon/Kahun/McCann that we keep

And that's not considering the possibility that we're trying to keep Schultz/Galchenyuk while giving them pay raises - or looking to sign replacements in the hell of free agency. Riikola might get another million too.

Paying for that isn't going to be fun. We will want that extra million then, and we may want the flexibility of moving his contract too, which will be hard when it looks like this if he underperforms.

 

[ziggyjoe212]

Aside from the fact Hagelin played regular top nine minutes throughout his career before becoming a Penguin and usually hovered around a .5PPG clip.

Yes Hags is a more established and accomplished player. But to say his offense has been non-existent for the past 3 seasons would be an understatement. This is why the Pens got rid of him. Tanev's career high is 29 points but sounds like he brings a lot to the table in other facets.

I appreciate that it is not my most scholarly argument ever, but I've never seen any skill in him whatsoever. A few comments from WPG fans last night before the calamity was official served to underline what I thought. Great character guy, great wheels and intensity... but also a guy who had been getting a scoring bounce one should not expect to last. Goals coming off shots bouncing off of him, ass goals etc.
Surely those goals count the same and some are just good at being in the right place, but you'd like to see it for more than a season before you deem it skill rather than luck.

Derek Grant had 12+12 in 66 games the season before JR had a prayer on him, but most people here never expected that to continue either. Maybe you, Mr. Sunny Side Up, did however ? I don't recall.

Ziggyjoe: The reason Hagelin could play with Malkin despite a real lack of scoring touch is that he has the hockey IQ at least. He could handle and give a pass and had the positional awareness to help cover defensively a lot. Tanev is just as good a forechecker and has a much bigger physical impact obviously, but he doesn't have half (prime) Hagelin's alround ability. As we saw, when Hagelin looked like seriously declining in the last third last season it became a real waste to play him with Geno, his contract therefore became untenable and he was traded. If Tanev was to be played with Geno, 71 would lose his mind.

Hagelin played with Geno because there was no one else. At this point in his career Hags is a 10 goal player, which is barely 3rd line numbers.

So again, if we were OK paying Hags $4m for 10 goals per season, what's so outrageous about paying Tanev $3.5? Obviously both are crazy overpayment, but this makes the Tanev signing a little easier to swallow.

 

[Shady Machine]

The angst over the Tanev contract seems a bit much. It’s too long and for too much but he’s a decent bottom 6 forward. Unless they were going to use that extra 1M that they “overpaid” him to sign Panarin, it doesn’t seem that big a deal to me even if a clear overpay.

There is no extra million to spend though. Pens will be over the cap and have to trade someone else to get cap compliant. You have to think about it like Tanev - player that goes. If overpaying Tanev forces you to trade Rust, is there still too much angst?

Plus, locking in players like this now might force you to make stupid decisions later. That's my biggest issue with JR. He is so damn focused on the now (literally this second and not even thinking 6 months ahead) that he forces himself to make other moves later that were very predictable if he just thought medium sized picture.

 

[Peat]

Hagelin played with Geno because there was no one else. At this point in his career Hags is a 10 goal player, which is barely 3rd line numbers.

So again, if we were OK paying Hags $4m for 10 goals per season, what's so outrageous about paying Tanev $3.5? Obviously both are crazy overpayment, but this makes the Tanev signing a little easier to swallow.

Hagelin played with Malkin because they were stupidly dominant together and tbh, the fact that Rutherford ignored that smells of just being stupid.

And the fact that Hagelin could be that dominant with Malkin was all about hockey IQ. Not every grinder can do his job as well.

There is no extra million to spend though. Pens will be over the cap and have to trade someone else to get cap compliant. You have to think about it like Tanev - player that goes. If overpaying Tanev forces you to trade Rust, is there still too much angst?

Plus, locking in players like this now might force you to make stupid decisions later. That's my biggest issue with JR. He is so damn focused on the now (literally this second and not even thinking 6 months ahead) that he forces himself to make other moves later that were very predictable if he just thought medium sized picture.

Honestly, I think I'm okay with moving Rust to accomodate Tanev if, as I suspect, Tanev turns out to be the better defensive player who embraces the role of being the hardest working guy on the ice more. Rust is a more talented attacking player, but his first role is energy and puck possession, and I'm happy to take the player whose better at that.

Giving Tanev a better and harder to move contract than Rust is just mental though.

 

[StutzlesTapeJob]

The terms seem high but that’s modern free agency. Like the player. Think it’s very much what we need on our roster. We added emotion and physicality without it being a slow useless player. Tanev also plays PK right?

Truth is we do needed a better balance of strengths and styles on our roster. Yeah it’s long and a little high priced, but I don’t think this one will end up being one we regret.

 

[ColePens]

The terms seem high but that’s modern free agency. Like the player. Think it’s very much what we need on our roster. We added emotion and physicality without it being a slow useless player. Tanev also plays PK right?

Truth is we do needed a better balance of strengths and styles on our roster. Yeah it’s long and a little high priced, but I don’t think this one will end up being one we regret.

There are just so many comparables to prove that this just isn't "modern free agency". There are tons of comparable type contracts from 2-4 years and anywhere from 1.5-2.5m.

 

[Shady Machine]

Honestly, I think I'm okay with moving Rust to accomodate Tanev if, as I suspect, Tanev turns out to be the better defensive player who embraces the role of being the hardest working guy on the ice more. Rust is a more talented attacking player, but his first role is energy and puck possession, and I'm happy to take the player whose better at that.

Giving Tanev a better and harder to move contract than Rust is just mental though.

I'm okay with moving Rust for value. I am not okay with dumping him. Of course, the JJ factor is always out there so if he absolutely HAS to be added to get someone to take JJ, I suppose having Tanev as his replacement isn't the worst thing in the world, even though the contract blows.

 

[Shady Machine]

There are just so many comparables to prove that this just isn't "modern free agency". There are tons of comparable type contracts from 2-4 years and anywhere from 1.5-2.5m.

Yeah this is JR in free agency, not simply the market. Due to the cap crunch this year, I have a feeling you will see quality players that wanted to sign on playoff teams either take less or sign with crap teams. If JR would have been patient, he could have likely ended up with a more prudent deal. That's not his style though. He locks in on a guy and pays whatever it takes to get that guy. He basically said as much in his press conference yesterday.

 

[Gurglesons]

Also, why is Hagelin dropped off so this contract is okay an argument?

Those of us complaining about this contract are the same group saying we should not have resigned Hagelin?

 

[Ryder71]

Next off-season, we need to find -

About 3-4m for Murray's pay raise.
About 1-3m extra each for each of Simon/Kahun/McCann that we keep

And that's not considering the possibility that we're trying to keep Schultz/Galchenyuk while giving them pay raises - or looking to sign replacements in the hell of free agency. Riikola might get another million too.

Paying for that isn't going to be fun. We will want that extra million then, and we may want the flexibility of moving his contract too, which will be hard when it looks like this if he underperforms.

Yep, it gums up our abilities in the short term and most assuredly creates a hole where by we can't sign a player we'll need beyond this season. It was reckless and shortsighted on JR's part.

 

[K Fleur]

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

Wait. Connolly signed for 3.5 x 4. HOLY **** LOL JR

We ain’t getting him at that number though.

 

[Gurglesons]

We ain’t getting him at that number though.

Why? Taxes?

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

Why? Taxes?

Among other things but yeah.

 

[Rusty Razor]

We ain’t getting him at that number though.

He would make $146,011 less per year in take home on the penguins. We actually have a low state tax rate compared to most of the league outside of Texas, Florida, Jersey, and Nevada.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

He would make $146,011 less per year in take home on the penguins. We actually have a low state tax rate compared to most of the league outside of Texas, Florida, Jersey, and Nevada.

Ok that’s not exactly nothing... so 600 grand more to play a bigger role in great weather. There’s zero pressure in Florida either from fans and media. Guy already has a Cup, now he gets paid to go hang out and play hockey for a more up and coming team.

We’d have to really entice him financially to come here IMO. Can’t just assume we get any free agent if we offer them the same deal because of 87/71.

 

[Gurglesons]

Ok that’s not exactly nothing... so 600 grand more to play a bigger role in great weather. There’s zero pressure in Florida either from fans and media. Guy already has a Cup, now he gets paid to go hang out and play hockey for a more up and coming team.

We’d have to really entice him financially to come here IMO. Can’t just assume we get any free agent if we offer them the same deal because of 87/71.

So, we have to give bottom six pluggers six years and 3.5 if we want them?

 

[BHD]

Just an awful signing. At best, he ends up like Hagelin - at best. A decent player whose contract is ultimately too rich for what he brings. I doubt that happens though.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Just an awful signing. At best, he ends up like Hagelin - at best. A decent player whose contract is ultimately too rich for what he brings. I doubt that happens though.

I'll say this: if he performs like Hagelin, providing speed, defense, forechecking, PKing, ~30 points a year, and potentially a good complement for Geno, we shouldn't have any reason to complain.

 

[Rusty Razor]

Ok that’s not exactly nothing... so 600 grand more to play a bigger role in great weather. There’s zero pressure in Florida either from fans and media. Guy already has a Cup, now he gets paid to go hang out and play hockey for a more up and coming team.

We’d have to really entice him financially to come here IMO. Can’t just assume we get any free agent if we offer them the same deal because of 87/71.

We were also apparently going to throw two extra years of financial security. There is also 0 media pressure in Pittsburgh. Nationally the big guys get some heat, but no Pittsburgh media member is critical of a player until the orders from the organization come out to run them out of town. The only real issue here is the weather, which for ~7 months of the year it is a coin flip whether he will be in the state or not.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

So, we have to give bottom six pluggers six years and 3.5 if we want them?

That’s not even a response to the point I made. Just saying that in Connolly’s case I think it’s unlikely he comes here over Florida unless we make it worth his while. I wouldn’t if I was in his shoes.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

We were also apparently going to throw two extra years of financial security. There is also 0 media pressure in Pittsburgh. Nationally the big guys get some heat, but no Pittsburgh media member is critical of a player until the orders from the organization come out to run them out of town. The only real issue here is the weather, which for ~7 months of the year it is a coin flip whether he will be in the state or not.

All fair points, but still I seriously doubt he comes here unless we pay him more real dollars per year than they do.

It’s all kinda dumb bc we don’t know if JR even looked at him.

 

[Turin]

Just an awful signing. At best, he ends up like Hagelin - at best. A decent player whose contract is ultimately too rich for what he brings. I doubt that happens though.

You realize Hagelin made more 4 years ago when the cap was lower? He’s not going to be Hagelin of 2016 but that doesn’t matter because 3.5 for a guy when the cap will be 85~ million shortly is not a big deal.

 

[Turin]

I'll say this: if he performs like Hagelin, providing speed, defense, forechecking, PKing, ~30 points a year, and potentially a good complement for Geno, we shouldn't have any reason to complain.

Even if he does all that without playing with Geno he’s worth it.

 

[Phil68]

We could have signed Ferland for the same price we signed Tanev.. Hmm