Salary Cap: Pens Salary Cap Thread: If we score 6 we win, its science!

[HandshakeLine]

No, this team can be a contender with defensemen currently in the organization IF they bite the bullet and bench Dumoulin.

It cannot if it keeps rolling the current bottom six.

Your faith in Sullivan eventually pulling his head of his ass is actually kind of sweet, DP.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

Made a poll thread. Get your vote in please.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

My "ideal" lineup:

Guentzel - Crosby - Rakell
Zucker/??? - Malkin - Rust
McGinn/Zucker/??? - Blueger - ???/Kapanen/McGinn
Poehling/Carter/Kapanen/???
Archibald

Chychrun - Letang
Pettersson - Petry
Joseph - Rutta

Jarry - DeSmith/???

Ideal is in quotes because I realize there are just some things that just won't happen. Like full health.

I'd like to add a bigger middle six forward which is perhaps Jordan Greenway. Kapanen has been decent and I'm not sure what to do with him. Opposite Rust I'd like a more skilled wing so he goes back to the grindy stuff more frequently. Heinen is kinda just there but hasn't been getting minutes, like Kapanen. But Heinen is cheaper. And I'd like a veteran goalie as a backup but CDS is on a pretty decent contract.

 

[chethejet]

Hextall is limited as he is not Mr. creative here. Cap space and unloading Dumo helps that. Yes give up a pick but still the needs are clear. Physical LD, Carter to RW maybe 4th line and make a decision on Kap. Sully is here so Hextall has to be a GM here and fix the holes no matter what Sully wants, Four years of first round exits no matter the contract he needs to be told this is what we are doing and you buy into it or tell me where you want to coach. Have to end this Sully smurf nonsense.

 

[DesertedPenguin]

Another reference point for future discussions:

"As long as I’m here, we will be a cap team. And obviously, our ownership is committed to that as well."

What is different for the Penguins after one year with Fenway Sports Group?

By education, Kevin Acklin is a lawyer. He has degrees from Harvard and Georgetown to prove it. By title, he is the president of business operations for the Pittsburgh Penguins. By reality, he is a salesman for the franchise he grew up rooting for. Often Acklin can be spotted walking

triblive.com

 

[Empoleon8771]

I'd like to add a bigger middle six forward which is perhaps Jordan Greenway. Kapanen has been decent and I'm not sure what to do with him. Opposite Rust I'd like a more skilled wing so he goes back to the grindy stuff more frequently. Heinen is kinda just there but hasn't been getting minutes, like Kapanen. But Heinen is cheaper. And I'd like a veteran goalie as a backup but CDS is on a pretty decent contract.

I agree with you on that Greenway type of player, but I disagree that Kapanen would be the guy I'd want to move. I think Kapanen has really bounced back since getting healthy scratched and he looks like a great fit on that 3rd line. I'd want the 3rd line wing duos to be something like Jeannot and Kapanen or Greenway and Kapanen. That kind of winger duo reminds me a lot of the Cooke-Kennedy winger duo that the Penguins used to have and was extremely successful.

I think you ideally bring in someone like that and push McGinn to the 4th line with Blueger and Archibald. I think that's the only easily accomplishable roster move the team can make during the season.

 

[Gurglesons]

I agree with you on that Greenway type of player, but I disagree that Kapanen would be the guy I'd want to move. I think Kapanen has really bounced back since getting healthy scratched and he looks like a great fit on that 3rd line. I'd want the 3rd line wing duos to be something like Jeannot and Kapanen or Greenway and Kapanen. That kind of winger duo reminds me a lot of the Cooke-Kennedy winger duo that the Penguins used to have and was extremely successful.

I think you ideally bring in someone like that and push McGinn to the 4th line with Blueger and Archibald. I think that's the only easily accomplishable roster move the team can make during the season.

Carter is never going to stop playing so I think the logical move is to deal Blueger with some pieces for a 3C / LW fit and then just ice Poehling on L4 with Carter and McGinn.

 

[eXile3]

I almost prefer we ride it out at this point. Good draft year, keep the picks, lots of cap freeing up next year. Get a remix of players with the cap space. That gives you two more seasons before Sid calls it quits.

 

[Gurglesons]

I almost prefer we ride it out at this point. Good draft year, keep the picks, lots of cap freeing up next year. Get a remix of players with the cap space. That gives you two more seasons before Sid calls it quits.

You can always do what the Blues do. Sell off pieces, but still try and make the playoffs.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

I'd like to add a bigger middle six forward which is perhaps Jordan Greenway. Kapanen has been decent and I'm not sure what to do with him. Opposite Rust I'd like a more skilled wing so he goes back to the grindy stuff more frequently. Heinen is kinda just there but hasn't been getting minutes, like Kapanen. But Heinen is cheaper. And I'd like a veteran goalie as a backup but CDS is on a pretty decent contract.

I've been screaming about this for years. Enough of bringing in more 5'11 to 6'1 and sub 200 lbs. wingers. Add some size and physicality to our forward group so for a change we're the ones punishing the opposition defense and making a 7-game series difficult on them.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I almost prefer we ride it out at this point. Good draft year, keep the picks, lots of cap freeing up next year. Get a remix of players with the cap space. That gives you two more seasons before Sid calls it quits.

I don't think they'll see any benefits of the picks before Malkin retires, though. That's why I think they need to be aggressive and spend the picks now.

Carter is never going to stop playing so I think the logical move is to deal Blueger with some pieces for a 3C / LW fit and then just ice Poehling on L4 with Carter and McGinn.

Blueger is too important to the PK right now for me to support shipping him off during the season.

Let him walk after the year but trading him right now would be a mistake.

 

[Gurglesons]

I don't think they'll see any benefits of the picks before Malkin retires, though. That's why I think they need to be aggressive and spend the picks now.



Blueger is too important to the PK right now for me to support shipping him off during the season.

Let him walk after the year but trading him right now would be a mistake.

Once again. The PK was good because of absurd goaltending just like last year.. We can easily run the new acquisition, Rust, Poehling, DOC, McGinn, etc on the PK.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Petterson, POJ, and Smith/Friedman/Ruhwedel is not a Cup contending LD, no matter how many times people say it is. They're adequate in what they do, so this isn't me saying they suck before someone starts putting those words in my mouth. But they're none of them are ideally what you'd want on your top pairing getting 22 minutes a night in the playoffs against the best of the best.

Meanwhile, a Blueger-level 3C who handles the defensive chores while chipping in around 30 points is more than adequate (not great, but not a hindrance) for a contender. Especially if a rested (ie. less often used) Carter can provide some scoring spark from the 4C hole.

But they don't have to be, because of how good the Penguins are on RD. The Penguins splurged on RD so they can go lesser on LD and still have successful D pairs.

I have no concerns with any of the Pettersson-Letang, POJ-Petry or Smith-Rutta D pairs. I don't see any of those pairs as problematic and I don't see that defense as any worse than what the Penguins had in 2009, 2016 or 2017.

 

[eXile3]

You can always do what the Blues do. Sell off pieces, but still try and make the playoffs.

Wouldn’t be opposed to that. Bold move that would essentially force Sully into playing younger guys who might actually give a crap. Takes pressure off them as well.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Once again. The PK was good because of absurd goaltending just like last year.. We can easily run the new acquisition, Rust, Poehling, DOC, McGinn, etc on the PK.

O'Connor isn't even going to be in the NHL when the team is healthy.

Trading Blueger right now cements Carter on the PK (which a lot of people here don't like) and gambles on Poehling being able to replace Blueger. Like it's not the worst suggestion, but I question if it's a smart gamble to make unless you absolutely need the cap space.

 

[Gurglesons]

Wouldn’t be opposed to that. Bold move that would essentially force Sully into playing younger guys who might actually give a crap. Takes pressure off them as well.

Yep. Shoot out Zucker and Dumoulin even if costs us some retaining. Grab a young roster player or similar UFA.

 

[eXile3]

I don't think they'll see any benefits of the picks before Malkin retires, though. That's why I think they need to be aggressive and spend the picks now.



Blueger is too important to the PK right now for me to support shipping him off during the season.

Let him walk after the year but trading him right now would be a mistake.

Those picks are for after Sid/Geno. The McDavids & Berdards are going to be playing for other teams. We need to be building a complete team for the future.

Unless they find a way to bring in a real game changer that can help the next 3 years.

 

[Gurglesons]

O'Connor isn't even going to be in the NHL when the team is healthy.

Trading Blueger right now cements Carter on the PK (which a lot of people here don't like) and gambles on Poehling being able to replace Blueger. Like it's not the worst suggestion, but I question if it's a smart gamble to make unless you absolutely need the cap space.

O'Connor isn't even going to be in the NHL when the team is healthy.

Trading Blueger right now cements Carter on the PK (which a lot of people here don't like) and gambles on Poehling being able to replace Blueger. Like it's not the worst suggestion, but I question if it's a smart gamble to make unless you absolutely need the cap space.

Sullivan cements Carter on the PK.

Also the same argument could be made about Dumoulin on the PK. He’s leading all players on TOI.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Those picks are for after Sid/Geno. The McDavids & Berdards are going to be playing for other teams. We need to be building a complete team for the future.

Unless they find a way to bring in a real game changer that can help the next 3 years.

Building for the future now makes no sense. Go all in with the few years Malkin and Crosby have left and accept the team is going to bottom out after that.

Wasting the remaining years of Crosby and Malkin to attempt to be slightly less bad after they retire makes no sense to me.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

but I disagree that Kapanen would be the guy I'd want to move. I think Kapanen has really bounced back since getting healthy scratched and he looks like a great fit on that 3rd line.

Just so we're clear, I never said that I wanted to move Kapanen [in the post you quoted -- I'm sure I said to trade him in the past]. Just not sure of his place on the team.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Just so we're clear, I never said that I wanted to move Kapanen [in the post you quoted -- I'm sure I said to trade him in the past]. Just not sure of his place on the team.

Bad wording on my part, I meant I don't want to move Kapanen off the 3rd line.

 

[Zirakzigil]

Yep. Shoot out Zucker and Dumoulin even if costs us some retaining. Grab a young roster player or similar UFA.

Why are we trading Zucker, just to have to add another Zucker type player? Zucker has been good this season, zero reason to trade him.

Dumo, Ruh and Carter on the other hand.... .

 

[Gurglesons]

Why are we trading Zucker, just to have to add another Zucker type player? Zucker has been good this season, zero reason to trade him.

Dumo, Ruh and Carter on the other hand.... .

Because if the organization is honest with themselves this team is not good enough to win a cup if they continue to play this way and they can recoup assets and use them to make a big move this summer or in season next year.

 

[SEALBound]

Disagree. I think adding a top pairing defenseman who can play 22+ minutes per night and contribute on offense is a much greater need than a position we could just fill using Blueger as the defensive 3C and Carter as the offensive 4C at.

We can upgrade the 3C by just LTIRing Carter for the rest of his miserable contract for a bad case of the clap.

See, I just flat-out disagree. I don't believe we have the 3C in-house needed to anchor a bottom 6 that is so vital in the playoffs. Bleuger ain't it, and Carter most certainly ain't it. Poehling and DOC are merely 4C replacements. None of them bring what we need in a 3C.

Chychrun is a luxury. When healthy, I have little issue running:
Petts-Letang
POJ-Petry
Smith-Rutta

The key here is getting Sullivan to scratch Dumo or for Hextall to use him in the trade for 3C. I feel we need the Whitney for Kunitz trade for things to work.

 

[eXile3]

Building for the future now makes no sense. Go all in with the few years Malkin and Crosby have left and accept the team is going to bottom out after that.

Wasting the remaining years of Crosby and Malkin to attempt to be slightly less bad after they retire makes no sense to me.

It depends on what you mean by all in. Trading a 1st or 2nd for a rental 3rd liner will not make a difference and just waste an asset. I’m alright if it’s a Chychurn.

But all the assets we wasted on Brassard and Zucker like trades. It doesn’t make sense and really didn’t make us better in the long term or short term.