Salary Cap: Pens Salary thread: It has been 0 days since our last injury

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Idk if discussed but Yohe cites bottom 6 as the teams greatest hole.

I feel like it’s scoring winger.

This team could be spending 20M on their third line and dolts like Yohe would still be griping about the bottom six. It's like a weird wannabe-blue-collar reflex or something.

 

[Darren McCord]

Idk if discussed but Yohe cites bottom 6 as the teams greatest hole.

I feel like it’s scoring winger.

I mean the bottom 6 could be great or pretty weak. There are a lot more questions there.

• Does Carter bounce back?
• Does Kap bounce back?
• Does McGinn bounce back?

Those three ended last year pretty bad. Also

• Can Heinen produce like last year?
• What is Poehling?
• Is Archibald still effective?

Tb is the only one who has been relatively consistent. Good in regular season a ghost in the playoffs.

They choose not to inject any youth which could hurt them. Yet at least. I expect DOC, Hallander, Puus and/or Poulin to get some chances. That could drastically change the bottom 6.

I think the bottom 6 is a big hole but that can be fixed from WBS easier than a scoring winger can. So I get your point as well.

 

[Peat]

I feel like they're rolling a lot of dice in the forwards and who knows where they all land.

I also recall Yohe's comment about the bottom six being a lack of X factor. Well, the first choice bottom six is really fast. It has big goalscoring potential. The only way to make it Xy is to either stick some far too good players in there, or find some really physical types.

It should also be noted Yohe's article showed a lot of faith in Zucker, which is the conditional to thinking the bottom six is the biggest hole.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

It should also be noted Yohe's article showed a lot of faith in Zucker, which is the conditional to thinking the bottom six is the biggest hole.

Yeah... which... good luck, I guess. I know it's absolutely forbidden to have any takeaways from preseason but as of right now I still see Heinen as the second best LW option despite his flaws. And overall I think JZ would fit better on L3 anyway. But I'm also pretty tired of griping about it and at this point simply hope the guy can stay healthy. If for no other reason than to finally show people once and for all that his struggles are only partially attributable to health.

 

[Gurglesons]

Yeah... which... good luck, I guess. I know it's absolutely forbidden to have any takeaways from preseason but as of right now I still see Heinen as the second best LW option despite his flaws. And overall I think JZ would fit better on L3 anyway. But I'm also pretty tired of griping about it and at this point simply hope the guy can stay healthy. If for no other reason than to finally show people once and for all that his struggles are only partially attributable to health.

Zucker has killed it in the preseason if we are taking things away from that.

 

[Flying Dego]

I feel like they're rolling a lot of dice in the forwards and who knows where they all land.

I also recall Yohe's comment about the bottom six being a lack of X factor. Well, the first choice bottom six is really fast. It has big goalscoring potential. The only way to make it Xy is to either stick some far too good players in there, or find some really physical types.

It should also be noted Yohe's article showed a lot of faith in Zucker, which is the conditional to thinking the bottom six is the biggest hole.

Personally think this is one of our better forwad groups. We gonna just ignore the giant concerns of our top 4 LD players? That's my concern.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Zucker has killed it in the preseason if we are taking things away from that.

Individually yes. He's been better than good.

I see little in the way of a real line dynamic there, though. As usual.

They really should find a way to get him on the top powerplay, though. Especially if it continues to look shit.

 

[Peat]

Personally think this is one of our better forwad groups. We gonna just ignore the giant concerns of our top 4 LD players? That's my concern.

Good shout. Although I think both are in similar positions. A large range of potential outcomes.



Also re Zucker - I didn't watch much of pre-season, but the line numbers are reasonably encouraging, albeit against not a whole lot of anything.

 

[Gurglesons]

Individually yes. He's been better than good.

I see little in the way of a real line dynamic there, though. As usual.

They really should find a way to get him on the top powerplay, though. Especially if it continues to look shit.

I honestly think Malkin has looked the worst out of the players on the 2nd line and also realize Malkin doesn’t give a shit about preseason.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I think it's kinda funny that the whole league kind of struggles with their RD depth and the Penguins actually have that covered but look suspect on the more-common left side. At least bodes well for an upgrade or two down the road.

 

[Flying Dego]

Good shout. Although I think both are in similar positions. A large range of potential outcomes.



Also re Zucker - I didn't watch much of pre-season, but the line numbers are reasonably encouraging, albeit against not a whole lot of anything.

Zucker is in a contract year and if his health allows he's gonna have a good year.

If he gets PP1 time my 50pt season prohecy may just come true.

 

[Darren McCord]

I honestly think Malkin has looked the worst out of the players on the 2nd line and also realize Malkin doesn’t give a shit about preseason.

Zucker isnt gona make the second line fail thats for sure.

Malkin was a ppg player last year
Rust has 156 pts in 171 games

Those two are the ones paid and expected to make that line work regardless of the third winger. If Zucker just plays his game there shouldnt be an issue. If Zucker plays like he did in preseason than that line could be very good.

 

[orby]

Hot take. I don't think Zucker has ever looked bad over an extended period as a Penguin. The problem is that every time he really gets going, he ends up on injured reserve for 2 months. I think if he can stay healthy, he's an adequate third wheel on a line with Malkin and Rust.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Evidently that isn't a hot take at all...

I mean... obviously Malkin needs to be at his best for the line to work. That's hardly in question.

 

[3ladesof5teel]

Yohe doesn't make sense 99% of the time.

If you get a legit top 6 it just bumps someone down from that role and makes both the top and bottom better.

Plus as already mentioned we have alot of guys in the bottom 6 who have question marks but even if 1 or 2 of them pan out to where they should there is no issue. I like the chances there

 

[Gurglesons]

Evidently that isn't a hot take at all...

I mean... obviously Malkin needs to be at his best for the line to work. That's hardly in question.

If Malkin can’t make a line with a healthy Zucker, Rust and Petry work, there are some bigger issues.

Most second lines don’t have that type of talent.

 

[3ladesof5teel]

Hot take. I don't think Zucker has ever looked bad over an extended period as a Penguin. The problem is that every time he really gets going, he ends up on injured reserve for 2 months. I think if he can stay healthy, he's an adequate third wheel on a line with Malkin and Rust.

Not really a hot take, much of the complaining were the usual suspects. I have defended him quite a bit and i didnt even want him here in the 1st place.

I mean he's not playing like a 5 million winger but he also isn't as bad as people make him out to be, in the playoffs the last few years he was one of the better players. He just cant stay healthy

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

If Malkin can’t make a line with a healthy Zucker, Rust and Petry work, there are some bigger issues.

Most second lines don’t have that type of talent.

Malkin and Rust is the right play and I'll be content enough with that.

As for the rest you guys seem to have your minds made up even after years now so we'll just have to see by about game 20. Personally I think even Heinen thinks the O-zone far better overall than Zucker. Hopefully Zucker keeps his game extremely simple and just goes to the net and fires the puck without hesitation when he gets it anywhere near scoring positions. Because those are his strengths while in-zone.

 

[Andy99]

I think Heinen has better hands than Zucker and that’s saying a lot more about Zucker than Heinen lol…I just want someone on L2 who can score some goals when Geno finds them because Geno sure as shit isn’t gonna shoot that much lol…

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

Malkin and Rust is the right play and I'll be content enough with that.

As for the rest you guys seem to have your minds made up even after years now so we'll just have to see by about game 20. Personally I think even Heinen thinks the O-zone far better overall than Zucker. Hopefully Zucker keeps his game extremely simple and just goes to the net and fires the puck without hesitation when he gets it anywhere near scoring positions. Because those are his strengths while in-zone.

You and I see things similarly.
Which is why I think Zucker should play with Sid and be the corner puck retriever. Zucker's board play is pretty good and he's willing to go into the dirty areas. He's almost like a cross of Horny and Kunitz. Not as good as Horny in front of the net, but a better passer. Not as good as IQ as Kunitz.

Jake/Sid/Z
Rak/Malkin/Rust

Now that's a good top 6

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

My issue with Zucker is that he's a fine grunt work third wheel for a scoring line, but I don't know that A. he can stay healthy enough to be of use over the course of the season, and B. whether Geno and Rust (or Rakell when Sully reunites GCR 18 minutes into the season) have the firepower to overcome a pretty meh guy production-wise on the other wing.

I think the best avenue (I say best while wincing, because yeesh) is Heinen-Geno-Rust with a Zucker-Carter-Kap third line. I don't love either line, or even really like them, but keeping Zucker on the third line may keep him more healthy and I'm not sure there's much difference between Heinen and Zucker when it comes to the impact/production of 2LW.