Salary Cap: Pens Salary Thread: Stretch run to the playoffs "So it begins"

[Gurglesons]

They passed up 3 first round picks essentially for a slightly better pick (STBD) another 1st and a 2nd 2026 which all could be moot by the time they pick any of them.

They could have had immediate returns from LA and Pens and could have just asked for more had they had to take back a contract. Most likely an expiring one.

Those two offers are probably the better offers than Ottawa's when the dust settles.

They are complete idiots.

Yeah it’s absurd they didn’t accept LA’s deal over what they got.

 

[wgknestrick]

Yea, not trading Dumo was odd. He’s played better as of late, so he might actually have value. Hopefully, our lazy POS front office is canned immediately so that the team won’t re-sign him.

Dumo is old, so he is coveted. What don't you get?

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

They passed up 3 first round picks essentially for a slightly better pick (STBD) another 1st and a 2nd 2026 which all could be moot by the time they pick any of them.

They could have had immediate returns from LA and Pens and could have just asked for more had they had to take back a contract. Most likely an expiring one.

Those two offers are probably the better offers than Ottawa's when the dust settles.

They are complete idiots.

Isn't Ottawa's 1st top 5 protected anyways? So it's not like they have a shot at Bedard with that pick. So going for the package with the highest 2023 1st versus a better all around package seems weird.

 

[Ugene Magic]

Yeah it’s absurd they didn’t accept LA’s deal over what they got.

As it stands, right now. The Pens 2 1sts plus Pickering is better than LA's.

 

[Ugene Magic]

Isn't Ottawa's 1st top 5 protected anyways? So it's not like they have a shot at Bedard with that pick. So going for the package with the highest 2023 1st versus a better all around package seems weird.

Right. They'll never make that, and as it stands, they'll never make it to the ECF's so that first 2nd becomes a 1st too. At the end of the deal is a 2026 2nd with no conditions.

All over eating some cap for the remainder of the season.

 

[BusinessGoose]

They passed up 3 first round picks essentially for a slightly better pick (STBD) another 1st and a 2nd 2026 which all could be moot by the time they pick any of them.

They could have had immediate returns from LA and Pens and could have just asked for more had they had to take back a contract. Most likely an expiring one.

Those two offers are probably the better offers than Ottawa's when the dust settles.

They are complete idiots.

You are correct. ARI were dumb. But Emp was replying to someone mad Hex didn't get that deal done.

OBVIOUSLY ARI didn't want the deal to get done so being mad and pouting in the corner over it is silly. Which I think is the main point you are agreeing with?

 

[Rave7215]

You are correct. ARI were dumb. But Emp was replying to someone mad Hex didn't get that deal done.

OBVIOUSLY ARI didn't want the deal to get done so being mad and pouting in the corner over it is silly. Which I think is the main point you are agreeing with?

On the other side of people saying he didn't make a big splash is the whole JT Miller thing. Want him or not, they went after him as a big add. With JR wanting a young center in return killing the deal, you can't be mad for not trying. Other GMs are insane

 

[Empoleon8771]

They passed up 3 first round picks essentially for a slightly better pick (STBD) another 1st and a 2nd 2026 which all could be moot by the time they pick any of them.

They could have had immediate returns from LA and Pens and could have just asked for more had they had to take back a contract. Most likely an expiring one.

Those two offers are probably the better offers than Ottawa's when the dust settles.

They are complete idiots.

Oh yeah I agree with this entirely. The Coyotes management are objectively idiots for passing up on better offers for the Senators offer. I was just saying I don't think you can criticize Hextall for not pulling off Chychrun because it sounds like he was legitimately trying to get him, but Arizona being stupid caused them to go with a worse offer.

 

[The Old Master]

Dumo is a well respected veteran and a leader in the locker room. The Pens don't trade their respected UFAs when making a run. There was zero chance Dumo was being traded, as much as we all wanted

you do if you want to send a message.

 

[ChaosAgent]

On the other side of people saying he didn't make a big splash is the whole JT Miller thing. Want him or not, they went after him as a big add. With JR wanting a young center in return killing the deal, you can't be mad for not trying. Other GMs are insane

I think JR would have relented with Pettersson as the main piece, but that would have left a gigantic hole otherwise.

Rust may have made sense if he would have waived (but he likely wouldn't).
I believe JT Miller will in fact be a Penguin eventually. Maybe as a cap dump if we are really bad and Vancouver is reloading in 3-4 years.

The biggest problem with the TDL is Granlund's contract. 2 years at $5M full for a talented but flawed player on the decline...we shouldn't have paid a 2nd for that. Arguably we shouldn't have taken it for free. But I do like the urgency that the bottom 6 - both the new and old members - have shown since the shake-ups happen. This is why you need to change things occasionally. Too much satisfaction and complacency.

 

[Turin]

Overall it’s hard to be upset with GMRH the last week. Granlund trade pissed me off but now that we have the context to the Miller and Chychrun deals there really wasn’t much that could be done there, just hamstrung by an incompetent poverty franchise in Arizona and a ridiculous delusional owner in Van who thinks his team should never rebuild even when they’re bad for a decade.

 

[Rakell67]

Granlund could find good chemistry with someone, Jarry could remain healthy, team could come together and play as a team, anything can happen in the playoffs. I'm hoping Ottawa knocks off Boston in round 1.

 

[PensandCaps]

I still don't understand how Hextall got tricked into paying value for Granlund and his contract.

 

[Pancakes]

Oh yeah I agree with this entirely. The Coyotes management are objectively idiots for passing up on better offers for the Senators offer. I was just saying I don't think you can criticize Hextall for not pulling off Chychrun because it sounds like he was legitimately trying to get him, but Arizona being stupid caused them to go with a worse offer.

The problem is we never had cap flexibility until almost too late.

Hextall should have paid assets to get rid of his bad contracts earlier and then got ahead of the pack and offered AZ two firsts for him. Maybe they take it. But he waited so long to do it.

If he had done that though we're sitting here right now with probably almost no picks for this draft, no first in the next draft, so it's a double edged sword I guess.

But I think Hextall could have done more.

 

[PensandCaps]

Chychrun isn't a true elite #1. He's good at scoring goals, but i wouldn't really say the rest of his game is top tier for a #1. I'm glad to have not payed that price for him.

Our powerplay would have had a ton more space for 87 and 71 if we got him though. Insane shot that teams would have to respect.

 

[BusinessGoose]

I still don't understand how Hextall got tricked into paying value for Granlund and his contract.

Maybe there's a future consideration backdoor handshake deal ahead

 

[Andy99]

I still don't understand how Hextall got tricked into paying value for Granlund and his contract.

He alluded to it in his presser: he’s been trying to get this guy for a few years and jumped at the chance lol

 

[HandshakeLine]

Oh yeah I agree with this entirely. The Coyotes management are objectively idiots for passing up on better offers for the Senators offer. I was just saying I don't think you can criticize Hextall for not pulling off Chychrun because it sounds like he was legitimately trying to get him, but Arizona being stupid caused them to go with a worse offer.

Yeah at the end of the day, it’s important to remember that trades aren’t unilateral decisions.

 

[Ugene Magic]

He alluded to it in his presser: he’s been trying to get this guy for a few years and jumped at the chance lol

It was only a 2nd and having to pay him an extra .500/1.0 isn't that big of a deal. He also has the 2 years to make that contract look better.

 

[chethejet]

Well the good news he didn't get him for those two years and the Pens were stuck with a really bad contract. Now it is just a bad contract as Grunland is not close to the player he was at the time of that deal. Not getting the Preds to retain was poor. But that is just one of many moves Hextall has made that handcuffed the pens as to cap and roster. OH well, Pens won 3 cups and for the most part have been a team to enjoy. Not so much now but Hextall is simply not good enough, smart enough or aggressive enough to build a roster worthy cup as GM.

 

[Empoleon8771]

The problem is we never had cap flexibility until almost too late.

Hextall should have paid assets to get rid of his bad contracts earlier and then got ahead of the pack and offered AZ two firsts for him. Maybe they take it. But he waited so long to do it.

If he had done that though we're sitting here right now with probably almost no picks for this draft, no first in the next draft, so it's a double edged sword I guess.

But I think Hextall could have done more.

Again, LA offered Bjornfot and 2 1sts for Chychrun and Arizona turned it down. Even if the Penguins offered Pickering and 2 1sts for Chychrun, there's no guarantee Arizona would take that over Ottawa's offer.

 

[Pens x]

Maybe Arizona wanted him out of the western conference?

 

[Gurglesons]

I still don't understand how Hextall got tricked into paying value for Granlund and his contract.

Is it value? It’s a 2nd rounder for a 40-50 pt forward.

JR used to pay a 1st and a prospect for that.

Seems pretty dirt cheap if it works out.

 

[Your Boy Troy]

The decision to stay conservative throughout the deadline was the right one. Spending future assets on Chychrun isn't worth it knowing that the holes on the bottom-six still wouldn't have been addressed and in the grand scheme of things, this team would still be inferior to the Bruins or the Lightning.

That being said, acquiring Granlund is such a short-sighted and asinine move considering that his contract could potentially prohibit what management could do during free agency and the future. It gives a lot less wiggle room to look at potential UFAs in J.T. Compher, Tyler Bertuzzi, Miles Wood, Vladislav Gavrikov, Ryan Graves, and Ivan Barbashev. Trading away 2nd rounders on a year-to-year basis is not necessarily something to look past.

This team desperately needed some energy/toughness along with secondary scoring and Hextall didn't address the former at all. Instead, he got slower cerebral forwards who are past their prime. I cannot think of a team that is as soft as this one both mentally and physically. How many leads have they blown this season? Does anyone honestly believe that the acquisitions made will tackle these significant problems?

 

[Gurglesons]

The decision to stay conservative throughout the deadline was the right one. Spending future assets on Chychrun isn't worth it knowing that the holes on the bottom-six still wouldn't have been addressed and in the grand scheme of things, this team would still be inferior to the Bruins or the Lightning.

That being said, acquiring Granlund is such a short-sighted and asinine move considering that his contract could potentially prohibit what management could do during free agency and the future. It gives a lot less wiggle room to look at potential UFAs in J.T. Compher, Tyler Bertuzzi, Miles Wood, Vladislav Gavrikov, Ryan Graves, and Ivan Barbashev. Trading away 2nd rounders on a year-to-year basis is not necessarily something to look past.

This team desperately needed some energy/toughness along with secondary scoring and Hextall didn't address the former at all. Instead, he got slower cerebral forwards who are past their prime. I cannot think of a team that is as soft as this one both mentally and physically. How many leads have they blown this season? Does anyone honestly believe that the acquisitions made will tackle these significant problems?

Most of these players don’t make sense to sign long term tbh.