Confirmed Signing with Link: [PIT] Penguins re-sign F Rickard Rakell (6 years, $5M AAV)

[The Grim Reaper]

Perfect contract, imo. He looked great on the Pens

 

[Rodgerwilco]

Great signing. Like the AAV, term is whatever, the team has maybe 3 years left in their window and Rakell can definitely be a part of that. Anything that happens too long after that is pretty much a moot point at that juncture, in my opinion.

They need to continue to load up this team and compete as strongly as they can for the next 3ish years. People are failing to realize this when they're criticizing the term of this and the Letang deal. When a team is in win-now mode for almost a decade and a half eventually they will reach the end of that and contracts that extend through that window seem pretty reasonable in that situation.

The problem with that is then you March out the same crew a year older who didn't get the job done for many years now and are expecting a different result .

That window has closed . I don't any issue with 5mil for RR but the term won't age well with the team .

Their window has certainly not closed. Marleau and Thornton were both pushing 37 years old whenever they helped the Sharks to the cup in 2016. No reason Crosby, Malkin, and Letang can't with the right roster around them. (Or even Crosby + Letang without Malkin).

 

[dixie]

Let me give you a little history about your owner and how he ran operations in Boston.His first few years he spent lavishly to win World Series(RED SOX).The last couple of years he has gone away from high priced players(Mookie Betts)and mandated to GM ,make the playoffs with a much lower salary base.My guess is that he doesn t want Malkin,they chose between him and Letang.The signing of Rakell reinforces my thought.Any player they trade ,there will be money coming back in.,so it will be tough to financially manage.In a way your situation money wise is similar to the Bruins.Your top players are on the back nine.You want to be loyal to them,but at some point you need to pull the plug and start over.

 

[SomeDude]

Let me give you a little history about your owner and how he ran operations in Boston.His first few years he spent lavishly to win World Series(RED SOX).The last couple of years he has gone away from high priced players(Mookie Betts)and mandated to GM ,make the playoffs with a much lower salary base.My guess is that he doesn t want Malkin,they chose between him and Letang.The signing of Rakell reinforces my thought.Any player they trade ,there will be money coming back in.,so it will be tough to financially manage.In a way your situation money wise is similar to the Bruins.Your top players are on the back nine.You want to be loyal to them,but at some point you need to pull the plug and start over.

Yea, except the Letang and Rust deals are frontloaded. Rust also has no trade protection his final few years and Letang has little trade protection his final year. The contracts are designed for FSG to pay more now to have the deals moveable in 4-5 years down the road if/when the players aren't worth the cap hit.

If they really cared about spending they wouldn't spend more money now to help the team down the line. They don't want to give Malkin whatever he wants because he hasn't shown the ability to stay healthy for 3-4 years.

 

[HockeyShack]

This is an overpayment by about 1 mil a season and 2 years.

He's a frustrating player to watch as he has the tools.

 

[Jerkbait]

Great signing. Like the AAV, term is whatever, the team has maybe 3 years left in their window and Rakell can definitely be a part of that. Anything that happens too long after that is pretty much a moot point at that juncture, in my opinion.

They need to continue to load up this team and compete as strongly as they can for the next 3ish years. People are failing to realize this when they're criticizing the term of this and the Letang deal. When a team is in win-now mode for almost a decade and a half eventually they will reach the end of that and contracts that extend through that window seem pretty reasonable in that situation.


Their window has certainly not closed. Marleau and Thornton were both pushing 37 years old whenever they helped the Sharks to the cup in 2016. No reason Crosby, Malkin, and Letang can't with the right roster around them. (Or even Crosby + Letang without Malkin).

The window to compete for a cup is long closed. Too shallow. Too soft...don't have the goaltending. Aging slowing and the competition is better . Toronto tampa NYR Florida Carolina all better and will finish ahead leaving pitt to battle Boston NYI Washington etc for a wild card spot at best . The window is shut for a cup but slightly open to compete for a playoff spot. Mushy middle

 

[johnjm22]

I predict this a contract they'll be regretting.

 

[KrisLetAngry]

A little high would have rather have gotten him at 4.25 or 4.5 but o well.

Happy he's back.

 

[Riptide]

Yea, except the Letang and Rust deals are frontloaded. Rust also has no trade protection his final few years and Letang has little trade protection his final year. The contracts are designed for FSG to pay more now to have the deals moveable in 4-5 years down the road if/when the players aren't worth the cap hit.

If they really cared about spending they wouldn't spend more money now to help the team down the line. They don't want to give Malkin whatever he wants because he hasn't shown the ability to stay healthy for 3-4 years.

3-4 years... he's played 70 games once in 10 years. He's only played 65+ games 3 times in that span. They don't want to write a blank cheque to Malkin because he's 36, often injured and they want to try and keep the team as strong as possible - which means there's a budget they have for Malkin. And while it'll suck if he sign's elsewhere, I'm more then okay with that.

Re the rest of the post, agree completely. I think the guy you quoted was projecting way too much.

 

[DucksFanDFW]

Seems high and too long, but not too horrible. Just have to see how long it takes before he starts floating like he did in Anaheim.

 

[SenzZen]

Yeah!!! Just give Geno whatever he wants!!! 5 years x $10M per? Sure, why not!! Who cares about trying to be competitive and ice a deep and balanced roster when you can pay a guy more than he’s worth based on, ya know, nothing!! And who cares if the Pens don’t win a round or miss the playoffs altogether — as long as Geno’s ego is satisfied!!

That’s a funny tune considering the sweetheart deals Crosby and Malkin have been on for the past decade plus.

Now it’s important to pay guys their worth.

 

[FreudsLeatherJacket]

Seems overpriced but Crosby turns complimentary wingers into 80 point players all the time. That said if I was a Pens fan I would much rather use this money to sign Malkin.

 

[Riptide]

Seems overpriced but Crosby turns complimentary wingers into 80 point players all the time. That said if I was a Pens fan I would much rather use this money to sign Malkin.

The issue is Malkin still needs a winger who can create a little. Rust/Zucker haven't been doing that. We've seen glimpses of it out of Kapanen, but he's been very inconsistent. I'd much rather have Rakell and a 2c then Malkin and no Rakell. It makes me sad to write that... but it's the truth.

 

[KaraLupin]

Pens fans acting like their organization will not draft, groom, or trade for any good young players that need decent contracts is the next few years.. Term is really bad if he falls off a cliff… and he’s band aid boy. Didn’t even play many games with pens and he still got hurt.

He will be a whipping boy within the second year of the contract, mark my words

 

[Cape]

The issue is Malkin still needs a winger who can create a little. Rust/Zucker haven't been doing that. We've seen glimpses of it out of Kapanen, but he's been very inconsistent. I'd much rather have Rakell and a 2c then Malkin and no Rakell. It makes me sad to write that... but it's the truth.

What kind of 2c are you planning to get with around 6-7million who can create little? Trocheck? 6*7 million for him? Kadri, 7*7-8 million.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Pens fans acting like their organization will not draft, groom, or trade for any good young players that need decent contracts is the next few years.. Term is really bad if he falls off a cliff… and he’s band aid boy. Didn’t even play many games with pens and he still got hurt.

He will be a whipping boy within the second year of the contract, mark my words

Pens have zero in their system that look like they can take on a top six scoring role, much less have to worry about breaking the bank to re-sign. And considering the window is *now* (ie. the next 2 to 3 years) that likely doesn't change even if someone blossoms out of the blue since they'll only be coming due for a new deal after the window has closed.

 

[Budz]

I like the player. Typical FA signing - too long too much.

 

[Riptide]

What kind of 2c are you planning to get with around 6-7million who can create little? Trocheck? 6*7 million for him? Kadri, 7*7-8 million.

Realistically the only options are Trocheck, Kadri (unlikely due to cost/contract) and D/R Strome, with a long outside shot at Miller (high cost to acquire, high cost to extend). Trocheck and R.Strome are likely to be semi affordable. D.Strome, not sure on, but probably less so, but is also much younger. Bergeron and Giroux would obviously be amazing, but are probably not all that realistic.

Honestly it doesn't matter who PIT gets... there's going to be a dropoff for their 2c. On the plus side, they'll likely be far healthier then Malkin has been historicaly and thus we'll get to see them play most of the games. PIT has the talent to have a quality L2 if the center they get is a legit 2C. Add Carter as 3C and we should have a good, top 9.

 

[SnipeShowJB11]

I do not understand this one at all.

 

[browniefan]

Injury prone winger gets 5x5. Geno could outscore this guy in half the amount of games played lol. Weird strategy, Hextall.

Isn’t Malkin also injury-prone? I think he’s missed something like 30% of his team’s games over the last four seasons.

 

[BigVegas17]

Isn’t Malkin also injury-prone? I think he’s missed something like 30% of his team’s games over the last four seasons.

He's played 70 games in a season once in the last decade. Malkin's lack of availability/durability extends well beyond the last 4 seasons.

 

[thirdJR]

Rakell is a solid player. He became the whipping boy among Anaheim fans for some reason but I never subscribed to it. It's like blaming a Honda for not being a Ferrari. Excellent 200 ft game and versatility for days. Sometimes you want the skill to pop a bit more but I get the sense NHL coaches don't care as much when you're taking care of business away from the puck. Not a lazy player by any stretch.

 

[Smirnov2Chistov]

Love love loved Rakell in Anaheim. Wish he came back!

Rakell is a solid player. He became the whipping boy among Anaheim fans for some reason but I never subscribed to it. It's like blaming a Honda for not being a Ferrari. Excellent 200 ft game and versatility for days. Sometimes you want the skill to pop a bit more but I get the sense NHL coaches don't care as much when you're taking care of business away from the puck. Not a lazy player by any stretch.

Lots of people on the Ducks boards were happy to see him go. It’s a shame really. One of the only offensive players that we had but yet had to be dumped on

 

[Riptide]

Love love loved Rakell in Anaheim. Wish he came back!



Lots of people on the Ducks boards were happy to see him go. It’s a shame really. One of the only offensive players that we had but yet had to be dumped on

And honestly, even if 50% of the criticisms sent Rakell's way were accurate... sometimes it's hard to play for a team that doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Even if someone view's the Pens team as a team that isn't going to win a cup, odds are they're still a PO team for the next few seasons (assuming they have a 2c that isn't Carter). That can lead to it's own excitement and renewed enthusiasm for the game. Look at Carter - he was planning on retiring after the season where he was traded to PIT. Now maybe in a few years Rakell's game goes back to how he was playing in Anaheim... so be it. If we can get something close to the TD version of him (stylistically) then this contract is a win for the Pens in the short term.

 

[3ladesof5teel]

Pens fans acting like their organization will not draft, groom, or trade for any good young players that need decent contracts is the next few years.. Term is really bad if he falls off a cliff… and he’s band aid boy. Didn’t even play many games with pens and he still got hurt.

He will be a whipping boy within the second year of the contract, mark my words

He's lucky he even made it back to the playoffs the the elbow he took was pretty brutul

Outside of that hes looked pretty solid in a Pens uni and am excited to have him back. Its a fair offer and he will quickly become the best winger they have outside of Guentzel