Salary Cap: Pittsburgh Penguins Salary Cap Thread - JJ is still here!!

[ownal]

I don't see why that would be the case, or why more goals for but more goals against would ease the load.

Sure, it's likely to lead to a lot of low scoring games, but placing a burden on L1 & L2? Not particularly. Maybe a tiny one of knowing that if goals start going in it's on them to score them, but that's counterbalanced by the third line pretty much never sending L1 & L2 on to chase a goal they just conceded.

Yes, thank you for pointing that out to me. If Horny has the pace he did to start last season then it is a very good line #3. I think it is even better now if Tanev slots in for Simon too.

 

[Gurglesons]

Doesn't that only work if L1 & L2 are firing on all cylinders?

Sid’s line will generally out score the opposition. The issue last year was L2 was getting demolished.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

Sid’s line will generally out score the opposition. The issue last year was L2 was getting demolished.

Yeah and L2 (in games where we can effectively line match) would be helped by a L3 that can dominate territorially on the ice against other teams better checking lines.

Frees up Malkin for more offensively oriented deployment against theoretically weaker competition. Let Sid-Jake continue to draw and murder top matchups.

 

[ownal]

Guentzel - Crosby - Kahun
Chucky - Malkin - Horny
Mccann - Bjugstad - Rust
Tanev - TB - Simon

Is this what we are looking at?

 

[ColePens]

Guentzel - Crosby - Kahun
Chucky - Malkin - Horny
Mccann - Bjugstad - Rust
Tanev - TB - Simon

Is this what we are looking at?

Meh let camp figure that ish out. Too early. I like the forward group.

(on repeat) What we desperately need is a skating dman who can move the puck to pressure and be able to dish the puck. We can't have our defense sit there and go d-to-d the whole time and throw bombs at forwards. 12 Crosbys wouldn't be able to deal with that.

 

[Beauner]

Not only that, they played shutdown defensive hockey and controlled scoring chances at about a 60% clip. That is far from my definition of horrible.

They were also incredibly snakebit for a while. Simon and Horny in particular I remember having glorious opportunities but just not being able to convert due to ridiculous saves/bad luck

 

[BigEezyE22]

If that line scored 2 and the other team scored 1 then that is 66.6% of all goals. What were the total minutes and goals scored?

So 2-1 is disaster territory for you?

 

[ownal]

So 2-1 is disaster territory for you?

@Peat explained it to me. I am less ignorant now.

 

[Beauner]

Meh let camp figure that ish out. Too early. I like the forward group.

(on repeat) What we desperately need is a skating dman who can move the puck to pressure and be able to dish the puck. We can't have our defense sit there and go d-to-d the whole time and throw bombs at forwards. 12 Crosbys wouldn't be able to deal with that.

The thing is, who is even out there for us to acquire? A LD is preferable since we're set on the right. Looking at dmen under 32 with a cap hit </=$4 million, these are the only names that stick out to me that could realistically be acquired:

Marco Scandella
Alec Martinez
Brendan Dillon
Derek Forbort
Stephen Johns
Jon Merrill
Brayden McNabb
Nick Holden

Are any of them even enticing? And if so what would it take to get them?

 

[Riptide]

I don't even find ZAR particularly physical. He reminds me of a guy who will finish his checks because his coach told him to, but there's no real punishment or authority behind them. He's basically Tom Kuhnhackl who is forced into playing like he's Tanner Glass.

Yeah I'd agree with that. Sometimes he gets it right and really delivers it, but he's not like Prime Kunitz where you knew that when he hit you, he was going to go right through you.

 

[Riptide]

The issue is you think it'll be successful. Tanev is a less offensively successful version of Rust and maybe in the same opportunities he might produce and be a Dupuis. But if that's their rationale. I'd be way more ****ing worried with that stupidity in their thinking than all of the other dumb **** this coaching staff has deployed as "lines"...

Yes I think it has the potential to be, and that Tanev has the potential for a little more given how few NHL games/years he has under his belt.

 

[Tom Hanks]

Guentzel - Crosby - Kahun
Chucky - Malkin - Horny
Mccann - Bjugstad - Rust
Tanev - TB - Simon

Is this what we are looking at?

We won’t have all of those players. We have some cap issues.

 

[Riptide]

I have no idea what that is supposed to mean. Tanev’s are a dime a dozen. We paid $100.00. And yes we did have players like Tanev.

And if they are a dime a dozen we wouldn't have had to pay 3.5m to acquire one. We "did" ?? When? Because it certainly wasn't last season.

 

[Riptide]

Johansson seems like a suitable player for Geno. Too bad that money went towards Tanev.

I don't think there's room for Johansson (someone I've been interested in since watching him in Boston) and Gally on this team. It would be a matter of one or the other.

 

[Riptide]

It's sounding more and more likely like Bjugstad might be the player moving out rather than Rust. Both names are surfacing but according to Josh, Bjugstad's is a lot more frequent & increasingly so.

This worries me. Because even if he was nothing special to write home about as a 3c (I think he was fine), I was unimpressed with MaCann there last year and have little faith in any of our other options (TB, Simon, Kahun, Tanev, Gally) to fill that spot as well as Bjugstad did.

I'd be fine with giving up Bjugstad, less so Rust.

That does raise the question of Centers though.

I assume that it would be Crosby - Malkin - McCann - Blueger

I almost think you need to go find a pure 4/5C in FA just as insurance in case it's TB who pans out as our 3c. I mean we have bodies to throw at the position... but I just see it putting us in a odd spot where we're banking on someone raw that we don't need to be in.

 

[Andy99]

Whichever of Rust or Bjug we trade, and there are pros and cons to both, it's an absolute must that JJ go with them...it will be a failure by JR if one of them go for picks and JJ is left on this roster and playing in the top 6 on a regular basis...if some team is interested in Bjug, tell them you have to take JJ too...what about another trade with BUF, who has cap space?...Bjug + JJ for McCabe or something...

 

[ownal]

We won’t have all of those players. We have some cap issues.

Banking on JJ+Pick+Zar to get McCabe out of Buffalo.

 

[ownal]

Whichever of Rust or Bjug we trade, and there are pros and cons to both, it's an absolute must that JJ go with them...it will be a failure by JR if one of them go for picks and JJ is left on this roster and playing in the top 6 on a regular basis...if some team is interested in Bjug, tell them you have to take JJ too...what about another trade with BUF, who has cap space?...Bjug + JJ for McCabe or something...

Rust + JJ = 6.75 million. Sign Ferland or Gusev @ 4 x 5 and you have your cap space and rust replacement.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

He's a right wing. He's not good defensively

Right. Massive liability away from the puck. Leaves us totally exposed.

Bjugstad's on-ice save % with Pittsburgh 5v5: .958
10 goals scored against him in 32 games

For comparison's sake...here's Malkin:
.914
46 goals scored against him in 68 games

Bjugstad was moved back to 3C on Feb.23rd, the Stadium Series game. He held that position until the end of the year, except for a few blips here and there. That's 21 games.

During that time he had 7 even-strength goals. Was a +6.
His line had 249 USAT (Unblocked shot attempts) For....187 Against.
That's the 2nd best rate on the team. Hornqvist, who was his winger for this stretch, is right behind him.

So yes, he can play Center, he can defend and he can drive possession. On top of that, he still produced offensively at an admirable rate, despite getting only 47.3% O-zone starts.

 

[Peat]

This worries me. Because even if he was nothing special to write home about as a 3c (I think he was fine), I was unimpressed with MaCann there last year and have little faith in any of our other options (TB, Simon, Kahun, Tanev, Gally) to fill that spot as well as Bjugstad did.

Yeah. Now thinking that the difference in return between Bjugstad and Rust would have to be quite substantial for me to think this was a good idea, unless it involved getting a good 3C back somehow.

 

[Andy99]

This worries me. Because even if he was nothing special to write home about as a 3c (I think he was fine), I was unimpressed with MaCann there last year and have little faith in any of our other options (TB, Simon, Kahun, Tanev, Gally) to fill that spot as well as Bjugstad did.

McCann played that role in FLA though, fairly successfully, and he had a small sample size here so it's really hard to judge...even if neither of them are truly a NHL center, Bjug I think he fits here less than other options to trade (JJ excepted)....I wouldn't be opposed to trying McCann and/or Blug there, or Kahun if the coaches feel he can play center...how we start the season is not necessarily how we end it

 

[TheDuderino]

And if they are a dime a dozen we wouldn't have had to pay 3.5m to acquire one. We "did" ?? When? Because it certainly wasn't last season.

You think the problem with the team last year was a lack of Brandon Tanev?

I have asked this for the third time now...by what tangible metric, which I have posted several times, can the case be made that’s Tanev is a better player than Blueger’s potential or ZAR or comparable to Bryan Rust or Simon?

 

[ZeroPucksGiven]

McCann played that role in FLA though, fairly successfully, and he had a small sample size here so it's really hard to judge...even if neither of them are truly a NHL center, Bjug I think he fits here less than other options to trade (JJ excepted)....I wouldn't be opposed to trying McCann and/or Blug there, or Kahun if the coaches feel he can play center...how we start the season is not necessarily how we end it

Here it is in simple terms:

Bjud: plays C better than Wing
McCann: Plays Wing better than C

 

[Pancakes]

I wonder if some team would pony up a first for Rust. Probably not. But he is young, a solid scorer, and signed to an affordable deal long term.

If we only get a second rounder or some mid tier prospect for cap dumping him that would kinda suck though. I'd be slightly more accepting of that return for Bjug but even then...bleh.

But we more or less gotta do it unless we deal them for an NHL capable player that makes <1 million.

 

[Peat]

McCann played that role in FLA though, fairly successfully, and he had a small sample size here so it's really hard to judge...even if neither of them are truly a NHL center, Bjug I think he fits here less than other options to trade (JJ excepted)....I wouldn't be opposed to trying McCann and/or Blug there, or Kahun if the coaches feel he can play center...how we start the season is not necessarily how we end it

Pretty sure McCann was playing 4C in Florida and that step up in competition matters when playing away from the strongest part of his skillset.

And, well, I use the "how we start the season is not necessarily how we end it" argument a lot so I can't criticise that, but there should be a reason for making ones' self weaker and I don't think Bryan Rust is a good reason.

I wonder if some team would pony up a first for Rust. Probably not. But he is young, a solid scorer, and signed to an affordable deal long term.

If we only get a second rounder or some mid tier prospect for cap dumping him that would kinda suck though. I'd be slightly more accepting of that return for Bjug but even then...bleh.

But we more or less gotta do it unless we deal them for an NHL capable player that makes <1 million.

2nd and prospect/2nd and 2nd/2nd and 3rd is the traditional return for a Rust type player.