Salary Cap: Raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens, Bright copper kettles, Phil Kessel's Mittens

[Riptide]

Sundqvist showed he belonged in the NHL last year before he got shipped back to Sweden. Couldn't have him showing up superstars like Craig Adams.

Two words. NHL pre-season. A time when NHL teams are not dressing lineups that have more than a handful of NHLers and a time when lesser players can really deceive you. You take whatever you get there with a heavy grain of salt. I'm not saying don't give him a shot... but we really need to keep our expectations in check here. I mean how many people were *****ing whenever someone drew up a lineup with BB on the 3rd line last summer? It was brutal - and BB has shown glimpses and proven that he's an NHL player.

Really.. lets see how they do in a few regular season games (if they have a good pre-season) before even talking about putting them in the top 6 or even the top 9.

 

[Beauner]

Ya know, we don't necessarily HAVE to trade anyone yet.

https://www.hockeyscap.com/armchair-gm/team/12772

I'd like to see Kunitz gone, but that's still decent depth AND we have>1,000,000 in cap space.

Edit: But JR should still try everything humanly possible to get Scuderi off this team. Loan him to the Asian league maybe.

 

[AjaxTelamon]

There are no 60% face-off men. It's a crapshoot. Hardly a reason NOT to play a guy at a position where he could be a dominant two-way force.

Manny Malhotra is 60% for his career

Now that we got our 2016 2nd Round Pick back, is there anyone we can give an offer sheet up to 3.6 mil that would make sense? Obv Sutter, Kunitz, or Scuderi would have to be moved, hopefully 2 of them.

Love to see us offersheet JT Miller in that range

 

[Riptide]

Now that we got our 2016 2nd Round Pick back, is there anyone we can give an offer sheet up to 3.6 mil that would make sense? Obv Sutter, Kunitz, or Scuderi would have to be moved, hopefully 2 of them.

Kruger comes to mind. But only if JR feels he can move Sutter for something.

 

[RSPens]

My potential Pens lineup

Team Explanation

Just wanted to have some fun. I'm not sure if the trades work without a few more pieces going one way or the other. I essentially wanted to clear out some cap space and thought this was the best way to do it. I am sure that both Fehr and Glencross would probably be looking for a bit more cash than I gave them. I figured Buffalo would consider trading Weber, plus he's from Pittsburgh. Hopefully he can have a career changing season in a new environment. The fourth line is young, but the boys have to get in the line-up some time and there is still cap space to upgrade at the Trade deadline. Anyways go ahead rip me apart.


Free Agent Signings and AHL Recalls
•Tyler Biggs was recalled from the AHL (or their respective pro-minor league).
•Sergei Plotnikov was recalled from the AHL (or their respective pro-minor league).
•Oskar Sundqvist was recalled from the AHL (or their respective pro-minor league).
•Bryan Rust was recalled from the AHL (or their respective pro-minor league).
•Curtis Glencross was signed as a UFA for $3,500,000.
•Eric Fehr was signed as a UFA for $3,000,000.
•Beau Bennett was signed as an RFA for $1,000,000.
•Brian Dumoulin was signed as an RFA for $1,000,000.
•Bobby Farnham was signed as a UFA for $600,000.



Trades
PIT
2016 6th round pick
FLO
1.Scuderi, R.

PIT
2016 5th round pick
2016 2nd round pick
ARI
1.Sutter, B.

PIT
1.Weber, M
BUF
1.Kunitz, C.

Cap Hit Bonuses Cap Space
$69,259,167 $3,980,000 $2,140,833

Perron Crosby Kessel
Plotnikov Malkin Hornqvist
Glencross Fehr Dupuis (can move up and down lineup
Rust Sundqvist Bennet (can move up and down lineup)

Maatta Letang
Weber Pouliot
Cole Lovejoy
Dumoulin

Fleury
Zatkoff

 

[UnderratedBrooks44]

There are no 60% face-off men. It's a crapshoot. Hardly a reason NOT to play a guy at a position where he could be a dominant two-way force.

He's young. Maybe he gets better at draws.

When a team can't score for crap, suddenly you look at the minutia like face-off wins.

Improve the offense, face-offs become less important. The Rangers can't win face-offs, either. That didn't lessen their desire to have Kevin Hayes convert permanently from wing to center last season.

There's so much more to playing center than face-offs, but my God it's like nowadays it's the only thing people look at. I suppose that's why a completely awful player like Manny Malhotra lasted until this past season.

You still have to play hockey after the face-off, win or lose.

It's situational and it's insane how big people are on it. Ron Francis was great at faceoffs and he said he didn't care if he won or lost faceoffs in the neutral zone. Why? Because you are almost always going to get possession again before you can allow a goal, so throw out half the draws players take right there.

Then you have the O and D zones where the stat actually does have merit, but you're still dealing with comparing player X at 49% and player Y at 55%......over the course of 82 games! Plus you have the reasoning above which doesn't hold as much weight in your own zone or the other team's, but it's still a factor. I'd love to know how many times the offensive team wins a draw and it results in either a blocked shot or a dump down the boards. I bet it's at least 80% if not 90%.

It's a stat people obsess over that has too many other variable to worry too much about, unless you have a guy winning at a 30% clip or something. Honestly if a guy is at least at 45% I really don't care. Slightly less than that is something the player needs to work on, but the worry ends there.

 

[WayneSid9987]

Based Phil. Talk to your new minions of Pens nation.
We don't bite our players heads off here face to face.
You're gonna like it here.
Talk to us.
Praise be to the Phil.

 

[Beauner]

Also, I don't know why people are continuing to want to offer sheet guys or make more FA signings. We have to re-sign Maatta after this season and will have to do the same for Pouliot soon. We'll need all the cap space we can get in order to give them what they'll need.

 

[Riptide]

Downie was probably his best consistent linemate. Lets see how he is with Dupuis or maybe a free agent like Ward.

Cooke was up there too, but the fit wasnt there. Our depth chart at wing has been garbage.

I'd rather just trade him and sign Fehr. At least if he's not producing he can still move the puck into the offensive zone and play a physical grind it out game.

I still stand by my words from last summer that Sutter is not on this roster by Oct 2016. Last summer I didn't think he'd be here by Oct 2015, and from all reports JR is trying to make that happen. Why try to find expensive players to "fit our #3C's game" when our management is attempting to trade said #3C and he's not realistically in our long term plans? Besides, if he can't succeed with a playmaking and talented winger like BB on his line, he's screwed anyway. Ward and some combo of Kunitz/Dupuis isn't going to change that.

 

[AR5]

http://filesource.abacast.com/tribtotal/702PENS15.mp3

Wow, Thought it was Rossi who asked the Fastball question that GMJR laughed at.

Turns out it was Bomboulie! Love it! Lol.

Great interview btw. Mackie deff. went up a bunch of points in my eyes from that.

 

[DesertPenguin]

I'd be surprised if ANY NHL player put Arizona on his no-trade list. EVERYBODY wants to play there, they all love the weather and the golfing possibilities.

Guys who leave there (like Vermette) wind up re-signing there.

They don't have the revenue to spend anywhere near to the cap, the fan support at games is terrible and they are a risk for relocation every year.

It's not great, golf or no golf.

Side Note: Coyotes home opener is vs the Pens this year. So glad they didn't trade Maatta right after I got my Maatta jersey.

 

[AR5]

Based Phil. Talk to your new minions of Pens nation.
We don't bite our players heads off here face to face.
You're gonna like it here.
Talk to us.
Praise be to the Phil.

Yeah. Still no Phil tweet! WTF?

 

[UnderratedBrooks44]

Based Phil. Talk to your new minions of Pens nation.
We don't bite our players heads off here face to face.
You're gonna like it here.
Talk to us.
Praise be to the Phil.

And the media is bought and paid for so no tough questions! An example of hard-hitting journalism in the Penguins locker room is something along the lines of "What do you think you guys need to do to get out of this slump?"

 

[Artie Party]

Also, I don't know why people are continuing to want to offer sheet guys or make more FA signings. We have to re-sign Maatta after this season and will have to do the same for Pouliot soon. We'll need all the cap space we can get in order to give them what they'll need.

Because with a few tweaks, the lineup can be close to a true contender. Shed some dead weight and fill it in with pieces that fit, I think it can get there. Giving someone an offer sheet at say 3.3 mil is a wash with Sutter especially if you dump Sutter for a 2nd round pick.

 

[Shady Machine]

Ya know, we don't necessarily HAVE to trade anyone yet.

https://www.hockeyscap.com/armchair-gm/team/12772

I'd like to see Kunitz gone, but that's still decent depth AND we have>1,000,000 in cap space.

Edit: But JR should still try everything humanly possible to get Scuderi off this team. Loan him to the Asian league maybe.

That's a 21 man roster. Full rosters are 23. It's unlikely the Pens start the season with anything less than 22, likely 23. So your cap space should be closer to like, nothing.

 

[mpp9]

If Sutter can bring back something of value, sure. But no NHL team is going to give away a guy who can score 20 goals in this league.

 

[Beauner]

Because with a few tweaks, the lineup can be close to a true contender. Shed some dead weight and fill it in with pieces that fit, I think it can get there. Giving someone an offer sheet at say 3.3 mil is a wash with Sutter especially if you dump Sutter for a 2nd round pick.

I think it already is a true contender. I just think giving more money to another FA will hurt us in the long run. We NEED to re-sign Maatta. That insane defensive depth we drafted is now gone.

 

[Zero Pucks]

Nothing happening today. Seems like everyone's waiting for a trade or signing to make their next moves.

 

[UnderratedBrooks44]

Also, I don't know why people are continuing to want to offer sheet guys or make more FA signings. We have to re-sign Maatta after this season and will have to do the same for Pouliot soon. We'll need all the cap space we can get in order to give them what they'll need.

I don't think Maatta is going to get what he probably deserves talent-wise. Too banged up and this deal will not be his big money one going based on history. If he gets hurt this year for more than 20 games I'll go out on a limb and say they get him for cheap, at least for a couple years.

Pouliot has two more years right? Our dead weight will be off the books then.

 

[Penguinator]

Just my 2 cents about offer sheets, hasn't it occured to some of you that this has the potential to burn bridges for future trades & what not?

Of course if said bridges are already burned, it can be a viable option.

 

[Beauner]

I don't think Maatta is going to get what he probably deserves talent-wise. Too banged up and this deal will not be his big money one going based on history. If he gets hurt this year for more than 20 games I'll go out on a limb and say they get him for cheap, at least for a couple years.

Pouliot has two more years right? Our dead weight will be off the books then.

This season will determine how much he gets but I wouldn't want to risk anything. I certainly hope they can get him cheap.

That's a 21 man roster. Full rosters are 23. It's unlikely the Pens start the season with anything less than 22, likely 23. So your cap space should be closer to like, nothing.

Hmm. I remember us usually going into a season only carrying one extra Dman and sometimes an extra forward.

 

[Shady Machine]

Just my 2 cents about offer sheets, hasn't it occured to some of you that this has the potential to burn bridges for future trades & what not?

Of course if said bridges are already burned, it can be a viable option.

No that's never occurred to us. That hasn't been said like 1000 times after someone brings up the idea of an offer sheet.

 

[Shady Machine]

Hmm. I remember us usually going into a season only carrying one extra Dman and sometimes an extra forward.

No you need one extra forward and an extra defenseman. So that's 22. A lot of teams will carry 23. I mean it's possible to just carry 21, there just really isn't a reason to. Say you have a guy that gets sick or is banged up one night, you need a guy you can easily switch in the lineup (especially on long road trips).

 

[Penguinator]

No that's never occurred to us. That hasn't been said like 1000 times after someone brings up the idea of an offer sheet.

Didn't nearly notice that as much as the million hostile takeovers propositions.

 

[wej20]

Mike Weber on our 2nd pairing, that's worse than having Lovejoy or Cole there.