Rate the Acquisitions

[ColePens]

Grades are based on original reaction and the final outcome of the trade. If I left one off, please feel free to add it.

Acquisitions:

Ehrhoff: Time of signing: A- Final Grade: F-

This one sucks to grade because some of it was out of his hands. Ehrhoff gave the Pens a sweetheart deal for 1 year and at the time we were very happy to add him to our defense. He wasn't given any powerplay time to utilize his talents and in the end he was injured. He did not help the team at all.

Comeau: Time of signing: B Final Grade: A-

We signed the guy to round out our bottom 6 and he delivered more than we could have imagined with Geno. He even got a playoff goal when goals weren't coming easy for this team. I know he struggled a bit after his injury, but he still played way above expectations and salary.

Hornqvist: Time of trade: B Final Grade: A

We all knew Horny was the guy we needed but we traded one of our key scorers to get him. Expectations were that he would be solid but not as good as he ended up being. Guy was the heart and soul of this team alongside Fleury.

Downie: Time of signing: B Final Grade: B

He brought energy and grit to the team but was rendered useless as the refs keyed in on his name at the end of the season. I still think for salary, term, and everything he does - he was a good player. It goes unnoticed that nobody took cheapshots (outside of one that Downie made sure to attack) at Sid in the playoffs. Downie was ready to snap if it did.

Spaling: Time of trade: B- Final Grade: C

We were told this guy is the ultimate utility player by Nashville fans. He was boring and didn't contribute at all in any meaningful game. The definition of average.

Greiss: Time of signing: B Final Grade: C

He was supposed to give Fleury a rest but probably played less than Zatkoff. Pretty pointless signing.

Perron: Time of trade: A Final Grade: C-

Perron will be the highly debated one. When we signed him and saw his first 10 games... we were grading it as a steal. He completely fell off and played awful hockey late in the season when it mattered. I still think the benefits of this trade will be nice down the road.

Lovejoy: Time of trade: F- Final Grade: F-

He was more inconsistent than Despres and wasn't better than Despres at all. It made zero sense and Lovejoy **** the bed badly in the playoffs. AWFUL.

Cole: Time of trade: B Final Grade: A-

He was asked to do too much in the playoffs, but I cannot say enough good things about Cole.

Winnik: Time of trade: C+ Final Grade: F

The guy did nothing and was terrible. Not worth the draft picks. Not even worth a 4th rounder.

Lappy: Time of trade: C Final Grade: B-

He brought a lot of what we need in the playoffs but didn't score one goal when goals were a problem. I can't give hima higher grade than a B-.

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[bathroomSTAAL]

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[JQR]

How do you penalize a guy for not scoring as a 4C when scoring was admittedly tough? I give Lappy a solid A. In hindsight I'm glad he didn't stir up **** going into the playoffs because he probably would have received more attention from the officials.

 

[Snooki Stackhouse]

Agreed with the above, expect I'd downgrade Spaling. They NEEDED him to help pick up some of the drop off in scoring from Neal to Hornqvist. His existence was pointless game after game. I'd give it an F. I'd rather they squeezed something else out of Nashville.

 

[UnderratedBrooks44]

I mostly agree so I'll just throw in some tidbits:

I'm pretty much 'meh' on Comeau. I was glad when we got him to fill a role and we got more out of him than expected so I guess I can't argue with your ratings in the end.

Perron I gave an A at the time and a B now. It filled a hole. He will be a decent 2nd liner for us at worst. I do have a bit of fear about a bad fit (as crazy as that might sound with our centers), but other than that it was a good deal, and it actually helps our future more than a draft pick if you really think about it. I care about what our roster looks like in the next 1-3 years, but not 5 years given Crosby and Malkin will be 32-33 years old by then.

Greiss was a waste but I saw the logic.

Ehrhoff. Well it was just a disaster for everyone. Not gonna blame him though. Offensive guy that wasn't allowed to play much offense.

Spaling I would give a B at the time then a D actually. Reason is his cap hit which seems a little high.

Cole is a "no grade" then an A. We got a part timer for an every day player. That's a good trade.

Lovejoy was a C at the time given I actually was stupid enough to think maybe management knew more than the hoi palloi. That makes two times. The other was Scuderi. Never again. F-------

 

[tom_servo]

I was prepared to disagree about Ehrhoff, but this is not simply about his play on the ice, which I might generously rate a C-. That signing, a slight bargain as it might've been, took us out of the running for a forward, and we seemed unprepared to actually accommodate him in the lineup.

I don't think Winnik gets an F. I thought he was good on the PK. The trouble is, he didn't add anything else. Not terrible, but tough to imagine why this guy was pursued so heavily. I'll split hairs and give him a D.

Bring back a 4th line of Comeau, Lapierre, and Downie.

 

[UnderratedBrooks44]

Bring back a 4th line of Comeau, Lapierre, and Downie.

I want Sundqvist and Rust on the fourth line come hell or high water. Inject a little youth and save some money.

I thought Lappy was one of our best fwds in this series given his role, but I can't bring myself to say I definitely want a guy back who scores 0 goals and made $1.1 million last year. That might be a move we can't afford to make.

I would love to have Comeau back but I can't get a read on what he'll be offered in free agency. $1.5 mil is probably the most he's possibly worth. I would do it though if it were an option.

I'm one of the few people here that is not a Downie fan at all so that's that. Any coach is between a rock and a hard place playing the guy. It all evens out to him not being anything a team can't live without.

 

[billybudd]

(Expected)|(final)

Hornqvist A+|A+ PH was everything I thought (and said) he'd be and more

Spaling ?|C+ I'd never heard of him, so there was nothing to expect. He does what you ask him to competently and without complaint, but I wish there was more to this guy. Ideally someone in his role is fast, big, annoying, physical...something more than what Spaling is.

Ehrhoff A|B-/incomplete I thought Ehrhoff was pretty steady and capable for us until he started getting concussion after concussion

Winnik D+|F- this was the carbon monoxide of trades. The silent killer. Don't realize it's a problem, then it murders you and your entire family in your sleep. I hate this trade more than any trade the Penguins have made since Jagr for $5 million and three nobodies. This player is a big guy who plays small and clearly only cares about his next payday.

Lovejoy D|F Pens need to send a PI to anaheim and find out what drugs the trainers were putting in Lovejoy's water that made him better there. After game 5 or 6, he was brutal.

Comeau B-|A+ tough to beat 20ish goals and sandpaper for a guy that makes 700k

Downie A+|B I love the guy's mentality and fearlessness. He has underrated skill. Unfortunately, he's too small to be that slow and the referees won't rest until he's drummed out of the sport.

Greiss A|C in retrospect, I'm not sure it matters that we didn't just use Zatkoff

Perron B-|D+ maybe he improves next year, but he's been arguably our worst forward since the beginning of March.

Cole A|B- Didn't trade much to get him and the early returns were good. I thought he's been pretty bad the last little while, though. Maybe he just got run into the ground

Laps B|B Came as advertised in the playoffs. Seems to get a lot of rushes on the PK

 

[Darth Vitale]

Agree with most of Cole's OP except would change the following:

Ehrhoff: Time of signing: A- Final Grade: C

You can't judge this one in hindsight. It was a good deal, period. It's just that the team concept didn't pan out for different reasons and he wasn't utilized fully. Part within his control B, outside F. Result. C. I still have no problems with that deal -- it's what we did with the rest of the D, Scuderi + Despres / Lovejoy in particular that torpedoed everything else.


Comeau: Time of signing: B Final Grade: B-

It was and remains a decent signing but ideally he should be bolstering our 3rd line so more misused of assets at times.


Spaling: Time of trade: B- Final Grade: C-

I didn't see as much of him as you guys but to me he's an extra in the Neal trade. I'd have preferred a 2nd rounder under the circustmances but whatever. Actually maybe it's better this way as it made it more likely Adams became expendable, which he now is. But ultimately Spaling is expendable too IMO.


Perron: Time of trade: B+ Final Grade: C

The deal was and remains decent. The 1st smarts more now, but I think Perron can be a useful part of this team if we strengthen the winger depth. Not ready to give up on him or dump on him too much. With the level of **** we've had on the wings with this team, we should be happy to have the option of keeping Perron around next year. He disappeared at times so some mark down for that. Many good players disappear for periods during the season -- it's normal.


Lovejoy: Time of trade: F- Final Grade: F- stands for "F-ing Moronic!"

You didn't increase the Font Size and clarify enough.

 

[td_ice]

Grades are based on original reaction and the final outcome of the trade. If I left one off, please feel free to add it.

Acquisitions:

Ehrhoff: Time of signing: A- Final Grade: F-

This one sucks to grade because some of it was out of his hands. Ehrhoff gave the Pens a sweetheart deal for 1 year and at the time we were very happy to add him to our defense. He wasn't given any powerplay time to utilize his talents and in the end he was injured. He did not help the team at all.

Comeau: Time of signing: B Final Grade: A-

We signed the guy to round out our bottom 6 and he delivered more than we could have imagined with Geno. He even got a playoff goal when goals weren't coming easy for this team. I know he struggled a bit after his injury, but he still played way above expectations and salary.

Hornqvist: Time of trade: B Final Grade: A

We all knew Horny was the guy we needed but we traded one of our key scorers to get him. Expectations were that he would be solid but not as good as he ended up being. Guy was the heart and soul of this team alongside Fleury.

Downie: Time of signing: B Final Grade: B

He brought energy and grit to the team but was rendered useless as the refs keyed in on his name at the end of the season. I still think for salary, term, and everything he does - he was a good player. It goes unnoticed that nobody took cheapshots (outside of one that Downie made sure to attack) at Sid in the playoffs. Downie was ready to snap if it did.

Spaling: Time of trade: B- Final Grade: C

We were told this guy is the ultimate utility player by Nashville fans. He was boring and didn't contribute at all in any meaningful game. The definition of average.

Greiss: Time of signing: B Final Grade: C

He was supposed to give Fleury a rest but probably played less than Zatkoff. Pretty pointless signing.

Perron: Time of trade: A Final Grade: C-

Perron will be the highly debated one. When we signed him and saw his first 10 games... we were grading it as a steal. He completely fell off and played awful hockey late in the season when it mattered. I still think the benefits of this trade will be nice down the road.

Lovejoy: Time of trade: F- Final Grade: F-

He was more inconsistent than Despres and wasn't better than Despres at all. It made zero sense and Lovejoy **** the bed badly in the playoffs. AWFUL.

Cole: Time of trade: B Final Grade: A-

He was asked to do too much in the playoffs, but I cannot say enough good things about Cole.

Winnik: Time of trade: C+ Final Grade: F

The guy did nothing and was terrible. Not worth the draft picks. Not even worth a 4th rounder.

Lappy: Time of trade: C Final Grade: B-

He brought a lot of what we need in the playoffs but didn't score one goal when goals were a problem. I can't give hima higher grade than a B-.

Not one single assessment and grade I disagree with. Personally, I think you nailed it.

 

[Black Label]

Acquisitions:

Ehrhoff: Time of signing: A Final Grade: D

It was one of the best contracts given out this summer from a value perspective. It made sense if the Penguins were willing to move a guy like Martin at the deadline for winger help if it was needed. Obviously hindsight is 20/20 though and now it is an easy move to criticize with the injuries we had.

Comeau: Time of signing: C Final Grade: B

Was just a pretty basic bottom six signing at the time. Comeau was nothing flashy in Columbus so we got him for a bargain contract. After his hand injury he just never showed the potential that he had in the beginning of the year that made him seem like an ideal third wheel with Geno. He's probably priced himself out of Pittsburgh for next season with his play early on.

Hornqvist: Time of trade: A Final Grade: A+

I said it when the trade happened and I will say it now...Hörnqvist is a perfect fit. If he would have played the whole season he most would have scored 30 goals and provided a net front presence that we desperately need. Getting rid of a floater like Neal for a 30 goal scorer that brings 110% every shift is a great move.

Downie: Time of signing: B+ Final Grade: C

We got him on a cheap deal because of his penalty issues and were reminded why he was so cheap in nearly every game. Guy is a solid player and if the name on the back of his jersey was 'Smith' the refs wouldn't call him for half the **** he does. But it is what it is and his reputation has made him a liability even though he can actually play hockey pretty damn well.

Spaling: Time of trade: B Final Grade: B

The trade itself is fine. Spaling is as average as it gets. On the third line he is perfectly serviceable. $2.2M/year contract gets a D though.

Greiss: Time of signing: B- Final Grade: C+

Greiss is a decent backup and showed flashes when he had playing time in the beginning of the year. He barely got any action and when he did play his defense would regularly let him out to dry. It's hard for a goalie to be decent when they play as little as Greiss did.

Perron: Time of trade: A Final Grade: B

Unlike some people on this board who think every first round pick turns into a top six player, I still like this trade. With the way that we develop offensive talent there is a slim chance that our first rounder would have turned into a player of Perron's caliber. Yeah, he sucked at the end of the year, but so did most of the team. He has all summer to recover from whatever is plaguing him right now and get back to 30 goal form.

Lovejoy: Time of trade: F Final Grade: F

Pretty obvious on this one. Though I will say that if we move Scuderi and put Lovejoy on the bottom pair with one of the youngsters I think he will be fine. At $1.1M he's not on a terrible contract and has been put in a terrible situation since he got back here.

Cole: Time of trade: B+ Final Grade: A

Seems like he could be Niskanen 2.0 after playing well at the end of the season/playoffs. Bort made backwards progression this year and getting a guy like Cole for him was a steal. Cole could be a decent #4-5 guy for awhile while we see what we have with the young guys.

Winnik: Time of trade: C+ Final Grade: C+

Was he great? No. But he pretty much mirrored the production he had in Toronto. I would love to see him on the third line next year with Sundqvist in the middle and a creative winger like Bennett on the other side.

Lappy: Time of trade: C- Final Grade: B

I still think that Goc is the better hockey player, but Lapierre definitely showed up in the playoffs. Still, would have liked to see any amount of production from him in the regular season. If we have too many players that only show up for the playoffs you land up like LA and miss them altogether.

 

[tom_servo]

My fear is that I don't think Rutherford is going to have the same luck with bargain guys this time.

If we could reverse the Despres trade but take back Shero (sans Bylsma), would we do it?

 

[billybudd]

My fear is that I don't think Rutherford is going to have the same luck with bargain guys this time.

If we could reverse the Despres trade but take Shero back (sans Bylsma), would we do it?

I don't think the Jake Guentzel pick was any less foolish than the Despres trade, so probably not, out of fear Shero would make more like it.

 

[UnderratedBrooks44]

My fear is that I don't think Rutherford is going to have the same luck with bargain guys this time.

If we could reverse the Despres trade but take back Shero (sans Bylsma), would we do it?

I truly believe Adams would be re-signed if Shero was still here. He wouldn't have made the Lappy trade and I doubt he would've made the Perron trade either. We WOULD still have Despres so I understand the sentiment, but no. We'd still have Neal too I think, which I think we're better off now.

EDIT: We would all be even more depressed if Ray was still here because no one would have any hope whatsoever that they would try to dump Scuds and/or Kunitz. Big one there.

 

[Sideline]

Grades are based on original reaction and the final outcome of the trade. If I left one off, please feel free to add it.

Acquisitions:

Ehrhoff: Time of signing: A- Final Grade: F-

This one sucks to grade because some of it was out of his hands. Ehrhoff gave the Pens a sweetheart deal for 1 year and at the time we were very happy to add him to our defense. He wasn't given any powerplay time to utilize his talents and in the end he was injured. He did not help the team at all.

Lappy: Time of trade: C Final Grade: B-

He brought a lot of what we need in the playoffs but didn't score one goal when goals were a problem. I can't give hima higher grade than a B-.

I disagree with these two. Part of what made the Ehrhoff signing a great deal was that the term let us walk away if it wasn't a fit. I bet it would still have been viewed positively when announced if the deal had a 3 year term. Unfortunately, Ehrhoff never really found his game. I can't give the signing less than a C even in hindsight.

As for Lapierre I give him an A- at the end. He was everything you could ask for out of a pesky 4th liner in the playoffs. He was great on the PK, trolled the other team without taking penalties, won face offs, and did solid work on the forecheck.

 

[Coastal Kev]

It's amazing the disconnect I have with others here.

Ehrhoff was never a good signing. It was never an average signing either. It was a terrible signing from day one.

We knew the Pens needed help up front. Instead, we signed another PMD and wasted 4 million on the cap. We also blocked playing time from young guys who now a year later will still be unknown rookies in the upcoming season.

Terrible waste of cap space and roster management.

Oh yea, he was soff. He was always soff and the last thing this team needed was another soff dman. Did all of you watch how the Rags scored in the playoffs and where they scored from??

Ehrhoff was a - F on signing day and stayed that grade the entire trade. Although the majority of this board was excited with the signing, again there was a vocal minority that hated it from day one.

 

[Whale Mingo]

Downie: Time of signing: B Final Grade: B

He brought energy and grit to the team but was rendered useless as the refs keyed in on his name at the end of the season. I still think for salary, term, and everything he does - he was a good player. It goes unnoticed that nobody took cheapshots (outside of one that Downie made sure to attack) at Sid in the playoffs. Downie was ready to snap if it did.

[

I think you pretty much nailed it on all fronts. I'd upgrade Downie to an A at least. I know we got exactly what was advertised when you bring in a player like Steve Downie. For $1MM that was a steal and I'd sign him again, today for two more years at that price or even a little more.

I noticed a significant lack of sticks and punches to the back of Sid's head this time around and that isn't a coincidence. I would not have expected to see him score 14 goals this season with two of them being game winners considering he didn't get top six time.

Yea, the penalties are a drawback, but you gotta consider that part of the package when you sign Downie. I don't think he made friends with HCMJ so he probably won't be back, but I sure hope he is as you can't replace everything he does for $1MM.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

I'll instead give pluses, minuses, and evens instead of a letter grade.

Plus:
Hornqvist
Comeau - Dirt cheap and provided decent depth
Downie - See above, plus one of the few actual physical guys
Cole

Even:
Spaling - Not good, not bad, just there.
Lapierre - He redeemed himself in the playoffs
Greiss - Decent, but nothing special.

Minus:
Lovejoy - Ugh
Winnik - waste of two high picks for essentially a vanilla bottom six player
Ehrhoff - Misused when healthy, mediocre performance, and unnecessary signing

 

[AquaticBirdman]

Should Klinkhammer and Acrobello technically be on this list as well?

Btw, Lapierre automatically gets an A++++++++++ from me for likely being the main reason as to why Adams was pushed off the roster and into the pressbox.

 

[mpp9]

Should Klinkhammer and Acrobello technically be on this list as well?

Btw, Lapierre automatically gets an A++++++++++ from me for likely being the main reason as to why Adams was pushed off the roster and into the pressbox.

Actually, it was Winnik who finally put Adams in the press box. And for that reason alone, he shouldn't get a single F on here. No matter how **** he was in this series.

 

[AquaticBirdman]

Actually, it was Winnik who finally put Adams in the press box. And for that reason alone, he shouldn't get a single F on here. No matter how **** he was in this series.

Give htem both A+++ then!!!

And go figure, all it cost us was a 2nd and 4th rounder to finally be able to push him out...

 

[ColePens]

If Laps moved Adams off the roster.. then A+++++ for him.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Actually, it was Winnik who finally put Adams in the press box. And for that reason alone, he shouldn't get a single F on here. No matter how **** he was in this series.

That's short term thinking. Long term, adding Winnik cost the Pens two high picks, one of which is in a deep draft.

The upgrade from Adams to Winnik was never going to be the difference between this team going far in the playoffs or not. So while it was a short term fix, it's another one of this club's long-term failures.

 

[Jesus Vitale]

No way is Ehrhoff an F- or any of the other overreactions of ratings he signed for $4m for 1 year. If he stayed healthy the Pens may have gotten the 7 seed, never had to face NYR in the first round, or maybe he could have just played in the playoffs and may have played better than Lovejoy, got an extra goal or saved an extra one, changing the course of the series.

Unfortunately he didnt, but guess what. He signed for 1 year. He'll be gone next year. No long term harm done by the signing. An F- signing is someone like Scuderi, Clarkson, or some other scrub that costs cap space for multiple years for awful play.

Ehrhoff was a C- acquisition at worst. it was a low-risk, high reward signing that didn't work out, which had little consequence.

 

[ColePens]

No way is Ehrhoff an F- or any of the other overreactions of ratings he signed for $4m for 1 year. If he stayed healthy the Pens may have gotten the 7 seed, never had to face NYR in the first round, or maybe he could have just played in the playoffs and may have played better than Lovejoy, got an extra goal or saved an extra one, changing the course of the series.

Unfortunately he didnt, but guess what. He signed for 1 year. He'll be gone next year. No long term harm done by the signing. An F- signing is someone like Scuderi, Clarkson, or some other scrub that costs cap space for multiple years for awful play.

Ehrhoff was a C- acquisition at worst. it was a low-risk, high reward signing that didn't work out, which had little consequence.

You are missing the point. If you really look at the Ehrhoff signing and the expectations - the dude delivered nothing that was expected. He never even lived up to his 1yr 4m deal. Not being there in the playoffs is not his fault, but i'm counting it. That signing was flat out miserable and terrible.

But please don't confuse me words. It's not all related to Ehrhoff's play. The whole thing just sucked. For all parties.

I actually like the poster who said incomplete. That might be a better rating.