Salary Cap: Salary Cap + Roster Building (Cap Details in First Post) | Sassy GM Edition

[MrBurghundy]

Sprong and Maatta are next on the chopping block IMO, and I honestly think Brandon Saad is the kind of player JR would target.

If you're trading those players, you better be getting back a defenseman in return.

 

[Dennis Reynolds]

Changes. Plural.

 

[WheresRamziAbid]

It's not just couple good shifts though:



Last year, when he wasn't miscast on the 4th line with 60% d-zone starts, his possession numbers in the NHL were incredible. He's not a grinder and he doesn't make chip plays like Guentzel. He's a skill player who succeeds in a skill role, but Sully's insisted on trying to pound a square peg into a round hole...and then blaming the square peg for not being round when it doesn't work.

Now we're seeing Sullivan's solution: guys like ZAR and Wilson who can't score and get caved in possession-wise anyway...and then he rockets ZAR up the line-up to play more TOI with Malkin after 3 games than Sprong saw in 12.

That's not a player problem. That's a coaching problem.

Except it is a couple of good shifts. Followed by a shift or game that hes a total disaster.

You have to be a Kessel level offensive player for everything else to not matter. And even then coaches only learn to live it, not learn to love it.

 

[66-30-33]

I don't think he's done.

Of course he isn't, but for today he is. Need to fix that hot mess of a D.

 

[WheresRamziAbid]

Pens are now a slower team. Thought we wanted to be faster?

Better, i think we want to be better.

And i think we are.

Hagelin just hasnt got it done the last 2 years. Despite either playing with Kessel, Malkin or both he has 37 points in his last 106 games.

Thats a 28 point pace playing as a 2nd liner. Yeesh.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Except it is a couple of good shifts. Followed by a shift or game that hes a total disaster.

You have to be a Kessel level offensive player for everything else to not matter. And even then coaches only learn to live it, not learn to love it.

You're not listening. Even the plodders whose skillset is to play a grinding game are faring no better on the possession front, and when Sprong was playing in the top 9 last year, his possession numbers were through the roof.

That should tell you something. If it tells you that Sprong's the problem, you've ended up somewhere that the data hasn't led.

 

[USMC607]

Sprong and Maatta are next on the chopping block IMO, and I honestly think Brandon Saad is the kind of player JR would target.

I know he hasnt been all the great recently but I'd love Saad.

But there would have to be some huge Cap magic tho...

 

[WheresRamziAbid]

You're not listening. Even the plodders whose skillset is to play a grinding game are faring no better on the possession front, and when Sprong was playing in the top 9 last year, his possession numbers were through the roof.

That should tell you something. If it tells you that Sprong's the problem, you've ended up somewhere that the data hasn't led.

Other than that one game where he just shot the shit outta the puck i dont beleive for a second that he was driving possession. He was a passanger, which can be fine, but its is visibly obvious that Sprong just isnt doing what he needs to do.

That doesnt mean the switch cant flip. Or at least mitigate and let his natural talent make him a positive impact.

I think he can still have a brighg future, but if anyone thinks hes playing the game well right now, they have to be blind or biased as hell.

 

[Sideline]

I know he hasnt been all the great recently but I'd love Saad.

But there would have to be some huge Cap magic tho...

Maatta, Sheahan, and Sprong

For

Saad, a pick, and a ~1MM bottom pairing guy for the Hawks.

I have no idea what the Hawks need, but value wise that has to be close.

 

[Fordy]

Other than that one game where he just shot the **** outta the puck i dont beleive for a second that he was driving possession. He was a passanger, which can be fine, but its is visibly obvious that Sprong just isnt doing what he needs to do.

That doesnt mean the switch cant flip. Or at least mitigate and let his natural talent make him a positive impact.

I think he can still have a brighg future, but if anyone thinks hes playing the game well right now, they have to be blind or biased as hell.

he hasn't been in the lineup so this must be a creative usage of "now"

 

[mouser]

For any tracking the cap changes--Pens retained $250k (6.5%) on Hagelin's $4m AAV contract so it exactly matched Pearson's $3.75m AAV. So no change in cap space for either team.

 

[ColePens]

Definitely NO Saad.

 

[BlackAndGold87]

I don't see a reason for Saad after trading for Pearson.

Also, wonder if Sully goes back to the Simon/Brass/Rust 3rd line once Brassard returns?

 

[Empoleon8771]

Definitely NO Saad.

Yeah, with acquiring Pearson, I don't see the point. Saad is a better version of Pearson who makes $2.25 million more, what's the point? You don't need another top-6 LWer now, you just need a good complement for Kessel on the 3rd line.

The interesting thing is that the Penguins are likely going to shift focuses to finding a 3rd line LWer, someone exactly like Hagelin. I think it would be easier to find a pending UFA like that than finding a struggling LWer to swap Rust with.

 

[Peat]

I know he hasnt been all the great recently but I'd love Saad.

But there would have to be some huge Cap magic tho...

Blackhawks fans been saying he's got his mojo back and they're not interested in trading him now. Famous last words but scratch that one off

 

[SEALBound]

Sprong and Maatta fot Faulk and Zykov would boss right now

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Other than that one game where he just shot the **** outta the puck i dont beleive for a second that he was driving possession. He was a passanger, which can be fine, but its is visibly obvious that Sprong just isnt doing what he needs to do.

That doesnt mean the switch cant flip. Or at least mitigate and let his natural talent make him a positive impact.

I think he can still have a brighg future, but if anyone thinks hes playing the game well right now, they have to be blind or biased as hell.

Whatever you believe or don’t believe, it happened. When he was used in the way he should be used, he wasn’t a liability at all...but the coaching staff has refused to use him in that role again. That is on them.

If anyone’s expecting him to drive possession from the 4th line with 9 minutes per beside Cullen/Sheahan/Grant starting in his own end 60% of the time, they’re doing it without any precedent.

 

[WheresRamziAbid]

he hasn't been in the lineup so this must be a creative usage of "now"

Great addition as always. Lets just pretend you didnt know exactly what i meant and qualify it as this season

 

[USMC607]

Maatta, Sheahan, and Sprong

For

Saad, a pick, and a ~1MM bottom pairing guy for the Hawks.

I have no idea what the Hawks need, but value wise that has to be close.

I would be okay with that except our defense is already atrocious with Schultz out. If send Olli out with no D coming back our D situation gets even worse than it is.

 

[USMC607]

Blackhawks fans been saying he's got his mojo back and they're not interested in trading him now. Famous last words but scratch that one off

Goooooo figure. Although being in the basement could force the hawks hand in making some moves.

As long as they have Kane and the greatest leader of all time Towes I guess they still have a window but idk.

Their window looks like its gonna close sooner than ours at the moment.

 

[WheresRamziAbid]

Whatever you believe or don’t believe, it happened. When he was used in the way he should be used, he wasn’t a liability at all...but the coaching staff has refused to use him in that role again. That is on them.

If anyone’s expecting him to drive possession from the 4th line with 9 minutes per beside Cullen/Sheahan/Grant starting in his own end 60% of the time, they’re doing it without any precedent.

Good lord, they hid him with good players last year. Thats the reason his numbers were so good.

And nobodys expecting him to drive possession on the 4th line. Im expecting him to not play like shit, thats all. He should be expected to do his job correctly. Its completely irrelevant of his numbers. He can have shit numbers and still do what hes supposed to do...but he isnt. He is actively contributing to those numbers.

If he was half as good as being in the right place as you are for making excuses for him, he'd be a f'ing all star.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Sprong and Maatta fot Faulk and Zykov would boss right now

To be honest, I'm expecting Sprong for Zykov straight up to happen because Zykov fits a 4th line role better than Sprong does. You'll have ZAR-Cullen-Zykov as your 4th line this year and ZAR-Blueger-Zykov as your 4th line to start next year.

 

[SEALBound]

To be honest, I'm expecting Sprong for Zykov straight up to happen because Zykov fits a 4th line role better than Sprong does. You'll have ZAR-Cullen-Zykov as your 4th line this year and ZAR-Blueger-Zykov as your 4th line to start next year.

True. I think the Maatta for Faulk swap would be the Scuds-Daley trade we need to really give us that boost on the back end.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Good lord, they hid him with good players last year. Thats the reason his numbers were so good.

Oh really. Does that happen with everyone?

Line Stats - Natural Stat Trick

Not with the coach's favourite Crosby RW this year, apparently.

And nobodys expecting him to drive possession on the 4th line. Im expecting him to not play like ****, thats all. He should be expected to do his job correctly. Its completely irrelevant of his numbers. He can have **** numbers and still do what hes supposed to do...but he isnt. He is actively contributing to those numbers.

If he was half as good as being in the right place as you are for making excuses for him, he'd be a f'ing all star.

Well then it's clear he's meeting that standard. As I showed earlier, he's producing better with the minutes he's gotten than literally every other player in the league.

If the coach is making it "his job" to start in the d-zone 60% of the time for his 9 minutes game with pluggers and outperform grunts, then the coach is distributing his jobs poorly. You don't put Horny on the point and complain when he's not a great PPQB. You don't put Kessel in front of the net and complain when he's a bad net front presence. And you don't bury Sprong on the 4th and complain when he's not grinding bitches down.

 

[KIRK]

@pixiesfanyo, you know what this Hagelin for Pearson deal means, right?

It means Letang is next.

Clearly, JR is moving all of the sexy hair.