Salary Cap: Salary Cap & Roster Building: Does it even Maatta? The defense is still absolute Jack.

[Tom Hanks]

Finding cap space and moving up the draft has everyone busy.

 

[Tom Hanks]

Feels odd to have a 1st and not be trading it

Jinx post

 

[Andy99]

Finding cap space and moving up the draft has everyone busy.

Or trying to avoid potential offer sheets, perhaps?

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

But what about a team that may have a pick in the 5-10 region. What if they offer you a #2 D man + 5th-10th pick..or even another + on top of that? I think when you hit the top-3 pick range you should consider every option and not get disillusioned like so many seem to do. Where I recant that stance is in generational years - nothing should interest you more than a guy like Sid/Ovi/McDavid - who will keep your franchise in the light, better TV deals, jersey sales, trophy cases, etc etc.

I’d say no to that deal every time. The top 2 picks have a tremendous track record in the modern era. For a 2D and a lesser mystery box... nope.

Maybe if I held 3OA I’d move back to 5-6 and pick up a young number 2 guy.. but idk. Even then that’s tough to say.

All depends how your scouts rate the draft imo.

 

[Empoleon8771]

b) How am I fixing the defence if I've spaffed all our futures and cap space on Ehlers?

Treat Johnson like a #6 defenseman and play Riikola over him if his play warrants it. It might be too much to ask of the Penguins, but just treating Johnson like a #6 that you're not afraid to scratch is probably easier than adding a defenseman via trade and dumping Johnson.

If they continue to limit Johnson's ice time or scratch him for Riikola, I'm actually content with the defense. They just can't have Johnson playing 18 minutes a night again like he did for long stretches of last year. If he's at 12 or 13 minutes a night at ES, while Pettersson and Dumoulin are getting double shifted with Schultz, I'd be comfortable with the defense.

 

[Tom Hanks]

Or trying to avoid potential offer sheets, perhaps?

Sure that falls under cap space. Offer sheets aren’t common but there seems to be more vulnerable teams this season.

Although if they are good young players you keep them and make the other hard decisions. eg Sharks let Pavelski walk if it impacted on keeping Meier

 

[dogthateats]

Dreger mentioned that Trouba's list might have only been 1 or 2 teams.

 

[pensfan71]

That makes sense tbh, at that point I don't blame him whatsoever and sometimes we have to realize this is just a game and there's bigger things to be concerned about

 

[Gurglesons]

Just saw Winni is targeting a Carolina D with Ehlers. That makes the Trouba deal make a little more sense. But reducing that second line to basically Little and Laine is a serious hit to their depth. Unless I’m mistaken Roslo plays RW when he steps up there.

 

[TimmyD]

Given the way he's been trying to prevent himself from having cap space in the summer by trading expiring free agents for guys with term, it's almost like he recognises he constantly craps the bed there and is removing temptation from his path.



I like it, but

a) Where am I getting the extra cap space for Ehlers?
b) How am I fixing the defence if I've spaffed all our futures and cap space on Ehlers?

Kessel for Zucker
Rust+Addison+1st for Ehlers
JJ+3rd to Ottawa for 5th
Hornqvist for Jarnkrok
Sign Tanev and Chiarot in free agency

Jake Sid Kahun
Zucker Malkin Ehlers
McCann Jarnkrok Bjugstad
Simon Blueger Tanev

Dumo Letang
Petterson Schultz
Chiarot Gudbranson

Murray
DeSmith

Leaves you with $1,075 million in cap space

 

[Empoleon8771]

You may have to move Rust for cap space if this ends up happening.

 

[Le Magnifique 66]

Feels odd to have a 1st and not be trading it

Hahaha good one.
It's possible (see 2 years ago) that GMJR does a stupid trade at the draft and trades it away!!!!

 

[dogthateats]

You may have to move Rust for cap space if this ends up happening.

Maybe even less than 82

 

[Gurglesons]

You may have to move Rust for cap space if this ends up happening.

Or it forces our hand on JJ.

JJ and a 1st to go down to a 2nd rounder with say Ottawa might be a deal I could stomach. Especially consider the depth of this draft.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Maybe even less than 82

Yeah, if it's like $81.7 million, you have to trade Rust for cap space and hope someone like Adam Johnson can replace him. I don't know how else you can get below the cap at that level that doesn't involve trading a player you can't comfortably trade.

Or it forces our hand on JJ.

You're not trading Johnson without taking salary back.

 

[Peat]

Treat Johnson like a #6 defenseman and play Riikola over him if his play warrants it. It might be too much to ask of the Penguins, but just treating Johnson like a #6 that you're not afraid to scratch is probably easier than adding a defenseman via trade and dumping Johnson.

If they continue to limit Johnson's ice time or scratch him for Riikola, I'm actually content with the defense. They just can't have Johnson playing 18 minutes a night again like he did for long stretches of last year. If he's at 12 or 13 minutes a night at ES, while Pettersson and Dumoulin are getting double shifted with Schultz, I'd be comfortable with the defense.

Hmm...

I'd want to place the coaches under an Ancient Celtic style geas to treat Johnson like that before feeling comfortable with that. Like, the sort where it's guaranteed your hand will wither if you break it, and the very next day an angry naked man with boundary issues will cut your head off and use it as a pillow style geas.

And even then... you've still got a bunch of gambles on the blue line. I'm okay with taking the gambles to start the season, but I want to know how I weasel out of them if they go wrong. And if you've found the Ehlers cap room from the forwards, and have spent your best futures on him, there's not a lot of wriggle room there...

Kessel for Zucker
Rust+Addison+1st for Ehlers
JJ+3rd to Ottawa for 5th
Hornqvist for Jarnkrok
Sign Tanev and Chiarot in free agency

Jake Sid Kahun
Zucker Malkin Ehlers
McCann Jarnkrok Bjugstad
Simon Blueger Tanev

Dumo Letang
Petterson Schultz
Chiarot Gudbranson

Murray
DeSmith

Leaves you with $1,075 million in cap space

There's a lot of optimism there; I dunno if Kessel moves, I feel pretty sure Ottawa want more than that for a cap dump, and no guarantees Horny would move (and that's an ugly return if he does). Also, we have no natural RWs in the entire top... 12 actually, and that seems a little excessive. Bjugstad is closest, but not entirely sure how comfy he is there.

 

[ownal]

Kessel for Zucker
Rust+Addison+1st for Ehlers
JJ+3rd to Ottawa for 5th
Hornqvist for Jarnkrok
Sign Tanev and Chiarot in free agency

Jake Sid Kahun
Zucker Malkin Ehlers
McCann Jarnkrok Bjugstad
Simon Blueger Tanev

Dumo Letang
Petterson Schultz
Chiarot Gudbranson

Murray
DeSmith

Leaves you with $1,075 million in cap space

I could see Horny waive for Preds, so I like it.

 

[Gurglesons]

Yeah, if it's like $81.7 million, you have to trade Rust for cap space and hope someone like Adam Johnson can replace him. I don't know how else you can get below the cap at that level that doesn't involve trading a player you can't comfortably trade.

You're not trading Johnson without taking salary back.

I don’t agree. It may cause us to lose our 1st, but I can see a team taking it.

Or maybe Simon. Which I don’t have an issue with despite liking him.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Another encouraging quote from JR was the one from the prior thread about not spending assets/picks for 30 year olds. I am in full agreement with that.

Yeah, we need those assets as sweetener to offload our misguided UFA signings!

 

[Empoleon8771]

I don’t agree. It may cause us to lose our 1st, but I can see a team taking it.

Or maybe Simon. Which I don’t have an issue with despite liking him.

I'm skeptical that you can pull that off, especially with Simon. I don't think Simon moves the needle enough for anyone to justify taking on 4 years of Johnson's contract. The 1st rounder might, but I'd rather trade Rust for futures than sink a 1st rounder to get rid of JJ.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Sure, if given the option, I'd take Ehlers too, but people have been making Zucker out to be some kind of talentless grinder but the fact is he'd be a really, really good pickup.

Speaking for myself, I don't think Zucker's a talentless grinder, I just don't think he's worth moving Kessel.

 

[Gurglesons]

I'm skeptical that you can pull that off, especially with Simon. I don't think Simon moves the needle enough for anyone to justify taking on 4 years of Johnson's contract. The 1st rounder might, but I'd rather trade Rust for futures than sink a 1st rounder to get rid of JJ.

Teams like Ottawa need to hit the floor. And JJ’s real dollars are kind of light later in the contract correct?

 

[Pancakes]

Or it forces our hand on JJ.

JJ and a 1st to go down to a 2nd rounder with say Ottawa might be a deal I could stomach. Especially consider the depth of this draft.

Having to trade our first to get rid of JJ would be a disaster.

But JJ is such a disaster that you might not be far off on what it would cost to be rid of him.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Teams like Ottawa need to hit the floor. And JJ’s real dollars are kind of light later in the contract correct?

A little bit but nothing huge. It wouldn't be a noticeable impact until next year, where he makes $8 million in the first 2 years and $8.25 million in the last 3 years. It is about as back-diving as you can get because year 5 only has him making $2.25 million to $4 million in year 1, but it's not really significant until after next season.

Either way, the problem with Johnson's contract is the term. No team is going to want to take on 4 years of Johnson because I doubt many teams plan on still being bad in 3-4 years. A 2 year cap dump and a 4 year cap dump are a lot different.

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

Assuming they would have to trade Rust for Cap reasons....I can see Tocchet/Coyotes wanting him.

Our first/Rust for their first...