Salary Cap: Salary Cap & Roster Building - Locked in until July

[JackFr]

Also can I just say - I am not inherently objected to trading Maatta. But if we're trading him I want someone better, or at least someone who's the same but just faster.

Like a Maatta package for Klefbom or Muzzin I'd be perfectly happy with. I don't love Maatta obsessively. I just think a lot of people judge players - especially defensemen - on very frivolous things and the most simple and visible parts of their games. Maatta getting embarrassed maybe 6 times in a season is NOTHING compared to his positive impact on the ice.

 

[Pens x]

I’m happy JR is admitting we need depth. Depth is something we badly need and have needed since July 1, 2017. JR botched the roster configuration last year when went into the season with Reaves, Kuhnhackl, Rowney and McKegg making up 66% of your bottom six.

We have to get rid of Kuhnhackl and Rowney; they need to be GONE or Sullivan will find a way to give them ice time. If they are still here I will be disappointed with gramps.

Sign B. Pouliot, as I suggested last season. We will still need another bottom six winger, I’m sure we can find someone in free agency.

I still firmly believe Rutherford was convinced Cullen would return here last summer, and as a result, he was caught with his pants around his ankles once he realized he wasn’t returning to the Pens. By then, it was too late to find any other respectable replacements.

Let’s hope this summer goes better, I feel like it he will make the right moves this time around.

 

[Pens x]

We need Matt Cullen to retire or re-sign with the Wild immediately. Can we please not have a repeat of last summer?

 

[JackFr]

I want forward depth, but I'd rather have 2016-style forward depth (ZAR and Sprong) than expensive UFA depth. Let the kids play and sign a few low-risk guys.

I'd be interested to see what Comeau has in the tank for example

 

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

I also love the "his numbers are good, ignore the glaring mistakes that happen way too frequently and burn us, it's about the little stuff that guys should do if they're NHL players that's important."

 

[Turin]

The idea that Maatta is out there burning the team all the time is not part of this reality. I’d deal him for the right package but he’s not exactly killing the team.

 

[JackFr]

I also love the "his numbers are good, ignore the glaring mistakes that happen way too frequently and burn us, it's about the little stuff that guys should do if they're NHL players that's important."

As opposed to the "Ignore what happens 99% of the time because of a handful of big mistakes per season" right? Evaluating the hundreds and hundreds of minutes a player plays in a season based on a highlight reel of a couple times he's been burned is a ridiculous way to evaluate a defenseman.

On a team like the Pens, in my mind a defenseman has two main jobs:

1. Keep the puck out of the net.
2. Get the puck to the forwards in transition as quickly as possible.

The best way to do 1. is to make sure the puck is in your end as little as possible. When the Pens have the puck, the other team doesn't. When the other team doesn't, they don't score. Maatta does both of these things. Evaluating a defenseman based on a few times he gets deked out is completely useless in the grand scheme of things.

 

[WayneSid9987]

Ideally, you'd want to upgrade where Olli CAN be on your 3rd pair.
I know thats tougher to do now that he's making 4M but it can be done.
I think JR looks at the D like he can more easily change it up/add there mid-season/at the deadline than up front.

Safe to say all the guys that have been mentioned in this thread this summer are in play. Sheary, Rust, Brass and maybe Phil. Where peeps thought Sheary+Hunwick gone would be the cap clearing moves, JR may go for the clearing+better return guys in Brass or Rust.

Moving Brass isn't a a huge problem for me. He's a 2C here for one more season and has the most trade value on the roster atm outside of Phil.
Sheahan+a cheap, more suited for bottom 6 C'ing than Brass in FA wouldn't be difficult to do. (Stajan, Brodziak, Pleks, Vermette, Letestu to the probably higher priced Beagle and Riley Nash).

Guess it's draft week already. Should be an interesting one.

 

[Gurglesons]

As opposed to the "Ignore what happens 99% of the time because of a handful of big mistakes per season" right? Evaluating the hundreds and hundreds of minutes a player plays in a season based on a highlight reel of a couple times he's been burned is a ridiculous way to evaluate a defenseman.

On a team like the Pens, in my mind a defenseman has two main jobs:

1. Keep the puck out of the net.
2. Get the puck to the forwards in transition as quickly as possible.

The best way to do 1. is to make sure the puck is in your end as little as possible. When the Pens have the puck, the other team doesn't. When the other team doesn't, they don't score. Maatta does both of these things. Evaluating a defenseman based on a few times he gets deked out is completely useless in the grand scheme of things.

I think there is an expectation to be able
to skate the puck out on our D. Maatta can’t do that, so when his partners do he gets burned.

I was all aboard the Maatta train the past two post seasons, but we needed him to be a #4 that flirted with being a # 2 like Dumo and Schultz were this post season. Like Daley and Hainsey were in the past.

 

[WayneSid9987]

Also, the final upper cap limit should be set probably sometime this week/pre-draft...(was set June.18th last year).
Hope it's 80 and it should be(i think) and if it hits 81-82M, JR can get into the bang for your buck FA'y guys more if he has to. Maybe even pick up a depth D-Man.

 

[JackFr]

I think there is an expectation to be able
to skate the puck out on our D. Maatta can’t do that, so when his partners do he gets burned.

I was all aboard the Maatta train the past two post seasons, but we needed him to be a #4 that flirted with being a # 2 like Dumo and Schultz were this post season. Like Daley and Hainsey were in the past.

See, that's unfair in my eyes. Maatta is a #3 defenseman who can play on a top pair with a top guy next to him (like in 2016 with Letang). He gets paid fairly for that job. There's plenty of things I wish he could do, but he has a role and gets paid fairly for it.

 

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

It'd be nice if my NHL defenseman making $4M/yr could skate better than Craig Adams, or brought anything to the table with regard to offense, transition, or stifling defensive play to make up for his glaring physical shortcomings.

But he is NHL caliber in the sense that he's not horrible the majority of the time, it's just those frequent bouts with having to move his feet, getting caught pinching, making awful reads his skating can't make up for, etc. that he gets burned.

Maatta has always struggled against fast, skilled teams. The league is going to trend more and more toward speed/skill lineups with the success of the Pens and Knights over the past 3 years. I mean, I don't dislike Olli as a human, I just think he's in a real rough spot as a defenseman when you look at the big picture, it's gonna get worse, and his physical shortcomings are brutal. /shrug

If he had even average NHL-caliber skating, he'd be a really solid defenseman. But he doesn't, and I'm sick of watching him get burned to the outside, lose footraces, get caught pinching, or make awful reads (like all defenseman do at one point or another) he can't recover from because of his skating deficiencies.

 

[PensandCaps]

It'd be nice if my NHL defenseman making $4M/yr could skate better than Craig Adams, or brought anything to the table with regard to offense, transition, or stifling defensive play to make up for his glaring physical shortcomings.

But he is NHL caliber in the sense that he's not horrible the majority of the time, it's just those frequent bouts with having to move his feet, getting caught pinching, making awful reads his skating can't make up for, etc. that he gets burned.

Maatta has always struggled against fast, skilled teams. The league is going to trend more and more toward speed/skill lineups with the success of the Pens and Knights over the past 3 years. I mean, I don't dislike Olli as a human, I just think he's in a real rough spot as a defenseman when you look at the big picture, it's gonna get worse, and his physical shortcomings are brutal. /shrug

If he had even average NHL-caliber skating, he'd be a really solid defenseman. But he doesn't, and I'm sick of watching him get burned to the outside, lose footraces, get caught pinching, or make awful reads (like all defenseman do at one point or another) he can't recover from because of his skating deficiencies.

He is a solid #3. This paragraph is just full of lies.

He had 29 points. So he is indeed bringing something on the offensive side...he is good in the Dzone. Anyone who says Maatta isn't a good top 4 Dman is just wrong and focus too much on speed.

"He's slow so he sucks!!!

 

[Honour Over Glory]

We need Matt Cullen to retire or re-sign with the Wild immediately. Can we please not have a repeat of last summer?

If you honestly think that is even an option this year, you need to take a break from this board and come back with some better knowledge of the current roster.

We have 4 solid centers, if anything, we need to make sure that gives the guys in the AHL time to really round out their game in case of injury so guys like Rowney don't ever get a shot again as a 4C.

At this point, if Cullen is an option, it's only as an Assistant Coach to punt Recchi back to whatever special friends discount title that Mario gave him.

 

[Ogrezilla]

He is a solid #3. This paragraph is just full of lies.

He had 29 points. So he is indeed bringing something on the offensive side...he is good in the Dzone. Anyone who says Maatta isn't a good top 4 Dman is just wrong and focus too much on speed.

"He's slow so he sucks!!!

I think he's a good player who doesn't really fit with the style of game our team plays. I don't think we need a better player than Maatta as much as I think we'd be better off with a different player than Maatta.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

I think there is an expectation to be able
to skate the puck out on our D. Maatta can’t do that, so when his partners do he gets burned.

I was all aboard the Maatta train the past two post seasons, but we needed him to be a #4 that flirted with being a # 2 like Dumo and Schultz were this post season. Like Daley and Hainsey were in the past.

Is there a magical camp that can make him even 1 gear faster?

 

[Pens x]

If you honestly think that is even an option this year, you need to take a break from this board and come back with some better knowledge of the current roster.

We have 4 solid centers, if anything, we need to make sure that gives the guys in the AHL time to really round out their game in case of injury so guys like Rowney don't ever get a shot again as a 4C.

At this point, if Cullen is an option, it's only as an Assistant Coach to punt Recchi back to whatever special friends discount title that Mario gave him.

He can play wing...

Cully just needs to disappear so that Jimmy doesn’t even have the option to speak to him.

Cullen is to Rutherford as Rowney and Kuhnhackl are to Sully.

If he was willing to piss away an entire offseason waiting for Cullen, why would that suddenly change his views in 12 months?

 

[Honour Over Glory]

He can play wing...

Sully just needs to disappear so that Jimmy doesn’t even have the option to speak to him.

Cullen is to Rutherford as Rowney and Kuhnhackl are to Sully.

If he was willing to piss away an entire offseason waiting for Cullen, why would that suddenly change his views in 12 months?

Cullen went back home, to be home and start a career at home because his kids need that in their life now that his playing career has wound down and is likely done this summer.

Why the f*** would he entertain 1 more run out of nowhere with the Penguins when he didn't last year? Given that he's got even less in the tank now.

 

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

I think he's a good player who doesn't really fit with the style of game our team plays. I don't think we need a better player than Maatta as much as I think we'd be better off with a different player than Maatta.

Pretty much exactly how I feel, in a more concise, polite way of saying it I suppose.

We need defensemen who can skate. I don't care if Maatta's IQ is high, or he's not awful in transition, he's awful at skating and that's huge.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Pretty much exactly how I feel, in a more concise, polite way of saying it I suppose.

We need defensemen who can skate. I don't care if Maatta's IQ is high, or he's not awful in transition, he's awful at skating and that's huge.

Well here's the thing, Maatta is often caught out of position in the neutral zone and in his own end, a defenseman with a fantastic IQ and a lack of foot speed would really rely on his positioning rather than his speed to close the gap if he did get caught, or rather, just be in a safe spot and allow his partner to take more of the risks, but instead, he plays like he has Letang's speed, which he definitely does not.

Olli is just not good at that anticipation often enough, there are far too many times I am watching him and specifically him and wondering what the f*** that kid is thinking, there was that one game that really just hit it home for me where the guy literally skated into 3 opposing players, trapped himself, and the Pens lost that game I believe on a turn over. Like that sort of shit, you expect from a Ruhwedel or a Hunwick, guys that are insanely limited. But Olli? I expect more out of the kid.

It's not even fair to call him a kid anymore, he's been in the league long enough where he should have this sorted out by now. Olli is just not a good fit, if JR is all about finding a better team and balance, if he can't address that he's one massive piece that just doesn't fit on that blueline, he's just blowing smoke up his own ass.

 

[BlackAndGold87]

Wonder if Calgary would be interested in a Rust for Andersson swap?

 

[Honour Over Glory]

I'd love to see this team sign John Moore as the tweener, keep Oleksiak, and then go after a decent RHD and moving Maatta for a higher pick and prospect in this draft. If we can get a very good prospect and 20-25 spot 1st, I'd do it.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Wonder if Calgary would be interested in a Rust for Andersson swap?

I like Andersson, but not at the cost of Rust.

 

[Ogrezilla]

Pretty much exactly how I feel, in a more concise, polite way of saying it I suppose.

We need defensemen who can skate. I don't care if Maatta's IQ is high, or he's not awful in transition, he's awful at skating and that's huge.

I actually think his offense is pretty damn good whenever he gets to use it. But because of his lack of skating ability he ends up behind plays or in awkward situations where he can't pinch or skate with the puck when those would otherwise be the right plays. Add in that we almost always have him partnered with an even more offensive guy, and it means he ends up being the more defensive guy on his pair. But to do that, he has to play super safe because of his skating. Put him on a team that plays at a slower pace and relies less on D skating with the puck, and I think he could be a way more effective player. And for us, a guy who can skate with the puck and keep up with the pace will be more effective. That's why even though Dumo isn't as produce, he still fits in better here.

 

[SEALBound]

I like Andersson, but not at the cost of Rust.

Sheary maybe...