Salary Cap: Salary Cap & Roster Building | Silver and gold won't buy back the beat of a heart grown cold

[DegenX]

All figures are cap numbers, not salaries.

2017-18 salary ceiling	$75,000,000
Projected dollars committed	74,298,633​
2016-17 bonus overage	50,000​
Approximate cap space	668,239​

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PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

Forward..................................	Pos.​	Age​	..........2017-18​	..........2018-19​	..........2019-20​
Evgeni Malkin	C​	31​	9,500,000​	9,500,000​	9,500,000​
Sidney Crosby	C​	30​	8,700,000​	8,700,000​	8,700,000​
Phil Kessel	RW​	29​	6,800,000​	6,800,000​	6,800,000​
Patric Hornqvist	RW​	30​	4,250,000​	UFA​
Carl Hagelin	LW​	29​	4,000,000​	4,000,000​	UFA​
Conor Sheary	LW​	25​	3,000,000​	3,000,000​	3,000,000​
Riley Sheahan	C​	25​	2,075,000​	RFA​
Ryan Reaves	RW​	30​	1,125,000​	UFA​
Jake Guentzel	LW​	22​	734,167​	734,167​	RFA​
Josh Archibald	RW​	24​	675,000​	675,000​	RFA​
Greg McKegg	C​	25​	650,000​	RFA​
Bryan Rust	RW​	25​	640,000​	RFA​
Scott Wilson	LW​	25​	635,000​	RFA​
Tom Kuhnhackl	LW​	25​	625,000​	RFA​
Carter Rowney	C​	28​	612,500​	UFA​
Defense	Pos.​	Age​	2017-18​	2018-19​	2019-20​
Kris Letang	D​	30​	7,250,000​	7,250,000​	7,250,000​
Justin Schultz	D​	27​	5,500,000​	5,500,000​	5,500,000​
Brian Dumoulin	D​	26​	4,100,000​	4,100,000​	4,100,000​
Olli Maatta	D​	23​	4,083,333​	4,083,333​	4,083,333​
Matt Hunwick	D​	32​	2,250,000​	2,250,000​	2,250,000​
Ian Cole	D​	28​	2,100,000​	UFA​
Chad Ruhwedel	D​	27​	650,000​	650,000​	UFA​
Goalie	Pos.​	Age​	2017-18​	2018-19​	2019-20​
Matt Murray	G​	23​	3,750,000​	3,750,000​	3,750,000​
Tristan Jarry	G​	22​	630,833​	RFA​

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WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON PENGUINS

Forward..................................	Pos.​	Age​	..........2017-18​	..........2018-19​	..........2019-20​
Zach Aston-Reese	LW​	23​	925,000​	925,000​	RFA​
Adam Johnson	C​	23​	925,000​	925,000​	RFA​
Thomas Di Pauli	C​	23​	742,500​	RFA​
Freddie Tiffels	LW​	22​	742,500​	742,500​	RFA​
Sam Miletic	LW​	20​	710,000​	710,000​	710,000​
Teddy Blueger	C​	23​	705,000​	RFA​
Daniel Sprong	RW​	20​	692,500​	RFA​
Dominik Simon	C​	23​	692,500​	RFA​
Jean-Sebastien Dea	C​	23​	650,000​	RFA​
Garrett Wilson	LW​	24​	650,000​	650,000​	UFA​
Greg McKegg	C​	25​	650,000​	RFA​
Tom Sestito	LW​	29​	650,000​	UFA​
Defense	Pos.​	Age​	2017-18​	2018-19​	2019-20​
Andrey Pedan	D​	24​	750,000​	RFA​
Jeff Taylor	D​	23​	742,500​	742,500​	RFA​
Ethan Prow	D​	24​	730,000​	RFA​
Lukas Bengtsson	D​	24​	705,000​	RFA​
Frank Corrado	D​	24​	650,000​	RFA​
Jarred Tinordi	D​	25​	650,000​	RFA​
Zach Trotman	D​	27​	650,000​	UFA​
Kevin Czuczman	D​	26​	650,000​	UFA​
Chris Summers	D​	29​	650,000​	650,000​	UFA​
Goalie	Pos.​	Age​	2017-18​	2018-19​	2019-20​
Sean Maguire	G​	25​	705,000​	RFA​
Casey DeSmith	G​	25​	675,000​	675,000​	UFA​

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SIGNED PROSPECTS

Player	Pos.​	Age​	Current team​	Contract​
Filip Gustavsson	G​	19​	Lulea HF (SHL)​	3 years/775,833 per​
Alex D'Orio	G​	18​	Saint John (QMJHL)​	3 years/716,667 per​
Jordy Bellerive	C​	18​	Lethbridge (WHL)​	3 years/716,667 per​

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UNSIGNED PROSPECTS

Player	Pos.​	Age​	Current team​
Niclas Almari	D​	19​	HPK (Liiga)
Anthony Angello	F​	21​	Cornell (ECAC)
Dane Birks	D​	21​	Michigan Tech (WCHA)
Kasper Bjorkqvist	F​	19​	Providence (HEA)
Jan Drozg	F​	18​	Shawinigan (QMJHL)
Connor Hall	D​	19​	Kitchener (OHL)
Ryan Jones	D​	21​	Nebraska-Omaha (NCHC)
Sam Lafferty	F​	22​	Brown (ECAC)
Zachary Lauzon	D​	18​	Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL)
Joe Masonius	D​	20​	Connecticut (HEA)
Linus Olund	F​	20​	Brynas IF (SHL)
Antti Palojarvi	D​	18​	Lukko U20 (SML Jr.A)
Nikita Pavlychev	F​	20​	Penn State (Big Ten)
Clayton Phillips	D​	17​	Fargo (USHL)
Will Reilly	D​	19​	RPI (ECAC)
Dominik Uher	C​	24​	HC Sparta Praha (ELH)

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Click to read more...

 

[Riptide]

It's not about Crosby being "better". It's about shifting the burden from him and Geno to carry this team and to get some secondary scoring.

How many times have we said: we won...no surprised that Sid/Geno/Letang played well!

Just like the script was in 2016, its depth that wins the Championships. Superstars aren't going to always bring their A+ game for 82 plus games. Can you imagine how Sid feels before games with this roster?
- "Well our 4th line sure ain't gonna score...hope they don't give one up"
-"Lovely...I get this other teams' #1 D pairing again"
-"We better score on this PP because we are losing 5 vs 5"

I kinda feel bad for the dude. Shades of 2010 - 2015

We've played 34 games. Has Crosby even brought his "A+" game for half of them? I doubt it. Forget the A+... has he even brought his A game for half? I doubt that as well.

Crosby has gotten the other team's #1D pairing ever since he played in the league. Even in 16 he faced that - it was Malkin/HBK that teams struggled with how to decide who got the 2nd pairing.

And Crosby sure as shit needs to be better. Not only with his ES production (30% increase at minimum), but with his overall play. He needs to stop doing his little drop pass and start shooting more and going to the slot more. It's like he completely got away from where and how he was having success the last 2 years.

Bringing in a better 3C won't change either of those things.

 

[Shady Machine]

We've played 34 games. Has Crosby even brought his "A+" game for half of them? I doubt it. Forget the A+... has he even brought his A game for half? I doubt that as well.

Crosby has gotten the other team's #1D pairing ever since he played in the league. Even in 16 he faced that - it was Malkin/HBK that teams struggled with how to decide who got the 2nd pairing.

And Crosby sure as **** needs to be better. Not only with his ES production (30% increase at minimum), but with his overall play. He needs to stop doing his little drop pass and start shooting more and going to the slot more. It's like he completely got away from where and how he was having success the last 2 years.

Bringing in a better 3C won't change either of those things.

1. I think you are being a little hard on Crosby. Yes he needs to be better, but the dude is being asked to carry too much of a load coming off 2 Cup seasons + World Cup.

2. Getting more center depth lessens the ice time load and match up expectations for Sid. Giving him easier minutes during the grind of December through February can only help.

Sid averaging 1:03 more per game this year vs last year. That might not seem super material, but after 2 long seasons, it can make a difference.

 

[ZeroPucksGiven]

We've played 34 games. Has Crosby even brought his "A+" game for half of them? I doubt it. Forget the A+... has he even brought his A game for half? I doubt that as well.

Crosby has gotten the other team's #1D pairing ever since he played in the league. Even in 16 he faced that - it was Malkin/HBK that teams struggled with how to decide who got the 2nd pairing.

And Crosby sure as **** needs to be better. Not only with his ES production (30% increase at minimum), but with his overall play. He needs to stop doing his little drop pass and start shooting more and going to the slot more. It's like he completely got away from where and how he was having success the last 2 years.

Bringing in a better 3C won't change either of those things.

Not going to argue, bc I agree Crosby hasn't elevated his game this season. But it's hard to go all out when you've done what he's done over the past 2 seasons.

Many hands make light work. Right now it's Sid Geno Kessel doing all the shoveling while we got a bunch of their teammates shoveling with toothpicks

 

[Randy Butternubs]

Does "big offer" mean a player from the Pens that starts with a L and ends with a g....

Letang for Landeskog.

 

[BrookswasHere44]

What number would Hoffman wear though?

 

[Shady Machine]

What number would Hoffman wear though?

That would actually be a pretty good test to see if the team is planning to retire #68.

 

[Tom Hanks]

If fatigue is the issue, I'm not sure a "big shakeup" changes anything. And personally I don't think it is. I don't think it's overall fatigue from the last 2 seasons. And I do not think it's from playing too many minutes this season. So while if there's ways to improve the team that are not stupidly expensive then I'd do so... but I'd be careful going after rentals, as I do not think it will change a lot overall for us.

Yeah it’s hard to know what is having an impact on which and how much. The guys on the inside wouldn’t even know for sure either.

Fatigue can be managed but our roster makes that harder. We are an easier team to match up against now too. The opposition D is getting an easier time because if they are on the ice against our bottom 6 those are easier minutes so they likely play better against our top 6 when they are in the ice with them than in previous years.

I’m sure the 3C spot has been a tough market but it’s not our only hole to fill. I think JR may have put the other stuff on hold until that’s sorted but leaving that this long is also hurting us.

 

[Dennis Reynolds]

What number would Hoffman wear though?

That would actually be a pretty good test to see if the team is planning to retire #68.

He has worn 27, 19, 70 and 10 in various junior and minor pro leagues. I'm sure 68 was assigned to him like 59 was assigned to Guentzel. He's always worn 20 or 44 before.

 

[SEALBound]

He has worn 27, 19, 70 and 10 in various junior and minor pro leagues. I'm sure 68 was assigned to him like 59 was assigned to Guentzel. He's always worn 20 or 44 before.

He did say it was assigned to him when there was rumblings about him having it. Not like Ho-Sang who chose 66.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Brodie in Calgary was assigned #66 and people freaked out, it's just a number. The mere fact #99 is retired league wide is one of the dumbest things in the NHL.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

Crosby is passing up shots, looking constantly for the trailing defenseman...he is not playing well enough. Period. Could be an injury. Could be fatigue, but I'm not really buying it. How can players from the 70's and 80's go for 3 straight Cups in those crazy, physical hockey conditions, but our guys are suddenly fatigued? The grueling hockey of the 70's, 80's and 90's made the current playoffs look like the preseason. We need to stop using the fatigue excuse. Bored? Maybe. Not tired.

Guentzel-Crosby-Sheary. The only time Crosby has looked like Crosby, at times, this season is when he was with 59 and 43. We need to stop the tinkering. Malkin-Kessel should be together. They can try different LW's on their line, but keep line 1 intact.

By the way, not against Hoffman coming here but not sure if he is a good fit. Good shooter, so at least there's that.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Hoffman would be a really good fit here, it's just a question of whether he's a need or not. With the Penguins already having Guentzel, I'm iffy on spending massive assets on Hoffman. The Penguins do need help with scoring goals, but that doesn't mean they should just go out and try to get as many good pure goal scorers as they can.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Hoffman would be a really good fit here, it's just a question of whether he's a need or not. With the Penguins already having Guentzel, I'm iffy on spending massive assets on Hoffman. The Penguins do need help with scoring goals, but that doesn't mean they should just go out and try to get as many good pure goal scorers as they can.

Well the depth is on the right side, the left side is where we need better depth, but yeah, I wouldn't dump a ton of assets and futures for Hoffman, especially when one of those wingers is the kind of scoring winger we need on the right side in addition to Kessel, with Horny likely testing Free Agency.

Because then you're back to square one next year with "oh we need another scoring right winger"....with people saying "you mean like a Daniel Sprong?"

 

[Nakawick]

Pretty sure the Pens would have a better shooting percentage if we are playing 70's and 80's goalies.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Well the depth is on the right side, the left side is where we need better depth, but yeah, I wouldn't dump a ton of assets and futures for Hoffman, especially when one of those wingers is the kind of scoring winger we need on the right side in addition to Kessel, with Horny likely testing Free Agency.

Because then you're back to square one next year with "oh we need another scoring right winger"....with people saying "you mean like a Daniel Sprong?"

I feel like the Penguins just need a really, really good 3rd line physical winger to finish out their top-9 wingers, to be honest. If your 1st line wing duo is Guentzel-Hornqvist and your 3rd line wing duo is Sheary-Rust, you just need a good complement to Kessel. That's really all you need. I don't think you need a legit top-6 winger opposite of Kessel, because Kessel is just that good.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Pretty sure the Pens would have a better shooting percentage if we are playing 70's and 80's goalies.

Considering the Pens have a knack of making crappy goalies look like Vezina candidates, I don't know if that's true.

 

[Ryder71]

I'm all for making a move for the betterment of the team. That said I sincerely hope JR is manning the phones in search of a 3C. Wing would be nice but it's not as big an issue as third line center is.

 

[Andy99]

Crosby is passing up shots, looking constantly for the trailing defenseman...he is not playing well enough. Period. Could be an injury. Could be fatigue, but I'm not really buying it. How can players from the 70's and 80's go for 3 straight Cups in those crazy, physical hockey conditions, but our guys are suddenly fatigued? The grueling hockey of the 70's, 80's and 90's made the current playoffs look like the preseason. We need to stop using the fatigue excuse. Bored? Maybe. Not tired.

Guentzel-Crosby-Sheary. The only time Crosby has looked like Crosby, at times, this season is when he was with 59 and 43. We need to stop the tinkering. Malkin-Kessel should be together. They can try different LW's on their line, but keep line 1 intact.

By the way, not against Hoffman coming here but not sure if he is a good fit. Good shooter, so at least there's that.

Sid is playing large portions of games the way he did in early 2015. It's not boredom or fatigue. He doesn't want to battle or work right now. He's not going into scoring areas near the net where there's a higher chance of get cross-checked or punched upside the head. Understandable but not good enough. Just my two cents....

 

[Honour Over Glory]

I'm all more making a move for the betterment of the team. That said I sincerely hope JR is manning the phones in search of a 3C. Wing would be nice but it's not as big an issue as third line center is.

If the team played better, as in the shooters actually shooting, we're not that bad with our current roster, which is why JR is dragging his feet. I think Sheahan as the 3C is fine if they go that route and upgrade wingers and the 4C, it means you give up less assets.

To land a 3C and better wingers means you give up a lot of assets that you might not want to see gone, which then leaves us with a team scrambling for more "ELC" talent that help us cap wise. Like guys on the team already that are cap friendly - ZAR, DiPauli, Johnson, Sprong, Simon, etc...

 

[Shaffer]

Smith is an ideal fit with us. I think Cole+Gustavsson for Smith+late pick is fair.

 

[Shaffer]

A reason Schultz wasn't putting up points this year is that he has only put 44% of his attempted shots on net. A big factor into us scoring is his ability to put pucks on net. Same with Cole(43.8%).

 

[Riptide]

Crosby is passing up shots, looking constantly for the trailing defenseman...he is not playing well enough. Period. Could be an injury. Could be fatigue, but I'm not really buying it. <snip> We need to stop using the fatigue excuse. Bored? Maybe. Not tired.

Guentzel-Crosby-Sheary. The only time Crosby has looked like Crosby, at times, this season is when he was with 59 and 43. We need to stop the tinkering. Malkin-Kessel should be together. They can try different LW's on their line, but keep line 1 intact.

This. This play isn't "fatigue", it's him playing like shit. And not only is he passing up shots, many many of the ones he is taking are very low percentage shots. Fatigue won't be helping, but it's not the reason behind his overall crap play and lack of production.

Sid is playing large portions of games the way he did in early 2015. It's not boredom or fatigue. He doesn't want to battle or work right now. He's not going into scoring areas near the net where there's a higher chance of get cross-checked or punched upside the head. Understandable but not good enough. Just my two cents....

Yep - at least that's the way it looks.

 

[Ryder71]

If the team played better, as in the shooters actually shooting, we're not that bad with our current roster, which is why JR is dragging his feet. I think Sheahan as the 3C is fine if they go that route and upgrade wingers and the 4C, it means you give up less assets.

To land a 3C and better wingers means you give up a lot of assets that you might not want to see gone, which then leaves us with a team scrambling for more "ELC" talent that help us cap wise. Like guys on the team already that are cap friendly - ZAR, DiPauli, Johnson, Sprong, Simon, etc...

We're probably not gonna threepeat anyhow, so let me preface my comments by saying that. But if we go into the playoffs with Sheahan as 3c, we're not winning anything. We need to upgrade that position. We can't just have an average center core, that simply won't do despite beefing up our arsenal on wing.

A great center core can make or break this team. And though it will undoubtedly cost us more in the way of asset,s that's the far more prudent way to go. In EVERY cup championship that Pittsburgh has won, we always had a decisive advantage at center. And going into the playoffs, this year should be no different.

 

[Riptide]

Depending on how desperate FLA is to move salary, McGinn is also someone who could play that style on Malkin's LW. Not sure what he'd cost... but I wonder if Hagelin with retention (so FLA can save on the salary they want) and a pick would get it done?

Sheary/Guentzel - Crosby - Hornqvist
McGinn - Malkin - Kessel
Sheary/Guentzel - Sheahan/X - Rust
Simon - Sheahan/X - Reaves

Find a better 3C if we're unhappy with Sheahan and push him down, or go get a better 4C.