Salary Cap: Salary Cap Summer | The Hunt for 3C | Updated cap info in Post #1

[Farnham4top6]

Yohe said on Madden's show toiday that Rutherford told him Carter Rowney or Matt Cullen will be the 4th line center. That's it.

So we can stop with the Jokinen talk.

Jokinen is the best none Euro/Asia option for 3c among the FA's.

 

[orby]

I don't think Cullen will come back. Why not retire a repeat champion? He was definitely a step slower this year compared to last season and i doubt he would be any better at 41 than 40. I guess it's possible he'd still be better than Rowney but i think Rowney would be better in the role than he's being given credit for.

 

[JTG]

Some of JR's best work is going to be the signings he didn't make. Shero got in trouble with needing to keep it all together. Can't do that in the salary cap era. We have a great core and a bunch of interchangeable parts.



I'm torn on this. For 5-7 years, I say we run with it. Unfortunately guys will walk. We can't make every savy investment. We have to use up every drop and then start over. It's the best way. If that means running Sheary til he gets paid big bucks, so be it. If that means running #72 until you can't re-sign him, so be it. I'm not hell bent on making sure we get value at this point.

And before you counter, I think you are 100% right when it came to Orpik and those guys. But our current situation, 3 Cups, I say we run with it. When we are bare with prospects and Sid/G are retiring, let's start over in a 3-5 year rebuild. I'm not interested in being like Philly where we make the playoffs and lose because we lack depth.

In all honesty, I think we have 2 guys at the top and Murray in net...everyone else has a price tag. This offseason, I think much more of a shakeup needed to occur strictly because we have a lot of tired legs in this lineup still. This isn't saying JR is done, but if he is, I can't see us going very far just because of the amount of hockey these guys have all played.

I'd like to see JR shake up the roster. I'd have no problem trading a Cole, Schultz, Sheary, Hagelin, Hornqvist, and even Kessel if it meant that it was bringing back guys that made this team better, younger, and instilled some of that hunger back to get a Cup. We're hungry for a Cup, but there is no substitute for players that haven't won it before. As a hockey player yourself, I think you can sort of put yourself in their shoes - if you won it, and I didn't, you want me to win one because you know how awesome it feels, and that gets you though the lull of winter hockey.

Yohe said on Madden's show toiday that Rutherford told him Carter Rowney or Matt Cullen will be the 4th line center. That's it.

So we can stop with the Jokinen talk.

I have a real hard time believing Cullen won't break down and Carter Rowney would last about 30 games before the front office determined he isn't an everyday NHL'er.

Rowney is giving you nothing as a 4th line center except some energy, which gives us a 4th line that is no better than 30 other teams. Rowney is a good change of pace player - you put him in there when a team is on a losing skid and you need someone to get some energy back. You bring him in against an opponent that may want to take some liberties. You bring him in if you are playing a team that is soft and you can bully them.

Cullen has been such a differentiator for this team the last few years, how anyone sees Carter Rowney as a valid replacement to me is sort of confusing.

I don't think Cullen will come back. Why not retire a repeat champion? He was definitely a step slower this year compared to last season and i doubt he would be any better at 41 than 40. I guess it's possible he'd still be better than Rowney but i think Rowney would be better in the role than he's being given credit for.

Cullen can come back and play, but he'll need to be spelled. Maybe he and Rowney platoon the 4C spot. Rowney gets it a game here and there to give Cullen a break.

 

[Don'tcry4mejanhrdina]

I don't think Cullen will come back. Why not retire a repeat champion? He was definitely a step slower this year compared to last season and i doubt he would be any better at 41 than 40. I guess it's possible he'd still be better than Rowney but i think Rowney would be better in the role than he's being given credit for.

You guess it's possible he's better than Rowney? The same Rowney who played well for about 2 weeks before his play dropped off? That Rowney?

Guys, we've seen this countless times. A guy comes up from the minors, plays on pure adrenaline for about 2 weeks then never reaches that level of play again. I'm not convinced Rowney is even an NHLer yet. Even old Cullen is a much, MUCH better player than Rowney.

 

[orby]

You guess it's possible he's better than Rowney? The same Rowney who played well for about 2 weeks before his play dropped off? That Rowney?

Guys, we've seen this countless times. A guy comes up from the minors, plays on pure adrenaline for about 2 weeks then never reaches that level of play again. I'm not convinced Rowney is even an NHLer yet. Even old Cullen is a much, MUCH better player than Rowney.

Will he continue to be better, though? Maybe i'm overestimating Rowney but I've seen the kind of cliffs players can fall off when they wait too long to retire. I'd welcome Cullen back but i wouldn't expect much from him.

 

[madinsomniac]

Cullen definitely slowed in his time here.... the only way you bring him back is if you plan on having the 4 th line play fewer minutes than last year, and after back to backs im not sure thats the best plan....

You could also spell guys with days off ... but im guessing the addition of Reaves means they are going to drop 4th line useage into the 8 to 10 minute range most other teams employ

 

[tom_servo]

Cullen had a more productive year in '17 than '16. Not seeing a big dropoff from him. If he decides to suit up, I'd expect another similar season.

 

[pensown]

this Staal talk makes no sense. JR could have paid no assets besides a salary and had Nick Bonino for 4.1 over 4 years so why would he trade actual assets and have Staal for 6mil over 6 more years?

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

I don't mind Rowney as a placeholder 4C who later could get replaced if he doesn't play well enough.

this Staal talk makes no sense. JR could have paid no assets besides a salary and had Nick Bonino for 4.1 over 4 years so why would he trade actual assets and have Staal for 6mil over 6 more years?

Well we haven't spoken about him for quite a few pages, so I find it weird that you want to bring it up again.

 

[dasuc]

You guess it's possible he's better than Rowney? The same Rowney who played well for about 2 weeks before his play dropped off? That Rowney?

Guys, we've seen this countless times. A guy comes up from the minors, plays on pure adrenaline for about 2 weeks then never reaches that level of play again. I'm not convinced Rowney is even an NHLer yet. Even old Cullen is a much, MUCH better player than Rowney.

Dont forget about that ridiculous stat in the playoffs that when Rowney played we won more than we lost by a large margin rather than when he didn't play

this Staal talk makes no sense. JR could have paid no assets besides a salary and had Nick Bonino for 4.1 over 4 years so why would he trade actual assets and have Staal for 6mil over 6 more years?

Staal's possession numbers are crazy high, he is a great PKer, his cap is a high and the length of his contract is way to long but he could definitely be a possibility. CAR could want to get younger and from what I heard on ESPN radio, CAR has money problems (NOT CAP PROBLEMS) so losing a larger contract might make sense for them.
Also, Bones was good 2 years ago, last year he slipped up but he was still good and this year I still think he will be good, but not 4.1 mil good.

 

[UnderratedBrooks44]

this Staal talk makes no sense. JR could have paid no assets besides a salary and had Nick Bonino for 4.1 over 4 years so why would he trade actual assets and have Staal for 6mil over 6 more years?

It doesn't matter because the trade would make no friggin sense whatsoever for Carolina, but:

Because Staal is way better than Bonino? Also if it ever came to pass, we could probably get them to take $1 million off his salary one way or another. Staal at $5 million is a really solid deal.

 

[Jacob]

this Staal talk makes no sense. JR could have paid no assets besides a salary and had Nick Bonino for 4.1 over 4 years so why would he trade actual assets and have Staal for 6mil over 6 more years?

There's no guarantee Bonino would've signed here even if we matched the offer.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Cullen had a more productive year in '17 than '16. Not seeing a big dropoff from him. If he decides to suit up, I'd expect another similar season.

Yeah, I don't get the "dropoff" talk either. Cullen wasn't only more productive last year, his TOI increased and his FO% jumped from 52.2 to 56.4 in the playoffs.

 

[pensown]

There's no guarantee Bonino would've signed here even if we matched the offer.

but the key is, supposedly JR didn't even try so he must have a totally different thought process.

 

[dasuc]

There's no guarantee Bonino would've signed here even if we matched the offer.

Thats very true, Bones said that Nashville was his #1 choice... Thats what they all say about the team they sign with but it could hold some truth.

 

[vodeni]

Yeah, I don't get the "dropoff" talk either. Cullen wasn't only more productive last year, his TOI increased and his FO% jumped from 52.2 to 56.4 in the playoffs.

a few weeks back I wanted to post the same thing based on my eyeballing, I was convinced that Cullen wasn't dominating at times like in 16, that he wasn't productive so I decided to check all the stats just to make sure....not so much his 17 stats are just about the same if not slightly better with the increase in TOI especially last few series in PO.
So I quietly erased my post and started doubting my own judgment

 

[Zero Pucks]

Why does everyone trash Rowney so much on here? I think Cullen has spoiled everyone's expectations for a 4C.

 

[UnderratedBrooks44]

Why does everyone trash Rowney so much on here? I think Cullen has spoiled everyone's expectations for a 4C.

Yeah just because of age I assumed Cullen was gone after this year and Rowney would take his place. I don't love Rowney but I think he's at least shown he can play the role while putting up 15-20 points.

 

[ColePens]

Why does everyone trash Rowney so much on here? I think Cullen has spoiled everyone's expectations for a 4C.

I think you are overexaggerating when it comes to the word "trash" as I see the majority of folks saying they don't think he's an every day NHLer but a fantastic #13/14 because he can fit in so many spots.

 

[dasuc]

Yeah just because of age I assumed Cullen was gone after this year and Rowney would take his place. I don't love Rowney but I think he's at least shown he can play the role while putting up 15-20 points.

I agree, I feel like Rowney can center our 4th line and do it well.. Hell didn't he center out 3rd line last year towards the end of the season a few times?

All of our lines don't need to be flashy..

 

[MrBurghundy]

Thats very true, Bones said that Nashville was his #1 choice... Thats what they all say about the team they sign with but it could hold some truth.

I was probably his #1 choice because the Pens weren't even an option with GMJR never even giving him an offer.

 

[Shady Machine]

Legacy! Chance at a Cup! Leadership! Experience!

I love Jagr, but he's just not a player in today's NHL. The hands and skill are still there and always will be, but he just doesn't have the legs anymore.

46 points in 82 games last year and he's not a player in today's NHL?

 

[Shady Machine]

Important depth guys won't be sitting on the bench the entire year.
Thats even more ridiculous to me.
Of course injuries can/could/will play a large part in that too though.
But if everyone stays healthy, as it stands a Kuhnackl/Rowney(if they are the 13th F) will not be watching from the press box 100% of the time.

Assets spent don't mean dick to Sully. He's gonna ice the roster he sees appropriate vs certain teams and on back to backs which we have the most of next season.

He(Sully) also has to get Reaves in here and see how he meshes with the players he's going to be playing with.

They might not mean something to Sully but JR wasn't going to spend those assets unless he knew his coach bought in to Reaves as an everyday player.

 

[AjaxTelamon]

I was probably his #1 choice because the Pens weren't even an option with GMJR never even giving him an offer.

Bonino's role here was awful. He won his cups, he signs with a team with a bunch of other centers to block shots, and he can play some offense. I'm sure he discussed his role with them before going. If you're trying to find a place with a bunch of centers they can throw out to PK and block shots, Nashville is a pretty good choice.

 

[Shady Machine]

Why does everyone trash Rowney so much on here? I think Cullen has spoiled everyone's expectations for a 4C.

No one is trashing Rowney here but he's an AHL journeyman that got his cup of coffee and made the most of it. We don't even know if he's a full time NHL'er yet, and if he is, he's probably most effective in the role Reaves was brought in to fill (big guy that forechecks hard, digs out pucks, and doesn't make many mistakes). Add in Scott Wilson and you basically have 3 of the same player type with different degrees of skill and other assets. I just don't like the mix.