Speculation: Shero Ready to Talk Extensions for UFA Blueliners

[Winger for Hire]

I ran across this blurb today on my coffee break at work talking about how Shero and his staff are going to start looking at extending some players:

http://www.thefourthperiod.com/news/pit131215.html

I'm hoping this is just Shero looking to do the right thing and find out what exactly Brooks and Nisky are looking to get on their next contracts and not actually seriously negotiating extensions with both.

Even at a steep discount I think Brooks wouldn't be worth bringing back because of the roster spot he would be taking up and his steady/steep decline in play. Nisky I'd be OK with bringing back, but his play could be pricing him out of Pittsburgh.

So what I'm really getting at here is do you think Shero is serious in these negotiations or is it just a PR move to keep their trade values from dropping and/or a courtesy to the players?

Click to read more...

 

[mpp9]

He's doing his job. Has to see where he stands with them. And plan his moves and offseason accordingly.

I really hope we don't re-sign Brooks though.

 

[DegenX]

Well, first it's pure speculation.

Second, it's pure speculation based off of a Trib article. An article they don't link to.

According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Penguins GM Ray Shero said he and his staff will start looking an extensions for some players "over the next little bit."

Third, while Orpik and Nisky are mentioned by name, the above quote is about 'some players' .... Sutter, Megna, Sill, Vitale, and Despres also have expiring contracts.

 

[ByeBye]

Yeah, I'm not getting upset about that, for the already mentioned reasons.
And even if he is really talking to Brooks and Niskanen, there's nothing wrong with getting a feeling for what they would want.

 

[Winger for Hire]

I tried to find the Trib article to go off of, but the internet restrictions at my work are really weird... I can go all over HFBoards, 4th Period, HockeyBuzz, SpectorsHockey, but if I try going to Trib Sports, it's blocked.

So I guess I'm as bad as most of the writers I bash on a daily bases by running with just a small blurb of speculation.

I'm giving myself 2 minutes in timeout for "Lazyness".

 

[Crafton]

over/under on how many times the words 'inevitable' and 'family' will pop up in this tread?

 

[IcedCapp]

over/under on how many times the words 'inevitable' and 'family' will pop up in this tread?

a yet-to-be-discovered number

 

[Common Sense]

$3.5M x 4 for Orpik. It's inevitable. Gotta keep the family together.

 

[FDBluth]

$3.5M x 4 for Orpik. It's inevitable. Gotta keep the family together.

Yeah, I have a bad feeling about this.

 

[IcedCapp]

likely a 5-year deal for Orpik, take him til the Magic Age of 38

 

[Winger for Hire]

Sadly, Orpik is probably still seen as part of the core group of the team by a lot of people and they wouldn't see too much wrong with a 4 or 5 year extension.

 

[Jacob]

Let Orpik walk. I'd consider resigning Niskanen if the price is right and if we can move Martin or Scuderi as well.

 

[djt153]

the rookies maintaining basic defensive positional integrity really undermines how much it really is time for orpik to go

 

[Shady Machine]

Do not re-sign either Nisky or Orpik. I've seen a number of posters say "if we can re-sign Nisky aroun 3-3.5 mil, we should do it". I don't understand that AT ALL. Even if we let both of them walk, this is what we have next year:

Scuds-Letang
Maatta-Martin
Despres-Bortuzzo
Dumoulin-Harrington
Samuelsson-a million other defensemen

Where is there room or need for Niskanen? Use the cap space saved for forwards.

 

[PensBandwagonerNo272*]

Do not re-sign either Nisky or Orpik. I've seen a number of posters say "if we can re-sign Nisky aroun 3-3.5 mil, we should do it". I don't understand that AT ALL. Even if we let both of them walk, this is what we have next year:

Scuds-Letang
Maatta-Martin
Despres-Bortuzzo
Dumoulin-Harrington
Samuelsson-a million other defensemen

Where is there room or need for Niskanen? Use the cap space saved for forwards.

Why not? He's been one of our best defensemen this season, could likely be had at a good price, and is apparently the only one capable of playing a (near) whole season consistently.

 

[Shady Machine]

Why not? He's been one of our best defensemen this season, could likely be had at a good price, and is apparently the only one capable of playing a (near) whole season consistently.

Because we don't need him, Letang and Malkin's raises are going to take up a lot of cap space, we have drafted a ridiculous amount of D prospects that are ready for NHL action, etc, etc. The only way I'm keeping Niskanen around is if we move out another veteran (which isn't going to happen).

 

[Jacob]

I'd consider:

Scuderi - Letang
Despres - Martin/Niskanen
Maatta - Bortuzzo
Dumoulin

 

[billybudd]

Let Orpik walk. I'd consider resigning Niskanen if the price is right and if we can move Martin or Scuderi as well.

If Niskanen keeps playing the way he's playing, he'll price himself right out of any possible plans. He's having a better contract year, to my eyes, than Wideman did before getting grossly overpaid by the Flames.

But yes, Orpik needs to go. Not only are there better players he'd be holding back, but with him out of the lineup, the whole mentality of the D core has changed and much for the better.

 

[Uncle Machete]

Not really on the topic of blueliners but I checked Capgeek and the Pens are in an interesting position going into next year with the cap going up and a lot of players with expiring contracts who there may or may not be a spot for:

Jussi Jokinen: $3.0m (I know Pens only pay half of that)
Brooks Orpik: $3.75m
Matt Niskanen: $2.3m
Tomas Vokoun: $2.0m
Tanner Glass: $1.1m

That's over $10m right there plus the expected cap raise of ~7m(?). Sure, some players will re-sign and some will get a nice pay-raise, but that's still a nice amount of cap room to improve the third line or find a winger for Sid or whatever Ray wants to do.

 

[UnrealMachine]

It's unfortunate that, while Niskanen's stock continues to rise, Orpik's is probably at an all-time low over the past 5 seasons. Losing Martin totally exposed him (more so) and now he has an injury to recover from. If we get anything for him, it's on reputation alone.

 

[mpp9]

I have a feeling Nisky will take a sizable discount to stick around. I'm sure teams will be willing to throw money at him in free agency, but I also think he knows how good he has it here, and won't want to go back to a situation like in Dallas where he fell apart being the go to guy.

3.5 with decent term is pretty fair for both sides.

I'm fine with Orpik sticking around this season. I think he has another good playoff run in him. But no ****ing way should we re-sign him. He's already blocking Maatta's spot in the top 4 as is.

 

[DegenX]

Not really on the topic of blueliners but I checked Capgeek and the Pens are in an interesting position going into next year with the cap going up and a lot of players with expiring contracts who there may or may not be a spot for:

Jussi Jokinen: $3.0m (I know Pens only pay half of that)
Brooks Orpik: $3.75m
Matt Niskanen: $2.3m
Tomas Vokoun: $2.0m
Tanner Glass: $1.1m

That's over $10m right there plus the expected cap raise of ~7m(?). Sure, some players will re-sign and some will get a nice pay-raise, but that's still a nice amount of cap room to improve the third line or find a winger for Sid or whatever Ray wants to do.

Really, the only one out of that group that I would even think about re-signing is Vokoun ... come to think of it, probably not even him if Zatkoff continues to play at his current level or continues to improve.

 

[mpp9]

I'd consider:

Scuderi - Letang
Despres - Martin/Niskanen
Maatta - Bortuzzo
Dumoulin

Maatta is a top 4 guy next year. Despres will be battling the youngsters for the spot next to Nisky if re-signed.

 

[Shrimper]

We have to let one of them walk if we want to give our youth D a chance. Maatta and Despres have shown that they're capable of filling in.

At worst, re-sign Niskanen on a 1 year deal. He has played well. But if we re-sign both then it is stupid.

 

[MrBurghundy]

Really, the only one out of that group that I would even think about re-signing is Vokoun ... come to think of it, probably not even him if Zatkoff continues to play at his current level or continues to improve.

If he's even in the league.