The curtain is about to go up on the opening act of the 2018-2019 season, the NHL Entry Draft. Considering that the Capitals won the Stanley Cup tells me our Penguins didn’t miss a 3peat by much and that is a good thing. Not only is it a good thing in its own right, it is a good thing because, once again our Penguins have traded away their 1st round Draft pick. While the fans of the other 30 odd teams in the league are having visions of young guns breathing life into their organization, we Penguins’ fans must look past the draft and hope GM Jim Rutherford regains his trade mojo or can pluck the right plum from the Free Agent (FA) market.
As I have said, I don’t think the Penguins missed by much. They can gain a bit of a bounce from a little addition by subtraction, the pathetic media shutting its pie hole and allowing bruised egos to heal, and the coach learning from last years experience.
Addition by Subtraction:
The Penguins can improve the team greatly simply by removing 3 players from their roster. There may be a couple other players the team could lose without be hurt all that much but jettisoning 3 players is necessary; Kris Letang, Conor Sheary, and Matt Hunwick.
I do not want to be misunderstood, I do appreciate what at least 2 of them have done for the Penguins (Letang and Sheary) but their usefulness has passed.
Kris Letang
To all of the Letang apologists, he has always been a great offensive talent and had his bounce back in that department. He is once again playing great offensively. His skill in that department is unquestionable, consummate, and irrefutable. However, his ability to read defensive plays and make smart decisions in his own defensive zone have always been diametrically opposite. Of the 19 goals the Capitals scored against the Penguins last playoff series occurred with Letang on the ice. In his youth, Letang had the speed to get back into many of those plays, now, longer in the tooth, he doesn’t have what it takes to get back into the play. Taylor Hall and players like him exploited Letang’s misreads and slowed step to blow past him to the net in a deluge of break aways and odd man breaks of unprecedented proportions. It is not going to get better. It is past time to move on.
Some have said it is impossible to trade him due to his fragile health, high priced contract, lack of defensive skill, limited no trade – no movement clause contract, and age. They may be right. Had the Penguins not traded both their 1st round pick in this years draft and Filip Gustavsson, perhaps they could have put a package together to try and swap Letang for either Erik Karlsson or the Kings Drew Doughty. I have seen articles suggesting that Karlsson may be shipped to Vegas; perhaps Ottawa may still be in the mood to deal. Unfortunately the Penguins have little to offer.
Maybe they could still deal for Doughty. If reports are true, the Kings are looking to sign Doughty to a contract extension. However, if they can’t, they may be willing to take a risk on Letang who is still under contract for several more years.
A more likely trade partner may be Carolina (if they are not one of the teams on Letang’s no trade list). I would have much preferred Doughty or Karlsson, but Justin Faulk could be a trade up as well and if Carolina is in a panic to get back into the playoffs, then maybe they could be fooled into taking Letang.
Conor Sheary
For the second straight year Sheary was a no show come play-off time. With all the ado made by Mike Sullivan to wrongly blame Phil Kessel for the Penguins lack of secondary scoring, Sheary’s complate lack of compete is getting whitewashed. Perhaps that is why Sullivan made his statement to obfuscate the empty number 43 Black and Gold Sweater.
Not only was Sheary a pathetic nonfactor in the playoffs again last year during the regular season he went from January 21 to March 6 without scoring a single goal and only picking up 3 assists.
I did read some discussion questioning whether Sheary just experienced a let down after signing his big contract last summer – What? Sheary only signed for $3 million, in today’s day and age that is only about a moderate contract, not a big contract. It only looks big in the light of Sheary’s lack of production and weakness on the puck (The draft of a player skating past being enough to disrupt his shot or knock him off the puck completely.
I read an article a couple of weeks back where some talking head tried to extol the virtue of Sheary’s metrics giving me hope of trading him, however, I would be happy with a bag of pucks at this point, getting a 3rd or 4th round pick for him would be a bonus.
Matt Hunwick
What can I say here? What a bad signing he was last year, especially considering that the Penguins could have signed Dan Girardi and Andrei Markov, instead. Girardi only signed for $3 million, just $750,000 more than Hunwick and Markov had 33 points in 55 games for Kazan Ak-Bars of the KHL last season and was a +7 (I say this because I wanted Rutherford to go after at least one of these FAs last year).
Trade him if you can but buy him out or bury him in the minors is you can’t trade him.
Give it a rest Media
Phil Kessel is one of the best Wingers in the League. The Penguins didn’t win the Cup without him, but won back to back Cups with him and could have won a third if Sullivan would made better decisions in the Capitals’ series. Sullivan cut his nose off to spite his face in a testosterone contest with Kessel last year. Sullivan tried to blame Kessel for the Penguins’ lack of scoring and repeated a tired refrain of wanting secondary scoring. Had he sat Sheary, put Daniel Sprong on that third line and moved Kessel back up with Evgeni Malkin he probably would have more secondary and tertiary offense that any team could have handled. But then again Sullivan would seem to not like Sprong either.
The pressure to win a 3peat was more than likely the origin of what is now a rift. The loss to the Capitals no doubt contributed a little to widening the gap between Kessel and Sullivan. However, the incessant stupidity of the media to keep fanning the fires is making it very difficult for these two important pieces of the Penguins’ puzzle from coming back together. I am now reading Kessel is wanting out.
Hopefully the media will get a clue and shut up (doubtful). In my mind all players are trade able, at the right price, so I wouldn’t be upset if the Penguins traded Kessel but got equal value back, but that is the problem. Without a talent like Kessel, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, (John Tavares if the Penguins could sign him), or Derick Brassard, will have no one to whom they can pass the puck. Therefore, there will not be any of that secondary scoring that Sullivan said the team needs.
However, having said all of this, I did hear someone say that Tampa Bay was not looking to resign Nikita Kucherov. He will be a Restricted FA (RFA) at the end of the season. I would think the Penguins would have to sweeten the pot a little, since there is an age difference but Tampa Bay would get a reasonably priced goal scorer for several years.. Who knows, maybe Rutherford could dress up the sows ear (Sheary) in silk purse to make the deal, but I would suspect they may have to cede next years 1st round pick.
If they could work the deal and sign Kucherov to an extension then it may be worth the pick – and if Tampa Bay is really not looking to sign Kucherov.
Sullivan learn from last years experience
No one is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. Sullivan made several last year. He ran Ian Cole out of town, he over-played Kris Letang and Conor Sheary, and he refused to reunite Kessel with Malkin and insert Daniel Sprong to get his secondary scoring when Sheary and the line combinations played themselves out, all to show his dominance over Kessel.
The coach has to be the final authority, but a coach, like the players has to be able to handle the pressures and not let personality interfere with what is best for the team. He has to be able to be strong enough within himself to be able to give a star what they want, particularly when it benefits the team.
With no first round pick, the Penguins will have to generate excitement for the new season in other ways at this years draft. In the end, they need to make sure what they choose to do actually helps the team or at least doesn’t hurt the team. They weren’t that far off last year and after 3 steps could be a serious, serious threat to go the distance again this year.
Let’s Go Pens!
Hunwick and Sheary Gone. Very unfortunate that Penguins won’t take their emotions out with this defenseman. I would love to get Drew Doughty or Erik Karlsson. It’s too late . Doughty sign extension with the Kings. I don’t know about Karlsson. It could still be a chance.
Nice. I love it!
Hi all,
No excitement from the draft. Guess we’re still in a holding pattern until July 1. It’s hard to tell if the Pens were working the phones, looking for deals other than moving positions. I watched the entire draft and the Pens were barely mentioned. A few of their picks happened during commercials, so they went without comment. Unspectacular is what I expected and pretty much what I got.
Their first two picks — Addison and Hallander — may have some potential, and Liam Gorman has some size, but there’s little here to talk about, for a few years anyway. We knew that going in. But, one D-man? Really? And a smallish one at that. The rest centers/forwards, and traded their last pick to Vegas for their 7th rounder next year. Was hoping they had some interest in Kevin Bahl, a bigger d-man. No dice.
Saw an interview with the Hurricanes after they made the trade — Hannafin and Lindholm to Calgary for Hamilton, Ferland and Fox. He didn’t come right out a say it, but pretty much hinted they (Carolina) are still interested in a goalie. What would it take to get them interested in Jarry? And, I’d prefer for Faulk rather than Skinner. We still need D.
On to the lead up to Free Agency… I hope it’s better than the eight hours I spent watching everybody talk about everybody but the Pens.
— 55
Hey 55,
With no picks, I wasn’t all that excited about draft day, but I was surprised to see the Pens found a way to let me down. (Not sure how you can get worse than zero but they did).
Maybe the ground work was laid for a real trade.
I’ll talk about that in a bit.
Hey 55,
I hear yah. This draft in 2018 was USELESS. A waste of time as a Pen’s fan. A smallish 5’10” d man that tends to give the puck away and gets caught up ice. Just what we need. A third line winger may be, in 3 years from now. Not impressed. Every team did better thane we did and of course the Pen’s brass are going to spin this as” we stole ” the show. Truth is guys you are losing touch with reality.You have not filled up the farm system with elite level talent as all other teams have and now you are going to pay the price for it.You can not field a team with US College kids and 3rd to 6th round draft picks and make fans believe you can beat teams with various top first round drafted players on their roster night in and night out. There is a reason you are drafted 120 th and the star players were drafted 15 th or better. They are bigger, stronger,faster and have way more talent. Plus they have played in WJC Tournaments, Memorial Cups, and even on National teams. That experience level makes champions.
Also the Pens have tried to buy their way to another cup via free agency.
Now once again the Pen’s are up against a cap issue and with their ageing, over priced, under preforming talent pool, that they can not give away.
The future looks bleak. Hagelin. Sheary. Letang.Hunwick…on and on.
Unless we trade away some very big contracts and get aggressive we are not going anywhere in free agency.
The Pen’s dynasty I am afraid is now on the down swing. To be brutally honest, the 2018 Pen’s team were far weaker than the 2017 Cup winners who themselves were weaker than the 2016 Pens. The league has gotten much better since 2016 and we have become weaker. The 2018 Draft only makes it far worse for us.
We need to sign center John Tavares, D man Jack Johnson, big left winger James vanRiemsdyk, a back up goalie, another 5-6 d man with grit and size and move Letang, Hagelin, Sheary, Hunwick, Brassard,and a few other lesser talents.
Simple fact 55. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. The Pen’s tried to shop the above mentioned players this past month and got no takers.Nothing for Letang. Even Kessel.
55 .. Look at the new reality in our conference. Toronto is no fluke and have a large young, star studded talent pool. Buffalo did very well at the 2018 draft.They will get better. New Jersey under Ray Shero is on the move. Carolina has new ownership and has made big moves this past week.Rumors say they are not finished. Tampa Bay, Boston, Phili, Detroit, Washington, Columbus. Never count out Montreal. Rangers cleaned up this week end at the draft. 5-6 for sure NHLers. THE PENGUINS DID NOTHING !!
Plus we need to resign big d man Oleksiak and utility forwards Byran Rust,
Daniel Sprong and goalie Tristan Jarry. Our cap space is 9.2 million with 17 players signed. These 4 players are all going to all get raises !! Some fairly big ones. Point being we need to clear some big names and rebuild asap !!!
cheers
Jim
Hi Jim, and tOR
Good to hear from you, Jim! Hope all is well, aside from this bust of a draft.
I couldn’t agree more, especially that the Pens have been short-sighted regarding the defensive side of the game, and the physical side of the game. If anyone in the league, or out of it, thinks size, grit and hitting are going away any time soon, they’re having a acid flashback to the ol’ peace and love days. It may be the league’s wish, and even a trend in the making, but it won’t be fulfilled anytime soon. The beef is still running wild, and this team was run over by it in the second round, whether they admit it or not.
Like you, I’m not sure anyone they would trade, or could trade, would be wanted by anyone, at least not for anyone significant. We’re told incessantly of JR’s magic. He’s gonna need all that magic plus something greatly more ethereal to pull off this one.
Of course, Letang is going no where. They’ll never trade him, and the reality is they couldn’t even if they had a mind to. No one is going to take his $7 mil cap hit. He’s barely worth half that. He’s pretty high profile. Everyone knows who and what he is. The Pens are banking on a “bounce back” year from him this coming season. I hope they’re right. But, I honestly think he’s done bouncing. He already was as good as he’s ever going to be. Unfortunately, they still see him, and play him, like he’s the 2009 version of Kris Letang, and that’s no one’s fault but the coach.
And that is my biggest concern going into next season, the coach. Yes, they need defensive help. Yes, they need secondary scoring. Yes, they need more size and to be more physically minded when it’s called for. But, what I hope more than any of it is this coach gets taken down a few pegs to the level where he again sees the reality of what’s happening with this team. I admit I could be wrong here, but I don’t think so. He’s run amok. He ran amok against Washington while being more intent on making a point to a disgruntled player than winning the series. Yes, Washington beat the hell out of them, but they didn’t do much to counteract that. I lay that failure right at Sullivan’s feet.
If it wasn’t abundantly clear to them that they were out muscled, and needlessly abused in the Washington series, there’s nothing more to say but what you’ve said, the end of the road for the Pens sweet ride is clearly on the horizon, and more likely closer than they think There’s no way this team, as currently configured, is a legit threat for a cup next season. They’ll make the playoffs, sure, but they won’t weather the onslaught. This is a team that’s had the crap beat out of it four years running. Everybody knows how to neutralize them now.
They’re between the proverbial rock and a hard place and I’m feeling, barring a miracle on or before July 1st, the same team that was beaten, then beaten, by the Caps, will be the team on the bench come Oct. 4th.
If they make a move, and I think they will, or will at least try, I’m not sure what that move might be. Brassard is movable, and hopefully he could be packaged with a Sheary, or a Hunwick. Other than that, they’d likely be faced with surrendering more prospects — Sprong, Bluegar, whoever — and that’s a dangerous game moving forward. It not like their swimming at any serious depth.
In any event, I’m excited to see what, if anything, happens in the next few weeks. But, as I said above, if this very same team is on the bench opening day, with, perhaps Sprong included, I won’t be surprised.
— 55
Hey 55,
I am right there with you, I lay the blame squarely on the Coach for what happened last playoffs.
Although I do agree, if the team doesn’t tweak itself it will only be a reprise from last year, but I also think that if they do tweak the team it can make a serious run. One or two grit guys and two right handed defensemen in and Letang, Sheary, and Hunwick out and this team could easily be loaded for bear.
However, as much as I like Kunitz, I am not talking about Kunitz. Yes, he is a grit guy, but they need the Kunitz of at least 2 or maybe 3 years ago, not the Kunitz of today. Signing him on the cheap as an extra forward, maybe but they need true grit. Unfortunately, a player like Reaves won’t come here again since he had his share of riding the pinewood derby while Sheary got playing time.
I do have a few ideas which I hope to write about soon.
Hey Jim,
Good to hear from you.
As always you make some really valid points.
I would like to add to your FA discussion the fact that last year the Pens were not very smart in their choices of FA signings. They passed on far better players and over-paid at least a couple of the players they did sign.
Yet, if Sullivan had done a better job of coaching, they could still have won the Cup.
I am still holding out hope that the Penguins can sign the right players and move some deadwood.
Okay, just for giggles,
How about this;
If Montreal is serious about wanting Brassard and not all that worried about this years draft what if the Pens were to deal Brassard to Montreal for their no. 3 pick and take LW Brady Tkachuk.
And then Edmonton has said they want a PP QB and will trade their 10th pick so the Pens then trade Letang, get out from under his contract grab RD Adam Boqvist.
The Pens may need to wiggle a little to get them to take on Letang’s contract but they should still have enough money to go after Jack Johnson – maybe so as to give Boqvist a little time before he would have to step up and play.
Just having a little fun playing devils advocate after thinking about these 2 teams questioning what they would do with their picks
I haven’t heard any strong rumors out of our fair city yet, but I came across an interesting article suggesting Montreal is interested in Centers – Bressard in particular. With the addition of Domi, they may be looking to deal Pacioretty who is UFA at the end of this coming season. They also own 4 – 2nd round picks, one of which would be as close to a first round pick as the Penguins may get a sniff of this year.
If the Penguins were to move on a deal for Pacioretty, I would hope that they start looking at getting that extension. I know Bressard is UFA at the end of the season as well, but I would wouldn’t mind getting him for a 3 or 4 year deal.
I have also seen rumors out of Carolina not Pittsburgh involving Jeff Skinner. Despite his +/- his Corsi looks pretty good. The only problem with this rumor for me is I haven’t heard what Carolina was wanting from the Penguins.
If there is a deal in the works here I would rather see Letang for Faulk. Although I would rather see the Pens find a more defensively responsible Right D-man to pair with Dumoulin to see what his offensive upside could be, I would settle for flipping Letang for Faulk.
Hey Other Rick,
Terrific article…just terrific. Love the title! And I agree with most of what you say…particularly regarding Letang, Sheary, Hunwick and Kessel.
I don’t know what happened to ‘Tanger’ last year…it’s like he literally forgot how to play defense. I was astounded by some of his decision-making and defensive-zone reads…and not in a good way…especially in the Caps series. The shame of it is, I thought Brian Dumoulin played exceptionally well in the postseason. But he spent so much time trying to cover for No. 58.
I’ve always been a Sheary supporter. But you’re right…this is the second-straight postseason he’s been a total non-factor. I heard from an unsubstantiated source the Pens had a deal in place with Arizona to acquire Max Domi for Sheary or Bryan Rust, with either Dominik Simon or a draft pick as a throw-in. Water under the bridge now. And, I believe the Pens had floated Sheary in the Brassard deal, but the Sens insisted on Cole instead.
Hard to know what kind of a market there will be for him…he scored 41 goals over the past two years but was a bust in the playoffs.
Really not much you can say about Hunwick…just not a good fit for our style. And I agree about Kessel. No, he’s never going to win the Selke. But he and Malkin have really good chemistry and he’s so good on the power play. A dynamic talent.
Wow…Kucherov would be an amazing addition…but it would take some creative wheeling and dealing to land him.
I confess, I really haven’t been plugged in this offseason. However, following a quick glance at our roster and free agents, it looks like left wing could be a bit of a problem spot. Perhaps prospect Sam Miletic (36 goals in junior) can step in. Do the Pens sign Sheahan (RFA) now that Brassard’s on board, or do they let him walk and promote fellow RFA Teddy Blueger instead? Or do they sign Sheahan and Blueger and slide Brassard to left wing?
I’d really like to add a physical presence up front…I guess Ryan Reaves said he won’t sign here because Sullivan didn’t play him. But I’d like to see us get someone who can skate, bang some bodies and drop the mitts if necessary. Along those lines, I really hope we sign Jamie Oleksiak (another RFA). I think he’s got more of an upside than folks might think.
Defensively, I’d love to sign Jack Johnson. Big guy, can skate and move the puck, plus he’s good friends with Sid. His recent cap hit was $4.35 million…don’t know if the Pens could sign him at a favorable deal given that he’s 31 and coming off a bit of a down year. Plus, he’s had some much-publicized financial problems.
Question…do the Pens fish for a veteran backup for Murray? Or do we go with Jarry and DeSmith? The former kind of unraveled as the season went along, and his style’s a bit awkward and unpolished. I thought DeSmith did a decent job and showed a lot of poise. But I’m not sure he’d be able to step in for any length of time should Murray go down.
Rick
Hey Rick,
I agree the Penguins are paper thin on LW but they found a way to get by last year with these players. The only one who really can score goals is Geuntzel. Hagelin is an NHL wing but his scoring is weak. Rust does a yeoman’s job but really is a RW. Simon did show some decent play-making skills but was not much of a goal scorer. He also had a tendency for taking dumb penalties. Kuhnhackl, although a left handed shot is a natural RW, like many Europeans, but he didn’t show any ability to play LW.
So like you I want to see what Militec can do. I would give him a real shot at a roster spot.
Furthermore, I can’t help but think both Brassard and Sheahan can be candidates for LW duty. I have read reports that suggest Bleuger was on fire during the International Championships this year and Bellerive was a major force in the Jrs last year. (Although Bellerive is now recovering from burns from a fire at a bachelor party). One or both could free up those two for duty elsewhere.
With how good Sheahan was in the FO circle, the Pens may want to try and keep him.
Unlike a lot of people, I haven’t lost faith in Jarry, he is a young goalie trying to backstop a horrible, horrible defense. However, I do think Jarry has run his course in Pgh, that is why I am upset at the price the Pens paid for Brassard. Jarry can get little to no benefit from more AHL time and his stock can now only go down if he isn’t traded, however, Gustavsson could be hid in WBS for a season so the team could still have some G depth.
Therefore, I do think Jarry could be good trade bait, but the team would need a veteran back-up, D’Orio looked like he took a step backward last season.
I also wish there was some player out there with a little grit but even if the Penguins would get one, Sullivan doesn’t play them. Unless the Penguins could find a young Rick Tocchet, anyone they get would most likely sit on the bench or in the press box.
So, the only real change I am hoping to see is change on the D. I want to see the Penguins minus Letang and Hunwick. With the team probably losing Pedan and Bengtsson to the KHL, this still is the teams weakest area. Actually, I think as long as Letang is on the roster at this point, I would think the D is the teams weak spot. He looks like he has lost a step and can no longer get back into plays when he makes foolish decisions.
Getting Jack Johnson could be a help, but the team needs more help than that. If the team loses Pedan, I would like to see the Pens make a play for that kid Mozik. NJD has his rights so the Pens would have to deal for him.
I don’t dislike Ruhwedel but he is a 7th D man.
Just like the Big Forward, I would like to see the Penguins get a D man with a cannon of shot to try and keep opponents from collapsing around the net and keep them having to cover their entire defensive zone, opening up more room for the forwards.
Hey Phil,
Its funny you chose a picture of Jack Johnson, I was thinking about an article I read about the Penguins looking at him as a FA signing. He had an off season last season but could be a decent replacement for Cole and certainly is a couple of steps up from Hunwick, but I am surprised they are looking at him. His Corsi numbers have almost always been negative, even 2 seasons ago when he was +23.
I am just wondering what kind of $$$$s he is asking for. His last contract ended at $5 mil but was only a $4.357 mil because it started $3.5 mil.
If they do sign him, I am guessing they would flip Oleksiak back to RD.
Hey Other Rick,
I think we posted simultaneously, but I agree 100 percent about Johnson. He’s an impressive all-around package and, I think, would be a nice upgrade.
Oddly, despite his skill level, he’s been a minus player for most of his career. According to “The Hockey News”, he tends to run around at times trying to make big hits and gambles a little too much offensively. (Yikes…sounds like Letang.) But if he can settle into more of a stay-at-home role, I think he’d be a great addition.
Rick
You guys caught me. I was wondering if anyone would notice. I’m not sure Johnson is the answer. To be honest I’m not very familiar with his play. What I do no is that the Penguins defense should be their main concern.
Edmonton is offering their 10th overall pick for a defenseman. Would they take Hunwick?
PG’s Jason Mackey posted what the Pens forward lines could look like.
Guentzel-Crosby-Sprong
Hagelin-Malkin-Kessel
Sheary-Brassard-Hornqvist
Aston-Reese-Sheahan-Rust
That looks like a really solid lineup to me. tOR, I know your really down on Sheary, but every team right now wants speed. He not bad, he’s just overpaid.
Defense is a whole different story.
Maatta – Shultz – Dumoulin – Oleksiak is a good solid four.
Letang is not horrible. Does he drives me nuts?. Would I trade him for a solid defenseman? Is he way, way over paid? Yes, Yes & Yes
I’ve heard Johnson may be looking for $6 a year. I wouldn’t sign him for that.
Hey Phil,
Agreed on several counts;
D should be the teams main concern. It really wasn’t as much of a question of quantity of shots against as it was quality of shots.
Also, I agree – Maatta – Schultz – Dumoulin – Oleksiak is a solid 4.
I am not sure, but I think Letang is where we start drifting apart. As you wrote, I don’t think Letang is horrible. If you consider his offense to defense ratio, they sort of start to wash. Letang has great offensive instincts. He is one of the better Penguins in shoot outs. However, he takes too long to get his shot off most of the time. When he uses the snap shot instead of the slap shot he is much better but he doesn’t own that cannon of a shot to keep opposing wingers honest and open up ice for the forwards down low. And as for his defense, it has always been suspect. Between the yeoman’s job Paul Martin used to do and the speed Letang once had, those defensive lapses (bad/aggressive decisions in the O zone and bizarre D zone choices) were negligible. However, last year, defensively, Letang was a major millstone around the team’s neck.
Perhaps the team can’t find a partner, but as much as the kid in me would love to be able to have Letang retire a Penguin, for all that he has done, in the past, for the team, the realistic part of me says try and trade him if you can. That is a big if, but I do my best to move on – for the good of the team. The $7+ mil per season is better spent and the 25+ minutes should be given to other D men, especially late in games when the team has the lead.
As for Johnson – I am back with you, $6 mil is way too much for Johnson.
As for Sheary – I hear you about team speed, but I can’t help wonder if the team could get UFA Grabner for around $3 mil and he has phenom speed and is a better goal scorer. (Assuming the Pens get out from under Sheary’s contract). With NJD not doing that much after trading for him, he may be had for something aroudn that $3 mil level. Had NJD done better in the Play-Offs, maybe Grabner could demand more but it is what it is. My only problem with Grabner would be length of contract. He isn’t all that young and if Militec really can translate into NHL calibre in a year or two, I wouldn’t want to be tied to a Craig Adams contract
Furthermore, as I mentioned above, apparently Bleuger had a great world championship and was the best player on his team. He may be ready to take on that 4th Center role so I would much rather see a bottom 6 of;
Grabner – Brassard – Hornqvist
Aston-Reese – Sheahan – Rust
or
Brassard – Sheahan – Hornqvist
Aston-Reese – Bleuger – Rust
And another wild card cold also be the Montreal Canadiens. If they are truly coveting Brassard and are willing to part with Paciorretty to get a Center as some sources are saying I could be very comfortable with a bottom 9 of;
Pacioretty – Malkin – Kessel
Hagelin – Sheahan – Hornqvist
Aston-Reese – Bleuger – Rust
I appreciate what Sheary did his first year here, but he really hasn’t been that strong on the puck now that the league is getting used to him, particularly as the season starts to drag on.