Now with the NHL Entry Draft in the rear-view mirror and the Penguins having done little to nothing yet to improve the team for the upcoming season (or perhaps anytime in the near future for that matter), we Penguin’ fans now must look to the open market to pin our hopes for an improved Penguins’ team.
It is not that the team needs a major overhaul, they aren’t the Buffalo Sabres (sorry, Sabre fans but you did finish at the bottom last season) but since the Penguins didn’t win the Stanley Cup, they need some adjustments.
Unfortunately, before the Penguins try to add any pieces to their puzzle, they need to free up Cap space. Now everyone has an opinion and you know what they say about opinions. So, without further ado, here are mine.
I came across an article on the NHL website saying that the Edmonton Oilers were in the market for a Quarterback (QB) for their Power Play (PP). Hmm… It seems to me to be the perfect marriage here. Kris Letang is still one of the better PP QBs in the league. Looking at his numbers from last season, even though he was a train wreck defensively, he actually was slightly more efficient on the PP than Justin Schultz (10.9 team goals for per 60 minutes ice time GF/60 compared to 8.8 GF/60) In fact, Norris Trophy winner Victor Hedman was even lower than Schultz on the PP (8.2 GF/60). This could be the perfect time to off load his $7+ million salary. Some planets would definitely need to align. First of which would be the Penguins’ Organization willingness to acknowledge the obvious, Letang really isn’t the teams number 1 Defenseman anymore. Second, Edmonton would have to not be 1 of the 8 teams on Letang’s no trade list. Then and only then could Jim Rutherford try to work a little magic.
Personally, if the Penguins would look into this idea, I would rather the team try and get a draft pick as the central part of the deal and then take whatever else they had to take to get the deal done. However, although a draft pick would be my opening asking price, I would be willing to deal down to off load that contract. In the Howard Baldwin era, paying Letang to be a second pairing could happen, but in modern, Cap era hockey, it is tantamount to suicide.
I have already mentioned some ideas that now drop to plan B to get this accomplished (removing Letang’s contract from the Cap) so I won’t go over them again. I will just say that if Edmonton is serious about a PP QB, they may not get a better deal. Letang was good enough to get to the All Star game on his PP talent. It could be a Win-Win-Win (Pittsburgh-Edmonton-Letang). A change of scenery could be a huge bounce to his career.
Another player that keeps coming up is Jeff Skinner and although I wouldn’t mind seeing the Penguins get Skinner, given the choice, I would really rather have Justin Faulk. The only Penguins’ Defenseman that really has anything resembling a heavy shot from the point is Jamie Oleksiak. Opposing forward can and do drop down low to support their Defensemen and Center, knowing that the Penguins’ point men really aren’t all that much of a concern. They either take to long to shoot and/or don’t have that hard of a shot. Opponents can wait that extra second before getting out in front of the shot, if at all.
Furthermore, I have read another article suggesting that Montreal is seriously interested in Derick Brassard. If that is true, then I go out and try to make that happen. I do think that Brassard could prove to be a much better Center for the Penguins than he showed last year in the playoffs but if I can deal him to Montreal for Max Pacioretty (which is the name of a player that Montreal may be willing to deal), I would do my best to make that happen. With both Pacioretty and Brassard entering contract years it becomes a gamble for both teams but one that would give the team their top 6 Left Wing (LW) to compliment Geuntzel, with minimal effect on the long term health of the team. And if Montreal is that serious about Brassard, it would seem to be another Win-Win. This potential trade may be the best way to salvage something from the Cole – Reaves – Gustavsson – First Round Pick fiasco.
Like the above deal for Letang that I suggest, I would try and go straight up on that deal but would negotiate down, I would possibly try and add Conor Sheary into that deal to off load his salary or even Carl Hagelin. (Hagelin would be a last ditch offer, he still has value for the team)
If after working the above 2 trades I still had Conor Sheary on my roster, I would talk to New Jersey. They traded for Michael Grabner at the trade deadline, but he was a rent-a-player. Hopefully they may still think they need a speedy player. If New Jersey still wants a speedy winger, I would try and deal Sheary to the Devils for the rights to Vojtech Mozik.
From what I am reading the Devils still have NHL rights to Mozik. He appears to be similar to a right handed Andrey Pedan. He is making about $600,000 in US dollars to play in the KHL. Even if the Penguins can’t lure him to the NHL, they would be out from under another $3 million.
I have also read in places that some Media sources suggest Hagelin as a possible candidate for contract dumping and I would include him any of the above deals but if I considered trading Hagelin, I definitely would go after Grabner but I will go into that in later installments.
If I could make those 3 deals I would dump over $13 million in Cap space ($17+ million if Hagelin is included) while taking on $4.5 million for Pacioretty and then whatever other incidentals I had to take on to make the deals. My biggest concern would be length of contract for any other players in the above deals. (1 year contracts).
More importantly, losing Letang, Sheary, Brassard, and/or Hagelin would not hurt the team much if at all, and freed up Cap space could only help the team.
I haven’t mentioned Matt Hunwick. Yes, I still would try and deal him, but I can’t think of a way out from under this contract yet. But, if it were up to me (and it isn’t) I would get out from under this contract too.
(Next up, after trying to free up Cap space, what would I do with that space?)
Go Pens!
The Other Rick
Just read an article written by Hooks Orpik – He did an eval on Ryan
Reaves. This is why I hate stats and how this guy writes for anyone
I’ll never know.
In the meantime Reaves is drawing a ton of interest around the League
in Free Agency and Vegas is trying to hang on to him. Sounds to me
like a player that has value!!
Hey Mike,
Sorry, I haven’t read that article yet. I will have to look at it.
I can’t lie to you. You will remember I wasn’t a fan of the initial trade but Reaves showed his value. He just wasn’t given the ice-time. Furthermore, Wilson would have been a non-factor in the Pens series and the Caps would never have gathered any momentum had Wilson played. He is a typical bully that cries when he is given what he gets (witness his whining when Strahlman hit him with a hard legal hit in the Tampa series.
I wish Sullivan had burned his bridges here and the Pens could sign him as a UFA.
The Other Rick
What scares me is the Pen’s don’t appear to be looking to address
the physical issue. How can you be that blind?? Once Reaves and
Cole departed it was fair game on our skilled players.
They need to revamp the 4th line and add to bruisers on the wings.
As I stated early I’m not at all sold on ZAR if we’re relying on him as
a physical presence.
Hey Mike,
Interesting comment about ZAR. If I understand you correctly I agree, ZAR should not be viewed as a 4th line bruiser. He is not small, but neither is he built for that role. In a better world I would first love to see the Penguins get a JVR or trade for a Pacioretty to play LW for Malkin. However, since that probability ranges from slim to none and slim left town, I would think that ZAR-Malkin-Kessel could be a pretty effective line.
Pacioretty is probably the more workable idea. That winger would only require JR to reverse another of the deals he made last year and trade Brassard and not only don’t I see him doing that, the time may not be quite right for that trade.
Being able to sign JVR is probably less realistic. THe team would need to clear even more cap space. Barring the proverbial light bulb clicking in the collective head of the Penguins and they realize one trick pony Letang is the teams biggest weakness and trying to deal him to PP specialist starved Edmonton, there won’t be cap space to go after JVR.
I would love to see the team get a player to put a little fear in bully/cry baby (Strahlman hit me back) Tom W. but I don’t see that happening either. I am getting the sneaking suspicion that they may try and use Tobias Lindholm as the 4th line LW with Bryan Rust on RW, depending on what happens at prospect and training camp. (based off of some press clipping things I have read recently – not any real info).
From that physical issue, that is why I really would love to see the team get Pedan back in the fold and trade for the rights to Mozik, sign him and bring him here. Even more important than a big winger is some more snarl on D.
Just saw the Pen’s are bringing back Cullen – Free Agency has gone
from bad to worse – I love Cullen – shit make him an Assistant Coach
for Gods sake – this is ridiculous.
Been out of it for a couple of hours so I am just seeing this now.
Agreed 100%. Love Cullen, but with Brassard, Sheahan,unless there is a trade in the works this makes no sense at all. Even if there is a trade in the works, its a bit of a head scratcher.
More news,
Looks like Bellerive is going to make a full recovery too.
The Other Rick
Great news on Bellerive.
Just read an article on Jack Johnson and came away wondering what the
hell are the Penguins thinkings about? Even if you like Johnson theirs no
way you give him a 5yr deal. I feel like we’re getting a carbon copy of Letang
on the left side – the article claims he’s constantly roaming out of position
and missing defensive assignments in his own end – wt??
I don’t understand why JR is going so hard after Johnson – I realize the market
for defenseman isn’t great but make a trade and get somebody you want not a
guy because he’s affordable and a FA.
This is so disheartening – everyone seems to comparing him to another Scuderi.
Hopefully JR comes to his senses prior to July 1.
Hey Mike,
I am willing to give JJ a chance and see for myself before I make a comment. But not to scare you any, I read somewhere that they were looking to pair JJ with Letang. I read the same discussion that you did about JJ roaming. If they don’t get rid of Letang and pair those 2 together, Sullivan may need to put 2 goalies on the ice at the same time to stop all of the break aways.
But as I said, I will wait to see what develops.
Honestly though, I would have rather seen the team try and get 2 – RD men and find a way to keep Pedan here for there LD. I would have also tried to work a deal to get Mozik for one of those RD. I am tired of watching Anders Lee manhandle Penguin Goalies because only 1 D man is big and strong enough to handle him and he doesn’t even get enough TOI,
I am also tired of the Buffoon Goons Wilson and Ovie taking cheap shots at Penguins and kicking skates out from under players and getting away with it.
Just heard the Pens agreed to a deal with Jack Johnson for 5 years $16.5 mil. The deal will be signed Sunday.
Only $3.3 mil per year? That may be a steal. It leaves them with enough to get Oleksiak signed and maybe even another player.
I complained about JR last year, but this year, it looks like he is working his magic again.
Now, If the team would just acknowledge it is time to move on from Letang and pull that trigger.
The Other Rick
Couldn’t agree more – move Letang and use that money
to get another legit winger and a physical player with size
for the 4th line.
And make sure Sullivan uses him for more than 4 minutes per game.
Just looking through all of these replies, you suggested that if the Pens could get him for about 1/2 the $6 mil that people were expecting Johnson to get, that the Pens should try for him. You must be channeling Nostradamus.
Hey all,
Don’t know if anyone posted this yet. But the Pens signed Riley Sheahan to a one-year deal for $2.1 million.
I personally like Sheahan and thought he did a nice job for us last season.
Rick
I liked him also. Everyone was comparing him to Bonino. I thought it was kind of unfair since Bonino had Kessel on his line when he got most of his points.
I will acknowledge, I dumped on him at the beginning, but in this case I was wrong. I ended up liking him and was disappointed that we traded for Brassard, particularly at the cost.
I agree, comparing Sheahan and Bonino is like comparing apples and oranges, you can’t do it.
I am starting to worry though. If JR keeps doing things that I agree with, what am I going to complain about?
Thanks for the update Rick.
I too like Sheahan, but I am concerned that the deal was only 1 year. I say this because I like good face off men and a 1 yr deal means he will more than likely jump next year.
Looking at the big IFS, if Bellerive and Bleuger can step up then no big deal. If Angello is ready, again no big deal.
Problem is, Brassard (if we don’t trade him) and Sheahan now are FA next year and the Pens are back to where they were at the beginning of last season.
I’m a Sheahan fan, too. I thought during that stretch at mid season he began to make a case for the third line being his. Then they brought in Brassard and it killed his rally.
This is another good signing. We’re pretty solid down the middle.
— 55
Great Read.
Letang can be great somewhere else not on the Penguins anymore.
Hi .
How’s everyone doing?
I’m very happy Hunwick and Sheary is gone. Great 10 million in cap space.
I can’t help to think if I would be more overjoyed if Letang was traded to. I get the feeling Rutherford doesn’t think nothing wrong with his blue line. I know it might be hard to move Letang but I would like him to rebuild around Dumoulin and Shultz not Letang. I hope no Jack Johnson too. He can do better than him. I just got some sneaky suspicion that Rutherford will eventually trade Letang this season coming up doing TDL. I guess he tryna give him a chance . I don’t think he will rebound that good even if he does I still trade the albatross contract. I know I might be disappointed with that because Rutherford talk about reducing his mins so I guess he doesn’t wants to trade him right now. I have seen Rutherford is not shopping him but he isn’t against trading him. He’s touchable.
I would love to see Chris Kunitz back. 13 goals isn’t bad . IMO. I would bring him back on a 2.5 million deal.
I think 10 million should be use carefully for good quality d man and winger after he sign Big Rig.
Hey Dee,
For me Oleksiak and Schultz are my prime concern. I am interested in seeing what Dumoulin could do free of Letang and with a a solid defensive partner to allow him to try moves like he made against Philly that got pathetically waved off, but I want to wait and see. Maatta somehow gets the job done under the radar, so although I am not tied to him, but I am not looking to dump him either. However, I also would love to see what Pedan could do, so, somewhere or another, I may have to part with Dumoulin or Maatta, particularly if the team did sign Johnson.
Hunwick & Sheary traded to Buffalo for a draft pick. Grabner & Johnson would be a solid upgrade. Kunitz 1 year for $1 mil wouldn’t be horrible. He can fill in for injuries on top lines.
Thank you JR,
and Thank You Phil for the update. My day was just made.
And Phil, I wouldn’t argue with your use of the $$$$$
The pick is a 3rd or 4th 2019 – i believe depending on their games played.
JR cleared cap space by moving Sheary and Hunwick – This salary
dump only allows for him to re-up Oleksiak and Sheahan and possibly
still have enough to work on adding depth.
I’m still concerned about our 4th line – we need size!! I have mixed
emotions about adding Jack Johnson. I don’t want to be sitting here
after Free Agency with the additions of Johnson and Kunitz.
These moves would be dictated by financial restrictions rather than making
the necessary salary dump to bring the players in that allow us to make a run at the cup!!
So many great options other than Kunitz.
How about LW Van Riemsdyk? The guy is a machine in front of the net.
De Haan would be a good quality defenseman. Johnson could have played half ass just because he hated Tortellini like so many other players. He might still be good. Might be worth 1/2 of the $6 mil they are saying he’s worth just to give him a look.
What do you think JVR will be asking?
He might be around $4-5 mil a year.
Maybe I can still hope for a clean sweep and JR can work a deal that will shed Letang and enough Cap space in the trade to go after JVR.
Hey tOR,
Madden is tweeting Jack Johnson has agreed to a 5-year deal with the Pens, but it won’t be announced until Sunday. No mention of money.
Don’t know about you, but I was kinda ambivalent about Johnson — kinda meh. I was thinking if they landed him on a one or two year deal, then okay, let’s see where it goes. But five years? Not so sure about that, especially if it turns into another contract they get stuck with. I knew Johnson would be looking for term considering his financial woes. I heard he played the last few years in Columbus for around $280 k in order to settle debt somehow or other involving his parents. Haven’t looked to verify that.
— 55
Wow 55,
I am not upset by Johnson signing at all, but 5 yrs? I wonder what the $$$$ will be. At 30 or 31 he could easily become another Rod Scuderi.
The Pens now need to get out from under Letang.
Hey 55,
I like Johnson…or at least my rose-colored vision of him…good size, physicality, skating and shot-blocking ability…not to mention an offensive bent. However, his stats have never quite reflected the player he’s supposed to be.
I agree…five years is a bit much…three would’ve been better. Perhaps he agreed to AAV concessions in exchange for long-term security. I guess we’ll find out when the details are revealed.
Rick
Hi Rick,
I’m not down on Johnson, or this signing, except the length, but I will admit it’s not exactly the D help I was hoping for. Like you I always thought he never quite played up to his hype. He had a bit of a dismal season with only 11pts. in 77 games. Maybe skating with his best bud will give him a lift and he’ll find a home here.
I’m also hoping this deal doesn’t effect their dealings with Oleksiak. I can’t imagine it would, but you never know. I hear they are working out a deal and I hope they follow through. I’d hate to see him go.
— 55
Hey 55,
Agree 100 percent about Oleksiak. Love this kid, and think he has genuine upside potential. Very important to get him signed.
Rick
Hey Phil,
Definitely addition by subtraction…at least in Hunwick’s case. For whatever reasons, he just wasn’t a good fit from the get-go. I wish him well…he’s supposed to be a real character guy.
I liked Sheary…especially early on…and thought he brought a lot of energy and a knack for finding seams and getting open looks. As time went on, however, he didn’t finish enough of those Grade-A chances…especially when skating alongside Sid. His size mitigated against him in a bottom-six role, and he virtually disappeared in the playoffs.
It’ll be interesting to see what Rutherford does with the $$$. At least we have the flexibility to make a move or two.
Rick
Hey Rick,
Like you I was initially excited to see Sheary get ice time, he has a heart much larger than his stature, but to me his best contribution to the Penguins was showing the stars that they had to toe the line or Sullivan would play a midget. However, all the benefit that brought was lost this past season when many under-achieving types still got TOI.
Hey Other Rick,
Great stuff as always. Intriguing, too.
If there was a way to productively get out from under Letang’s contract, I’d opt for it, too. Perhaps Montreal might have an interest as part of your Pacioretty deal. Not that I’d be averse to trading Brassard. But it’s always in the back of my mind if we lose Sid or Geno for any length of time, his presence suddenly becomes a whole lot more important.
Very happy the Pens locked up Rust. He’s a very valuable guy who can slot in anywhere in the lineup. Also happy we extended a qualifying offer to Oleksiak…and surprisingly…Andrey Pedan, who signed with AK Bars of the KHL on May 1.
I like Grabner, too, and hoped the Pens would make a play for him at the deadline. Perhaps a little one-dimensional, but talk about quick-strike ability. I think of him and Crosby together and my mouth just waters.
Glad Rutherford wants to upgrade the fourth line…for the most part a disaster last season. I’d like to see some aggression added, too. I notice the Caps didn’t make Devante Smith-Pelly a qualifying offer.
Along those lines, it sounds like the Pens are looking at bringing Kunitz back following a one-year hiatus. And they do appear to be courting Jack Johnson, who I think would be a nice addition to the ‘d.’
Agree with Phil’s take that we need to be faster. A concern…we’re thin on speedy, hungry kids down on the farm.
Rick
Thanks Rick,
I hear you about Crosby and Malkin. With the way Al Capone (George Parros) runs the NHLs Justice System (Player Safety) your point is doubly taken. With no big dogs on their porch to protect them now that Reaves is gone with no heir apparent and the Penguins lack of desire to use a Reaves type of player, it will be open season on Penguin stars again, for all of the Tom “Gunsel” Wilsons out there. A third line Center that can actually step up to play 2nd line is important. I was hoping to see if Bellerive could be that 3rd line Center after his huge year in Jrs but now I am just hoping he is alright and we can take it from there.
With Weber and Petry, I doubt Montreal will want to take on another $7mil D man, but if Edmonton is serious about a PPQB they may not find a better candidate.
You and I have talked about Rust since he came into the league. I love his speed and want am glad to see he resigned. However, Jim makes a good point. Although Rust is better than Sheary and if Sheary is getting $3 mil, Rust does deserve at least $3.5 mil per year, unless the Pens unload some big contracts I worry about the health of the team.
Interesting that you say you are picturing Grabner with Crosby, I can see that too. I always thought that Guentzel was able to read Malkin much like Neal did and found himself in the soft spots for Malkin to set him up. However, if the Pens did pick up Pacioretty, I may think if the team did boast Guentzel, Pacioretty, and Grabner, that Grabner would be 3rd in that lineup.
I am also glad to see the Pens offered Oleksiak a contract but I would think that they need to do far more than make him a qualifying offer, they need to sign him. To me he seemed to be the 2nd best D man once he got here. He may be young, but they need his size, shot and moves. I feel the same about Pedan. He still is a bit of an unkown quantity to me, but considering their Cap issues, they may not be able to get Jack Johnson. I have heard some discussion that he would want ~$6mil and with Schultz our top guy at less the $6mil and already paying Letang $7+ mil to watch players skate unmolested in on break aways and odd man breaks, they can’t afford another $6 mil. They may need to find a way to keep Pedan here and find out if he can be that answer at a more reasonable price.
Regarding Smith-Pelly, in a different world I would take a look at him. I love his size. (not so much hgt but width). However with Kessel, Sprong, Hornqvist, Rust, and Aston-Reese, I am not sure what would happen on that Right side. Rust and Aston-Reese are both capable of playing LW, but I am not sure how all that would play out. The team may simply be taking on a salary that may not be all that beneficial, particularly with the Sullivan’s reluctance to play bigger men.
The Smith-Pelly issue can get even more complicated if the Pens do go after Kunitz, like you mention and other sources suggest Crosby is pushing for. If both Kuntz and Smith-Pelly are signed there is a serious log jam at wing with only a couple of elite players followed by a bunch of character players.
Like You and Phil, I would love for the team to get more team speed and that is why I am not all that behind dumping Hagelin and would love to see them sign Grabner. However, long term down on the farm, not only would I love to see an increase in speed, but an increase in size, neither quality of which can be taught. There are big men out there that can skate, but it seems that when all things are equal or nearly equal our Pens invariably take the smaller man.
When the game is on the line, trying to hold a 1 goal lead, I would much rather be able to send out 5 players over 6’1″ tall with good speed than 5 players 6’0″ or less with great speed to clog up as much ice as possible and to be able to hold the puck once in their possession. Speed is extremely important to get up ice and behind opponents to get the lead, but when defending the much smaller confines of the defensive zone, size trumps speed. More importantly, when trying to hold that lead, the D-men need to be able to keep the lanes clear for the goalie to be able to see.
The most important thing the D can do is funnel all the shots to the perimeter and not give up anything inside. With players like Rust and Hagelin and if the team would go after Grabner, the next step would be to get players like Oleksiak, Pedan, Mozik, and a forward that big and ornery to knock down Goons like Tom Wilson or handle big men like Anders Lee or Wayne Simmons types.
Guentzel and Malkin are not great together. They don’t play the same game. I didn’t see nothing both there.
Guentzel is perfect for Sid. He reads Sid better and work effective for Sid that he needs. Sid deserves better. No leftovers. He’s Sid ‘sPermanent LW. They just need a quality RW to compliment them . Sid wants Him there.
I enjoy them together. I like how they know when to play their roles together like when to be a finisher or playmaker in moments. I give Game 1 with Flyers that’s recent with them .
I don’t see that changing and I always thought it was a big mistake to have Guentzel with Malkin . If they get Garbner he could be their RW if Hornqvist isn’t there. Plus occasional Sprong in the mix. Idk . I believe and want Guentzel to be Sid’s LW and Hagelin to be Malkin’s LW . I know from the organization they want Guentzel there with him.. It just that Sully let them play together with consistency. No constant line changing and RW that on the same page with them if it isn’t Hornqvist.
I prefer to see top 2 lines constructed well for consistency without changing. Bottom lines needs to be better.
Hey Dee,
I like Geuntzel on either Malkin or Crosby’s wing. When Geuntzel first came up he played on Malkin’s wing. He was skating with Malkin and Kessel in his first game when he scored his first 2 NHL goals. I think Kessel assisted on both, while Daley and Malkin picked up the other assists. On his second goal, if I recall it correctly, he drifted into the high slot, giving Malkin a perfect target for the shot.
With Sprong, Hornqvist, and Kessel, the Penguins will be going into the season with a quality scoring RW on all 3 top lines. It is LW that worries me. I like Hagelin and he is solid on the PK and worked well with Malkin and Kessel in his first half of a season aith the Pens but hasn’t had the scoring touch I would want in a top 6. If the Pens can’t land a Pacioretty from Montreal or a JVR like Phil mentions below (but signing JVR will be highly unlikely if they signed Johnson) I am not sure where they will find LW scoring. Maybe Aston-Reese? I like Simon but he is more of a play maker and neither Crosby nor Malkin really need another play maker on their lines.
The team needs shooters. They need a Winger who will shoot and they need a D man that can hammer the puck.
Rick
Good to hear from you – hope your summer is going well. I just wanted to
throw my two cents in on a couple of potential moves by the Pen’s.
1) Dont re-sign Kunitz – time to move on.
2) Everyone seems to be high on ZAR – not sure why? in my opinion
he “under-achieved” in the physical department.
3) I hate to keep repeating myself but JR can’t possibly make the necessary
changes to the Pen’s roster without shaking lose of Letang’s contract
4) To me Oleksiak is the Pen’s most important FA signing. That needs to get
done.
5) Keep Hagelin – “The Other Rick” – Grabner doesn’t do it for me – We could
use his speed and scoring ability but he’s similar to Phil when it comes to
defending his wing. Its tough to replace what Hags brings to the table.
Hey Mike,
Interesting comment on ZAR, think I’ll have to chew on that one.
Also agree completely, Oleksiak is the most important resign.
I understand your preference for Hagelin, Grabner could not get it done with NJD last year nor has he been able to go the distance, (Hagelin has a couple of rings) but I would love to have both of them and have Rust, Hagelin, and Grabner for PK. I also like that he can be a bit selfish with the puck and shoot it himself. I am tired of players passing up good scoring opportunities looking to set up a highlight reel pass.
I’ll hold off a bit on further discussions of Grabner and Kunitz, but I don’t disagree with you about Kunitz either.
Hey Mike,
Thanks for the well wishes…hope you’re having a good summer, too. Sorry to be so out of touch.
I actually like Zach Aston-Reese. I know he doesn’t skate all that well, but he’s smart and reads the game well, has some underrated offensive skills and does possess a little jam. But, no, he’s not the legit power forward I was hoping for. His run-in with Tom Wilson in the playoffs was like a PT boat going up against a battleship. No surprise who survived unscathed.
If we ever draft a Josh Anderson-Boone Jenner type, I’ll probably keel over.
Although Jack Johnson (apparently signed) will add a bit of size and aggression to the back line (although not fighting ability), I sure wish we could land a legit bruiser (or two) up front.
Wishful thinking, I’m afraid. Buckle up your chin straps, boys …
Rick
Hey Rick and Mike,
I hate to be a wet blanket here, but I don’t think the Pens will get a true power forward while Sullivan is coach. He never seems to play the big man.
Hey oTR,
I guess we just signed Bryan Rust today to a 4 year 14 million dollar Deal. ( 3.5 million per year ), ??? and I thought Sheary’s deal was high last year !! When will the Pen’s ever learn. These are role players Coach. For me I would rather take Rust 3.5 million contract and Sheary’s 3 million contract, trade them and get a $ 6.5- 7 million dollar star winger who can make a difference at the NHL level and then use a cheap 4 th liner to play 8- 10 minutes a game.
The good news is the Pen’s signed Daniel Sprong for 2 years at $ 1.5 million per season. That was a good contract.
BTW Coach, with these 2 minor signings the Pen’s just ate up about $ 3.3 plus million of the projected 9 million in cap space.They need to move some big contracts.
Your thoughts ??
Hey Jim,
I like Rust, I think he is a decent utility man. Compared to Sheary, his $3.5 million is a steal. However, your point is well taken, considering the contract bind the team is in, how will the signing affect everything else. If the team can move Letang, Hunwick, and Sheary, then the signing still can look really good. However, if the team still has to suffer under those 3 players for the lengths of their contracts Rust too could become problematic. Particularly if they are truly serious about Jack Johnson, he is no doubt looking for a raise too, from whoever he signs with.
I am glad they got Sprong in the fold and at a cheap price, but I still worry. Part of me say good to keep the price down for 2 reasons; 1) he still is unproven at the NHL level – because Sullivan refused to let him play last year, 2) The team can’t really afford much more than that right now. However, long term does that hurt any future negotiations? When he turns UFA will he simply ignore any Penguins’ offers? If he still sort of an in betweener no big deal, but if fulfills expectations I would want to be able to keep him or at least have an opportunity to keep him.
But getting back to the lack of Cap space, that really scares me and makes finding a way out from under Letang imperative. As I said in the body of my post, if this were the Howard Baldwin era and the team had that kind of money to go around to a second pairing PP specialist, no big deal – keep him, but when Justin Schultz is truly your number 1 guy because he can not only QB the PP but can also play Defense and at a cheaper price, Letang is a redundancy that the team can ill afford.
Fully agree Coach. Letang needs to go along with Hunwick. We need Cap space because just fielding the same team we had in 2018 will net you the SAME or even worse results as before. The team is slower, lacks 3 lines of true scoring ability like the 2016 Pen’s, and a defense that needs at least 2 or even 3 pieces to be Champs again.
Good to see you writing so often my friend. It really suites you well.
For me my time constraints are such now that I can not contribute to the level I wanted to at this time, but I hope that changes. I have 2 different articles I have started LAST year and never finished and one has become quite relevant again in NHL.
I will reach out to RB….
Cheers
Jim
Thanks Jim,
I am looking forward to reading that article. Your posts are always great food for thought.
I hope the time constraints are equaling $$$$.
Again we are in full agreement. Even with the increase in the Cap, the Pens are right up against it. Imagine if the Cap hadn’t gone up. We would be well beyond trouble. When the best players in your system are a second round draft pick that the coach refuses to play, even when the midgets ahead of him are tanking and your other best hopefuls are undrafted FAs who came to camp last year to earn contracts, you are in trouble.
On D the team needs 2 Right handed D men for their top 6 – behind Schultz, minimum, and possibly a 3rd D man to be the 7th. If they can free up the money for Johnson, then Oleksiak can swing between R + L, but they still would need 2 RD. And again they need some D men that can shoot the puck hard and at least with some accuracy without having to wind up to Christmas before shooting as well as at least get in the way of opponents coming into their end and not turn into turnstiles.
I do hold out at least a little hope that if Sullivan plays Kessel, Hornqvist, and Sprong, that the 3rd line will be more than an annotation this season. Even if the team trades Brassard, Sheahan did start showing signs of being able to drive the 3rd line until the team screwed up their chemistry.
What concerns me more than what the 3rd line will look like this year is what even the first and second lines will look like next year. Unless a miracle happens and Militec, Bellerive, and other FA players like them all turn into diamonds out of the rough, the bill will soon be due. The odds of that would only be slightly better than Seattle winning the Stanley Cup this year (yes I know that do not even exist yet)
Here’s to things working out for you to free up some time to write more. I think all of us here on Penguin Poop look forward to it.
Gretzky handing the torch to Lemieux and Crosby handing it to McDavid and Edmonton trading Coffey to Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh trading Letang to Edmonton.
That would be crazy.
Interesting thought Phil. I honestly hadn’t thought that historically. Talk about irony
The Other Rick
Hope your summer is going well – great article. I agree with just about
every point you made regarding the Pen’s. I do however have concerns
with moving Hagelin and for this reason – He’s the teams best penalty
killer and skater – i’m making this point because teams have
a tendency to slip up when trading players – its alway important to be able
to replace what your losing in terms of a players strengths. Example Pen’s
lose Cole / Reaves – there two most physical players and JR failed to
address this at the deadline. Pen’s are a different team when Hagelin is in
the lineup as we saw first hand in the playoffs. Would I like to dump his
salary “yes” but who fills his void on the PK ?? No one on the Pen’s pressures
opposing defenses / forces turnovers like Hagelin. Again, I’m all for moving
him & creating cap space – “who replaces what he does for the team”?
In my opinion for the Pen’s to make the necessary changes going into the
2018-19 season JR needs to part ways with either Letang or Kessel – My
vote goes to Letang.
I agree Hagelin is a great keep. Plus it really seems that speed wins championships, Pens loss of speed and Capitals switching over to youth & speed made all of the difference in the playoffs.
Hey Mike and Phil,
Sorry if it sounds like I am promoting a trade of Hagelin. Like both of you I have serious concerns over this. Before I would trade Hagelin I would have to have a solid replacement option. There are a lot of things that can be taught, but speed is not one of them. I only mention Hagelin’s name to acknowledge that many people are throwing his name around. If I were to trade Hagelin, I would definitely need a Michael Grabner already signed sealed and delivered. Hagelin still represents value to this team.
(Grabner had a GF/60 of 1.4 and GA/60 of 4.6 short handed last year while Hagelin had a GF of 0.3 and a GA/60 of 6.4. Hagelin played a little more on the PK at 205:33 while Grabner played 163:15. So last year Grabner may have looked a little better but over all I wouldn’t be unhappy staying with Hagelin)