Can YOU Handle the Truth?
For our Penguins, trading away a player or 2 (or more) is a must, not an option.
Yes, I know, I said Evgeni Malkin shouldn’t be traded unless he wants to go and I stick by that statement. However, we have a problem right here in the city of Pittsburgh with our Penguins. Some seriously mismanaged finances have our Penguins with their tails to the wall.
Glance at the bottom line and you will see that our Penguins are projecting to spend $79,083,333 for next Season. At present (unless the league increases the Cap), teams are only allowed to spend $79,500,000. Our favorite flightless fowl have almost reached that limit.
To make matters worse, look a little closer and you will see that the Penguins only have 9 Forwards on the roster (below). Even if they play with no 4th line at all they could exceed the Cap.
| Player | Po | Salary | ||
| 1 | Evgeni Malkin | C | $ 9,500,000 | NMC |
| 2 | Sidney Crosby | C | $ 8,700,000 | NMC |
| 3 | Phil Kessel | RW | $ 6,800,000 | M-NTC-NMC |
| 4 | Jake Guentzel | LW | $ 6,000,000 | |
| 5 | Patric Hornqvist | RW | $ 5,300,000 | NTC |
| 6 | Nick Bjugstad | C, RW | $ 4,100,000 | |
| 7 | Bryan Rust | W | $ 3,500,000 | |
| 8 | Jared McCann | F | $ 1,250,000 | |
| 9 | Dominik Simon | W | $ 750,000 | |
| 1 | Kris Letang | RD | $ 7,250,000 | M-NTC-NMC |
| 2 | Justin Schultz | RD | $ 5,500,000 | M-NTC |
| 3 | Brian Dumoulin | LD | $ 4,100,000 | |
| 4 | Olli Määttä | LD | $ 4,083,333 | |
| 5 | Erik Grudbranson | RD | $4,000,000 | |
| 6 | Jack Johnson | LD | $ 3,250,000 | |
| 1 | Matt Murray | G | $ 3,750,000 | |
| 2 | Casey DeSmith | G | $ 1,250,000 | |
| Total | $ 79,083,333 |
NMC – No Movement Clause (No Trade, No Waive, No Demotion to the minors, NTC – No Trade Clause, M-NTC – Modified No Trade Clause
Zach Aston-Reese, Teddy Blueger and Marcus Pettersson are not on the list above. All three players are Restricted Free Agents (RFA). Adam Johnson, Joseph Blandisi, and Juuso Riikola, (who also spent time sporting a Penguins’ uniform last year) also do not appear on that list and are RFA. Even more players, Matt Cullen, Garett Wilson, Zach Trotman, and Chad Ruhwedel are Unrestricted Free Agents (UFA) and as such are not counted in that nearly $80 million salary. We haven’t even talked about Tristan Jarry, who is under contract for 1 more season but unable to play alongside this the list of Penguins next season due to too much money against the Cap.
I recall just a few years ago, the team was only able to carry 17 skaters on their roster for a couple of games at the end of the season because of Cap issues. Unless the team can pare about $3 million from their roster soon, they won’t be able to carry even 15 skaters and 2 goalies come opening night.
Right after the season ended, there was talk about Nick Bjugstad being on the trading block, and that may be what happens, but he will only open up $4.1 million and drop the number of Forwards to 11. Our tuxedo attired aquatic avians will then have about $4.5 million to divvy up between 4 forwards to bring them up to 18 skaters, or about $1.1 million each…or they could drop down and get maybe 5-6 players at $800,000, in order to carry a reserve in case of injury on road trips.
The problem with this plan — the Penguins’ “cupboard” is rather bare when it comes to prospects making in the $800,000 range that might contribute at the NHL level. The team’s stars are going to have to shoulder an even heavier load next season.
Given all the signs and their recent history of making bad off-season moves (so I doubt the Penguins will do this), but my first thought would be to trade Kris Letang. That would free up $7.25 million minus what the team got in return. More importantly it would remove the player most directly responsible for the team’s early exit over these last 2 playoff years and let’s be reminded that they won their last Cup without him.
To whom would I trade Letang?
Dallas comes to mind. Dallas complained of a lack of an offensive punch, they will have $18 million in Cap space and the only Defenseman they have under contract right now for next year (that is close to Letang in salary) is assistant captain John Klingberg.
Who/What would I ask for?
Dallas’ 1st round pick and Jamie Oleksiak back. Oleksiak is by no means the 2nd coming of Bobby Orr, but he was bread-and-butter with Justin Schultz when he first came here, and the team is currently very weak on the left side of the Defense. Oleksiak would only cost a little over $2.1 million, saving 5 million to be spent elsewhere.
Low end, I would take Oleksiak and flip 1st round picks to trade up in the draft and free up that $5 million.
If I can’t make that trade, I would talk to San Jose, particularly if San Jose doesn’t win the Cup. San Jose is about to lose Erik Karlsson to UFA. San Jose will have $20+ million going into next year with all of the salaries clearing their books and Letang would only represent an increase of $600,000 over what Karlsson is making now. I would also jog the San Jose memory of what Letang did to them only 4 years ago. I am not sure what to ask for since San Jose doesn’t really have any picks until 2021 and they have a lot of aging UFAs. But as I mentioned recently, to clear $7.25 million I would be willing to not get equal value (equal value in terms of some Penguins’ fans).
Next I would trade Olli Määttä.
Toronto may be losing Jake Gardiner, Ron Hainsey, and Martin Marincin to UFA; all Left Handed Defensemen (LHD). Määttä could be what the doctor ordered for Toronto and he may recover his game up there. The Maple Leafs don’t have that much room to maneuver with all of their FAs including Mitch Marner, but I would love to get the RFA rights to Kasperi Kapanen back. Maybe if the Penguins picked up Patrick Marleau’s salary for the last year of his contract and gave Toronto Dominik Simon (a cheap Corsi attractive forward)… The Penguins would lose about $2 million of the $5 million that they freed up in the Letang trade but they would be up to 10 forwards, if they then could sign RFA Kapanen. Not a bad deal.
If they did have to take on Marleau’s salary to free up enough money for Toronto to sign Marner, to make a trade palatable it would clear the books next year and they would have that cap space back the next season for contract extensions and signings. It would also make trading Bjugstad less of an impact. Marleau can play Center or Left Wing. Trading Bjugstad could then help open back up some of the $2 million lost in taking on Marleau’s salary.
Signing Kapanen would free the team up to trade Right Wings Patric Hornqvist or Bryan Rust. It would be hard to part with a guy with Hornqvist’s heart and attitude but signing the 32 year old smallish hard working winger to that $5.3 million per year, 5 year contract was one of those questionable financial decisions made last off season. But our Penguins now must make hard decisions. It would also be hard to part with Hornqvist because of that contract, most teams will be skeptical of taking that contract on.
Another of those off season signings last year that is now looking like a burden was Jack Johnson. He is the lowest paid signed Defenseman but that $3.25 million could be better spent elsewhere. Trading away Letang and Määttä could make keeping Johnson less of a problem, at least until the trade dead line since there really wouldn’t be much of a market for him until then.
Vancouver, however, would be a another trade partner, as they have over $26 million in Cap space so we could shed Määttä’s salary for a draft pick. I doubt Vancouver would give up a 1st round pick, even though Määttä is a former 1st round pick, but I would try for as high of a pick as I could get, hopefully a 2nd but I would settle for a 3rd. At this point, with Määttä’s $4.083 plus the $5+ million freed up from the Letang deal, the Penguins might acquire Artemi Panarin before Florida does.
However, trading Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel make the least sense. They were the only 2 veteran forwards that did show up for the playoffs this year. Despite the Coach and GM crying about these 2 players they did try to make a series of it. They weren’t the problem.
Unfortunately, the reality of Cap era hockey means that our seafaring Sphenisciformes may be in seriously deep water with some savage seals seeking to sink their teeth into them if they don’t sacrifice some of their higher paid but more problematic players. “It is time for a cruel change.” to paraphrase a Little River Band tune. Hopefully the ownership will step up and have the courage to change but keep the team from parting ways with their better players and not just the ones the coach doesn’t get along with.
Hey Other Rick,
Excellent article. Really great work.
Gazing at your list, it really stands out that we don’t have a lot of cheap labor on hand…especially on ‘d.’ More or less hoisted on our own petard…or victims of our own success…whichever you prefer.
You win Cups and guys get rewarded, which has the unfortunate effect of shoving a team smack against the salary cap. To make any significant changes we’re going to have to clear $$$…a defenseman for sure (perhaps Maatta as you suggest) and maybe one of the big three of Malkin, Kessel and Letang.
Although I like him, you could make an argument that Bryan Rust is overpaid at $3.5 million and therefore trade bait as well, although I’d hate to part with his speed and hustle.
We desperately need some young, hungry kids to flesh out the bottom-six forward group at a reasonable price. Although we’re not especially deep in young talent, I think Teddy Blueger and Adam Johnson could definitely fit the bill. Although Zach Aston-Reese has his moments, I’m not entirely sold on him.
Anyway, not to sound like a broken record. But Rutherford is definitely facing some hard choices. I don’t envy him.
Rick
PS–I’d love to get Kapanen back…he can really fly. But Toronto’s strongest need is a top-four righthanded ‘d’ man. I’m not sure we can accommodate them.
Hey Rick,
Barring an offer I can’t refuse I keep Crosby, Malkin, Kessel, and Guentzel of and on the top 6.
I try McCann with Crosby top 6 and Bjorkqvist if he foregoes senior year. Otherwise I look outside the organization for that RW. Maybe I get Kapanen back?
I also look outside the Org for Malkin’s LW – Panarin, Skinner, Joakim Nygard (if I can sign him), Podokolzn, Boldy. Failing that I try A Johnson.
Bottom 6
Barring the unknown, Blueger is the only player that I give an inside track. Everyone else has to earn it.
At Center I would be willing to trade Bjugstad to save $$ and give Bellerive, Palve, Almieda, Pavlychev (if he turns pro), Lafferty, and Olund all a chance to earn that last C spot.
On RW I do my best to shed Hornqvist’s $5.3 million and open the field up to Angello, Bjorkvist (again if he steps out), Rust, Hallander (if he comes over), Kapanen if I get him in my above deal and he doesn’t land on Crosby’s line. or even Ilya Mikhayev or Villie Leskinen if I can sign them.
On LW It is wide open. If A Johnson doesn’t make it on Malkin’s line, I give him, Aston-Reese, Miletic, Hallander (if he comes over), Nygard (if I can sign him and he doesn’t stick on Malkin’s line) Leskinen (from above), maybe Jakob Lilja (if I sign him) they all get a chance.
At Right D – Letang is gone! even if it is for a bag of pucks. I want that $7+ mil for other use. I also start thinking about Schultz going UFA. Part of the Pens problem is that they haven’t though beyond their plan A and when it falls through they have nothing and have to scramble.
At Right D Schultz and Gudbranson have some comfort level but I give Prow and Addison a chance to fight out for the 3rd D spot. I also resign Trotman to fight for that spot as well as bring in Alexander Yelesin and Oliwer Kaski. As I noted before Yelesin and Kaski are very, very mobile and can shoot the puck. Shooting ability is not something with which Pens D are adept.
On Left D Dumoulin is the only one who gets and cred. For the other 2 spots I will give Pettersson and Riikola a shot, but I look for others in trades and or signings.
In Goal I can go with Murray and DeSmith. I sign Vasiliy Demchenko and Adam Readeborn. If either look fairly decent in North America I start looking to trade Jarry.
My bottom 6 would therefore be made up of a lot of young kids looking to prove themselves.
Hi Coach,
Great article.Clearly shows the dilemma that the penguins and the other 30 NHL Teams must deal with. I believe that the new salary Cap Is reportedly going to be in the $83 million range for 2019 – 2020 season.That is not official yet, but that is what’s being reported in the Toronto media. Even so the additional $4 million really is a very small amount to sign all these players as you properly noted.
Truly successful teams cannot compete without four or five players making around $1 million Per season. Simple math says 83,000,000÷20 = 4.15 million per player. If true super star players command $10-11 million plus per season and more, it becomes very apparent that you must balance them against low cost, highly skilled players on Three year entry-level contracts which as you know are approximately $1 million per year cap hit .
Look at the Toronto situation Coach.They have a real problem in that they didn’t win it all this year, and now they will have to pay $11 million to sign Mitch Marnier and they will little Cap Room left to sign at least 4 more younger players who expect healthy raises.So their at the reverse of our situation. Too much young talent and they failed to win During the three-year window of the players on entry-level contracts.Toronto does have an option to trade mariner and they will receive I believe three or four first-round draft picks for him. Which if they’re careful they can use to resupply the chain and be Competitive for another three years. That is a nice option to have. Especially if you trade with New Jersey or New York.
Sorry I digress… in the penguin situation we need to remove several pieces of expensive aging talent and replace them with lower cost, highly skilled players who are on entry-level contracts. Or at least on bridge contracts that are in the $6 million range, that the league appears to be paying star players, once their three-year entry-level contract is over and they have not yet reached superstar status. That’s the real issue coach. It’s all about proper drafting and Cap Management.
How do we as a team secure first-round draft picks, preferably top 10 first-round draft picks and replace some older talent who are no longer Producing at a level of their high salary with players on mid gap contracts?
I want to comment further but I think this is the start of several discussions and I will wait to see what others have to say. But it is a really good article and illustrates the business side of hockey. What owners fail to realize sometimes is that when you have a team like Pittsburgh, which is really a small market team, with a limited ownership compared to the large NHL markets and large corporate ownership, there is only so much revenue that you can charge your Fanbase. When they’re winning all is well, however when they lose for extended seasons that limited small fanbase becomes a real problem and that often people don’t spend vast amounts of dollars to watch your team lose every year.
Remember Coach two years ago they tried to sell the Penguins and nobody would pay the price!! If the Penguins were such a wonderful, moneymaking machine you would’ve thought that our beloved penguins would’ve been sold in a week.It never happened! Why?
So as you and I and the others who read this blog love our penguins,there is a sobering reality to the business of hockey and you have so expertly presented the situation above.
I’m sure it was a tough article the write, but it is necessary for fans to see.
Thanks,
Jim
.
Coach, a quick correction…
Some teams will carry 21 or 22 players during the regular season due to injuries or player management. I believe the League allowable maximum is 23 players during the regular season.
The allowable salary would be 83 million ~23 players = 3.6 million per player not 4.15 million I reported above.
Even worse….
Jim
Hey Jim,
The bad news – over the last several years the team has over-valued many players. Schultz has proved that the team doesn’t need Letang, moreover, that Letang is actually a problem on this team. Hornqvist does have a great heart but if Sullivan would take off his blinders he could find cheaper options than Hornqvist’s $5.3 mil. I don’t begrudge Hornqvist, but his willingness to go to the dirty areas is really a dime a dozen in the NHL. Every kid looking to make it, has this attribute. It is only scarce in Pgh because Sullie dumps those players in favor of midget perimeter players (Simon).
Like gamblers the team got away with something for 2 years so they keep trying to recreate that luck.
The good news is that most teams go down this path. If San Jose makes it to the Finals, there is a distinct possibility that fans and people within the org will remember Joonas Daskoi’s OTG against Colorado to win the series rather than the rather pedestrian 14 goals in 80 regular season games this past year and give him more money than he is worth this summer in FA.
One thing we still haven’t talked about is positioning the team to survive another expansion draft!
Great question Coach.
Been thinking about that for a while.
It will come quickly upon us.To soon.
Another post for another day but if it was right now, Hornqvist or Letang would be my choice IF we could not trade them for a player or draft picks of value.Nobody will take Jack Johnson with that contract so add him to the list.
I enjoy reading the others comments in this post. All great points.
My final comment is as your article so expertly hi lights, we can not just stand pat anymore. The definition of idiocy is doing the same thing every time and expecting a different result !!
Cheers
Hey Jim,
Exactly!!!
This is the time to pare NTC/NMC from the list so that the team has flexibility.
The Other Rick
I agree with you on the majority of your article – I will have to respectfully disagree with the Malkin / Kessel interpretation. As of late February their
was only one player in the NHL with a worse plus/minus than Malkin and
allowing him and Kessel to play on the same line is a Defensive disaster
waiting to happen.
As far as a trade I think the Penguins need to move at least two from the
list this list of three Letang, Malkin and Kessel – Personally I would move
Letang and Kessel. I think you could easily find a cheaper option at right
wing that may produce slightly less than Kessel but would help reduce
the defensive liability. I would take a solid 60 to 70 pts and add a player
with grit/toughness. With Letang I would get the best player available
and then dab into Free Agency for a couple of younger defenseman with
upside.
I don’t see Malkin going but I wouldn’t be disappointed – I think his game
is regressing and if JR doesn’t move him now the Pen’s will be stuck with
his contract until it expires.
Have a great summer – looking forward to the draft in June. “GO PENS”
Hey Mike,
Please understand my comment about Kessel and Malkin was limited to the 4 game playoffs. They were the best forwards in the playoffs. Crosby and Guentzel disappeared, neutralized completely by NYI’s 3rd line.
Also, I am firm believer in everyone can be traded for the right price so if the Pens did trade Kessel and thy got enough in return, I wouldn’t be totally upset. I do like Kessel and would like to see him stay but if say Colorado said they would give me the pick they got from the Sens (4th OA) feeling they need another RW for their 2nd line and didn’t want to take a chance on a kid like Podokolzn developing fast enough I wouldn’t balk at all. I may not even ask for more than that pick, particularly if I could swing getting Kapanen back in the above mentioned Maatta deal.
However, moving Letang should be a priority.
Name a 60-70 point winger with grit and toughness making enough salary less than Kessel to actually make an impact on our cap.
Also, why is it perfectly okay to take 20-30 points off that line in a potential trade yet the +/- being such a huge issue that you’re wanting to trade one or two of the only players (2 out of maybe 10 total) to produce over a .ppg average over the past 2 seasons? It makes zero sense logically. If you’re weighing +/- so heavily in asset value, your trade logic is an even sum as the guy you hypothetically propose (whom also doesn’t even exist when you factor in both Kessel’s partial NTC and those few terms willingness to move said player for The Thrill). Dropping 20-30 points off that line is roughly the same +/- value as the given reason for wanting to trade one of the two.
Then you run the risk of fit, the risk that the player staying (lets say Malkin) is better, or not, in the given stat and you have clearly traded the better player away.
My proposal is to never use such a bogus and subjective stat to do ANYTHING of value. In fact, never use a stat period to make a major decision. As well, rather than being reactionary, look at the entire body of work and see if it is a fluke or something which can be corrected.
There are plenty of dead weight cap decisions which could be made where the collective negative impact far outweighs that of any of our best players.
Rust, Horny, Maatta, JJ…those 4 right there combine for 15+ million and were all 2nd half liabilities. Yes I include Rust. He is billed as a guy you can move up and down the line and play well anywhere. Yet he could only score when playing with Sid and he is not a first line player.
Or our coach who had a cheap potential option for a first line player oozing talent but simply didn’t like him so he wasn’t even going to consider giving it a try. Instead we have to hear how the player has to “EARN” a CHANCE yet place him in a situation where, when he wasn’t healthy scratched in favor of AHL guys, he would get a few minutes on the 4th line making it impossible to earn anything. Soon after we see him traded along with other valuable assets whom Sullivan didn’t get along with. Adding insult to this is the fact that when traded we hear ad nauseam about how a player has to earn his chances at moving up lines only to see Rust with ZERO GOALS through around 30 games get put on Crosby’s line and (BIG SHOCK)he scores. We see Simon mishandle and fumble away offense stay in the top 9 for an entire season (half of which is in the top 6 with 2 world class centers) yet manage an entire 8 goals. And his advanced stats supporters talk about how he drives offense yet fail to realize how incredibly damning that is to have such good possession numbers and such pathetic actual numbers as it shows that he is so abysmal at offense that it negatively affects and hinders whatever line he is on.
Yet he gets ice time galore because of favoritism and while our coach finds reasons to not give superior, cheap talent an opportunity, he then goes point blank, does the exact opposite of what he says is the standard for his favorite guys, and then comes up with new excuses for them each month to defend or justify their play.
That was a MASSIVE problem with the Bylsma era in constantly putting an inferior, yet favorite product on the ice over the right product on the ice.
This team has to many players doing far to little, expecting the stars to do it, and make things happen all the time of which they will be the beneficiary rather than making things happen and making plays that will enhance, that will make it easier and lift the stars burden where they can. And yet people want to trade the few guys who provide all of the offense because they get burned on risky decisions now and then while conveniently forgetting the many times those risks have paid off and not thinking about where this teams Cup count would be had these same players not taken creative liberties in an attempt to drive actual offense…not Dominic Simon advanced stats offense, but real offense.
So keep the +/- and the advanced stats. Those who use them see no wrong with them. But every time someone defends Simon using metrics remember that actually points out the flaw perfectly and ask them for all the possession he drives, what are the actual production numbers for both himself and each line he is on. And then stop using these numbers to justify your thoughts on major decisions.
Funny how all those laughing at the Gudbransson trade who were so very vocal (hint, all metrics folks) have nothing to say now. Not saying EG was a world beater but far from the “worst defenseman in the league” and a perfect case point in failure for those who were insistent on not giving it a hint of a chance to see how it looked on the ice because the metrics already told the entire story and how it will play out.
Keep our best guys. As I said, there is plenty of dead weight drifters making enough money to significantly affect our cap while negatively affect our on ice product (sometimes by simply providing absolutely nothing at all) that we should be focusing on moving .
Hey Josh,
Solid Points. In fact you may be inspiring me to another post.
Let me add this to your argument; Kessel leads the team in Winning Goals over the 4 years he has been here with 25. Malkin is 2nd with 24, and Crosby 3rd with 23. Kessel is also tied for the team lead in OTGs over his 4 years with 7 with Crosby.
Getting a player who picks up 60-70 pnts isn’t the same as keeping clutch players who play their best when the chips are on the line. Stat padding isn’t the same as finding ways to win.
The Other Rick & Josh
I need to make this brief but will elaborate further this evening. First and foremost I’m not a numbers guy and after working
with Pro Teams for the last 15yrs I can assure you that the
numbers lie.
Second – this isn’t about individual accomplishments – Hockey
is a team sport and without the right dimensions in place you wont win a Championship.
Although I did point to Malkin and Kessel’s plus / minus I was using it more as a gauge – it’s hard for a player with that type of
offensive production to still have that low of a plus / minus on a Playoff team.
Seven players out of the top 50 point getters in 2018-19 had a
minus rating and only (3) of the seven had their team make the playoffs. Malkin ( -25 ) Kessel ( -19 ), Matthews ( -9 ).
Anyway – the main point to be made here is theirs a right time
to move a core player before his game regresses to the point
he brings zero value on a return. The Pen’s have (4) players
that fall into this category – we know Crosby’s not going anywhere so that leaves three – IMO two of those three need
to be moved.
P.S. Josh – Getting a 60 or 70 point player to play with Crosby
on the power play should be do-able – I would venture to say there are at least 10 ( without any research) that played for Non-Playoff teams that put up 40 or 50 and have the ability to raise there production playing for the Pen’s.
Just a guess but I would take a flyer that you never laced up a
pair of skates. You could pick up 50pts playing on the Pen’s Power play. That’s why they employ scouts to evaluate under achievers around the league who would benefit from a trade to the Pen’s…….McCann / Bjugstadt as examples.
The Other Rick
No offense but Kessel is clutch for “2” reasons Crosby / Malkin. Just a reminder Kessel had 15 even strength goals this year while Rust had 16 “yes that Bryan Rust” – Now I know you’ll try to spin it and blame it on Kessel’s line-mates but IMO he brought that on himself with his refusal to backcheck. “Just saying”
Ah shoot – I wanted to make a copy of brief points – My apologies.
Hey Mike,
I am not arguing that if the right offer is made trade Kessel, that is the whole point of “Cruel Changes” but don’t just throw him away. He is a super player. A singular talent.
Although I understand your sentiment, if you will not allow me to argue against the EV Gs with Kessel’s EV Gs are influenced by the players he is with, you can’t argue that his WGs and OTGs were influenced by his teammates either.
But if you want to use that argument, I will ask you this, keeping to clutch goals, Guentzel skates with Crosby almost always, so if you want to attribute Kessel’s WGs and OTGs with Crosby why isn’t Guentzel that effective.
Simon got a lot of time with Crosby also, why did he only manage 8 Gs if Kessel’s clutch goals are so insignificant.
Also , remember that Kessel does always skate with Crosby and Malkin so his Clutch Goals are/were often scored with HBK or what ever other Sullivan attempt at a 3 headed monster tried.
Kessel’s clutch goals are of his own making.
To sum up, everyone, even Kessel is tradable, but to get Kessel a suitor has to pay and pay handsomely.
The Other Rick
1) Guentzel scored 33 even strength goals and
ended up with 76pts while spending most of
his power play time on the 2nd unit.
2) Not a fan of Simon – but you validate my point
where Kessel had 15 even strength goals Simon
not a goal scorer had 7 while playing 5min less
per game.
3) Kessel doesn’t create for himself and needs
Malkin and Crosby to set him up “which is
okay” You wont see him making many one on
one moves t/score.
I know you have hate in your heart for Sullivan – but as a Coach I can tell you players like Kessel
drive you nuts – For me I have no problem Sully
separating Malkin & Kessel – I view them as a
shoot you in / shoot you out type of duo.
I also think age is factor – each year it becomes
a little harder to mask there mistakes. For me to
many Pen’s fans are infatuated by skill – I know
its important to have a good core of skilled players. I mentioned this to Rick in another post –
“Will beats skill – Unless skill has will” That’s what separates Crosby from both Malkin and Kessel and most players in the league to be
honest. Sully’s job is to put the best “team” on the ice – the 20 guys that have chemistry and give you a chance to win night in and night out.
I’ll reiterate what I said in my previous post – its extremely hard to put up 82 and 74 pts and have
two of the worst minus ratings in the NHL.
The Other Rick
I just wanted to clarify that I’m not at all a Kessel
hater. I appreciate what he’s done for the Pen’s.
To me its business – I think when you evaluate the
Pen’s roster its clear to me that to avoid a huge
drop in the team’s winning performance a couple
of core players need to be moved.
It amazes me when I scroll through other Penguin
blogs that some fans think Letang hung the moon – they believe he’s untouchable. Right now my son is playing in Juniors – he watched a couple of Pen’s games and asked me how a Coach allows
Letang to play the way he does – undisciplined / always out of position and exposes the entire team defensively. My response “Good question”.
To summarize: Letang and Kessel are the two
core players that make the most sense to move.
IMO
Looking forward to the Draft – Should be interesting to say the least.
Mike,
My point is, where are all the other clutch goals. all of those players aren’t even close to Kessel in clutch performance regardless of who they play with.
Where were Guentzel and Simon this playoff?
Why was Guentzel a -3 and Kessel only a -1?
Why did Gunetzel and Simon only have 1 point while Kessel had 2 points, even though Guentzel played with Crosby while Sullie tried to keep putting Kessel out on the 3rd line?
It is simple, Kessel is Clutch, regardless who he plays with. They weren’t.
You don’t replace Kessel with just any 60 point man. Yes, as I said he is tradable but be prepared to pay for him. I don’t give up a clutch player cheaply.
Hey Mike,
Agreed about Letang!!!
I do not understand the Letang colored glass set. Yes, he puts up points, but he is as you say a loose cannon out there. He not only is out of position a lot, but he has a tendency to take bad Penalties (ie his hissy fit that cost the team in OT and SO).
If he was 23 or 24 and cheaper I may put up with some of it hoping he grows up but he is my first player to actively shop out of town.
There is a player in Europe that is in that 23 year old range Oliwer Kaski, has great mobility, and owns a strong shot that he isn’t afraid to use, is a Corsi beast and doesn’t take hissy fits. I would give him the benefit of the doubt if he makes some defensive mistakes. He could learn. Letanf has already said he will not!