So the rumor mills are already a churning, what are the penguins up to, what will we get? I must admit I have fears that lord Hextall might do absolutely nothing and make only minor changes which is the opposite of what we need, we can see our shameful flaws for all to see in the last three playoff runs, terrible defensive play, weak goaltending and no size or grit. We also have another massive problem about to strike the Pittsburgh Penguins with all it’s might……father time, yes sadly our beloved Sidney Crosby is (33) though he seems like he will have a few good years left before any drop off, and then we have our favorite Russian Evgeni Malkin (34) who becomes more and more injury prone every year.
So what is lord Hextall and the Penguins going to do? Well lets look at what’s buzzing around and I’ll throw in some speculation of my own, though that will probably go to waste because the Penguins like doing the opposite of my good ideas 😉
Christian Dvorak
So apparently the Penguins, and also a lot of other interested parties are taking a little look at Dvorak. Who would be an excellent add, if not a bit of a steal, Dvorak’s talent has been wasted away in the land where players with talent go to die, Arizona. Sad to say as I love Arizona and its Coyotes, but unfortunately nothing good is happening out in the desert.
Have heard several teams showing interest in trading for Coyotes Center Christian Dvorak – Calgary, Montreal, Ottawa, Vegas and Pittsburgh.— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) July 21, 2021
So what do we have here, and would Dvorak be good for the Penguins? In my opinion, Dvorak is a sleeping giant, with elite potential, in his OHL season in 15-16 our boy got 121 Points, (52G) (69A) in (59GP). Now I’m not going to lie, he had some help, as his line mates on the London Knights are players you may recognize, Mitch Marner & Matthew Tkachuk. Despite playing with two studs, you can’t take away his talent, Dvorak does two things really well, he’s in the right spots on the ice, and he’s got a wicked shot. Now he does play center, and what worries me is that the Penguins are thinking he’s going to be there 3rd line center, for gods sake no, please no. Dvorak has been averaging about 30 to 40 points a season, if we play him 3rd line center I believe we’ll never really get to see his true talent. What we should do is move Dvorak and his great shot to either Malkin or Crosby’s wing, in my opinion he needs to play with Crosby. Knowing the Pens, if we get him, we probably waste him, which would be unfortunate as I love this player.
Jason Zucker
According to Josh Yohe over at the Athletic, the Penguins would be happy to move Jason Zucker and his $5,500,000. I would be too, since Sullivan won’t play him with Crosby, he’s going to waste and is just working against there cap. It’s clear the Penguins are looking to unload that cap or replace it with someone they think will work, as they left him unprotected in this expansion draft, but Seattle likes making smart choices so far and picked up a gritty player in Brandon Tanev, completely ignoring the bait that Hextall tried to dangle. So where can we trade him? To be honest we can’t do a straight up trade, we aren’t going to get a straight up equal player for him, at least most likely we won’t. This will be more of a “Hey here’s a player to help you get a playoff push, help us free up cap” and they will probably send us back maybe some draft picks and a prospect. I would prefer to try and make a deal with the Vegas Golden Knights, I see a lot of options we could trade for, and I believe that Zucker would fit in nicely in their line up. Getting young defensemen like Nicolas Hague or Zach Whitecloud would be nice. I also would think the Colorado Avalanche might have an interest in him. I just hope we can find a home for him and we get something at least decent in return, is that to much to ask? Probably. Unfortunately….
Depth from within?
Hextall looks like he is indeed going to call players up or at least sign players like Radim Zohorna. My worry is that he’s going to spend most of that newly free cap space to re-sign overrated bums likes Frederick Gaudreau, yea I said it. If we give anything more than $1.5 million for Gaudreau this will be a disastrous waste of cap. Even more worrying is what if they have the audacity to resign Mark Jankowski or Colton Sceviour, most likely they will not and most of those players are being left to walk. The biggest worry that I have, is that Radim Zohorna does not get signed, IT IS A REQUIREMENT as GM that you sign this kid to a deal, he’s an absolute must. Zohorna has proved he deserves a roster spot, he’s got great speed, good at skating, has size, bursts into the zone, and has a great shot to boot. Hextall will look like a complete and utter failure if this talent doesn’t get penned, you can bet that I will be the first one to write a ten page essay on what a failure that would be.
Hextall: "We do feel like we have enough candidates in-house that certainly can fill a number of the spots. But we will look outside and see what we can find, whether it's through trades, or free agency."— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) July 22, 2021
Second worry, Nathan Legare does not make the main roster…again. For all that is holy, please, call this kid up to the main roster, okay you didn’t call him two years ago, you felt he wasn’t ready, okay well when is he? Do you really want to waste him for two more years down in the dumps while he pummels peasants? How is he going to get good doing that, the answer is, he’s not. So now is the time, he looks fantastic, he’s toasting the puck in the QMJHL, while he embarrasses players way below his skill level. The verdict is out, goalies in the QMJHL have sent the letters that they are tired of being dumpsterd on by Legare, they want him up to the NHL so he can start getting hat tricks against them instead. Alright, I’ve had my jokes, but in all seriousness, if Penguins management cannot see the talent they have in Zohorna & Legare then in all honesty they don’t deserve to have them in the first place….
Closing thoughts
The Penguins have an opportunity here to do a lot, to put a winning cup team on the ice, plenty of moves to make, plenty of young talent to work with, BUT we’re going to see if they are any good at asset management, and if they know what pieces to add, clearly over the past couple years they don’t, but hopefully lord Hextall is the change we need, or he’s more of the same.
Hey Caleb, I’ve really been enjoying your articles. Would love to see Dovrak, he’s a really interesting player to mix into our lineup, but that’s a lot of teams looking into him would hope we don’t end up in a overpay bidding war, he would be a bit of a steal pick.
I have a hard time believing anyone want to take Zucker off us, I think for that price tag I just feel he’s to expensive for what he offers any team.
I would love to see Dovrak, just so long as we use him correctly, I definitely agree he’s a steal pick.
I disagree, I actually think there is a fair amount of teams that would be interested in taking Zucker, I think he’s still not to old, and does serve a role that some teams might need filled if they have the cap.
Caleb,
About dealing with Vegas, I would love to get Hague. I still haven’t forgiven JR for losing that 1st round pick that could have been used to grab this kid!!!!
Speaking of list draft opportunities I would never have lost the 1st round pick from the Brassard trade and would have snagged Alexander Alexeyev before the Caps did and I would still have Flip Gustavsson.
I don’t dislike Poulin but I would have taken Raphael Lavouie and would have worked a deal to get a pick high enough to land Anton Lundl, so I would have Centers in the pipeline.
I agree about Hague, very disappointing, especially with how good he looks. JR showed massive amounts of incompetence with giving away that pick, it was honestly just embarrassing, the whole league was laughing at us for getting fleeced.
I like Poulin as well, but I’m with you that I would much rather have Raphael Lavouie, I really wish we would make a trade for him so I can have my cake and eat it too, I think he’s overall a better player than Poulin, but alas I digress.
Caleb,
As for Gaudreau, with Geno possibly out for the start of the season and barring a trade bringing in a Center, I would offer him a contract, but not more than $1.5ish. There is a reason why he is as old as he is with so few NHL games under his belt. He may be a good plan B and that is all.
Zohorna is a must. He needs to be signed. He is a far more important piece of the puzzle than ZAR
I don’t care what other sites may say ZAR is worth, he is a 4th liner. I offer no more than $2 mil on a short term contract. Zohorna? He is worth at least $3 mil with bonus potential and longer term contract.
I absolutely don’t want Gaudreau, I don’t think he really deserves a cent, at least on our team, maybe on another, I really don’t think he fits on our team. Especially if we call players up, but that’s just me.
Totally agree on Zohorna, I think we all agree on that, as well as other writers/analysts.
As for ZAR, I’d say he’s 2 million player, I don’t think I’d pay him anywhere near $3 million to play 4th line, maybe if I was planning on playing him on the third, but I think overall we can’t fit him, I think it’s best to just let him go.
Hey Caleb,
Just a quicky note to say I totally disagree with your assessment of Gaudreau.
Ten points in 19 regular season games to go with a plus-10. Solid on draws (53.7 percent). A goal and three points in six playoff games to go with a plus-three. The leading plus-player for the Pens in the postseason by a wide margin.
Filled in effectively at center and right wing while moving up and down the lineup. Crafty and surprisingly effective in traffic and along the wall. Provides some spunk, too.
I’m not saying you break the bank to sign him. But for what and who he is, I think he’s a very effective player and depth guy.
Rick
Hey Rick,
Any player can have a small streak where they look good, especially on a team like the Penguins. Out of those 10 Points in 19 games, he only had 2 Goals, the rest were assists, on top of that I’ve seen Frederick Gaudreau play in Nashville, where he essentially was just a body out there, racking big numbers for a total of 4 points in 55 GP (4G) (1A), season before that he played 20 games for a total of (0G) (3A).
Yes, he went on a little hot streak, but it was on a team with far more talent, he’s bound to stumble into some points. Gaudreau is (28) has shown little signs of progressing into anything substantial, so my point is why would we pay $1.5 million or more for what he offers? Not worth it in my opinion, sign either a younger guy that possibly can do better, and keep Gaudreau from taking up a roster spot, let someone else have a shot.
I’ll say this, if we can get him signed for $1 million or under, I’m fine with him playing 4th line or moving up to 3rd center if we have injuries, but overall I’d rather fill his roster spot with someone else.
So much I can say here, but I’ll try to be brief. First, you need quality depth guys, and I think Gaudreau fits the bill. Yes, perhaps he caught lightning in a bottle with us, but I think part of that is he’s a good fit for the way we play.
Most importantly, he’s a winner and he produces when it counts. Some guys (Jared McCann for one) put up flashy numbers in the regular season but dry up in the postseason.
Gaudreau’s the opposite. He rises to the occasion in the playoffs. He’s got four goals in six points in 14 career postseason games (shades of my boy “Playoff” Sam Bennett). I’ll take that from a bottom-sixer depth guy any day.
In general, I agree with your last paragraph. But injuries do occur, especially on the paperweight Pens. Even if he spends half the season with the Baby Pens (they need players, too) I think Freddy’s worth keeping if we can sign him at a reasonable rate.
Rick
Sorry Rick,
I am much closer to Caleb’s opinion.
I don’t really count much of what happened last season when evaluating players; teams only played against their own division and only to the tune of 56 games. And even more to the point, 5 of those 19 games 5 were played against the Devils, 4 against the Sabres, and 2 more against the Flyers; that means over half of his games were against pathetically out of it teams in sell mode. He only played 6 of his games against playoff teams. Therefore, I don’t throw good money at a 28 year old who still hasn’t proven anything.
With Malkin potentially starting the season on IR, he may be worth a cheap look, unless as I wrote, Hextall makes a trade for a better Center.
Disagree with you both.
Don’t ask me to quantify this except to say Gaudreau’s a “grimy” hockey player who rolls up his sleeves, sticks his nose in and gets involved. That’s a good part of the reason he rises to the occasion come playoff time.
We have a hell of a lot of players who don’t fit that description. I think he’s worth keeping.
Rick
Hey Rick,
No worries my friend, everyone has opinions.
I will concede that I would prefer Gaudreau over say Jankowski but it is just there are a several other options I would rather see than Gaudreau.
I second that, I’ll take Gaudreau over Jankowski.
In my honest opinion I’d rather not have either haha, but if Gaudreau gets re-signed we shall see Rick.
Hey Caleb,
7734 yes, Sullivan go to rehab today to get over your addiction to smurfs!!!!!!! And keep Legare on the big league roster. This team is in need of a legitimate sniper.
If you are not a real coach and cannot teach the kid some of the finer points of NHL defense with on the job training then go back to school yourself and learn how to teach. Inherent to the term coaching is teaching!!!!
100% we need Legare on the main roster, but as I’ve said to Buker, my fear is that they plan to sign overrated bums and keep Legare in the scrub leagues, hopefully I’m wrong on that.
What we need is a coach that can teach defense, a skill that Barry Trotz possesses, at one point the Islanders were the worst defensive team in the NHL and Trotz turned it around. We can honestly go for a good assistant coach that can teach defense, if we plan on forcing Sullivan as head coach.
But I see Sullivan having mid way into the season, or if he makes it to the end of the season and loses in the first round again, he’s almost guaranteed to get canned this time.
LMAO Smurfs! SO true, I can’t understand sullys obsession with having a team of small fries? It doesn’t work, or at least not anymore. The league is about big rough guys now, the top line is where you have your speed guys now, everyone else is out to protect your top two lines, then the 3/4th lines are about laying down the law, just beating and wearing down the other team. The defense should be similar except on your top 4 dmen pairs you have a guy on each who can be fast and move the puck, while the other guys is laying people out.
Hey Caleb,
I thoroughly enjoyed your article! GREAT read…very entertaining…and I really like some of your ideas. A perfect counterpoint to the rather depressing article I just posted…lol
I wish I felt as upbeat as you. But unless we’re somehow able to move Zucker and/or Pettersson, I just don’t think we’re going to be able to do all that much.
I’m figuring it’ll take $2 million to re-up Zach Aston-Reese. Maybe they get Zohorna and Kasper Bjorkqvist for the league minimum of $750 K each. That chops $3.5 million out of the $7.5 million we have available.
If we make a pitch to re-sign Ceci? It would be a bargain to get him for $3 million…he’ll probably be more pricey. Do we try to re-sign Evan Rodrigues and/or Frederick Gaudreau? If so, that cuts in even more.
Anthony Angello, Drew O’Connor, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, Nathan Legare, Sam Poulin, Filip Hallander and Juuso Riikola aren’t presently on the roster and aren’t counting against the cap. They’re all in the $1.15 million to $764 K range. Call any of ‘em up, and they’ll cut into our cap space.
Too, I’d imagine Hextall will want to leave a bit of a cushion for a rainy day.
Again, unless we can move a Zucker or Pettersson and not take on a ton of $$$ coming back, there’s just not a whole heck of a lot Hextall can do.
Rick
Thanks Rick! Not sure it was upbeat though haha!
I’m honestly hoping we let ZAR walk, and I almost guarantee Zohorna is going to cost us over a million.
Would love to get Ceci on a team friendly contract, I actually wouldn’t be surprised if he does, he seems to like playing for us.
As for Evan Rodrigues and Frederick Gaudreau, also let them walk, especially Gaudreau.
I think there is no way we make any trades without moving Zucker and Pettersson, I believe that is the teams plans and I think there are a decent amount of teams in interested in both those guys.