Hey all. I’m still trying to wrap my brain around the Penguins essentially losing two players in the expansion draft, the only NHL team to have the dubious distinction of doing so if I’m not mistaken. Two good ones, I might add.
Yes, I know, it’s all about dumping dollars (or dowhers as some in the ‘Burgh would say). But still…
I’m also trying to recover from the giant bucket of ice water dumped on my off-season expectations by black-and-gold general manager Ron Hextall during a recent video conference.
Actually, I’d opined in previous articles that I had a difficult time seeing us making any significant additions either through free agency or trades due to cap constraints. So Hextall’s assertion that we’re unlikely to be very active in the free agent market doesn’t come as a complete surprise.
It does, however, bring a certain finality or set quality to the proceedings, not to mention putting a damper on the rest of the summer. Truth be told, I was kind of hoping Hextall would prove me wrong.
I mentioned this before, but I thought we had a pretty darn good team last season. With some puck luck and judicious bounces, I honestly felt we had an outside shot at the Cup.
Turns out we were about three bricks shy…a productive power forward, a physical stay-at-home defenseman and a goalie.
I had high hopes we’d be able to address those needs this summer and maybe…just maybe…tool up for one last run at the Cup. Hopes that were dashed by the recent flurry of activity and Hextall’s rather sobering remarks.
I’m going to draw a rather disturbing analogy and compare us to the Pittsburgh Pirates, circa winter of 2015-16. Yeah, you read that right.
The Buccos were coming off three-straight winning seasons and postseason appearances. With a lineup packed with accomplished veterans like Andrew McCutcheon and Neil Walker and up-and-comers Gerrit Cole, Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco (yes, he had promise back then) the Bucs had a strong nucleus to build around. Had owner Bob Nutting chosen to invest in the club and allowed his management team add a couple of front-line players, who knows? Another playoff run or two wasn’t out of the question.
Unfortunately, Nutting elected not to invest. Walker, Charlie Morton and Pedro Alvarez were allowed to walk (or more accurately, shown the door). Replacing them were ham-and-eggers like damaged goods catcher John Jaso and pitchers Jon Niese and Kyle Lobstein. With a name like Lobstein, you knew this cat wasn’t throwin’ heat.
As a result, a team that still had some promise tumbled. Culminating in our present-day “Bad News Buccos.”
While I can’t imagine any team owned by Mario Lemieux falling to such depths, this summer kind of has the same feel to me. Instead of improving the team, I have a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach we’ll be lucky to tread water.
Perhaps we can replace Jared McCann with Radim Zohorna, who has a strong track record and dazzled during an eight-game cameo last season. Except the hulking Czech forward is an RFA with arbitration rights and Hextall neglected to mention him when discussing young players who have a shot at making the team this fall.
Let’s see, a 6’6”, 220-pound forward who skates well, possesses a high hockey IQ and great hands?
I sure hope that was an oversight and Hextall intends to re-sign him. If not…well…my wailing and gnashing of teeth (at least the ones I have left) in the wake of losing Brandon Tanev will seem like child’s play.
Not that I don’t empathize with Hextall’s plight. Former GM Jim Rutherford left us between a rock and the proverbial hard place, cap-wise. With only $7.5 million available, give-or-take a few hundred thousand, it’s going to be very difficult if not downright impossible for our new GM to sign our existing free agents while at the same time taking a stab at significantly improving the team.
There’s always hope Hextall might be able to clear cap space through a trade. In the wake of Shea Weber’s potential career-ending injuries, Montreal is rumored to be looking for defensive help. Perhaps they’d bite on Marcus Pettersson. That would allow us to promote Pierre-Olivier Joseph and free up an additional $3 million or so in cap space.
Or perhaps Hextall can pull a rabbit out of his hat and move Jason Zucker and his onerous $5.5 million cap hit.
Obviously, there are no guarantees that such deals can be struck. Especially with most teams in the same boat as the black and gold and looking to shed salary.
I hate to finish on a sour note. But it almost feels as if we crossed an invisible line and the recent moves were the first steps in what’s sure to be a long, grinding Flyer-esque rebuilding process.
Hope I’m wrong.
Also wik, wik;
Getting back to McCann
Adding to the fact that if McCann was all that good, Hextall would have been able to get far more than Haalnder and a 7th round pick, I forgot to mention, my source that said the trade was in part a message to Sullivan that a change is coming also said told me that McCann is more akin to Sprong than Zucker he is a locker room cancer – beyond arrogant.
Outside of the fact that the trade looks ridiculous based on the stats McCann has put up and the fact that McCann was a very reasonable Cap hit, if there was not any extenuating circumstances. My source has connections to both the Pens and the Panthers organizations. Toronto was McCann’s 4th team and Seattle his 5th team and he is only, what? 25. And when first got here he was lightning in a bottle as Sid’s RW but was not given any more opportunity to skate there again (sounds like Sprong huh).
Also wik,
As I have written, I am not happy about losing Tanev but it is not the end of the world.
First, the team needs grit on the blue line far more desperately than it needs it up front, mainly due to my 2nd point.
Point 2 – As you, yourself have written, there are players in the organization that potentially fill Tanev’s role; Bjorkqvist comes to mind. Furthermore, there is a lot of big, wide bodies that may not be turbo’s but that can add grit; Angello, Zahorna, Legare, Lafferty, and Poulin. The problem here has always been Sullivan.
However, on defense there is nothing, I repeat nothing anywhere in the organization that represents grit. The team is full of poor man’s clones of Letang. Although they have some puck moving skills but far less than 58. However, none of them have any of the grit Letang has and all of them including Letang are stick wavers and shy away from body on body contact or physically getting in the way of a shot a la Ian Cole.
Well Rick, I am with you on that Radim Zohorna is a must sign. It would be an absolute atrocity not to ink a deal with him, my fear is that we won’t, in typical Penguins fashion and we end up watching him score on us in the future, as he turns into the special player he is.
Also on another note, Hextall and the Penguins latest plans on what they’re planning with cap/moves. According to Kingerski’s sources: The Penguins trade and free-agent shopping will be for a goalie “like” Darcy Kuemper and “sandpaper.”
“Like Darcy Kuemper” sounds like a Merzlikins maybe? haha
Also apparently other sources are saying the Penguins had long talks with the Ducks yesterday, possibly a move on Gibson?
Hey Rick,
As we talked yesterday, I love your thoughts on dealing with Montreal to replace Weber but Pettersson is not even close to even holding down the fort let alone replacing Weber, particularly if Weber has a career ending injury. Matheson is by far the better option to trade them.
I would have been working my posterior off to make that happen since the news about Weber broke. And I would settle for nothing more than the 2nd round pick Montreal got from Tampa – effectively a 3rd round pick but I would ask for a lot more to start.
With Matheson gone I would feel less pressure to re sign Cecil and go for Bogosian – a bigger tougher D-man.