It has been 5 years since our Pittsburgh Penguins have hoisted lord Stanley’s Cup; 5 years. Five years is a long time. Yes, in those 5 years our favorite flightless fowl have made the playoffs all 5 times, been then again, so did at least half the league, and in some cases more than half the league. With half or more of the league making the playoffs, making the playoffs is hardly accomplishment, particularly for those teams that fail to get out of the first round.
I would hope I need not remind any Penguins fans that our team has been among those 1st round losers 4 of those intervening 5 seasons, indicting this team as nothing all that special. Not only has our hockey team been ousted in the 1st round 4 times, once they were swept 4 – 0 by the New York Islanders and once they lost to the 23rd ranked Montreal Canadiens in the qualifying round, not really even the playoffs. This is the sobering reality of the morning after our Back-to-Back Cup runs.
We now sit upon the cusp of the 6th season since our Boys of Winter last tasted Champaign from that storied vessel. A lot of water has flowed beneath the bridges across the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio rivers in the interim. There are precious few of the heroes who etched their names into Cup history. Even the ownership of the Pittsburgh hockey club has changed. The Fenway Sports Group (FSG) ponied up $900 million to buy a controlling interest in our team. Now, as we stand on the edge of the future of hockey in Pittsburgh, 2 of this teams most decorated heroes as well as many lesser winter soldiers are set to part ways with their Black-and-Gold sweaters, whether through Unrestricted Free Agency (UFA) or Restricted Free Agency (RFA). It is an unsettling time to be a Penguins fan to be sure.
Some fans want to try and hold this team together and even bring back some recently discarded pieces in the vain hopes that somehow or another, doing the same thing over and over again will lead to different results. Other fans demand that the team be blown up and start fresh. A little while back, I wrote a piece here on this blog as the first part of what I would do if I were GM. Now please allow me to finish the game I started.
Quick Recap
I do apologize for the taking so long to get back to my writing. Since it has taking so long for me to get back behind my keyboard, I suppose a quick recap is in order. (Just the highlights)
First: If I were GM, I would tender qualifying offers to all the players who are RFA. I am tired of this team losing assets outright. Our Penguins’ farm system is in shambles because of certain GMs flushing away the team’s future.
Second: It has been reported that the Ottawa Senators are willing to trade their 7th pick in the draft for a veteran Defenesmen. I have heard some people being incredulous over this report, ignoring the realities of Hockey. Yes, the 7th pick in the draft is a really great asset. However, Ottawa has been among the ignominious group of teams to consistently be in the half of the league that misses the playoffs over the last several season. With so many seasons at the bottom of the league, they have accumulated many to 10 picks, another 7th overall pick is not all that special to them. Furthermore, Ottawa has one of the worst attendance records in the league. As our friend Jim often reminds us, hockey is a business. It is time for them to start winning, not accumulating picks.
To help clear Cap space and get a quality prospect, I wrote last article that I would trade Brian Dumoulin and Jason Zucker for that pick. If need be, I would also flip 1st round picks so Ottawa would not be completely without a first pick, just later in the round, but I would want one of their 2-2nd round picks. I would clear about $10 million in Cap space and I would use that 7th pick to draft David Jiricek, a 6’-3” 190lb, Right-Handed Defensemen (RHD) who is projected to be drafted around that 7th pick. He has a cannon of a shot, something our Penguins lack – a Defenseman who can fire the puck from the point and not need to skate down into the face-off circles to become a threat. At the moment, only Mike Matheson has a shot that opponents may have to respect from the point.
Clearing More Cap Space
Since last I wrote, I have pondered more ways of clearing up the Cap space I need to move forward with my plans. I have settled on 2 more deals.
Deal 1
I trade John Marino and probably Kasperi Kapanen to the Vancouver Canucks for Vasili Podkolzin.
I think anyone reading these pages over the last several seasons knows I am no fan of our Penguins Defensive Corps. I don’t necessarily have issues with any single player, but as a Corps they are undersized not just in height but in snarl. In a perfect world, I would rather hold on to Marino, since he is so young, and trade Marcus Pettersson, but there are reports that Vancouver was interested in Marino around the trade deadline. Therefore, I trade Marino.
I throw Kapanen into the trade for a couple of reasons. Mainly because of last season I think the kid’s mojo was damaged and he needs a change of scenery. In a perfect world, I keep him too. Also, Jim Rutherford is in Vancouver. Rutherford isn’t the GM over there, but he loves to keep returning to the same guys. Furthermore, since I am grabbing one of their young scoring Forwards, I realize I will have to give them one in return. If it turns out Vancouver would prefer Danton Heinen instead, I make that deal. In the end, I save another $4.4 million in Cap.
Deal 2
Deal 2 is a 2-part deal. I will be dealing with 2 teams. In phase 1, I will be dealing with the Vegas Golden Knights. The Knights are doing a bit of Spring cleaning. They are not happy with their team’s performance and are way over the Cap. The Knights have already changed Coaches. Pete DeBoer is out, and Bruce Cassidy is in. DeBoer was the main proponent of Goalie Robin Lehner. The team is none to happy with Lehner either. I trade them Tristan Jarry for Nicolas Hague and Lehner.
Am I crazy? No, wait and hear me out. I don’t want Lehner and with Jarry one year removed from his UFA season and hot prospects, Filip Lindberg, Taylor Gauthier, and Joel Blomqvist in the minors, long term, as good as I think he is, Jarry will not be the answer. All I need is a bridge to the next generation of Penguins.
In phase 2 I trade with the Edmonton Oilers. Mikko Koskinen just signed a 2-year deal to play in the SHL, Mike Smith is 40 years old and may retire and the Oilers failed to reach the Finals with both of their Goalies anyway. I trade them the much younger Lehner for Smith and prospect Raphael Lavoie.
What I get in return for these deals is another $1.3 million in Cap space, a Left-Handed Defenseman (LHD), Hague and a prospect, Lavoie. I wanted the Penguins to draft Hague several years back. He is a 6’-6”, 215, Left-Handed Defenseman (LHD) and like the aforementioned RHD I want the team to draft, Jiricek, he has a cannon of a shot. Lavoie is another player I wanted the Penguins to draft. However, unlike Hague, the luster has seemed to have worn off. He is a 6’-4” 196lb Forward who can play Center or Right Wing. I am under no delusions. He may never develop but the main point of this trade was for Cap space for both our Penguins and Vegas.
The UFAs
Now comes the fun part. How do I spend the money I have just saved? I offer/sign,
- Evgeni Malkin
- Kris Letang
- Marc-Andre Fleury
- Vincent Trocheck
- Ilya Mikheyev
- Nikita Zadorov
- Anthony Angello
- Niko Ojamäki
- Jake Livingstone
WHAT? Malkin, Letang, Fleury, are you crazy the Other Rick? Are you a hypocrite – crying move on then resigning fossils?
No, none of the above; I am neither crazy, nor a hypocrite. Once again, let me remind everyone what our friend Jim always points out, hockey is a business and the FSG just dropped $900 million to buy into this team. They want a return on their investment.
As the Toronto Maple Leafs can attest, having a great team on paper means nothing. No team, no matter how many talented young players are on the team are guaranteed a deep playoff run to garner extra gate receipts, concessions, et al. However, short term, bringing fan favorite Fleury back as well as Pittsburgh kid Trocheck, the team can immediately get a bump in merchandising as well as attendance. Every kid will be wearing either Fleury or Trocheck jerseys and maybe, just maybe, the team will start another sellout streak.
Longer term, I sign Malkin, Letang, and Fleury to 3-year contracts so that when Sidney Crosby’s contract is up, I can market that the Farewell Tour to end all Farewell Tours. Crosby and Letang may want to still play a couple of seasons, but that will be the last time people will be able to see those 4 players play together as teammates, short of an old-timer’s game, some time off in the future.
To get Malkin, Letang, and Fleury to sign, I offer Malkin and Letang $6.5 – 7 million per year for those 3 seasons and Fleury $4.5 million. More importantly, I offer them full blown No Movement Clauses (NMC), like Malkin had on his just passed contract. That way they need not worry about uprooting their families, they will have stability over the next 3 seasons and Fleury will not have to worry about someone taking his starting role. Moreover, the four Penguins’ stars will be reunited for 3 more seasons.
To get Trocheck, I offer him roughly the same as Malkin and Letang in money but longer term, between 4 – 6 years and only a modified No Trade Clause (m-NTC). What Trocheck gets is a raise of $2+ million and a chance to play in his hometown with 4 future Hall of Fame players. What I get is a marketing boon and an elite Forward who can play Wing for either Crosby or Malkin and then slip in and play Center when either Malkin or Crosby misses a game, in the short term, and long term, I still have a top Center 3 seasons from now when Crosby’s and Malkin’s contract is up.
I offer Mikheyev $2.5 – $3.5 million, effectively doubling his salary and giving him the chance to not only leave Toronto (there are many reports that he wants out) and a chance to play with Malkin. What I get is a player that I wanted several seasons back; a player who can either play Wing for Malkin or Carter. He scored 21 Goals (G) and 32 Points (Pnts) in 53 Games Played (GP) last season. In Mikheyev I also get a player who not only help kill Penalties but score Short Handed Goals (SHG). Although not a bruiser, I get a bigger player, Mikheyev is 6’-3”, 196 lbs and he is still under 30 at 27 years of age.
I offer Zadorov $4 – $4.5 million, giving him a slight raise. Maybe he takes it, maybe he doesn’t but I am working on the hope that he sees what I am doing and how long the Penguins have been a good organization and chooses to get on board. What I get out of it is another big LHD but who also has played the right side of the blue line. Zadarov is 6’-6”, 235lbs and just now entering his prime as a defender (age 27).
Ojamäki is a Finnish Right Wing (RW) who is 5’-11”, 185lbs and has been plying his trade in the KHL. He scored 29 G and had 43 Pnts in 48 GP for Vityaz Podolsk last season. He is smaller than I would like but I should be able to get him on a cheap contract. If he produces in North America like he did in the KHL then I have tons of options. I can either trade him for draft picks or prospects or keep him for my own future. He is only 26, so he could have several years in him. At worse I have another Oula Palve.
Livingstone is a 23-year-old 6’-3”, 205lb, Canadian RHD who has been playing in the NCAA at Minnesota State University. The young D-man scored 9 G and had 31 Pnts in 44 GP and was +27 last season. At 23 years of age, I highly doubt he will make the club, but he looks like a good prospect to add to the system.
My Depth Chart
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
| Jake Guentzel | Sidney Crosby | Bryan Rust |
| Radim Zohorna | Evgeni Malkin | Vincent Trocheck |
| Ilya Mikheyev | Jeff Carter | TBD |
| Brock McGinn | Teddy Blueger | TBD |
| TBD | TBD |
| Left-Handed Defense | Right-Handed Defense |
| Mike Matheson | Kris Letang |
| Nicolas Hague | Nikita Zadorov |
| Marcus Pettersson | Mark Friedman |
| Chad Ruhwedel |
| Goalie |
| Marc-Andre Fleury |
| Mike Smith |
| Filip Lindberg |
Conclusions
I admit that I weakened the Goaltending position a little for the coming season. I don’t think I weakened it that much though, not when I consider the marketing schemes I set up, plus I do think I improved the defense drastically. I would have preferred to find an exit strategy for Pettersson now, but that can still happen during the season. I doubt Jiricek is ready to play at the NHL level, but Mark Friedman and/or Chad Ruhwedel should be able to hold the 3rd pairing RHD for a season to allow the kid to develop. In the end, Matheson and Letang showed a lot of upside last season and Hague and Zadarov should help insulate Fleury and whoever else tends the cage, backing him up.
At forward, I do have several TBD slots for which our home-grown prospects as well as some of my newer acquisitions can compete. With Carter capable of playing Wing and Blueger showing some maturation in his scoring ability, I wouldn’t limit competition to just Wings. If Jordan Frasca, Ty Glover, or Lukáš Švejkovský, or even Jordy Bellerive can wow in Camp, I could easily move Carter to Wing and bump Blueger up to 3rd line or depending on how good they look let a Frasca play 3rd line if he can earn it.
With the addition of Ojamäki and Podkolzin to the list of prospects the team already has at Wing and the fact that Zohorna can play Center and Brock McGinn as well as several of our prospects can play both Wings, the Wing competition can be really interesting to watch, and odds are that at least 1 of those prospects should step up and take a spot.
I still need to address the true power forward slot that many of us here on Penguin Poop covet, possibly even if Angello steps up. However, let’s remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day and I still have the rights to Danton Heinen and Pierre-Olivier Joseph as bargaining chips. After his career season last year, I should still be able to find a tough forward to complete my roster at some point.
Understand, other than marketing a Farewell Tour and some commitment to the Pittsburgh Kid, Trocheck for marketing purposes, I am not wedded to any other player on my proposed roster, I would not be afraid to trade up.
The Other Rick
Bad news. Czech top prospect David Jiricek will undergo a knee surgery this
Wednesday and will be out for months. From what I could gather it appears
to be ligament damage.
Mike
Thanks for the update.
Don’t know what to think about that yet. The injury could cause him to fall low enough for the Pens to draft him but with so few picks would I want to risk picking him. I would definitely want to talk to his surgeon.
The Other Rick
I know I’m late to the party. I had put together a long, long response to your detailed article only to forget to
submit it. Lol. So I’m just going to hit on a few things.
1) I’m in agreement that Marino has more value on the trade market than Pettersson but due to the fact the
Pens seem to be gearing up for POJ as one of our six blue liners next season then Marcus has to go.
2) Love the name Podkolzin – he would be a nice young addition to the Pen’s lineup next season. I don’t see
how Hextall can pull that off. Marino (4.4) and if you throw in Kappy or Heinen to get the deal done the
Canucks would be taking in around 6 to 7mil with only 925K going out. Also if my figures are correct
Vancouver has about 10mil to spend and much like the Pen’s they have a boat load of guys to sign
(Boeser being one of those).
3) I like the Jarry trade but unless I’m missing something why wouldn’t the Oilers just make the trade with
Vegas?
4) Although a fan of Angello I’m not a fan of re-signing him. I was extremely high on him but with his size
he should be making more of an impact on the physical side of things and he seems to be an
un-willing combatant when it comes time to drop the gloves. Some of this could be Sully’s doing!
5) As for Trocheck, he would make a solid 3rd line center and be able to play up in the lineup if
necessary.
6) I don’t like Blueger as a 3rd line center. At age 28 I think he’s pretty much who he is as a player.
A defensive grinder and one of our top PK guys who ended the season with a career high 28pts.
Quick tidbits
1) Phil – sorry but I don’t like the idea of resigning Malkin or Letang. IMO it makes zero sense to bring
them back – we’ve already allowed each of them 2 to 3 extra years keeping the core intact in hopes
of contending for the Cup. By bringing them back you all but guarantee a mediocre team for the
next 3 – 5 years. This would be a poor business decision on Hextall’s part. If he does entertain
resigning them it should be for 2yrs at 5 to 6mil tops.
2) Is it me or did Friedman tone down his game after causing havoc against the Islanders in the Burg??
Sullivan has his hands all over this one. (I may have the opponent wrong??).
3) Rick both Anderson and Deslauriers will be welcome additions to the Pen’s lineup. Based on salary I
would guess Deslauriers would be a more realistic pick up.
GO PENS
Hey Mike,
1) You may be right, the team may be gearing up for keeping POJ on the main roster but I don’t see it. I see him as a modern day Gilles Lupien. I know there are people out there that like him but I am sorry, I don’t see his value – other than unloading Kessel’s contract.
2) Maybe Vancouver can’t afford him, but after what Jim mentions below, I have amended my trade. To retain Broesser’s rights they need to tender him a Qualifying offer of $7.5 I believe. Instead of asking for Podkolzin, I ask for Broesser and then trade him to Ana for their pick in the draft and now I not only have the 7th pick in the draft, I have the 10th as well. Jim’s suggestion was to unload Pettersson there, unloading his contract there could be worth a try as well. Ana has almost $40 million in space and could absorb both salaries but we may need other incentive to take Pettersson.
If I pull this off and get that 10th pick, I take Conor Geekie – 6′-4, 205 C
3) Since they are in the same Division, Edmonton and Vegas may not be willing to trade with each other – same thing above, Vancouver and Anaheim may not trade with each other. Therefore, I have an opportunity to pull off those trades.
4) Part of why I do try and re-sign Angello is that I do believe his now lack of Physicality is Sullivan’s doing. Looking at his stats in College and WBS, away from Sullivan he does use his size. His reticence to get physical seems tied to his Press Box time going up every time he does. Unlike when JR went out and got Reaves and Sully pretty much benched him, since I increased my teams size, I put him on notice that if he benches a player for physical play, he (Sullivan) gets benched.
5) Trocheck, He can play Right Wing like Carter so I have plenty of flexibility.
6) Blueger, you may be right, he may only be a PK specialist and solid 4th liner that has occasional offensive bursts. If Sam Poulin (who finished the season in WBS at Center and was playing pretty strong) or Jordan Frasca or Lukáš Švejkovský play like they appear to be capable of, Blueger could end up being trade bait by mid season – or even if I get my wish and draft Conor Geekie and he comes in strong.
This team needs to start giving kids a chance to prove themselves. I know I wrote I am willing to sign Malkin, Letang, and MAF, but that is only for Attendance and Merchandizing reasons. I am tired of Fossils. This team needs youth. Even the kids that Sully infused into the lineup when he first got here (Guentzel and Rust) are now approaching 30. Time is moving on but our Pens aren’t.
I do agree that it was ludicrous to try and keep the core intact over these long seasons. Hornqvist should have been traded at the end of his contract at the trade deadline several seasons back, for draft picks and then never signed to that ridiculous contract in the off-season, but the team never stopped to find a replacement, even now. No player on this team can do what he did for this team.
I would have preferred to deal Letang long ago and if I couldn’t get Malkin on a team friendly before the trade deadline, I would have had a sit down with him and tried to get him to waive his NMC and trade him to Fla for Anton Lundl. Unfortunately, the team screwed up royally and now, playing GM, my thoughts are to try and make the best of the current situation both on ice and financially. And as it stands now, the best was I can think of to make money for my new bosses, a Crosby, Malkin, Letang, MAF Farewell Tour has the highest probability of successfully getting back that investment in a timely fashion.
Friedman, I had the same thoughts. It did appear he was defanged more than a bit when he was given press box time.
Deslaurier is UFA and only made $1 million last season so he could be a thought. I would prefer to find a player that could add more to the team than fighting but at $1 million UFA he is a good choice for a plan B or at least a start for the season., particularly if I could shed Pettersson in that Ana trade.
I would still rather not put myself up against the Cap again.
The Other Rick & Rick
Two Draft Prospects I would like to see in the Black & Gold.
Lina Bichsel 6’5 196 D
Maveric Lamoureux 6’7 200
Both play with an edge – Lamoureux seems like a Chara type player.
I think to get Geekie and possibly Bichsel will need to get inside the
top 15. Lamoureux should be in our range. I look forward to your
feedback.
GO PENS
Hey Mike,
I first saw Lamoureux’s name pop up around January, that is when some scouts started viewing him as a potential 1st round pick (albeit late 1st round). I have been thinking about doing a draft primary series. I certainly would prefer Lamoureux over some of the other names supposed pundits have tied to the Pens.
Defensively – From what I have seen of his highlights Lamoureux is a bone crunching D who does exactly what I want to see in Pgh. He keeps his crease clear for his goalie, he crushes opponent forecheckers in the corners, his reach disrupts plays. He steps up and knocks opponents down a la Ulf Samuelsson with open ice hits in the Neutral Zone, destroying their zone entries.
Offensively – He made several tape to tape stretch passes sending team mates in on break aways. He stick handled his way through several opponents on breakouts and through the Neutral Zone but keeps his head up and quickly moves the puck along to a forward quickly rather than holding on to it for extended period of time. He seems adept with shot passes down low that are easily redirected. He made a couple of power moves to the net when opponents gave him a slight crack, once ripping a wrist shot past the goalie and one time finding a teammate in the slot with a one-handed strong backhand pass.
But let’s not jump the gun here. The highlights were just that highlight reel material. I loved what I saw. However, first his opponents where other Jr level players and not NHL quality – so to dominate he may need to mature a little until when his draft class starts to find their way into the NHL. And Second, I didn;t get the chance to watch full games or low lights, so I can’t tell what his limitations are. A couple of things that I have read about him is that he needs to work on his gap control, his skating (in terms of balance, edgework and pivoting but all scouts seem to agree he is fast and mobile – and when they say fast they do not say fast for his size but fast).
I have read some stuff on Bichsell but haven’t watched his play. Like Lamoureux, I love his size and by what I have read he is a solid defensive defenseman and the scouts I have read list Physicality and Puck Control as his strength while the say he needs to work on his Skating, Defensive Awareness, Playmaking, and Puck Movement. By what I have read, although you or I may like him, Sullivan won’t.
Guess I really didn’t completely answer you yet Mike,
If I can’t trade up for Jiricek, I would love to pick up Lamoureux. Even if I could pull off my trade to get Jiricek, I would still take Lamoureux with other my other 1st pick or if he slipped to when I picked in the 2nd round. I want to actually watch Bichsell play before I comment on him.
The Other Rick
After having knee surgery Jiricek draft stock will probably be impacted “How much” that’s the
question – Could he fall to the Pen’s?
Depending on how Hextall views the strength of this years draft I could actually see him moving
down and picking up a couple of extra draft picks and possibly a player. Do the the fact we
don’t have a 2nd or 3rd this year.
Hey Mike,
That’s one I missed, I didn’t know Jiricek had knee surgery. How bad was the injury?
I don’t know about Hextall but I think this is a very deep draft. I would really love to try and get at least 1 top 10 and maybe one more pick in the top 15. However, even though i have seen some intriguing names still available in most mock drafts by the time our Pens pick, I have yet to agree with any of the supposed pundits suggestions as to who the Penguins should draft.
There are more than a couple of kids already committed to play in college that could make good 2nd or 3rd round picks, but we won’t get a chance at them.
I am going to have to write about this.
Wow…. that was a awesome article, so much work and research went into that.
I don’t agree with goalies you want!
But I like the Ottawa trade.
What about UFA Ryan Murray? Why not.. a 2nd overall pick, give him a shot?
A farewell tour?? I don’t think I can watch #58 do his fake pump shot and than pass it or just give the puck away.
Love to see MAF back though, I have a soft spot for him!!
Great article.
Thanks Pens4ever,
It is not that I want those Goalies or in a hockey only world, the whole team I put together. As I was sorting through all of the off-season possibilities I tried to balance profits into the equation. After the Fenway Group’s dropping $900 million my thought was as GM how to increase ticket sales and ancillary revenue as fast as possible. Hence the Farewell Tour idea and the Pittsburgh Kid.
In Goal, I did admit I took a small step backwards in MAF and Smith. I do think Jarry is a really good Goalie (still has to prove himself in the playoffs though) However, watching the films of Gauthier and Blomqvist and Lindberg in last seasons training camp, all I need is a bridge until one of those kids develop – and at least one of them should pan out. Furthermore, look at Colorado, you can get to the finals with less than Vezina Goaltending.
MAF was necessary for my Farewell tour, ticket sales, and merchandizing. Smith was a tagalong. I don’t like Lehner, nor did I want his salary but I wanted Hague. Remembering that I had seen that Edmonton lost their other Goalie to the SHL, I hit on the idea of shipping Lehner to Edmonton. However, I did want an NHL calibre Goalie at least in training Camp, one that would not represent a threat to MAF (a good selling point to get him to sign a team friendly.)
I have wanted Hague since he was drafted but JR preferred to spend a 1st round pick on an enforcer that everyone and anyone with reckoning knew Sullivan wouldn’t use anyway. I even wrote that way back when, when the debacle happened. Hague would have been there for our Picking. At 6′-6″ 215lbs, 23 years old and the owner of a heavy shot, what is not to love. Also, with MAF as old as he is I wanted Defensemen that could physically eject opposing forwards intruding on our Goalies space. The 2 – things I am tired of is stick waving defensemen who invite open season on our goalies and defensemen that can’t shot the puck with any authority from the blue line. Opposing teams can sit down low and clog up the ice on our forwards so there is no room to skate or pass.
For a similar reason I signed Zadarov. He is also a behemoth who has a shot better than most anything on our current Corps.
I have nothing against Murray and could sign him cheaper and if I could find an exit strategy for Pettersson, maybe I do try and sign him too. With the dearth of RHD out there, I doubt I can find an RHD to replace Marino, so since Zadarov can play the right side I would need another LHD. Murray could fit in nicely there.
However, right now, my thought is wishing I could figure out a way to get a big bone crushing forward, one that could wear down opposing D.
Yeah, right on… that’s I love playing GM as well!!!
As we have talked about before on this site… as long as Sullivan is driving the bus, the rough and physical side of hockey is not with this team.
Good stuff
Hey Coach,
Once again you surprise me my friend. You have put a lot of thought into this article Some of these names you would try to trade for or sign to a contract are just what we need.For the sake of space, I am not going to comment on each one, just to say we both agree we need to get bigger, faster and more physical as a team. It was a great job as usual.
FYI, Below there is a excellent article on the true market Value of Malkin today when you factor in all the various parameters including health issues and comparable players from around the league.The writer puts Malkin’s value in the 6 to 6.5 million dollar range. I would agree with the writers analysis. The real question does Geno agree ?
The key issue you address is cutting costs and gaining valuable CAP space. With out that the Pen’s are finished.We can not resign the Core with out also adding lots of help and new talent. I especially agree with moving some of the smaller d men with big contracts and try to address that issue. The defense corps is the key issue with the Pen’s in my opinion.
Next point Coach, did you notice yesterday that the Fenway Group has taken over the total operation of the Penguins. This is no longer Mario’s team.In a Press release yesterday it states that President of Hockey operations,Brian Burke and the new President of Business operations now BOTH report directly to the Fenway Sports Group. Period !! I talked about this in an article I did in December. Then I said you do not over pay 900 million dollars for a losing team with out making serious changes and most likely they will wait until the off season to execute. Well yesterday they did just that.They made it very clear whose team this is and nothing will get done unless they say so. Being from a far in Atlantic Canada I worry about that aspect of our team.When Mario owned the team ,the team was his main source of wealth,so it was in his best self interest to make the team as valuable to sell as possible. He had an over riding agenda.
With Fenway group, that is now gone. We are are just one of several sports franchises they own. Time will tell if they are good mangers of a Hockey team or not.
There is so much more to say Coach but it is getting late so we will continue this conversation later on in another post.
Thank you for the thought you put into the post above.It makes people think !!!
Cheers
JIM
Hey Jim,
I would rather not be in the position our Pens are in, but I tried to do the best with what is there and still find a way to make money and keep Fenway happy.
Malkin, from what he gives on ice, my original thought was to offer him just that $6 – $6.5 but when I started to think about the value of a Farewell tour, I added the extra $0.5 million. I would hope that I could appeal to his friendship with Sigd, Kris and MAF, coupled with the NMC but from what I am hearing Washington is going to push hard for him. I wouldn’t blame him for chasing the money but I do think it would be worth a try to make the offers. Just like on the ice you can’t score a G until you take a shot, you can’t sign a player until you make the full offer.
I agree the D corps is the Pens biggest problem, that is why I focused as much as I have on them. I wish I could have thought of a way to dress up Pettersson for a trade. However, I don’t the players were the only ones to blame with the D problems. I really think Reirden shares some of that blame, trying to coach the team he wishes he had rather than the D-men he did have. The only 2 players that could hope to play TR’s game is Matheson and Letang. The only reason I didn’t bring it up in my post is that I wanted to just focus on players.
And yes, I have been watching with keen interest the front office shuffle; from Kevin Acklin to Chris Pryor to GMRH being asked to put on paper his plan for the future of the team and GMRH replying that he had it in his head and couldn’t put into bullet points. Interesting, very interesting.
Hey Coach,
Just a passing idea.
Maybe we put Pettersson and one of the legitimate AHL prospects,( Sam Poulin) with our 21st pick and try to move up the draft order assuming Ottawa does not bite on the offer you presented above. The 21st pick is a no mans land pick as far as I am concerned. If we can move up to 10th pick, (The Duck’s pick ) we could grab a player maybe rated 7th or 8th and has fallen down the draft rankings. We see that happening a lot at the NHL Draft.
I would still try to move John Marino and Kasperi Kapanen together as you suggested. I might even throw in Brian Dumoulin into the mix if we could get a high draft pick in return. We know his days are numbered based on his play these past 2 years, so move him now in a package deal.
Just a few thoughts Coach.
Cheers,
Very interesting thoughts Jim,
I am a bit greedy Jim, I like your idea of dealing with Ana as well. I read something in the Athletic that they felt Ana would be looking to get back in the Cup hunt and would be willing to make deals. So, here is my thoughts.
1st I find a way to pull of my Ottawa deal and get the 7th Pick and get Jiricek
Then instead of Podkolzin, I get Broesser from Vancouver, who the Athletic suggests is an Ana target and therefore maybe not easily traded for. Then I deal with Ana and send them Broesser and Pettersson and maybe the rights to Heinen and or as you suggest Poulin for that 10th pick. (If I recall Ana has tons of Cap space, most in the league right now)
In most of the mock drafts I have seen both Pavel Mintyukov (a 6′-1″, 192lb LHD from Saginaw) and Conor Geekie (a 6′-4″, 205, C from Winnipeg) should still be available
That would give more more Cap space to either find the big Forward I want or Ryan Murray as Pens4ever wants, or just sit on the space and broker it for another 1st round pick in next years draft.
Hey Other Rick,
Great job!!! Very creative and out-of-the-box. I especially like the fact that you brought in some size on defense (Hague and Zadorov) and also a skilled forward with some size in Mikheyev. Your vision sure ain’t the same old, same old…and to get a different result (in the postseason) we need to go a different route.
It kind of reminds me of the 1995 off-season, when then-GM Craig Patrick blew up his fading champions with a series of shocking trades. Kevin Stevens and Shawn McEachern to Boston for Glen Murray and Brian Smolinski. Luc Robitaille and Ulf Samuelsson to the Rangers for Sergei Zubov and Petr Nedved. Larry Murphy to Toronto for Dmitri Mironov.
On paper we didn’t look as good. But the newcomers, especially Nedved (45 goals) played well and provided a badly needed infusion of fresh blood to a mix that had grown stale. We wound up making the Conference Finals, where we were trapped to death by Florida. But the moves had the desired affect.
To my eye, the only thing you didn’t didn’t address is a physical forward. Josh Anderson up in Montreal is reported to be potentially on the block. Would love to get a guy with his dimensions (6’3″ 226), and he can skate, hit and score. Not great with his dukes, but willing. Makes a decent amount of coin ($5.5 AAV) and is signed through 2026-27, so it might take some finagling. But would love to get a forward who has some size and aggression (and can play).
I’d also throw Nicolas Deslauriers out there (eight goals, 263 hits), the closest thing there is to Ryan Reaves. But under Sully, Deslauriers would probably get the same treatment (and ice time) as Reavo.
Rick
Hey Tor,
Interesting stuff. Good read. I feel like you have a double motive in your plan. It would seem like your trying to keep the fans coming with the group of players and the victory lap for the four that have brought so many good years and Cups + a bonus, a skilled home grown Pittsburgh player. All the while your letting the team drop off to get your coveted draft picks to refill the coffers with better players. It’s actually not a bad plan.
I do like the victory lap if not just for the fact that while 5 years is a long time, 5 years in Cup time really isn’t. You can reference the Maple Leafs again and their 54 years no Cup drought. There are actually a bunch of teams over 50 years of not winning a Cup including 11 teams that have never won a Cup. I feel these guys winning three have earned a lap even if it is masquerading as a wolf in good draft picks clothing.
Thanks Phil!
Well, there is nothing wrong with killing 2 birds with 1 stone. If I can get Crosby, Malkin, Letang and MAF 1 more Cup together while setting up the team for the future, so much the better.
As I noted to Rick B. I still would love to find a way to add a bigger forward to the mix, under the Cap. If I could figure out how to get that Big Forward, I just might get that double play.
Thanks Rick,
I don’t often think linearly. I try looking at problems in 2, 3, or more dimensions.
I know, I am still looking for a way to get a good Power Forward that was affordable. I will still have some trading chips, as I noted, to try and get that puzzle piece. One thing I didn’t add here is the list of salaries for my version of Penguins. At the moment I am still in under the Cap and that is why I don’t have the bruising forward yet. Right now, it is more about Cap space holding me off from getting that piece. What I am working on right now is how to move Pettersson and his salary.
If I could find a way to move Pettersson, I could then try and keep Beaulieu and free up a couple of more million to shop for that Forward. Anderson could fit the bill from an on ice perspective, but I would have to trim more than Pettersson from the roster. Give me time. I may find a move to make that happen. It may not be until the season starts though.
PS–I just watched clips of a few of Anderson’s fights. He actually throws ’em pretty well. Certainly good enough to serve as a protector/deterrent when the need arises.
Rick