Free Agent Frenzy 2015

Post by **Avyran** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 2:58 pm

The Penguins have signed defenseman Will O’Neill to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal has an average annual value of $575,000 at the NHL level.

Post by **mikey** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 3:14 pm

I saw him play years ago and he was a pretty steady and heady d-man. Maybe he wasn't a good skater though, I forget the circumstances...

Post by **darkstar57** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 3:55 pm

MR25 wrote:I think Cole's play last year was that of a top 4 player.

I'd like to think he'd be able to maintain it.

i think so too, question is do you role with

Cole-Loveyjoy
Poiliot - Scuderi (Pouliot enrolled in teh Rob Scuderi mentoring program)

or go for broke with

Cole_Pouliot
Lovejoy - Scuderi

Post by **slappybrown** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 4:09 pm

The more I think about, I think you have to split up Letang-Maatta because otherwise that bottom 4 is going to get destroyed. Those guys -- at least at this stage, Pouliot is obviously TBD and Cole gave some hope he could maaaaybe hold up as a 4 -- are bottom pairing guys at the moment on a Cup team. Chicago managed to win the Cup playing pretty much only a top 4, so I suppose we're going with that model.

Maybe:

Letang-Lovejoy
Maatta-Cole
Scuderi-Pouliot
Erixon (don't know enough about him, but from what others have written, I'd rather him over Scuderi to open if this is what we have on opening night, notwithstanding the fact that it will never happen).

Loading up with Letang-Maatta with the current d-corps can't work IMO. Which is also why they can't be done D-wise.

Post by **meow** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 4:10 pm

O'Neill likes to get on the scoresheet. 48 points and 74 PIMs in 72 AHL games last season.

Post by **shmenguin** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 4:18 pm

slappybrown wrote:The more I think about, I think you have to split up Letang-Maatta because otherwise that bottom 4 is going to get destroyed. Those guys -- at least at this stage, Pouliot is obviously TBD and Cole gave some hope he could maaaaybe hold up as a 4 -- are bottom pairing guys at the moment on a Cup team. Chicago managed to win the Cup playing pretty much only a top 4, so I suppose we're going with that model.

Maybe:

Letang-Lovejoy
Maatta-Cole
Scuderi-Pouliot
Erixon (don't know enough about him, but from what others have written, I'd rather him over Scuderi to open if this is what we have on opening night, notwithstanding the fact that it will never happen).

Loading up with Letang-Maatta with the current d-corps can't work IMO. Which is also why they can't be done D-wise.

on the other hand, lovejoy's response to getting top pair minutes last year was to completely disassociate with time and space in his own end.

i think this defense lives and dies with pouliot's ability to not be terrible getting 20 minutes a game

Post by **slappybrown** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 4:19 pm

Yea, Lovejoy belongs in a bottom pairing but the proposed set was picked with some kind of idea of balance.

Letang-Cole
Maatta-Pouliot
Scuderi-Lovejoy

Post by **shmenguin** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 4:20 pm

that is less depressing.

though GMJR explicitly said yesterday that letang-maatta is our top pair...so there's that

Post by **mikey** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 4:21 pm

Cole-Letang
Maatta-Lovejoy
Scuderi/Erixon/Andersson/Dumoulin-Pouliot

Cole doesn't get subject to all 23 or whatever of those minutes. When the situation calls for it, Maatta goes with him. Kind of rotate Maatta to get him some more looks and give Cole a few less shifts. The Blackhawks do this with Duncan Keith. His partner later in games is Brent Seabrook, but sometimes early in games they use him to babysit Kimmo Timonen or David Rundblad or whatever other sad sack...

Post by **Factorial** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 4:22 pm

How many NHL games does Maatta have under his belt?

Post by **meow** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 4:22 pm

I'm all for spreading the wealth a bit, but you don't see three pairs with the same handedness.
Letang (R) - Lovejoy (R)
Maatta (L) - Cole (L)
Scuderi (L) - Pouliot (L)

Need moar righties.

Post by **Trip McNeely** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 4:38 pm

meow wrote:I'm all for spreading the wealth a bit, but you don't see three pairs with the same handedness.
Letang (R) - Lovejoy (R)
Maatta (L) - Cole (L)
Scuderi (L) - Pouliot (L)

Need moar righties.

Trade scuderi, sign Franson. Boom

Post by **Craig** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 4:39 pm

You can do a rl, rl, then lefty and scuderi pair. Scuderi doesnt really have a handedness so there is going to be an imbalance either way.

Post by **meow** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 4:40 pm

Trip McNeely wrote:
meow wrote:I'm all for spreading the wealth a bit, but you don't see three pairs with the same handedness.
Letang (R) - Lovejoy (R)
Maatta (L) - Cole (L)
Scuderi (L) - Pouliot (L)

Need moar righties.
Trade scuderi, sign Franson. Boom

If anything, Scuderi might be the most able to play his off side. Icing it off the glass is icing it off the glass, no matter what side you are on.

Post by **MalkinIsMyHomeboy** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 4:42 pm

slappybrown wrote:Yea, Lovejoy belongs in a bottom pairing but the proposed set was picked with some kind of idea of balance.

Letang-Cole
Maatta-Pouliot
Scuderi-Lovejoy

I support this, with Lovejoy spelling Cole and Pouliot a few shifts a game to lower their minutes a little

Post by **TheHammer24** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 4:44 pm

Man, Martin left a gaping hole on defense. In a way, we traded Martin for Kessel, too.

Post by **Dickie Dunn** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 4:55 pm

Oshie to the Caps. That'll help out in the playoffs.

Post by **Avyran** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 5:00 pm

Oshie for Brouwer, Phoenix Copley, & a 3rd. That's a weak trade.

Post by **cadams** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 5:13 pm

Has Oshie ever been good or is my opinion of him inflated from Sochi? That seems like a horrible trade.

Post by **slappybrown** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 5:15 pm

Oshie is a bit overrated but the return is very underwhelming IMO.

Post by **Craig** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 5:17 pm

cadams wrote:Has Oshie ever been good or is my opinion of him inflated from Sochi? That seems like a horrible trade.

Hes good at penalty shots.

Post by **Dickie Dunn** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 5:39 pm

Hockey Reference's similarity score puts Oshie with German Titov. Ouch.

Post by **Dickie Dunn** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 5:46 pm

Statistically, Oshie doesn't seem like much of an upgrade over Brouwer.

Post by **MalkinIsMyHomeboy** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 6:32 pm

cadams wrote:Has Oshie ever been good or is my opinion of him inflated from Sochi? That seems like a horrible trade.

I bet a solid number of hockey fans didn't even know who he was until the game against Russia

Post by **Gaucho** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 6:35 pm

MalkinIsMyHomeboy wrote:
cadams wrote:Has Oshie ever been good or is my opinion of him inflated from Sochi? That seems like a horrible trade.
I bet a solid number of hockey fans didn't even know who he was until the game against Russia

You'd win that bet. He's the Mario Götze of hockey. Well, not quite.