Fifth Avenue Forum

What’s the money look like on this?

Kubalik and Kap are both RFAs. Kubalik has a higher QO, which I am leveraging to get RFA Kurashev who didn't have a great season but I like him and he has played all three forward positions.

Pettersson for Johnson favors them slightly but adds a center/wing to our depth. The minor league move is just reacting to each team's depth in the minors...

Is Johnson still a useful player? He is signed for two more years with an NMC. I don't want him to be another Tanner Pearson that Sullivan refuses to dress.

I think Pettersson is a useful player but that his job can be done by a cheaper player. Ideally, I would like us to gain cap space by moving him. Or at least get a useful player with a slightly too high cap hit back.

Well, I don't really care about cap space because what's it going to go to...? Who are we signing? Cap space itself has no real value to anyone unless it's weaponized.

I'm not sure if Kubalik will come in at less money than Kapanen or not...Kurashev won't cost more than, say, Riikola did...

Johnson doesn't have a lot left, but Pettersson is sort of a luxury item at his price...so, we might as swap the depth players...we could use a RHS C/RW more than another LD of modest skill. Similarly, I'd rather have a puck moving d-man in WBS (Beaudin) instead of someone railroaded out of the NFL (Gruden)...

The upside of Kubalik's shot is better for us than Kapanen's ability to only play between the 20's (American Football reference for a player, especially a runner, that is good at the non-critical areas of the field...near the goalline when everyone is expecting a run and all the best players are on the field, the player is useless). Kubalik is a one-time option that can score from mid-range. If we lose Malkin, that would cost us our only one-time shot on the team. As Crosby gets older, we're going to need guys that can score without relying on Crosby taking it to the hole and setting up backdoor tap-ins...we need some "unearned" goals, the kind that Kessel gave us in '16 and '17...

Kurashev is someone I always liked the upside of...in the right situation, I could see him being what Heinen was for us this year...

I get that its an exercise for fun. But that's a Rutherfordian trade. A whole lot of moving parts for very little impact.

Last year at the deadline I wanted to trade kapanen for kubalik but now it seems kinda pointless.

Cap savings can be used to overpay a UFA or something (there are guys)

I don't think it's pointless, for reasons that I already listed. Sullivan clearly can make transition with anyone it seems...so, Kapanen's ability to carry it for a line or two and then throw it away doesn't have a value. Kubalik doesn't offer that, but he can score from distance and he can shoot a moving puck. We could really use that...even if we keep Malkin...

Yeah, I get that. Additionally, we get younger. My main issue is that such a trade makes it almost impossible for us to keep Letang and Malkin.

The two dudes with Russian names seem useful and quite young, which is a plus. Would Chicago give up both of them to get rid of Johnson and acquire Kapanen?

I don't know what Chicago does...Kubalik was available this year. The rest of the pieces aren't valuable I don't suspect.

Kubalik might go 1 yr, $3.25 mil - that's what Kap made this year.
Johnson for Pettersson is +$1 mil for us
Kurashev won't get more than $1.2 mil and he takes, say, ZAR's slot who was making $1.75 mil - so we save $500k on a 4th line roster spot.

So, even if you just look at this deal, we take on $500k AND add a roster player that we didn't have before. So, basically, we're beating league min to fill a roster spot. In essence, we save money here. And if you don't buy that, the cap going up a mil eats the difference.

Chicago seems to make random moves...so that's why I targeted them.

I agree that the trade in isolation would make us a better team, so it works for me

I feel like the Pens are going to go after Kadri/Palat.

There's no seriousness there. Just BSing.

What kind of money are we talking there...?

I feel, I don't math. Those two just seem like future Penguins.

Must be a stomach flu.

All right, fair enough.

I'll math: I imagine, Kadri can get $8 or $9 mil a year after the season he had...right? He'll be 32 before he plays for whatever team that is, to be a fair a little bit, he didn't really start getting into full seasons until he was 22, 23. He doesn't have a lot of playoff games (by his own choice) under his belt...but still, past his athletic prime. He's also one of the dirtiest players in the league.

Palat, a different position, is basically Marian Hossa lite. He's 31 already and he could end up with 140 playoff games by the end of this. Which is basically another full season's worth of games in the last three years. And he plays a lot, he plays two-ways, he has to drag Stamkos's corpse along for a lot of that...I mean, look at these miles, for a guy who has played 200 feet as a LWer all day...

2015: 26 playoff games
2016: 17
2018: 17
2019: 4
2020: 25
2021: 23
2022: At least 17 and hopefully counting...

It is THE most playoff games since 2015 in the entire league.

I wonder what that's gonna be...is it $7 mil a year in Seattle where he can take summers off...? Is it $4.5 mil per year in Edmonton to try to help them over the top...? That's a tough one...

Palat would be around $5-$6mm for the penguins haha.

Another person who I'd love to see is Copp. I HATE that he got traded to the Rangers. He's like an under-the-radar fantasy player that always does well in my keeper league.

Do you remember where you were when Ron Hainsey sirened?

In regards to Kadri being considered hyper dirty. I do wonder if the Pens are going to try and get some of that nastiness that's available. That's why I feel like they'd go after him. Plays a good system with Colorado, BUT he's going to downgrade in talent I think anywhere he goes.

Copp really beefed up his contract value with this run...it'd be nice to get him as a 3C or 3LW, but I'm not sure he doesn't get a bigger contract than Palat even...

Yea, Copp really meshes with the Rangers too. I can't see them letting him go, honestly, or they have some tough choices to make.

. And if you don't buy that, the cap going up a mil eats the difference.

Chicago seems to make random moves...so that's why I targeted them.

doesn't Stanley Cup Finalist Jack Johnson's buyout go up by almost a mil this year?

Yup, forgot about that...but there's so many moving parts with where we are right now, it's fairly irrelevant...

We have $23.2 mil in cap space...

Already signed:
3 top-six forwards (4 with Zucker)
1.5 third liners (or 2.5 with Zucker)
2 fourth liners (3 if Blugers isn't in the rung above)

3 top-four d-men (assuming these players all don't fall apart without Letang, which I suspect we'll see significant degradation without 58 - so let's call it 1.5 instead of 3)
3 bottom pair d-men

1 starting goalie

So, we're not in horrific shape. It's not gonna be a Cup contender if we lose Letang and don't replace him with something sort of close, obviously...but in terms of cap space, there's a ton of wiggle room, in fact, we're under the floor if today was July X (whatever day the calendar resets this year)...

Ummm achktsually...Greg McKegg is still alive in New York. Played with Jagr in Florida. Ignoring any potential Czech teammates in international play or Czech League players...