2019 Penguins Offseason/Draft Thread

[Dickie Dunn]

I guess the thought is: we can get the same amount of goals from this younger player, and we realize we can't salvage JMFJ...so, same goals, minor salary relief (more digestible to move again), same term, cancel a mistake and Rask is a GMJR re-tread, so that's kind of his calling card...he probably is very familiar with Rask and believes he can return to the form that he had along side Jeff Skinner...a noteworthy UFA that GMJR also had...cough...

Are you saying that the Pens want to sign Jeff Skinner? Should we consider this an E-5? Possibly even an EF-5?

[mikey]

Want vs feasible are a little at odds here.

[Old Baldy]

One thing to consider: Sullivan and GMJR want Kessel gone, period. They are fed up, done with him.
All the other GM's know that.
With all that as known fact the Pens probably don't hold much if any leverage, Kessel being the "best player in the trade" or his points per game or whatever stat probably doesn't really matter.
In this case the Pens could be the side adding a pick or retaining salary.

[meow]

That trade stinks

[Dickie Dunn]

@PierreVLeBrun
What I'm hearing: Kessel at the moment is not leaning towards waiving his NTC to go to Minnesota but that doesn't mean it ultimately couldn't happen eventually. However, there are a few clubs on his 8-team YES list that have contacted Pittsburgh so we'll see where that goes...

Wonder which teams are on that list.

[Factorial]

I'm on the Keep Kessel® train with Guacho.

[Lemon Berry Lobster]

Even if Rask would return to form, that is more money over time. Plus you add an extra forward into the fold, which adds more question marks. Do you play Bjug or Rask at 3C, do you let them play it out then trade the odd player out? Then again mikey's original proposal was Zuck for Phil...Rask and a 3rd for JMFJ is an easy yes...

[slappybrown]

That trade stinks

I am not interested in engaging in the Rutherford Wars but if these reports are accurate and he thinks that’s a smart move it is pretty apparent it’s time for him to move on. Everything he touched turned to gold his first few years and he won us two Cups so put him in the pens Ringnof homornor HOF or whatever we do, but he’s chasing it now. That’s how you wind up with an entirely predictable Jack Johnson signing/playoff benching/salary dump self inflicted disasterbacletastrophe we’re now apparently on the verge of completing.

Be bold and fire Rutherford. I’d probably be fine if they canned Sullivan too.

[Trip McNeely]

Even if Rask would return to form, that is more money over time. Plus you add an extra forward into the fold, which adds more question marks. Do you play Bjug or Rask at 3C, do you let them play it out then trade the odd player out? Then again mikey's original proposal was Zuck for Phil...Rask and a 3rd for JMFJ is an easy yes...

If you bring in Rask, you gotta dump Bjustad

[Dickie Dunn]

That trade stinks

I am not interested in engaging in the Rutherford Wars but if these reports are accurate and he thinks that’s a smart move it is pretty apparent it’s time for him to move on. Everything he touched turned to gold his first few years and he won us two Cups so put him in the pens Ringnof homornor HOF or whatever we do, but he’s chasing it now. That’s how you wind up with an entirely predictable Jack Johnson signing/playoff benching/salary dump self inflicted disasterbacletastrophe we’re now apparently on the verge of completing.

Be bold and fire Rutherford. I’d probably be fine if they canned Sullivan too.

Rutherford signed an extension in like November. He’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

[slappybrown]

That trade stinks

I am not interested in engaging in the Rutherford Wars but if these reports are accurate and he thinks that’s a smart move it is pretty apparent it’s time for him to move on. Everything he touched turned to gold his first few years and he won us two Cups so put him in the pens Ringnof homornor HOF or whatever we do, but he’s chasing it now. That’s how you wind up with an entirely predictable Jack Johnson signing/playoff benching/salary dump self inflicted disasterbacletastrophe we’re now apparently on the verge of completing.

Be bold and fire Rutherford. I’d probably be fine if they canned Sullivan too.

Rutherford signed an extension in like November. He’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

Oh, I believe there is less than zero chance of this happening. I, guy on the internet who watched a record low number of games this year, obviously know best.

[Lelldorin]

I really, REALLY, dislike the proposed Kessel trade.

I know I have been of the people advocating us getting younger by at least entertaining the idea of trading Kessel or Malkin before they get too old.

But why would we give up a "sure" 80-point man for Jason Zucker? His 2017-2018 was good, but it should be a downgrade.

I do not want Rask at all. I think I would rather keep JJ, since Martin seems to have made him a somewhat capable defenseman.

[meow]

That trade stinks

I am not interested in engaging in the Rutherford Wars but if these reports are accurate and he thinks that’s a smart move it is pretty apparent it’s time for him to move on. Everything he touched turned to gold his first few years and he won us two Cups so put him in the pens Ringnof homornor HOF or whatever we do, but he’s chasing it now. That’s how you wind up with an entirely predictable Jack Johnson signing/playoff benching/salary dump self inflicted disasterbacletastrophe we’re now apparently on the verge of completing.

Be bold and fire Rutherford. I’d probably be fine if they canned Sullivan too.

The thought of trading Kessel and Johnson and receiving basically zero cap relief because you are replacing them with two expensive, far inferior players makes me throw up in my mouth. The UFA crop is pretty pretty pretty good. I’d be trading those two for used water bottles and draft picks if possible.

Zucker is more of the same problem we currently have. Inconsistent player that over handles the puck and tries low percentage plays. Rask just exists. He literally does nothing exciting. If vanilla ice cream was a hockey player, it’d be V. Rask.

[Lelldorin]

That trade stinks

I am not interested in engaging in the Rutherford Wars but if these reports are accurate and he thinks that’s a smart move it is pretty apparent it’s time for him to move on. Everything he touched turned to gold his first few years and he won us two Cups so put him in the pens Ringnof homornor HOF or whatever we do, but he’s chasing it now. That’s how you wind up with an entirely predictable Jack Johnson signing/playoff benching/salary dump self inflicted disasterbacletastrophe we’re now apparently on the verge of completing.

Be bold and fire Rutherford. I’d probably be fine if they canned Sullivan too.

The thought of trading Kessel and Johnson and receiving basically zero cap relief because you are replacing them with two expensive, far inferior players makes me throw up in my mouth. The UFA crop is pretty pretty pretty good. I’d be trading those two for used water bottles and draft picks if possible.

Zucker is more of the same problem we currently have. Inconsistent player that over handles the puck and tries low percentage plays. Rask just exists. He literally does nothing exciting. If vanilla ice cream was a hockey player, it’d be V. Rask.

To be fair, I would not trade Kessel for a water bottle unless it got rid of both Gudbrandson and JJ as well.

[shafnutz05]

That trade stinks

I am not interested in engaging in the Rutherford Wars but if these reports are accurate and he thinks that’s a smart move it is pretty apparent it’s time for him to move on. Everything he touched turned to gold his first few years and he won us two Cups so put him in the pens Ringnof homornor HOF or whatever we do, but he’s chasing it now. That’s how you wind up with an entirely predictable Jack Johnson signing/playoff benching/salary dump self inflicted disasterbacletastrophe we’re now apparently on the verge of completing.

Be bold and fire Rutherford. I’d probably be fine if they canned Sullivan too.

The thought of trading Kessel and Johnson and receiving basically zero cap relief because you are replacing them with two expensive, far inferior players makes me throw up in my mouth. The UFA crop is pretty pretty pretty good. I’d be trading those two for used water bottles and draft picks if possible.

Zucker is more of the same problem we currently have. Inconsistent player that over handles the puck and tries low percentage plays. Rask just exists. He literally does nothing exciting. If vanilla ice cream was a hockey player, it’d be V. Rask.

I agree. This strikes me as a panic trade on GMJR's part.

[Morkle]

I don't like the Kessel trade, especially if we're saving a couple of hundred K, and got a few years younger.

I feel like the Pens think they're backed into a corner in regards to Sid/Geno window, but they've made some dumb signings on their own.

[mikey]

If...if, if, if, it's part of an idea to get faster overall...does it change your opinion...I know Rask doesn't do that, but let's say you get Bjugstad moved on for...

So, no one can tell by the post, but I just spent the last 10 minutes thinking of/pouring around other teams to see where he's a really fit where we can some speed back...and I don't actually see it...

So...nevermind...

Based on some of my conversations, I don't think Maatta has that much appeal around the league in terms of trade value...I looked at NJ for this, I would do it for Miles Wood straight across, I don't think NJ does...I might give a look to Studenic and Sharangovich, but I don't think NJ does both there...

This is hard, and normally I don't suck terribly at this, but it's tough to keep it realistic and also fix...this is a group of replaceable parts that aren't cheap...

[Morkle]

There's just limited value. The only thing I could sell Maatta to other teams on is that he's young, a cup winner, and hopefully, he'll rebound.

[Gaucho]

Oh, we're trying to get faster again? I thought we were going to become a mean old push-back machine?

I read the other day that the Pens lead the league in hits last this season. I was like



Surely there has been a mistake or I was dreaming or whatever.

[Morkle]

Hits to me, simply mean you don't have the puck enough. It felt like they did nothing but abandon speed/possession game, or they lost speed and possession went with it.

[Gaucho]

Yup.

[Morkle]

What really gets me though, is that they had the blueprint to keep going with their strategy, and felt that they needed to change their game because the rest of the league adopted it. Now they've self-inflicted set themselves back because of that thinking.

[Gaucho]

Which is why the Reaves trade still bugs me. I don't mind Reaves and I don't think Sundqvist is the answer to anything, but the whole thought process behind the deal was misguided imo.

[MR25]

The whole change began after the 2017 run, where for some reason they saw how they beat Tom Wilson and Washington and still thought "we need to change our game to combat one specific player".

They haven't recovered since.

[Dickie Dunn]

@mikey , what's your impression of Phil's trade value across the league? I love the dude and would prefer to not trade him, but I think the recognition that he's a soon to be 32 year old massive pain in the ass who drives coaches absolutely **** crazy has a definite impact on his value to the point where I honestly don't think the rumored trade is that out of line, especially once you add in dumping JMFJ. Am I on the right track here with Phil's value or am I dumb like usual?

Also, your most recent post is a good reminder of why I hated the Maatta deal when it was made.