Pens -- 2020 Off-season
- Thread starter COOL MAN
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I wasn't rooting for Colorado over Dallas, but I'm not sure the Stars can beat the Knights. As for the East, will be interesting to see what the Isles have leftover for the Bolts. I assume TBL will be the overwhelming favorites for that reason alone, but we know better than anyone that the Isles shouldn't be counted out.
Meanwhile, regarding the Guins, interesting to see that Riikola re-upped for 2 years.......not like he's got much of a reputation, but I still figured him to leave. Not sure if he received some quiet assurances as Schultzie's Top 6 replacement, or he's being positioned as a fill-in for the (Murray) trade.
Meanwhile, regarding the Guins, interesting to see that Riikola re-upped for 2 years.......not like he's got much of a reputation, but I still figured him to leave. Not sure if he received some quiet assurances as Schultzie's Top 6 replacement, or he's being positioned as a fill-in for the (Murray) trade.
Indeed the Isles are well coached as we know, I give them a punchers chance for sure. Especially with the choke history of those Bolts...
As for Riikola I can only hope Sully actually plays him, it'd be nice to see what the guy can deliver over a more consistent stretch of playing time. What would be even better imo is if it were at the expense of JJ....
Is there any rhyme or reason as to how Deboer assesses who starts in net?....cause honestly this entire escapade seems entirely bizarre to me.....and witness to the fact they lost game one ,albeit on one goal. Can anyone here honestly give a reason as to why MAF got the start( I did not watch the game)? Did Lehner have an injury ??? Surely he must have no???
Tricky Nicky in exchange for $2 million in cap space and a #7: not sure who got the better of the deal. Of course, with his recent injury history, I don't think there's a ton of assurance he'll ever suit up next season.......in which case the Pens would (I think) be better off having kept him, because they could LTIR his entire $4 million salary.
In this kind of deal, not sure if the Pens are responsible for paying half his salary next season off THEIR payroll, of if the Wild pay it all but the cap hit is split between the two teams.
In this kind of deal, not sure if the Pens are responsible for paying half his salary next season off THEIR payroll, of if the Wild pay it all but the cap hit is split between the two teams.
Not that it matter much either way, but the Pens get the #7 from Minnesota only if Tricky Nicky plays in 70 games or scores 35 points next season. Which lends obvious credence to the notion this was. for all intents and purposes, an almost Pirates-like pure salary dump.
So. is tonight Flower's opportunity to get back into Vegas' good graces ?? I haven't watched the series, so I don't know to what extent Lehner is being blamed for the losses; but this would seem to be the perfect time.....if you believe in storybooks, that is......for MAF to reintroduce himself to Vegas and the League.
Didn't watch the Stars/Knights last night.......was focused myself on the Steelers-Giants......but I did see the OT goal. One of those shots that obviously goes in on occasion, but is most often stopped when the goaltender is "playing well". And given the fact the Knights had a 2-goal 3rd period lead, it's not hard for me to wonder if Lehner finally took the gas against somebody.
Also wondering if all the noise about Lehner getting a long-term deal from Vegas will cool now that he was a key part of a series loss, especially one the Knights were (IMO) fairly clearly favored to win. I'll also be interested to see if Flower's agent now comes out publically against the Knights/Deboer for sitting his guy in the series, with hopes it'll force them to move him.
Also wondering if all the noise about Lehner getting a long-term deal from Vegas will cool now that he was a key part of a series loss, especially one the Knights were (IMO) fairly clearly favored to win. I'll also be interested to see if Flower's agent now comes out publically against the Knights/Deboer for sitting his guy in the series, with hopes it'll force them to move him.
flower was on the bench cause he's a choke artist as well. perhaps the knights get involved in the trade for murray.
I read this morning the Craps are on the hook for the $2.5 million still owed to Laviolette by the Preds....guess I'm not shocked by that, but the reality still surprises me a bit.
Meanwhille, I seem to recall t having interest in Jonas Brodin as a possible Guins target.......well he just re-upped at 7/42 with the Wild.
Speaking of Laviolette, Pierre LeBrun did a piece this morning in The Athletic with a list of the highest paid coaches in the League:
$6 million -- Joel Quenneville
$5 million -- Claude Julian, Todd McLellan, Alain Vigneault
High $4 million (est) -- Laviolette (which includes that buyout of his Preds deal)
$4 million -- Barry Trotz
Regarding Trotz.....after he'd won the Cup.....the Craps were locked into a $1.8 million extension of his (at the time) current deal, which I believe he'd agreed-to previously. But he eventually told Ted Leonsis to go pound salt; which obviously turned out to be a pretty decent move.....and which earned the Craps the rep of a team who won't pay for coaches. Which resulted in them being "forced" to pay the big money with this hire.
Meanwhile, LeBrun appears convinced Seattle will eventually hire Gerard Gallant.
I heard a few pundits today yipping about a December start to season 2020-21 LMFAO. Oh ya that's gonna happen. Maybe up here its sustainable with no fans in the stands, well actually it is based on TV contract. But the majority of the league? Christ, that's laughable....it's still almost entirely gate driven in the US especially with these banana republic outpost teams. The US TV contract is garbage and that imo is heavy on Bettman, but I digress.... Let's be honest here please, if they do start or if they don't the best thing that could ever happen is some of these bullshit destinations finally wiped off the hockey map. See Phoenix today if you haven't looked, for what is this the 4th or 5th time crying poor ? Who is next....
Or maybe somebody is gonna show up and tell me how they are gonna fill the stands with fans next, ya, ok these players gonna love that dynamic risk or no risk...doesn't matter.
Or maybe somebody is gonna show up and tell me how they are gonna fill the stands with fans next, ya, ok these players gonna love that dynamic risk or no risk...doesn't matter.
I don't know the current numbers, but the painful reality is that hockey remains an miserable sell to US networks. And I myself have no clue what can be done to change that.
I mean, probably half (hell, maybe a full 2/3) of the US population wouldn't turn on an NHL game if it was literally the only thing playing on the 200 cable channels. How do you interest any US network to pay competitive money for a game with that limitation ???Y You may feel free to call Bettman anything you choose, but magician certainly isn't one of them. For him, US TV contract negotiations begin with both hands tied behind his back.
Meanwhile, speaking of Phoenix, I saw TSN list their top group of contracts that teams want/need to move.....and lo and behold, Phat was at the top of the list. I have no clue as to how Yotes fans feel about him locally, but it obviously didn't take long for the new bloom to fall off his rose.
Trade Bait: 10 contracts potentially on the move this off-season - TSN.ca
It’s going to be difficult to move money in hockey’s current climate, but TSN Senior Hockey Reporter Frank Seravalli says Phil Kessel and Tyler Bozak are among the names in play because of the financial or salary cap implications their teams are facing.
38 points in return for a $6.8 million cap hit for another 2 years.....for a team with as many cap problems as the Pens......does sound like pretty tough pill to swallow (though I still can't believe anyone was shocked at his drop-off). Just not sure what kind of contending team in a cap league (and especially these days) can offer him the kind of sheltered minutes for which his game is now almost totally limited.
Meanwhile, if you didn't read the piece, Horndog made the list as well.....
Btw I did laugh at this, but...works for me! Since I despise most of em anyway...and it helps the Pens...lord knows they could use all the help they can get.
I was whining to @WVRON last night about this Staal deal... essentially, isn't this the kinda guy GMJR needs in order to win NOW rather than some has been aged Marleau nonsense? 1 year left for Staal at 3.5 mil. Still a highly effective two way player, big, doesnt shy away from mixing it up, and some leadership. In Buffalo he is their 2nd line C. With the Pens as a 3rd? That elevates the bottom 6 considerably IMO. Johansson had quite a down year going the other way, higher contract number as well. McCann had better numbers in a down year than him and makes 2.9 for 2 more years. Of course part of McCann's issues were being bounced around like a pinball between C and wing but whatever. I would have traded McCann for Staal no questions asked and I bet Billy G would have said yep as well.... there is no point in bothering with future assets at this point if this is the direction GMJR is going, which to be frank I don't trust him doing this methodology regardless....thoughts?....EDIT that 2.9 per for McCann I quoted? Unbeknownst to me that was signed today???
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Risky pick as Vas is light years better than Khudobin, but...hot at right time matters, past choking matters imo, wanting it as a team matters... Dallas in 6!
Did I ever mention Oleksiak? Oh but ya...he lost a ****in fight vs Wilson....if anybody claims they don't want him back or were happy to see him go , well they are a first rate hockey idiot.
Thanks for showing, I give you props for that at least... 'he couldn't keep up?' Lmfao. What team are we actually talking about here? The country club? **** sakes, at least he dropped the gloves... you won all of your hockey fights right? Gsus , this has to be a joke...
he was slow for the way they play. then he got ko'd. I didn't make the decision. I happened to agree with it and still do. dallas plays a style more suited for his game. good luck to him.
edit: he score or something tonight?
Yes he did...AGAIN...And from my vantage point the guy has reach , size, didn't mind standing up for his mates for a change, his +/- is and was pretty good, he was a better version of Hal Gill...wtf is not to like about that? That's the guy we ****in need! What happened did you go on the facebook or something???
And edit: you are actually still burned because he lost ONE fight? Gsus....if we were all perfect in our bouts...
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not mad cause he lost. you are right he tried. good for him scoring. I haven't watched a game since the league got political.
This is a great matchup imo... Dallas looked the part the other night, and this vet Khudobin who by all accounts looks like he could lose about 20 pounds, standing on his head at the right time.... I just wanna see Tampa choke again. I get a real kick out of it now, with all the pundits 'bold' predictions year over year of them winning it all....plus F them anyway.
@torontoeers you must have been drunk last night, acting like oleksiak is marcus naslund or something.
Oleksiak is better than Shultz and JJ. He’s young and has a manageable contract. Wish we wouldn’t have traded him.
he wasn't better than shultz when they moved him. but I agree with you about the present, he's better now than shultz.
edit to add no one thought he was better than shultz back then and none of this means he could do the things the pens want to do with the puck.
Agreed first paragraph, and no one did think him better than Schultz back then, what they want him to do with the puck though? I honestly dont recall a lot of glaring errors out of him while in The Burgh.... Jack on the other hand...started out ok and an unmitigated disaster now. We are all beating a dead horse however regardless here on this.... GMJR needs to find a suitable stay at home D to play on the 2nd/ 3rd pairings, for good $ value... I wish him and the rest of us luck
And now you are just making me sad...I can't even remember the stink garbage Pens got back on that deal....
its pretty clear they didn't think he could do what they wanted. i bet he still couldn't.
Was looking this up; while I could be convinced I'm wrong, I think the Pens traded Oleksiak back to Dallas for a #4 pick......which they turned around and sent to Florida with other assets (including Brassard, Sheahan, and additional picks) in the Bjugstad/McCann deal.
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