UFA Shopping List

[MRandall25]

My list would definitely include kenopka and gaustad.

Move Staal up to 2nd line.

Instantly makes our bottom six bigger and tougher and they are 2 great face-off guys.

Lol Konopka...

He'd never sign here. I'd go as far to say he never would be offered a contract to play here.

[Drewski17]

My list would definitely include kenopka and gaustad.

Move Staal up to 2nd line.

Instantly makes our bottom six bigger and tougher and they are 2 great face-off guys.

Lol Konopka...

He'd never sign here.

Why not? Never thought talbot would go to philly either...

[columbia]

The Pens traded for Rick Tocchet; anything can happen in hockey.

[MRandall25]

My list would definitely include kenopka and gaustad.

Move Staal up to 2nd line.

Instantly makes our bottom six bigger and tougher and they are 2 great face-off guys.

Lol Konopka...

He'd never sign here.

Why not? Never thought talbot would go to philly either...

I added a little extra.

[Samsdog]

My list would definitely include kenopka and gaustad.

Move Staal up to 2nd line.

Instantly makes our bottom six bigger and tougher and they are 2 great face-off guys.

Lol Konopka...

He'd never sign here. I'd go as far to say he never would be offered a contract to play here.

Not trying to be offensive, it's an honest question-what's the point of a face-off man who is usually the one in the box and is thus unable to take shorthanded draws and utterly lacks the offensive skills necessary to take the big offensive zone draw? Take the odd even strength defensive zone face-off? Because I imagine that in a critical defensive situation he wouldn't be your go-to guy just for fear of him taking a dumb penalty at the end of the game when the pressure is on the hardest.

[MRandall25]

The Pens traded for Rick Tocchet; anything can happen in hockey.

I wasn't referring to Konopka's PIMs.

[Drewski17]

Kenopka was decent in the sens/rangers series I thought. Playing 10-12minutes a game.

[columbia]

The Pens traded for Rick Tocchet; anything can happen in hockey.

I wasn't referring to Konopka's PIMs.

I'm sure 66 doesn't care of if there is a poster of him in the Konopka household.
If it were the best available hockey move for a specific role, they would sign him.

[KG]

Kenopka was decent in the sens/rangers series I thought. Playing 10-12minutes a game.

Agreed. Konopka was great in the Rangers series this playoff. He was getting power play time and was out there for many big faceoffs.

I don't think the Pens will sign him because they already have a ton of 4th liners, but I think he would be a nice upgrade...

[Pavel Bure]

Cory Sarich

[KG]

Cory Sarich

I see Bryce Salvador is on the UFA list. I like him a lot. He's a "warrior" type on the blueline.

Shero is going to have to make some moves (subtractions) from the defense as he already has a ton of contracts signed for defense.

[Streaks House]

The Pens traded for Rick Tocchet; anything can happen in hockey.

I wasn't referring to Konopka's PIMs.

I'm sure 66 doesn't care of if there is a poster of him in the Konopka household.
If it were the best available hockey move for a specific role, they would sign him.

And as a Penguin fan, you would hope this would be the case, as this is a business.

[Malkamaniac]

Dear Shero,

No Doan. He's a punk.

[Luckybreak]

My list would definitely include kenopka and gaustad.

Move Staal up to 2nd line.

Instantly makes our bottom six bigger and tougher and they are 2 great face-off guys.

Kunitz-Malkin-Neal
Staal-Sid-Dupuis
Cooke-Gaustad-Tangradi
Vitale-Konopka-Adams

certainly adds size and some nasty to the bottom 6, Moen in place of Adams would be nice but likely too many bidders for he and Gaustad.
Are there any 3rd line centres with size that might be available for a Martin/Michalek+TK/Jeffrey kind of deal?

[Nizzy]

Man,It would be nice if we could "dump" Martin and Michalek somewhere for some prospects and picks.. and then sign UFA d-mans in
Barret Jackman/Brad Stuart/Tim Gleason

If detroit fans heard you would choose Stuart over Michalek, you would get laughed at pretty hard. Michalek was still banging on the boards, checking, blocking shots. The guy just needs a legit line mate.

Martin wasn't hitting at all, avoiding any contact, not winning puck battles, just virutally worthless. Michalek I think is a level below scuderi, he just needs someone to play with. Maybe they should try Letang Michalek ? Did they try that at all last year?

Rather than sign those 2 for $3+ million each...I'd rather just force Tangradi and Bennett into the lineup and see what comes from it...I'm not a prospect-rusher or "forcer" but I found it to be better than signing Penner or Jones...two very unimpressive players...I mean, you never know, maybe Crosby and Jones have unbelieveable chemisty (like, Hilbert chemistry) and Jones scores 900 goals next year with us, but just given his skillset, I wouldn't guess that to be the case.

I think if we actually had good scouting, we could probably pluck another David Jones out of somewhere...and we already have a prospect that should turn into a better version of Penner with a little development and luck...

This times 10x.

Play Tangradi with Staal, not on the 4th line with CRAIG ADAMS. We need to pull a Philly and play some offensive youth. Put Jeffery as the 4th line Center where he can score more than Adams and pass better.

Kunitz Malkin Neal
Dupuis Crosby McDonald
Tangradi Staal Kennedy
Jeffrey vitale Cooke

Yes. McDonald, the 6'3" top WBS scoring RW and Captain of WBS. Time to give him a shot. What do you do?

Fire Bylsma, who would just put him on the 4th line with Craig Adams for 2 shifts a night, and you stick him right with the best player in the world.

Enough is enough, Bylsma is going to ruin young players worse than Patrick/Coaches ruined Naslund.

Kunitz-Malkin-Neal
Staal-Sid-Dupuis
Cooke-Gaustad-Tangradi
Vitale-Konopka-Adams

certainly adds size and some nasty to the bottom 6, Moen in place of Adams would be nice but likely too many bidders for he and Gaustad.
Are there any 3rd line centres with size that might be available for a Martin/Michalek+TK/Jeffrey kind of deal?

Close, but I think Tangradi plays better with playmakers/better players. Dupuis is a 3rd liner. Tangradi has 2nd line potentional.

I think Gaustad will be too much though as a UFA

[KG]

My list would definitely include kenopka and gaustad.

Move Staal up to 2nd line.

Instantly makes our bottom six bigger and tougher and they are 2 great face-off guys.

Kunitz-Malkin-Neal
Staal-Sid-Dupuis
Cooke-Gaustad-Tangradi
Vitale-Konopka-Adams

certainly adds size and some nasty to the bottom 6, Moen in place of Adams would be nice but likely too many bidders for he and Gaustad.
Are there any 3rd line centres with size that might be available for a Martin/Michalek+TK/Jeffrey kind of deal?

I like this....I agree that they should look at moving Staal to wing with Sid or Malkin on the top 2 lines and get a bigger 3rd line center. I don't think Shero will bring in both Gaustad and Konopka because I'm sure he'd like to have Jeffrey and some youth in the lineup. But I agree that they need additional size up front...

[no name]

The above doesn't look bad but 2 things, does Staal want to play wing? and would he be as effective of a winger compared to how well he plays center? We might be better off trading him for a pure winger for Sids line.

Something like this:

Kunitz-Malkin-Neal
Yakopov\Penner\ Skinner-Sid-Dupuis
Cooke-Gaustad-Tangradi
Vitale-Konopka-Adams

[sil]

Someone right handed needs to be in there somewhere...please.

[mikey287]

Holy hell - we either get two untouchable players in Yakupov and Skinner or a total scrub like Penner? Staal for 1st overall won't fly. Staal for Skinner won't fly. So it looks like Penner...which I'd rather not do.

Why bother moving Staal to wing, it doesn't suit him or this team.

[Luckybreak]

Why bother moving Staal to wing, it doesn't suit him or this team.

I don't blame Staal for [reputedly] seeking more ice/PP/better linemates, so he either moves to wing on this team or moves to 2nd line centre on another team, and I don't think he's easily replaceable at any position.

I would love to try him at wing (if he was happy to give it a go) as his shot has developed well beyond his playmaking. He would add more defensive awareness to either Sid or Geno's line. He would be the best 'winger' Sid has played with in a while, not to mention Sid being an upgrade over Cooke/TK. Last but not least he is Sid's insurance policy...

1)Michalek was still banging on the boards, checking, blocking shots. The guy just needs a legit line mate.
2)Yes. McDonald, the 6'3" top WBS scoring RW and Captain of WBS
3)Dupuis is a 3rd liner. Tangradi has 2nd line potentional

1 - I like Michalek but don't know if he fits on the team with the development of Despres and retaining Nisky (who unlike Z has thrived in Pittsburgh). Assuming Despres starts 3rd pairing with Engel I don't see
Letang-Orpik / Letang-Michalek
Michalek-Nisky / Orpik-Nisky
as addressing the problems (mainly lack of size) exposed in the playoffs.

2 - Agree with giving youth a chance but McDonald isn't particularly young and failed to crack Edmonton's lineup for 8 years, not sure he is the answer (but I would be more willing to give him a shot than DB).

3 - I believe that Dupuis is a proven commodity playing with Sid and just came off a career year. Tangradi deserves a bigger shot but will start 3rd line at most. Besides, you also placed Dupuis 2nd line and Tangradi 3rd:

Kunitz Malkin Neal
Dupuis Crosby McDonald
Tangradi Staal Kennedy
Jeffrey vitale Cooke

[columbia]

McDonald: Is that Lanny or Colin?

[JS©]

Enough is enough, Bylsma is going to ruin young players worse than Patrick/Coaches ruined Naslund.

Ruined Naslund? 52 pts in 66 games wasn't bad considering he was mostly stuck on the third line.

[KG]

Dear Shero,

No Doan. He's a punk.

I'd take him on the Pens in a second....He's no angel but the Pens could use that...

[columbia]

I'm not sure why someone who is Doan's age would move to a less successful team.

[Pitts]

Enough is enough, Bylsma is going to ruin young players worse than Patrick/Coaches ruined Naslund.

Ruined Naslund? 52 pts in 66 games wasn't bad considering he was mostly stuck on the third line.

I was going to bring this up. Naslund was not ruined by anyone. He had regular shifts with Lemieux and Francis and would have been just fine had he stayed with the Pens. Naslund left because he wanted to. He requested the trade because there were too many big names in Pittsburgh and he wanted his own shot.