Kennedy offer sheet...

[Kraftster]

No Brainer on keeping TK. Shero would be an idiot not to. I think this is the year we finally see Adams walk. He's too slow and doesn't offer much besides the PK. I would try and work TK into that role. With his spunk he was born to kill penalties. I'd bring back Duper and Cooke too. Other than that I'm not sure what can be done with this lineup.

Kennedy is pretty much completely defensively inept. Why would they have him pk? If he could pk, he'd be a bargain, but he can't.

Was going to say exactly this.

[mikey287]

You don't have to be a Selke nominee to play on the PK, it isn't really that difficult...I think it's something that can be learned fairly easily, especially if you're a forward...it's more about positioning than anything, really. I don't think trying TK on the penalty kill would automatically ruin it or anything.

Tough to learn with limited hockey sense. That's why he's an ES player. Can't learn. Just programmed to do repetitive tasks. TK gets by on hard work, not brains or beauty...

[shmenguin]

he doesn't kill penalties and doesn't block shots. i don't know if that qualifies as completely defensively inept. he backchecks as good as you could want, doesn't lose his man and doesn't abandon the zone prematurely. he doesn't have any innate defensive talent, but he's more than adequate.

[Idoit40fans]

Kennedy does lose his man. Sure he backchecks, thats pretty irrelevant to the pk, but he does it. I can't really say he does it well, but he skates back hard, so thats something.

[Nizzy]

PRO KENNEDY SUPPORTERS

Everyone posts great "stats" and I will go as far as saying, decent hockey "logic" 15-20 goal scorer (til staal was traded), 75 career playoff games, good experience, etc etc

Until you realize he makes 2.0M, and its a good .750k-1M more than he deserves.

This isn't some scrub team, we need all the free cap.

Dupuis has earned a new increased contract. Kennedy hasn't even earned another 2.0M deal. Just because he scored 2 big playoff goals doesn't cross out the 40 games of HORRIBLE play. Just HORRIBLE. He would have sat MUCH MORE THIS YEAR, with any coach not named Bylsma.

You lose Kennedy supporters.

[shmenguin]

the voice of reason chimes in

[columbia]

[Idoit40fans]

the voice of reason chimes in

I think its settled. The defense may now rest.

[mikey287]

Who is even really supporting Kennedy in this thread...? I have to be one of his biggest supporters and look what I said about him...who are you yelling at...

Second time in 12 hours I've unfortunately had to use this, maybe it's the heat, but, what the **** are you talking about...?

And why is "stats" in quotes...are they not stats...? Just take a breath...

[shmenguin]

it's easy to call me out as some sort of fan boy, but the most effusive thing about kennedy that i've said in months is that he is adequate defensively.

[TheHammer24]

PRO KENNEDY SUPPORTERS

Everyone posts great "stats" and I will go as far as saying, decent hockey "logic" 15-20 goal scorer (til staal was traded), 75 career playoff games, good experience, etc etc

Until you realize he makes 2.0M, and its a good .750k-1M more than he deserves.

This isn't some scrub team, we need all the free cap.

Dupuis has earned a new increased contract. Kennedy hasn't even earned another 2.0M deal. Just because he scored 2 big playoff goals doesn't cross out the 40 games of HORRIBLE play. Just HORRIBLE. He would have sat MUCH MORE THIS YEAR, with any coach not named Bylsma.

You lose Kennedy supporters.

I'm not disputing that TK may make too much for this team. But Penguins fans have an absolutely warped view of what players are "worth." Everyone on this team with the exception of maybe Paul Martin and Brooks Orpik, is signed at a considerable discount than what they would have gotten in free agency or could get tomorrow in free agency, save for the guys making under a million.

[DontToewsMeBro]

You don't have to be a Selke nominee to play on the PK, it isn't really that difficult...I think it's something that can be learned fairly easily, especially if you're a forward...it's more about positioning than anything, really. I don't think trying TK on the penalty kill would automatically ruin it or anything.

Tough to learn with limited hockey sense. That's why he's an ES player. Can't learn. Just programmed to do repetitive tasks. TK gets by on hard work, not brains or beauty...

Tough to learn? I mean come on, this is hockey not brain surgery...If a 60 year old Craig Adams can do it I'm sure anybody can.

[ron_duguays_hair]

Kunitz is signing a three year contract from what I've heard.

[mikey287]

Key difference: Craig Adams has hockey sense. Tyler Kennedy does not. Thus, Adams ability to hold on in the league as long as he has (over a decade, nearly 900 games) despite limited skating ability and very limited puck skills. Smarts. Some players are not capable of learning in any meaningful way. Seen at every level.

[columbia]

One of them is certainly more likely to have a coaching career.

[Idoit40fans]

PRO KENNEDY SUPPORTERS

Everyone posts great "stats" and I will go as far as saying, decent hockey "logic" 15-20 goal scorer (til staal was traded), 75 career playoff games, good experience, etc etc

Until you realize he makes 2.0M, and its a good .750k-1M more than he deserves.

This isn't some scrub team, we need all the free cap.

Dupuis has earned a new increased contract. Kennedy hasn't even earned another 2.0M deal. Just because he scored 2 big playoff goals doesn't cross out the 40 games of HORRIBLE play. Just HORRIBLE. He would have sat MUCH MORE THIS YEAR, with any coach not named Bylsma.

You lose Kennedy supporters.

I'm not disputing that TK may make too much for this team. But Penguins fans have an absolutely warped view of what players are "worth." Everyone on this team with the exception of maybe Paul Martin and Brooks Orpik, is signed at a considerable discount than what they would have gotten in free agency or could get tomorrow in free agency, save for the guys making under a million.

Cooke, Kunitz, Iginla, Morrow, Murray, Jokinen, Fleury. I'd say all of them are worth at or less than what they were paid this year.

[TheHammer24]

It's telling almost all of those you listed were trade deadline acquisitions. Their salary doesn't affect our salary cap. But more importantly, their teams signed them at their market rate, which is higher than what you think the Pens should have paid them.

That leaves Cooke, Kunitz, and Fleury.

Cooke would have been paid more on another team, but he is "at" his rate, I agree. Fleury is overpaid, for sure, given his playoff performance.

Kunitz was a top 8th in the league in points. if you think he was at his market rate, then you are bolstering my point.

[Idoit40fans]

Most people say Cooke wouldn't find work elsewhere in the league because everyone sees him as a liability. Kunitz throws himself into walls and stands in front of slap shots, and has been doign it his whole career. If he gets a raise at 34, it will be a miracle. You conveniently left out Fleury, and Jokinen is still under contract with the team, so i'm not sure why it would matter where they got him. As for the others, they're also Penguins, thus included in "everyone on the team", so i'm not sure why it matters anyway.

[mikey287]

Cooke is a liability on what front...?

[Digitalgypsy66]

Cooke is a liability on what front...?

The penalties for being Matt Cooke could be classified as a liability. I think.

[mikey287]

Cooke is a liability on what front...?

The penalties for being Matt Cooke could be classified as a liability. I think.

Oh...that's silly. Neal and Malkin take more stupid penalties than Cooke...

[DelPen]

Get ready for Bennett-Sutter-Kennedy as your 3rd line. It will be interesting.

[DelPen]

Cooke is a liability on what front...?

The penalties for being Matt Cooke could be classified as a liability. I think.

Oh...that's silly. Neal and Malkin take more stupid penalties than Cooke...

And that's maybe the problem. if Neal and Malkin aren't idiots they don't end up in the box. Cooke gets tossed from the playoffs down 1-0 for a hit that was debatable as even being a penalty because of his reputation from 3-4 years ago.

I'd like to see Kennedy actually try to play PK before dismissing him. Vitale is good on the PK but never plays. He's actually really good on faceoffs and around the net yet was often a scratch because Byllsma depended on Adams.

With no Cooke someone needs to step into the PK roll, even more so if Dupuis and Adams aren't back too.

Glass, Jokinen and Sutter are good enough for Bylsma. need two more. Vitale and Kennedy? He needs to be tested a lot in preseason and see what he can do. We really just need a guy who can keep players honest at the point and clear, Kennedy can handle that role and he has short handed breakaway potential.

With the cap what is is next year we will need Kennedy to do more, same with Jokinen.

[Defence21]

Kunitz is signing a three year contract from what I've heard.

Overlooked is that you had this information about 15-18 hours before it happened -- when no rumors were floating. Kudos.

[Geezer]

Kennedy's spunk can be supplied by putting a puppy on skates.