You are the GM

[NJ5934]

Dave Molinari
With so many teams seeking blue-line depth, Shero should have a good chance to get something for 1 or 2 of his 9 waivers-eligible defensemen

I think most GM's will try to grab guys off the waiver wire rather than part with an asset. I doubt we get anything for these excess d-men.

Agreed. Considering we didn't get anything for Michalek, I don't see anything major coming back for a couple depth guys.

[MRandall25]

Dave Molinari
With so many teams seeking blue-line depth, Shero should have a good chance to get something for 1 or 2 of his 9 waivers-eligible defensemen

I think most GM's will try to grab guys off the waiver wire rather than part with an asset. I doubt we get anything for these excess d-men.

Agreed. Considering we didn't get anything for Michalek, I don't see anything major coming back for a couple depth guys.

Michalek was a special case. More a salary dump than anything else.

[NJ5934]

Dave Molinari
With so many teams seeking blue-line depth, Shero should have a good chance to get something for 1 or 2 of his 9 waivers-eligible defensemen

I think most GM's will try to grab guys off the waiver wire rather than part with an asset. I doubt we get anything for these excess d-men.

Agreed. Considering we didn't get anything for Michalek, I don't see anything major coming back for a couple depth guys.

Michalek was a special case. More a salary dump than anything else.

You are probably right but I can't imagine Shero hadn't fished for something in return before he gave him away.

[MRandall25]

You are probably right but I can't imagine Shero hadn't fished for something in return before he gave him away.

Why would he have fished for something in return? We were awfully close to the 50 player limit as it was, and it opened up the salary to go after some FAs. Shero knew what he was doing. If he wanted a decent return on Michalek, he wouldn't have made the trade.

[columbia]

That was a karma building move. ZM was apparently unhappy and he got to go back "home."

[Gaucho]

I don't know much about Cheverie, but Ruopp and Sundqvist are both teenagers, so it might be too early to say we got notjhing in return.

[MRandall25]

As netwolf just pointed out on the Twitter, we were at the 50 contract limit before the Michalek trade. Trading him brought us back to 49.

[BurghersAndDogsSports]

You are probably right but I can't imagine Shero hadn't fished for something in return before he gave him away.

Why would he have fished for something in return? We were awfully close to the 50 player limit as it was, and it opened up the salary to go after some FAs. Shero knew what he was doing. If he wanted a decent return on Michalek, he wouldn't have made the trade.

I am sure he made some calls, it was at the draft. Its not like he didnt have any time at all ever to see what he could get. He didnt have to make the deal right then and there, even for FA signings or limits. Not sure too many teams wanted an under performing d-men at a high salary for 3 more years, but Phoenix knows him and how he can do in their system.

Although to be fair, its a different situation when you are dealing with the cap, salaries, years remaining and so forth. It can bring down the trade value of someone (which I think it did for him). That being said, I still dont think Lovejoy, Strait or Engellend bring you much in return at all. If they are dime a dozen to us, I am sure every team has similar players in their system.

[netwolf]

Cheverie was on an expiring contract, but Pens declined to qualify him. I think PHX may have needed to send him to us b/c of the 50 man rule. And b/c of that, now I think I just may have been mistaken all along on them ever being at the max. Having 3 guys signed that don't count against it because of the slide rule didn't help. Counting is hard.

EDIT: Also forgot about Nick Petersen's deal being terminated. Thanks to ‏@MJBilliter for the Twitter reminder.

[ville5]

I don't know much about Cheverie, but Ruopp and Sundqvist are both teenagers, so it might be too early to say we got notjhing in return.

We already got rid of Chevy. Sundqvist is intriguing. Ruopp very high probability to not make it.

[DesertPenguin]

Don't give up on Ruopp. He isn't in the puckmoving mold of the rest of D prospects, but he is big, and very physical, which is a quality we sorely lack. He is also still in juniors. Lets give him a couple years in the A before writing him off, eh?

[Gaucho]

Ruopp was drafted in the 3rd round 18 months ago, so "very high probability to not make it" seems a little absurd.

[Nizzy]

First and for most:

1. Fire Dan Bylsma.

The lack of coaching he displayed over the past 2 years, the inability to change up styles, the buddy-buddy-ness of players, needs to go. It was the perfect situation for him letting the dog off the chain of Therrien's disciplined team. You cant bark the same words at the same core for 4 years in a row. Teams know his style. This team needs an experienced coach. We need a coach that wants to play rookies. We should be looking at Bennett and/or Tangradi getting an extended top-6 look, and instead he honestly suggested Tanner Glass might play alongside Malkin. Bylsma is a 3rd line grinder that is coaching superstars.

2. Slap Ray Shero.

Get back to your original plan Shero. "BIG BODY NA" Ducks, 2006. Since then he's been drafting nothing but BIG BODY NA. When we won a cup we had big Hal Gill to break Holmstrom's back. Look at the Bruins, huge tough team. Shero's been drafting for the NEW NHL, when the Refs still red like its the 1995 playoffs.

Bylsma - Shero are going in the wrong direction. It's surprising because, it's not even the style we won the cup with. We won the cup with Grit, blocking shots, not 6 puck moving defenseman, but with a solid shutdown pairing.

[Gaucho]

Former grinders and defensemen make the best coaches. Fact. And not much of a surprise either.

Carry on.

[DocEmrick]

Trade Crosby/Malkin for the entire Rangers roster.

Trade Fleury for Bryzgalov/Giroux/7th Round Pick

Nash - Giroux - Anisimov
Other players

[ville5]

Ruopp might've been selected 3rd round, but CSB had him ranked outside of top 100 North American skaters. Add in soff Euros, and he falls way down in the rankings of his draft class. I realize that and $2 will get you a draft, but D drafted primarily for their size and toughness don't normally work out too well.
I guess its slightly absurd, but odds are against it.

[Gaucho]

Ruopp might've been selected 3rd round, but CSB had him ranked outside of top 100 North American skaters. Add in soff Euros, and he falls way down in the rankings of his draft class. I realize that and $2 will get you a draft, but D drafted primarily for their size and toughness don't normally work out too well.
I guess its slightly absurd, but odds are against it.

Sure, the odds may be against him. It just rubs me the wrong way when teenagers are being written off in a matter of a half-sentence. Sorry if that sounds a little moralizing.

[ville5]

Ruopp might've been selected 3rd round, but CSB had him ranked outside of top 100 North American skaters. Add in soff Euros, and he falls way down in the rankings of his draft class. I realize that and $2 will get you a draft, but D drafted primarily for their size and toughness don't normally work out too well.
I guess its slightly absurd, but odds are against it.

Sure, the odds may be against him. It just rubs me the wrong way when teenagers are being written off in a matter of a half-sentence. Sorry if that sounds a little moralizing.

No apology needed.

[Fire0nice228]

While I dont agree with everything Nizzy said a few posts ago, I do agree that this team looks nothing like the Cup team. Michalek was brought in to be that shutdown shot blocking machine, as he was in PHX, but it didn't quite work out for whatever reason, be it system or style the coaches asked him to play or whatever. I am very interested and will keep an eye on Z out there in PHX to see if he returns to form.

I hope we do something to get another shutdown D somehow. I wish we coulda got Gill at the deadline instead of Nashville.

[pcm]

I bet Engelland has a much bigger season than people expect of him, and fills that "Hal Gill" role to a degree. Of course, no one expects anything from a guy who enters the league at 28, but he's improved significantly each season to date. It'd be a big jump for the guy, who the Pens staff had zero faith in the playoffs last year. But nonetheless, I see him bringing it all to the table this season.

[RisslingsMissingTeeth]

I keep looking at this roster and and keep thinking about what we know of these players already. If I'm doing a 48 game season and I want to win the cup I:
- trade or dump Tangradi and Jeffrey
- Keep Bennett and make him the winger on the Malkin line or move Kunitz back to the Malkin line give Bennett to Crosby
- trade or dump Lovejoy and Strait. Drop Martin to the 3rd pairing with Engy, move Nisky with Orpik and put Bortuzzo with Letang with Depres subbing in every so many games.
- Tell Byslma that if I hear anymore of 'we just gotta play our game' when it is clear that the other team has adjusted to 'our game', than you're fired.

That should do it. Cup winner right there.

[mikey287]

That's a lot of pressure on some young players to make a big difference on a big stage. Bennett is accountable for 21 minutes a night? Bortuzzo the same? With no NHL experience, that's asking a lot in a 10-game season much less one that we went to turn from 48 to 70...

Not saying it's right or wrong, but it's tough to put a low-mid level prospect like Bortuzzo into the fire like that and expect it to turn out well...that's a lot of minutes...probably more than he plays in the AHL...

[meow]

What's with all the fire Byslma talk? I don't get it.

[thehockeyguru]

I keep looking at this roster and and keep thinking about what we know of these players already. If I'm doing a 48 game season and I want to win the cup I:
- trade or dump Tangradi and Jeffrey
- Keep Bennett and make him the winger on the Malkin line or move Kunitz back to the Malkin line give Bennett to Crosby
- trade or dump Lovejoy and Strait. Drop Martin to the 3rd pairing with Engy, move Nisky with Orpik and put Bortuzzo with Letang with Depres subbing in every so many games.
- Tell Byslma that if I hear anymore of 'we just gotta play our game' when it is clear that the other team has adjusted to 'our game', than you're fired.

That should do it. Cup winner right there.

Despres has to be in the top 4.

[MRandall25]

What's with all the fire Byslma talk? I don't get it.

You must've missed the whole shabockle after the Flyers series...