largegarlic wrote: Tue Jun 04, 2024 11:43 am
KG wrote: Tue Jun 04, 2024 9:13 am
Good to see a Pens prospect trending the right direction!
If Yager looks good in camp, I can't see the harm in giving him the 9 game tryout. If he's putting up those numbers in juniors, he doesn't have anything to prove there. I haven't seen him play a whole game (just clips), but my guess is that the big obstacle to him sticking in the NHL will be his size and strength. He's listed at 6'0" 170 lbs on Elite Prospects. If that's right, that just seems pretty scrawny, and he should be looking to add at least 10 lbs to hold up physically. It seems like a stretch to add that over the summer, but maybe.
But it sure seems like we're due for another homegrown top 6 forward to come through. I know they've traded a ton of high draft picks, but I don't think we've had any top 6 guys break in from within the organization since Rust and Guentzel in 2016 and 2017. I know O'Conner played some in the top 6 last season, but I don't count him as a true top 6 guy.
It would be nice to see him making the team for at least the 9 games. The other big decision is, what is his future position in the NHL. If they think it is wing, that should make it easier to bring him in and start learning. If they think it is Center, then, I still think they can team him up with the right resource to learn the ins and outs of playing center in the NHL, which is much more physically demanding.
Ryan Wilson had a piece today and, I knew he wasn't eligible for the AHL, but I didn't know how close. He would have needed to turn 20 before December 31st, 2024. Yager's birthday is January 3rd. The team could file an appeal to get him eligible, but that would most likely not succeed. Buffalo prospect and Yager's linemate Matthew Savoie turns 20 on January 1st (one day after the cutoff), and Buffalo was denied an exception for him. It's very rare those get approved, which is dumb.
Let's see how the draft and free agency go, and then I think we'll have a better idea of how the roster looks and if Yager can make it. I think Smith is as good as gone. I wouldn't mind Acciari out if they aren't going to play him at RW and/or consider scratching him at times if there is a better option. I do think, whether in a Smith trade or another deal, Dubas likely ships out a prospect to somehow get younger. Maybe a Poulin or one of the guys he got for Guentzel, since he apparently tried multiple deals last season that he couldn't pull off without said prospect.
Other than that, no real clue how the roster shakes out. There's things I think this team needs and would like to see, but, somehow, I'm not sure how that fits into Dubas and Sullivan's plan.