2024-2025 Season Random Penguins Fodder

[Pitts]

Mark Friedman dumped again!

[Sams_Dog]

I think it’s the Sully factor also. This isn’t the first time this happened. What surprises me is that MP29 signed with VCR less than a week after being traded and at a team friendly salary. I wonder if Pittsburgh is on his no trade list. Lol.

To be fair, Dubas never attempted to talk contract with him. I'm pretty sure he would have signed with the Pens if he were given the opportunity.

I'm less certain. Penguins won't be in a position to compete for a cup for (at least) three years in my view. Pettersson might like a shot at a cup with a good team. I imagine we'd be paying on top of his current extension to keep him.

Say 6.5M - 7M plus a NMC?

I'm wondering about that no contract talks thing though. Maybe GMKD didn't with Pettersson and Guentzel, because it would affect his position in trying to trade them? Speculation..

From Pettersen himself, he stated numerous time he did not want to be traded and to stay in Pittsburgh, He did, however, acknowledge the business side of it and understood why he might get traded this year. But, for sure I think the Pens might have paid more than 5.5 per to keep him.

A lot of pending UFAs say that but they almost always want to test the market too. They know how things work and they want the most money and longest term. Can’t blame them for that. He had to know that the Pens were not going to sign him for six years.

[EndO FanEra]

Perhaps this subject has been broached before, but is it possible to trade a coach in the NHL? It's very difficult to find reliable information. It has been done before. It's been a long time. The Flyers got a 1st round pick for Fred Shero in 1979, and the Nordiques received a 1st for Michel Bergeron in the mid '80s. Also from the Rangers.

I think Sullivan is a good coach, and that seems to be the prevailing wisdom around the league. I also believe his time has come as the Pens' coach. He's well past the expiration date for an average NHL coach. Cooper is the only one with more tenure. Those two are the only coaches making $5M plus. Sullivan has 2 seasons left at $5.5M per. That's $11M that doesn't affect the cap but does the bottom line. It's not an insignificant amount. Especially on a team whose attendance is going to suffer during a rebuild. They're on the hook if he's fired, although I believe it offsets if he's hired elsewhere. But the Pens would likely still be on the hook for a portion. Or Sully could decide to take a year off to concentrate on the Olympics and still get paid. Trading him would wipe the contract off the books.

The Rangers were rumored to be interested in him when there was talk he may become available. It would be a typical New York move. Especially after they've underachieved so badly under Laviolette this season. It would be remarkable if the pick they received from the Canucks ends up being in 2026, and the Pens draft position would be tied to how well they do under Sully.

The return wouldn't really be important. I suspect the FSG puts a lot more weight on that $11M than we do.

Sully, Karlsson (no retention), and their 2025 1st back for Fox?

[Pens Fans Sweden]

I was browsing the Penguins page at CapWages.com and noticed it still had the condition on the 6th round pick the Penguins traded to the Blue Jackets in the Bemström trade last year as active. It says that it will become a 3rd round pick still, if Bemström scores six or more goals. That can't be correct can it? I thought the condition on that trade only lasted last season?

[Puck-Lurker]

I was browsing the Penguins page at CapWages.com and noticed it still had the condition on the 6th round pick the Penguins traded to the Blue Jackets in the Bemström trade last year as active. It says that it will become a 3rd round pick still, if Bemström scores six or more goals. That can't be correct can it? I thought the condition on that trade only lasted last season?

I believe that is for last season only, yes. I had been wondering about that but I think the ship sailed for that 3rd.

Any winger can score 6 goals on a season*, so that wouldn't be much of a condition.

*Predictable exceptions are predictable

[Pens Fans Sweden]

I was browsing the Penguins page at CapWages.com and noticed it still had the condition on the 6th round pick the Penguins traded to the Blue Jackets in the Bemström trade last year as active. It says that it will become a 3rd round pick still, if Bemström scores six or more goals. That can't be correct can it? I thought the condition on that trade only lasted last season?

I believe that is for last season only, yes. I had been wondering about that but I think the ship sailed for that 3rd.

Any winger can score 6 goals on a season*, so that wouldn't be much of a condition.

*Predictable exceptions are predictable

Yeah, it's weird that it's still up on their page.

[FLPensFan]

[Victor]

Happy for him. Hopefully another team picks him up and give him proper ice time. If not, I guess he will go back to Europe.

[ahawk9]

I really wonder what I've missed on him. It had to be something because he already cleared once. I guess it's one of the many many reasons I'm not a GM but I saw nothing that would constitute jettisoning him like this while Nieto stays.

I felt that Puljujarvi had shown potential to be an effective 3rd line guy who could move up for a bit if needed. Was he a horrible person? Did he kill Sully's dog? Is the hip thing so shaky that everyone is afraid? It's a head-scratcher to me. I'm not saying he would have popped 25 goals but, damn, does having Nieto on the roster instead of him make them better?

[KG]

May be the end of the line with Jesse in the NHL unfortunately.

[DelPen]

If anyone wanted Puljujarvi they would had claimed him off waivers or if they didn’t have contract space they would had tired at least a trade for him of an AHL player.

Personally I don’t get it. The guy can still play, has speed, size, hits, scores when he has the opportunity, and is just a solid player.

The only other option is he’s a complete jerk as a teammate but I haven’t seen anything to support that. I’d like to blame Sullivan here but no team in North America seems to want him at all. Really weird.

[Puck-Lurker]

May be the end of the line with Jesse in the NHL unfortunately.

Guessing this is to give Puljujärvi a chance to sign somewhere and play? I honestly don't get it.

Like at all. None of it makes sense to me.

Good luck Jesse. I think he returns to Finland..

[FLPensFan]

If anyone wanted Puljujarvi they would had claimed him off waivers or if they didn’t have contract space they would had tired at least a trade for him of an AHL player.

Personally I don’t get it. The guy can still play, has speed, size, hits, scores when he has the opportunity, and is just a solid player.

The only other option is he’s a complete jerk as a teammate but I haven’t seen anything to support that. I’d like to blame Sullivan here but no team in North America seems to want him at all. Really weird.

However you felt about his game....whether you felt he played well, scored, was or wasn't good defensively, for me, it all still boils down to one simple question regarding Puljujarvi....

Why did Dubas sign him to a 2 year deal? He came in on a tryout, they extended the tryout. Pretty easy to assume they felt he was progressing positively from his surgery. While the hip resurfacing has claimed multiple players careers (most recently Backstrome in Washington), it seems maybe the recovery and playability is getting better, as now Puljujarvi and Patrick Kane have both come back and played a considerable amount of games.

So, the Penguins thought he was healed and progressing. Great. But again, what was the purpose of signing him beyond just last year? One would have to assume they liked what they did see as he recovered enough to sign him beyond just last season. His overall skating speed dramatically increased over the summer as well.

I dunno. I thought the guy was perfectly fine as a bottom 6 player, and felt he was better than several other options (cough, Nieto), but, not worth rambling on anymore.

He probably has a deal lined up in Europe. I see maybe a 10-15% chance someone in the NHL signs him. The difference now between signing him, or claiming him when he was on waivers is that to claim him, that team had to keep him on the NHL roster. If someone wanted some added bottom 6 depth for a playoff run, they could sign JP, and then waive him to send him to the AHL. But I doubt that happens.

[KG]

May be the end of the line with Jesse in the NHL unfortunately.

Guessing this is to give Puljujärvi a chance to sign somewhere and play? I honestly don't get it.

Like at all. None of it makes sense to me.

Good luck Jesse. I think he returns to Finland..

Definitely think he could be in this lineup, but if the coach refuses to play him then this is for the best. At least this will knock our players under contract down to 48/50. More roster flexibility the better this time of season.

[Puck-Lurker]

May be the end of the line with Jesse in the NHL unfortunately.

Guessing this is to give Puljujärvi a chance to sign somewhere and play? I honestly don't get it.

Like at all. None of it makes sense to me.

Good luck Jesse. I think he returns to Finland..

Definitely think he could be in this lineup, but if the coach refuses to play him then this is for the best. At least this will knock our players under contract down to 48/50. More roster flexibility the better this time of season.

Oh no.. this is the day Jeff Carter comes out of retirement and gets signed to a 10 year deal isn't it?

[stonewizard51]

May be the end of the line with Jesse in the NHL unfortunately.

I wish him well wherever he winds up.

[Skatingpen]

It is getting harder and harder to like this ownership

[stonewizard51]

Money talks and BS stays behind the bench.

[FLPensFan]

[KG]

OK, now it's obvious they are trying to tank

We should look to move on from Rust too. He's just going to continue to breakdown more as he ages.

[Pens4Life]

Kinda sad what happened to Jesse here,never understood it.. but good luck to him whereever he lands next. By eye test he seemed like perfect 3rd liner for us.

Ponomarev recalled, Rust out,hm.. just 1 game now,then 14 days pause...both Sid and Rust are expected to play after 4Nations for Pens

[Toke]

[Tico Rick]

Bemstrom, Ponomarev and Blomqvist all sent to WBS, Jarry called back up. I'm assuming that this is to give them all playing time over the two-week break, and that Blomqvist will be back up afterwards. Is the Jarry call-up just a way of giving him a vacation rather than having him sit on the bench/watch from the press box in the AHL while his replacements get ice time?

[Puck-Lurker]

Bemstrom, Ponomarev and Blomqvist all sent to WBS, Jarry called back up. I'm assuming that this is to give them all playing time over the two-week break, and that Blomqvist will be back up afterwards. Is the Jarry call-up just a way of giving him a vacation rather than having him sit on the bench/watch from the press box in the AHL while his replacements get ice time?

I reckon they're sent down to allow them to train and play. Paper move for other purposes, I expect at least Blomqvist to be recalled when the All-Star Nations ends.


I honestly don't give a tinker's cuss about Jarry -- so long as he gets waived again before we play more games. Unless we're actively trying to tank, in that case, play him every game. I'd prefer someone else be in net though.

[KG]

With both the Rangers and Bruins struggling this season, I would expect both of them to move mountains at the possibility of getting Sully to be their coach. Hopefully KD and FSG lets him go. He will get scooped up same day.