The Playoff Race / The Lottery Race

[Daniel]

Also who’s going to the ECHL when Larsson comes back? Murashov is lights out with WBS.

I imagine they'll keep 3 goalies.

[Puck-Lurker]

Also who’s going to the ECHL when Larsson comes back? Murashov is lights out with WBS.

I imagine they'll keep 3 goalies.

No salary cap in the AHL, no reason to bump anyone.

Also no reason to play Jarry if Larsson and Murashov are healthy. Murashov looks good.

[FLPensFan]

Also who’s going to the ECHL when Larsson comes back? Murashov is lights out with WBS.

I imagine they'll keep 3 goalies.

No salary cap in the AHL, no reason to bump anyone.

Also no reason to play Jarry if Larsson and Murashov are healthy. Murashov looks good.

I would agree that they will likely keep 3, and, Jarry should be the one who only gets a random start here or there. Larsson and Murashov have done plenty to stay where they are, and they are more the future than Jarry.

They still have Taylor Gauthier stuck in the ECHL as well. He may not have as much upside, but he was ECHL goalie of the year last year, and after missing 2 months with injuries, he's 9-5, 2.45 GAA and .921 SV%

[Michael74]

Our organizational goaltending depth is impressive. At some point, (probably next season) Jarry will either have to be moved via trade or bought out as to not gum up the pipeline. More likely the latter.

[EndO FanEra]

Last night was the first time I can remember that I openly rooted for the Pens to lose.

I've been going into games with an indifferent mindset so far this season. Root for them to score, and disappointed when they get scored on. If they win, "Cool, well done boys". If they lose, "Cool, better draft pick".

I don't know if it was the fact that they were playing one of the few teams below them at this point, or if it was the total flatness that the game had, but it took less than 5 minutes before I was actively rooting for SJ to score and hoping the Pens did not.

Now that we are in the running for a top 5/10 pick, we HAVE TO make that happen. We're talking about a 1/2 a season at this point. We've already suffered enough over the past 8 years, just suck as bad as we can for the next few months. Get as low of a pick as we can, then get back to trying to win next season.

The difference between finishing 5th/6th and 15th/16th could dramatically change the trajectory of this franchise for years to come.

They are going to be worse next season, and the one after that, and the one after that, and the one after that.... This is the tradeoff for keeping the elders so that fans didn't have to get their feelings hurt by seeing former stars in different uniforms.

My mind has been in that space for a while now. Winning is cool, I prefer winning, losing sucks but hey, better drafting yeah? I don't believe in tanking though, ever. The players should play to win, every time. If management has made for a poor mix leading to a lot of losses, so be it. Ramming the iceberg on purpose with the Titanic is not my cup of tea.

We will be a bottom dweller for at least 3 seasons after this one I think. Draft well, draft early, draft often. Pick up reclamations and short deals and build.

You may be right about being a bottom dweller for another 3 seasons, but I don't think Dubas believes that. My guess is that he's hoping for a 2-year plan at this point. At least, that's what I'm still holding out hope for.

This season is obviously a lost cause.

25-26: My guess is that he'll try to infuse the youth into the regular lineups this season, with the hope that we'll improve on this current season. If Sully is gone, there is a chance we'll actually finish a little better. My guess is that we'll still be in the bottom half of the league either way. Better draft picks again.

26-27: I think we have the "potential" to be competitive this season. By that, I mean maybe making the playoffs. As bad as we were the past two seasons, we still flirted with playoffs. With the influx of youth, lots of cap space, a new coach, Sid eager for one last run, it might be possible. I think we'll be on the upswing again this season, but I'm not sure if it'll be enough to make the playoffs.

27-28: This is the season we should be back to making the playoffs. If we are not in the playoff picture at this point, I think Dubas has failed at what he set out to do. If we are in the playoffs but still have a lot of questions & roster issues that could keep the team mired in mediocrity for a few years, I think that would also be considered a failure. However, if we can make the playoffs with a young & growing team somewhat on the rise, I think that would be considered a successful retool for Dubas.

So, I guess I'm expecting one more bottom dwelling season, followed by a low-mid pack season, followed by a mid-pack to playoff team. At least, that's the trajectory I'm hoping for.

[Puck-Lurker]

Last night was the first time I can remember that I openly rooted for the Pens to lose.

I've been going into games with an indifferent mindset so far this season. Root for them to score, and disappointed when they get scored on. If they win, "Cool, well done boys". If they lose, "Cool, better draft pick".

I don't know if it was the fact that they were playing one of the few teams below them at this point, or if it was the total flatness that the game had, but it took less than 5 minutes before I was actively rooting for SJ to score and hoping the Pens did not.

Now that we are in the running for a top 5/10 pick, we HAVE TO make that happen. We're talking about a 1/2 a season at this point. We've already suffered enough over the past 8 years, just suck as bad as we can for the next few months. Get as low of a pick as we can, then get back to trying to win next season.

The difference between finishing 5th/6th and 15th/16th could dramatically change the trajectory of this franchise for years to come.

They are going to be worse next season, and the one after that, and the one after that, and the one after that.... This is the tradeoff for keeping the elders so that fans didn't have to get their feelings hurt by seeing former stars in different uniforms.

My mind has been in that space for a while now. Winning is cool, I prefer winning, losing sucks but hey, better drafting yeah? I don't believe in tanking though, ever. The players should play to win, every time. If management has made for a poor mix leading to a lot of losses, so be it. Ramming the iceberg on purpose with the Titanic is not my cup of tea.

We will be a bottom dweller for at least 3 seasons after this one I think. Draft well, draft early, draft often. Pick up reclamations and short deals and build.

You may be right about being a bottom dweller for another 3 seasons, but I don't think Dubas believes that. My guess is that he's hoping for a 2-year plan at this point. At least, that's what I'm still holding out hope for.

This season is obviously a lost cause.

25-26: My guess is that he'll try to infuse the youth into the regular lineups this season, with the hope that we'll improve on this current season. If Sully is gone, there is a chance we'll actually finish a little better. My guess is that we'll still be in the bottom half of the league either way. Better draft picks again.

26-27: I think we have the "potential" to be competitive this season. By that, I mean maybe making the playoffs. As bad as we were the past two seasons, we still flirted with playoffs. With the influx of youth, lots of cap space, a new coach, Sid eager for one last run, it might be possible. I think we'll be on the upswing again this season, but I'm not sure if it'll be enough to make the playoffs.

27-28: This is the season we should be back to making the playoffs. If we are not in the playoff picture at this point, I think Dubas has failed at what he set out to do. If we are in the playoffs but still have a lot of questions & roster issues that could keep the team mired in mediocrity for a few years, I think that would also be considered a failure. However, if we can make the playoffs with a young & growing team somewhat on the rise, I think that would be considered a successful retool for Dubas.

So, I guess I'm expecting one more bottom dwelling season, followed by a low-mid pack season, followed by a mid-pack to playoff team. At least, that's the trajectory I'm hoping for.

I'm really Dubious about GMKD in this area. I think he believes it's possible to turn the ship around by acquiring a bunch of young and (nearly) ready guys, build on that, get some choice signings in free agency and go on one last run.

Please.. for the love of the hockey gods, spare me that. Any playoff run with this team in the next two years is a mirage, though we might (might!) get good enough to qualify to get our bums handed to us in a sweep or 4-1.

Rebuild this team and give the kids an honest chance, rather than playing old veteran bums, whose only qualification over the kids is "they're 30+". Stop that crap and fire Sullivan. If we then make any playoffs, it'll be double the fun and worth something.

[thehockeyguru]

Dubas blew his chance at a quick rebuild during his first off-season, he made way too many mistakes. Karlsson, Jarry, Graves, Accari are all moves prohibiting us from being competitive in the short term

[Michael74]

Dubas blew his chance at a quick rebuild during his first off-season, he made way too many mistakes. Karlsson, Jarry, Graves, Accari are all moves prohibiting us from being competitive in the short term

There wasn't gonna be a quick fix regardless. The core has aged out and we kept trading away 1st rounders year after year so very little in the pipeline when KD took over. Trying to acquire EK was a last ditch effort to hold onto relevance. It didn't work, but most were on board with it at the time. After he made some initial mistakes he's done a good job at extracting value via trades and building up the prospect pipeline and accruing draft capital.

[thehockeyguru]

Dubas blew his chance at a quick rebuild during his first off-season, he made way too many mistakes. Karlsson, Jarry, Graves, Accari are all moves prohibiting us from being competitive in the short term

There wasn't gonna be a quick fix regardless. The core has aged out and we kept trading away 1st rounders year after year so very little in the pipeline when KD took over. Trying to acquire EK was a last ditch effort to hold onto relevance. It didn't work, but most were on board with it at the time. After he made some initial mistakes he's done a good job at extracting value via trades and building up the prospect pipeline and accruing draft capital.

The core aged out in Washington too but they managed the decline and made savvy moves.

What Dubas has done recently hasn't made up for all his initial mistakes

[Michael74]

Dubas blew his chance at a quick rebuild during his first off-season, he made way too many mistakes. Karlsson, Jarry, Graves, Accari are all moves prohibiting us from being competitive in the short term

There wasn't gonna be a quick fix regardless. The core has aged out and we kept trading away 1st rounders year after year so very little in the pipeline when KD took over. Trying to acquire EK was a last ditch effort to hold onto relevance. It didn't work, but most were on board with it at the time. After he made some initial mistakes he's done a good job at extracting value via trades and building up the prospect pipeline and accruing draft capital.

The core aged out in Washington too but they managed the decline and made savvy moves.

What Dubas has done recently hasn't made up for all his initial mistakes

The Caps didn't trade their 1sts to the degree we did. They also have players on LTIR that afforded them cap flexibility that we don't have. TBH I doubt the Caps do much of anything in the post season. We'll see. And in regards to their core, they have one cup to show for it, where as we have three.

[thehockeyguru]

Dubas blew his chance at a quick rebuild during his first off-season, he made way too many mistakes. Karlsson, Jarry, Graves, Accari are all moves prohibiting us from being competitive in the short term

There wasn't gonna be a quick fix regardless. The core has aged out and we kept trading away 1st rounders year after year so very little in the pipeline when KD took over. Trying to acquire EK was a last ditch effort to hold onto relevance. It didn't work, but most were on board with it at the time. After he made some initial mistakes he's done a good job at extracting value via trades and building up the prospect pipeline and accruing draft capital.

The core aged out in Washington too but they managed the decline and made savvy moves.

What Dubas has done recently hasn't made up for all his initial mistakes

The Caps didn't trade their 1sts to the degree we did. They also have players on LTIR that afforded them cap flexibility that we don't have. TBH I doubt the Caps do much of anything in the post season. We'll see. And in regards to their core, they have one cup to show for it, where as we have three.

Of the Caps top contributors one was a first round pick drafted by them so that argument doesn't hold water.

I don't know how far they will go in the playoffs but they are leading the division there is no denying that. The moves their GM made has put them in a position to make a deep run. Dubas didn't made 4 major moves that ultimately doomed any chance of a playoff appearance

I'm not quite sure what exactly you are arguing, when you look at the Caps front office moves the last couple years versus the Penguins it's not even close.

[Michael74]

Dubas blew his chance at a quick rebuild during his first off-season, he made way too many mistakes. Karlsson, Jarry, Graves, Accari are all moves prohibiting us from being competitive in the short term

There wasn't gonna be a quick fix regardless. The core has aged out and we kept trading away 1st rounders year after year so very little in the pipeline when KD took over. Trying to acquire EK was a last ditch effort to hold onto relevance. It didn't work, but most were on board with it at the time. After he made some initial mistakes he's done a good job at extracting value via trades and building up the prospect pipeline and accruing draft capital.

The core aged out in Washington too but they managed the decline and made savvy moves.

What Dubas has done recently hasn't made up for all his initial mistakes

The Caps didn't trade their 1sts to the degree we did. They also have players on LTIR that afforded them cap flexibility that we don't have. TBH I doubt the Caps do much of anything in the post season. We'll see. And in regards to their core, they have one cup to show for it, where as we have three.

Of the Caps top contributors one was a first round pick drafted by them so that argument doesn't hold water.

I don't know how far they will go in the playoffs but they are leading the division there is no denying that. The moves their GM made has put them in a position to make a deep run. Dubas didn't made 4 major moves that ultimately doomed any chance of a playoff appearance

I'm not quite sure what exactly you are arguing, when you look at the Caps front office moves the last couple years versus the Penguins it's not even close.

We weren't gonna make the playoffs regardless. We missed them the year before Dubas even got here. I just don't see any moves, even the Graves and Jarry signings as changing this teams trajectory. I agree those moves weren't good at all. We all know this. But this wasn't a playoff team the year prior. As far as the Caps go, again they have cap flexibility that we didn't. They had 16 mil I believe to use for LTIR. That affords you plenty of flexibility to make moves. And trading 1st rounders to the degree we did caught up to us. We never drafted nor developed any second tier players that could help augment our scoring. And these issues were prevalent four and five years ago. You can't expect a GM to clean up years of mismanagement in one off season. The dynamics of each team are decidedly different.

[thehockeyguru]

That's where we will have to agree to disagree. Dubas didn't trade for Karlsson, resign Jarry, sign Graves and Accari for this team to miss the playoffs. All of those moves were win now moves and they have all proven to be poor decisions.

Because of those initial moves Dubas made there is a zero percent chance of us getting to the playoffs again in the Crosby era.

[Michael74]

That's where we will have to agree to disagree. Dubas didn't trade for Karlsson, resign Jarry, sign Graves and Accari for this team to miss the playoffs. All of those moves were win now moves and they have all proven to be poor decisions.

Because of those initial moves Dubas made there is a zero percent chance of us getting to the playoffs again in the Crosby era.

I do agree we won't likely make the playoffs in the Crosby era. But not making the playoffs in the long run is whats best. Dubas tried to extend the window by bringing in EK. That's not exactly a move that defies logic. It made sense IF you wanted to afford the core one more shot. The players didn't perform up to expectations, so KD shifted and started to sell off.

If we're being honest about it, we haven't won a playoff series since 2018, So, better to start anew.

[Gunnerfan]

That's where we will have to agree to disagree. Dubas didn't trade for Karlsson, resign Jarry, sign Graves and Accari for this team to miss the playoffs. All of those moves were win now moves and they have all proven to be poor decisions.

Because of those initial moves Dubas made there is a zero percent chance of us getting to the playoffs again in the Crosby era.

I'll take that bet.

[Victor]

Dubas blew his chance at a quick rebuild during his first off-season, he made way too many mistakes. Karlsson, Jarry, Graves, Accari are all moves prohibiting us from being competitive in the short term

There wasn't gonna be a quick fix regardless. The core has aged out and we kept trading away 1st rounders year after year so very little in the pipeline when KD took over. Trying to acquire EK was a last ditch effort to hold onto relevance. It didn't work, but most were on board with it at the time. After he made some initial mistakes he's done a good job at extracting value via trades and building up the prospect pipeline and accruing draft capital.

The core aged out in Washington too but they managed the decline and made savvy moves.

What Dubas has done recently hasn't made up for all his initial mistakes

The Caps didn't trade their 1sts to the degree we did. They also have players on LTIR that afforded them cap flexibility that we don't have. TBH I doubt the Caps do much of anything in the post season. We'll see. And in regards to their core, they have one cup to show for it, where as we have three.

Of the Caps top contributors one was a first round pick drafted by them so that argument doesn't hold water.

I don't know how far they will go in the playoffs but they are leading the division there is no denying that. The moves their GM made has put them in a position to make a deep run. Dubas didn't made 4 major moves that ultimately doomed any chance of a playoff appearance

I'm not quite sure what exactly you are arguing, when you look at the Caps front office moves the last couple years versus the Penguins it's not even close.

The comparison with the Capitals is valid as to where the Penguins could have been. Capitals won the Cup in 2018 and have not won a playoff series since. In 2022-23 they didn't qualify for the post-season, the same season the Penguins failed to qualify after 16 straight appearances.

They capitalised having Backstrom and Oshie in LTIR with a number of trades last off-season. Chychrun has 33 points in 47 games and doesn't even play a lot of PP1 minutes. Thompson will likely be a Vezina finalist. PLD is on pace for 65 points. You can argue Mangiapane and his cap hit for a 2nd was an overpayment, but I guess they are happy with him. They added Eller from Pittsburgh early in the season.

Strome, their #1 C, was added as an UFA in 2022. Lindgren can also be considered a hit as an addition in 2022. He was solid as a starter last season and is reliable backup this year. They added Sandin from Toronto at the deadline two years ago.

They signed Kuemper for a 5.25M AAV for 5 years straight after winning the cup with Colorado in 2022 (only one year before Jarry signed his contract) after moving on from Samsonov and flipped him to acquire PLD and his 8.5M AAV two years later. PLD's contract might age poorly, but is working well for them so far.

All these players they acquired, except obviously for Eller, are younger than 30.

Their draft record in the past 8 years or so for players still in their roster isn't amazing, but still better than the Penguins. McMichael and Protas, from the 2019 draft, and Fehérváry, from 2018 are main parts of their roster. Lapierre, from 2020, seems to be developing just as well as Poulin. Their highest draft position was #8, in 2023.

Since their cup years, Washington changed coaches 3 times. Trotz left winning it all, then Reirden coached for two seasons, Laviolette for three and Spencer Carbery is their head coach since last season. Carbery finished 1st in the regular season with Hershey and won AHL coach of the year in 2021 (no AHL playoffs that season) and was hired as an assistant coach by Toronto before moving back to the Capitals franchise. We all know too well the last time Penguins made a coaching change.

This season, they don't rely solely on Ovechkin to win games. They were 10-5-1 when he got injured, .656 pt%. They got a .721 pt% overall this season. Can you imagine where this team would be without Sid?

Of course there were misses along the way that I didn't mention here. But what the Capitals did without bottoming out is a useful blueprint for the Penguins.

[ahawk9]

Well said! I think many of us were clamoring for just that kind of rebuild on the fly thinking but the great hockey minds disagreed, and here they are. This team's last gasp was the series loss to the Rangers, which was theirs for the taking but Trouba intervened. After that, a soft dismantle/rebuild could have injected a much-needed bit of energy and youth but the brass doubled down on experience and their coach, and neither has succeeded. I do think KD is headed in the right direction. It'll be interesting to see what else he pulls off before the deadline and in the summer.

[Michael74]

Well said! I think many of us were clamoring for just that kind of rebuild on the fly thinking but the great hockey minds disagreed, and here they are. This team's last gasp was the series loss to the Rangers, which was theirs for the taking but Trouba intervened. After that, a soft dismantle/rebuild could have injected a much-needed bit of energy and youth but the brass doubled down on experience and their coach, and neither has succeeded. I do think KD is headed in the right direction. It'll be interesting to see what else he pulls off before the deadline and in the summer.

Let's be clear, this team was going nowhere prior to KD's arrival. I wholeheartedly agree that Rangers series was this cores last gasp. I also agree that Dubas has this team headed in the right direction. If Dubas can continue to extract good value and return via trades we'll get back on the course in 3-4 years. After a long period of success that's not a bad scenario.

[FLPensFan]

Penguins head into the 4 Nations break in a similar spot....tied for 7th overall pick with the Flyers. Penguins have same number of games played and points, but win the Regulation wins and Regulation Overtime Wins tiebreakers.

Buffalo sits in 5th spot below PIT and PHI. Buffalo is the "hottest" team in the top 10 picks, at 6-4 over their last 10. Currently losing 5-3 in the 3rd to Nashville. Anaheim is technically 3 points behind Pittsburgh, but they have 4 games in hand, so a higher points percentage. Anaheim is the only other top 10 pick team that has a winning record over their last 10 games, at 5-4-1. They play LA tonight.

Seattle vs Calgary just getting under way. Seattle will be tied with PIT in games played after tonight. They are currently 5 points behind the Penguins in the standings. A win tonight puts them 3 points behind PIT's 55 points. EDIT: Seattle won; 3 points behind PIT and even in games played.

Nashville sits at 43 points, 12 points behind the Penguins. They have 4 games in hand.

As of today, in terms of the race towards the best pick...4th overall pick still seems to be a possibility. Tied with Flyers, and Buffalo has been heating up, on a 4 game win streak (but losing tonight; just cut deficit to one as I type). Passing PHI and BUF puts Penguins in 5th overall spot. Overtaking Seattle isn't out of the question.

If you assume D-man Matthew Schaefer is going 1st overall, picking 5th means Penguins would get one of Martone, Hagens, Misa, Desnoyers, or Frondell.

[thehockeyguru]

Penguins head into the 4 Nations break in a similar spot....tied for 7th overall pick with the Flyers. Penguins have same number of games played and points, but win the Regulation wins and Regulation Overtime Wins tiebreakers.

Buffalo sits in 5th spot below PIT and PHI. Buffalo is the "hottest" team in the top 10 picks, at 6-4 over their last 10. Currently losing 5-3 in the 3rd to Nashville. Anaheim is technically 3 points behind Pittsburgh, but they have 4 games in hand, so a higher points percentage. Anaheim is the only other top 10 pick team that has a winning record over their last 10 games, at 5-4-1. They play LA tonight.

Seattle vs Calgary just getting under way. Seattle will be tied with PIT in games played after tonight. They are currently 5 points behind the Penguins in the standings. A win tonight puts them 3 points behind PIT's 55 points. EDIT: Seattle won; 3 points behind PIT and even in games played.

Nashville sits at 43 points, 12 points behind the Penguins. They have 4 games in hand.

As of today, in terms of the race towards the best pick...4th overall pick still seems to be a possibility. Tied with Flyers, and Buffalo has been heating up, on a 4 game win streak (but losing tonight; just cut deficit to one as I type). Passing PHI and BUF puts Penguins in 5th overall spot. Overtaking Seattle isn't out of the question.

If you assume D-man Matthew Schaefer is going 1st overall, picking 5th means Penguins would get one of Martone, Hagens, Misa, Desnoyers, or Frondell.

Log jam now at 55 points, Ducks at 54 points, and Seattle at 52 points which would be the 5th overall pick. Buffalo losing to Nashville sucks that would have put the 4th overall spot within 4 points.

[Cow_Master66]

Last night was the first time I can remember that I openly rooted for the Pens to lose.

I've been going into games with an indifferent mindset so far this season. Root for them to score, and disappointed when they get scored on. If they win, "Cool, well done boys". If they lose, "Cool, better draft pick".

I don't know if it was the fact that they were playing one of the few teams below them at this point, or if it was the total flatness that the game had, but it took less than 5 minutes before I was actively rooting for SJ to score and hoping the Pens did not.

Now that we are in the running for a top 5/10 pick, we HAVE TO make that happen. We're talking about a 1/2 a season at this point. We've already suffered enough over the past 8 years, just suck as bad as we can for the next few months. Get as low of a pick as we can, then get back to trying to win next season.

The difference between finishing 5th/6th and 15th/16th could dramatically change the trajectory of this franchise for years to come.

They are going to be worse next season, and the one after that, and the one after that, and the one after that.... This is the tradeoff for keeping the elders so that fans didn't have to get their feelings hurt by seeing former stars in different uniforms.

My mind has been in that space for a while now. Winning is cool, I prefer winning, losing sucks but hey, better drafting yeah? I don't believe in tanking though, ever. The players should play to win, every time. If management has made for a poor mix leading to a lot of losses, so be it. Ramming the iceberg on purpose with the Titanic is not my cup of tea.

We will be a bottom dweller for at least 3 seasons after this one I think. Draft well, draft early, draft often. Pick up reclamations and short deals and build.

You may be right about being a bottom dweller for another 3 seasons, but I don't think Dubas believes that. My guess is that he's hoping for a 2-year plan at this point. At least, that's what I'm still holding out hope for.

This season is obviously a lost cause.

25-26: My guess is that he'll try to infuse the youth into the regular lineups this season, with the hope that we'll improve on this current season. If Sully is gone, there is a chance we'll actually finish a little better. My guess is that we'll still be in the bottom half of the league either way. Better draft picks again.

26-27: I think we have the "potential" to be competitive this season. By that, I mean maybe making the playoffs. As bad as we were the past two seasons, we still flirted with playoffs. With the influx of youth, lots of cap space, a new coach, Sid eager for one last run, it might be possible. I think we'll be on the upswing again this season, but I'm not sure if it'll be enough to make the playoffs.

27-28: This is the season we should be back to making the playoffs. If we are not in the playoff picture at this point, I think Dubas has failed at what he set out to do. If we are in the playoffs but still have a lot of questions & roster issues that could keep the team mired in mediocrity for a few years, I think that would also be considered a failure. However, if we can make the playoffs with a young & growing team somewhat on the rise, I think that would be considered a successful retool for Dubas.

This timeline could work if you add add 4+5 years to each line item. I'm all about wishful thinking though, and hope you're right, there's just zero reason to believe this is how it will go. Maybe less than zero?

[Badamski9]

Also who’s going to the ECHL when Larsson comes back? Murashov is lights out with WBS.

Hopefully Jarry.

[Puck-Lurker]

Also who’s going to the ECHL when Larsson comes back? Murashov is lights out with WBS.

Hopefully Jarry.

I don't think there's a reason to send anyone down. The AHL doesn't have a salary cap, as I recall. You can have Larsson, Murashov and Jarry up there with Jarry getting zero starts. Then Gauthier and Claxson in Wheeling.

[Michael74]

They'll likely trade NED if they can. That'll free up a spot.

[Pitts]

That's where we will have to agree to disagree. Dubas didn't trade for Karlsson, resign Jarry, sign Graves and Accari for this team to miss the playoffs. All of those moves were win now moves and they have all proven to be poor decisions.

Because of those initial moves Dubas made there is a zero percent chance of us getting to the playoffs again in the Crosby era.

I'm not exactly sure what moves you would have wanted him to make though. Jarry - there really were no other options in free agency. Karlsson and Graves were comendable additions at the time. They backfired. Accari, eh, he is what he is.

As was stated the biggest problem at this time is purely lack of any talent in the pipeline. Constantly trading away 1st rounders for a run, and then not being able to draft quality players in later rounds is what the biggest issue is right now. Tampa was able to keep on motoring by letting UFA's walk and always having a younger player ready to step in. They've been doing that for more than a decade. They draft/develop very well. The Pens have been terrible drafters for ages. I would argue the strong commitment to "the core" is probably just as big an issue. But, I personally was on board with it. To be honest, I'm okay with a few crappy years in order to build back up. Ticket prices should come down some, or at least they will be running great promos to get people to the games! LOL