Random Penguins Fodder

[FLPensFan]

All apologies. I added Yager's name to Pickering.

No worries. I saw that post and figured that's what happened since it mentioned both guys. Let's hope WBS goes on a long run so we do get to see Yager come here and get in some games.

[Pens Fans Sweden]

Anyone heard anything on Letang's injury/injuries?

[Admin]

Anyone heard anything on Letang's injury/injuries?

Did a quick search and didn't find anything other than undisclosed.

Did find a few rumblings about Jake returning?
https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburg ... e-guentzel

[Puck-Lurker]

Anyone heard anything on Letang's injury/injuries?

Did a quick search and didn't find anything other than undisclosed.

Did find a few rumblings about Jake returning?
https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburg ... e-guentzel

I dont think Jake wants to return. And if he does, will cost more than we could afford.

And good for him, he deserves a raise and a chance to contend for a cup.

[FLPensFan]

Anyone heard anything on Letang's injury/injuries?

Did a quick search and didn't find anything other than undisclosed.

Did find a few rumblings about Jake returning?
https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburg ... e-guentzel

I dont think Jake wants to return. And if he does, will cost more than we could afford.

And good for him, he deserves a raise and a chance to contend for a cup.

I know Jake fit in very well here, but I think his time is done. He wasn't happy he didn't get an offer, his family reportedly wasn't happy with how things unfolded, and he recently sold his Pittsburgh house to Rust.

Just sign Sam Reinhart to the same money and we'll forget about Guentzel. Reinhart goes to the dirty areas to score most of his goals, and is a threat on the PP and PK. I don't think Reinhart will keep up a 40 or 50 goal pace, but I do think he's an annual 30 goal scorer at this point.

[ahawk9]

Agreed on Jake. Loved him here, but I think we saw with Bunting how much they missed that type of player. I'd love it if they could find a way to sign Reinhart.

[KG]

Looking at our roster, and with the cap space for next season, I think it's safe to say that KD is going to go hard after a top 6 wing. DOC was very good playing with Sid and Rust but we need to make the lineup deeper and add depth scoring. If we could add a legit top 6 wing or C, then we can drop OC down to 3LW which is solid for him.

Looking at the UFA market there are some legit options:

Reinhart: Would love him, but he's a RW. If we get him that would bump Rust down to Geno's line but then Rakell would need to play his off wing, LW. I'm not against moving Rakell, I don't think it will be easy to move him.
Jake: Obviously
Debrusk: Is only 27. Would fit nicely and would help the PP.
Bertuzzi: Skill to play top 6 and plays with grit. Would be fun to have both him and Bunting in the top 6.
Teravainen: Skilled winger. More of a pass first player but would certainly boost the top 6.
Stamkos: Would love to see him with Sid and on our PP. He's not coming here though.
Mantha: Big LW, puts up 20. Leaves you always wanting more.
Marchessault: Don't see him coming here
Tarasenko: For Geno
Chandler Stephenson: Solid player in Vegas. Can play LW and C. Something we should consider to give Geno a break at C.
Lindholm: Same as Stephenson. Plays center. Maybe look to pivot Geno to W?
Arvidsson. Never healthy but has the skill and grit we need for top 6

Then there is the trade market. Many teams will be looking to clear salary and the Pens could be able to buy cheap, like they did with Smith last season....Just need to choose wisely. Maybe Toronto will look to move Marner if they go out in the 1st round. Laine if he's back and ready to go could be available. Kotkaniemi in Carolina could be a young 3C we could use that could be had for cheap potentially. Plenty of options out there. Cap space is always king.

Real curious to see what KD does. Hopefully he can trim some fat and bring in more skill. Oh and fire Sully

[Pitts]

Agreed on Jake. Loved him here, but I think we saw with Bunting how much they missed that type of player. I'd love it if they could find a way to sign Reinhart.

I 100% expect Jake to re-sign in Carolina, but they do have some cap issues to overcome.

[Pitts]

Looking at our roster, and with the cap space for next season, I think it's safe to say that KD is going to go hard after a top 6 wing. DOC was very good playing with Sid and Rust but we need to make the lineup deeper and add depth scoring. If we could add a legit top 6 wing or C, then we can drop OC down to 3LW which is solid for him.

Looking at the UFA market there are some legit options:

Reinhart: Would love him, but he's a RW. If we get him that would bump Rust down to Geno's line but then Rakell would need to play his off wing, LW. I'm not against moving Rakell, I don't think it will be easy to move him.
Jake: Obviously
Debrusk: Is only 27. Would fit nicely and would help the PP.
Bertuzzi: Skill to play top 6 and plays with grit. Would be fun to have both him and Bunting in the top 6.
Teravainen: Skilled winger. More of a pass first player but would certainly boost the top 6.
Stamkos: Would love to see him with Sid and on our PP. He's not coming here though.
Mantha: Big LW, puts up 20. Leaves you always wanting more.
Marchessault: Don't see him coming here
Tarasenko: For Geno
Chandler Stephenson: Solid player in Vegas. Can play LW and C. Something we should consider to give Geno a break at C.
Lindholm: Same as Stephenson. Plays center. Maybe look to pivot Geno to W?
Arvidsson. Never healthy but has the skill and grit we need for top 6

Then there is the trade market. Many teams will be looking to clear salary and the Pens could be able to buy cheap, like they did with Smith last season....Just need to choose wisely. Maybe Toronto will look to move Marner if they go out in the 1st round. Laine if he's back and ready to go could be available. Kotkaniemi in Carolina could be a young 3C we could use that could be had for cheap potentially. Plenty of options out there. Cap space is always king.

Real curious to see what KD does. Hopefully he can trim some fat and bring in more skill. Oh and fire Sully

Debrusk is the only one really intrigues me. I'd settel for Bertuzzi or Duclair (you didn't mention) though.

Dome is also a UFA, but definitely a bottom 6 player.

However, Teravainen may be the casualty of Carolina signing Jake - I think he'd be a solid addition that would cost less than a potential Jake return.

[FLPensFan]

Looking at our roster, and with the cap space for next season, I think it's safe to say that KD is going to go hard after a top 6 wing. DOC was very good playing with Sid and Rust but we need to make the lineup deeper and add depth scoring. If we could add a legit top 6 wing or C, then we can drop OC down to 3LW which is solid for him.

Looking at the UFA market there are some legit options:

Reinhart: Would love him, but he's a RW. If we get him that would bump Rust down to Geno's line but then Rakell would need to play his off wing, LW. I'm not against moving Rakell, I don't think it will be easy to move him.
Jake: Obviously
Debrusk: Is only 27. Would fit nicely and would help the PP.
Bertuzzi: Skill to play top 6 and plays with grit. Would be fun to have both him and Bunting in the top 6.
Teravainen: Skilled winger. More of a pass first player but would certainly boost the top 6.
Stamkos: Would love to see him with Sid and on our PP. He's not coming here though.
Mantha: Big LW, puts up 20. Leaves you always wanting more.
Marchessault: Don't see him coming here
Tarasenko: For Geno
Chandler Stephenson: Solid player in Vegas. Can play LW and C. Something we should consider to give Geno a break at C.
Lindholm: Same as Stephenson. Plays center. Maybe look to pivot Geno to W?
Arvidsson. Never healthy but has the skill and grit we need for top 6

Then there is the trade market. Many teams will be looking to clear salary and the Pens could be able to buy cheap, like they did with Smith last season....Just need to choose wisely. Maybe Toronto will look to move Marner if they go out in the 1st round. Laine if he's back and ready to go could be available. Kotkaniemi in Carolina could be a young 3C we could use that could be had for cheap potentially. Plenty of options out there. Cap space is always king.

Real curious to see what KD does. Hopefully he can trim some fat and bring in more skill. Oh and fire Sully

There's already a rumor out there on Laine to the Penguins from a YouTuber that does hockey talk and rumors. Reportedly, it's Smith, a 1st, and a prospect for Laine. Not sure if I see Dubas giving up a 1st.

Kotkaniemi, I had a fan telling me several months ago that, if Skjei leaves via UFA, Graves for Kotkaniemi should be looked at. Carolina expected more out of Kotkaniemi, and he has 6 more years at 4.8M left on his deal. Carolina "might" be interested in something like that, swapping one bad contract for another, although, I think Kotkaniemi, while not putting up top 6 numbers, still has room to grow and isn't an extreme overpay at 4.8M...while Graves is paid about 50% too much for the season he had last year.

[BigMcK]

At the end of the day, I wonder how much input GMKD uses from the scouting group before making a decision on a player to add? Smith, Graves, bad fit. Eller, good fit.

As the main man, one would assume that he has other duties to deal with other than just scouting. Scratch that; of course he relies on assistance.

Seems like they got it wrong in recommending some of the bad fit players. Weren't they absent from scouting other teams when the trade deadline drew near? Maybe focus on improving the scouts.

[KG]

At the end of the day, I wonder how much input GMKD uses from the scouting group before making a decision on a player to add? Smith, Graves, bad fit. Eller, good fit.

As the main man, one would assume that he has other duties to deal with other than just scouting. Scratch that; of course he relies on assistance.

Seems like they got it wrong in recommending some of the bad fit players. Weren't they absent from scouting other teams when the trade deadline drew near? Maybe focus on improving the scouts.

KD relied heavily on Sullivan last summer on roster construction, since KD was so new on the job. The plan was to give the veterans a boost to get in the playoffs. I think/hope that KD puts his stamp on this team this summer, as much as he can.

[Crash66]

Graves was paid more like 90% too much for the season he just had.

[brwi]

There's already a rumor out there on Laine to the Penguins from a YouTuber that does hockey talk and rumors. Reportedly, it's Smith, a 1st, and a prospect for Laine. Not sure if I see Dubas giving up a 1st.

Kotkaniemi, I had a fan telling me several months ago that, if Skjei leaves via UFA, Graves for Kotkaniemi should be looked at. Carolina expected more out of Kotkaniemi, and he has 6 more years at 4.8M left on his deal. Carolina "might" be interested in something like that, swapping one bad contract for another, although, I think Kotkaniemi, while not putting up top 6 numbers, still has room to grow and isn't an extreme overpay at 4.8M...while Graves is paid about 50% too much for the season he had last year.

Cannot imagine Carolina having any interest in Graves whatsoever even if all 3 of their UFA dmen in Skjei, Pesce, and Chatfield leave. They have Orlov for one more year and he's been on the bottom pair all year because of all the dmen in front of him. They signed prospect Morrow that some alleged insiders thought was coming the Pens' way and he got in a few games at the end of the season and looks NHL-ready now. Nikishin comes over from Russia in a year to take over the LD on the 3/4 pair.

Kotkaniemi is about the only questionable contract on the roster as they are shrewd about contracts and Graves has a horrible contract and the only spot for him would be bottom pair. Don't see them paying that much and for that term.

[Badger Bob]

Smith owning up to his shortcomings this season:

https://triblive.com/sports/reilly-smit ... -penguins/

[lemieuxReturns]

Smith owning up to his shortcomings this season:

https://triblive.com/sports/reilly-smit ... -penguins/

Well hopefully he comes back and has an incredible contract year and we can trade him at the deadline for multiple 1sts to help us build our rebuild.

[Dynasty1970]

Looking at our roster, and with the cap space for next season, I think it's safe to say that KD is going to go hard after a top 6 wing. DOC was very good playing with Sid and Rust but we need to make the lineup deeper and add depth scoring. If we could add a legit top 6 wing or C, then we can drop OC down to 3LW which is solid for him.

Looking at the UFA market there are some legit options:

Reinhart: Would love him, but he's a RW. If we get him that would bump Rust down to Geno's line but then Rakell would need to play his off wing, LW. I'm not against moving Rakell, I don't think it will be easy to move him.
Jake: Obviously
Debrusk: Is only 27. Would fit nicely and would help the PP.
Bertuzzi: Skill to play top 6 and plays with grit. Would be fun to have both him and Bunting in the top 6.
Teravainen: Skilled winger. More of a pass first player but would certainly boost the top 6.
Stamkos: Would love to see him with Sid and on our PP. He's not coming here though.
Mantha: Big LW, puts up 20. Leaves you always wanting more.
Marchessault: Don't see him coming here
Tarasenko: For Geno
Chandler Stephenson: Solid player in Vegas. Can play LW and C. Something we should consider to give Geno a break at C.
Lindholm: Same as Stephenson. Plays center. Maybe look to pivot Geno to W?
Arvidsson. Never healthy but has the skill and grit we need for top 6

Then there is the trade market. Many teams will be looking to clear salary and the Pens could be able to buy cheap, like they did with Smith last season....Just need to choose wisely. Maybe Toronto will look to move Marner if they go out in the 1st round. Laine if he's back and ready to go could be available. Kotkaniemi in Carolina could be a young 3C we could use that could be had for cheap potentially. Plenty of options out there. Cap space is always king.

Real curious to see what KD does. Hopefully he can trim some fat and bring in more skill. Oh and fire Sully

How many of those listed will want to come play for the Penguins? What will be their draw? That they get to play with Crosby? We don’t have anything to lure top players our way anymore. Time to rebuild. If you didn’t figure it out….I would start with Firing Sully.

[FLPensFan]

Looking at our roster, and with the cap space for next season, I think it's safe to say that KD is going to go hard after a top 6 wing. DOC was very good playing with Sid and Rust but we need to make the lineup deeper and add depth scoring. If we could add a legit top 6 wing or C, then we can drop OC down to 3LW which is solid for him.

Looking at the UFA market there are some legit options:

Reinhart: Would love him, but he's a RW. If we get him that would bump Rust down to Geno's line but then Rakell would need to play his off wing, LW. I'm not against moving Rakell, I don't think it will be easy to move him.
Jake: Obviously
Debrusk: Is only 27. Would fit nicely and would help the PP.
Bertuzzi: Skill to play top 6 and plays with grit. Would be fun to have both him and Bunting in the top 6.
Teravainen: Skilled winger. More of a pass first player but would certainly boost the top 6.
Stamkos: Would love to see him with Sid and on our PP. He's not coming here though.
Mantha: Big LW, puts up 20. Leaves you always wanting more.
Marchessault: Don't see him coming here
Tarasenko: For Geno
Chandler Stephenson: Solid player in Vegas. Can play LW and C. Something we should consider to give Geno a break at C.
Lindholm: Same as Stephenson. Plays center. Maybe look to pivot Geno to W?
Arvidsson. Never healthy but has the skill and grit we need for top 6

Then there is the trade market. Many teams will be looking to clear salary and the Pens could be able to buy cheap, like they did with Smith last season....Just need to choose wisely. Maybe Toronto will look to move Marner if they go out in the 1st round. Laine if he's back and ready to go could be available. Kotkaniemi in Carolina could be a young 3C we could use that could be had for cheap potentially. Plenty of options out there. Cap space is always king.

Real curious to see what KD does. Hopefully he can trim some fat and bring in more skill. Oh and fire Sully

How many of those listed will want to come play for the Penguins? What will be their draw? That they get to play with Crosby? We don’t have anything to lure top players our way anymore. Time to rebuild. If you didn’t figure it out….I would start with Firing Sully.

I partially agree, but maybe in a different way. I don't think the Penguins can just say, come here instead of there, we are awesome, we have Sid and Geno, and players are going to line up. But a lot of those players listed....Guentzel, DeBrusk, Bertuzzi, Teravainen, Stamkos, Mantha, Marchessault, Tarasenko, Changler, Lindholm, Domi, etc...they are all playing on teams that, even with the rising cap next year, are going to have a hard time bringing those players back. There are going to be decisions made where someone is left out. If Florida signs Reinhart, it's next to impossible to sign Tarasenko too. If Vegas signs Marchessault, they may be short on money to sign Stephenson. Carolina has Jake, Teravainen, Skjei, Pesce all as UFAs plus Necas, Jarvis, and Drury as RFAs.

So, while Pittsburgh may not be these guys first choice anymore, there's only so much money to go around. Pittsburgh should have the funds to make a sizeable signing and then fill out the rest of the team.

[Daniel]

Looking at our roster, and with the cap space for next season, I think it's safe to say that KD is going to go hard after a top 6 wing. DOC was very good playing with Sid and Rust but we need to make the lineup deeper and add depth scoring. If we could add a legit top 6 wing or C, then we can drop OC down to 3LW which is solid for him.

Looking at the UFA market there are some legit options:

Reinhart: Would love him, but he's a RW. If we get him that would bump Rust down to Geno's line but then Rakell would need to play his off wing, LW. I'm not against moving Rakell, I don't think it will be easy to move him.
Jake: Obviously
Debrusk: Is only 27. Would fit nicely and would help the PP.
Bertuzzi: Skill to play top 6 and plays with grit. Would be fun to have both him and Bunting in the top 6.
Teravainen: Skilled winger. More of a pass first player but would certainly boost the top 6.
Stamkos: Would love to see him with Sid and on our PP. He's not coming here though.
Mantha: Big LW, puts up 20. Leaves you always wanting more.
Marchessault: Don't see him coming here
Tarasenko: For Geno
Chandler Stephenson: Solid player in Vegas. Can play LW and C. Something we should consider to give Geno a break at C.
Lindholm: Same as Stephenson. Plays center. Maybe look to pivot Geno to W?
Arvidsson. Never healthy but has the skill and grit we need for top 6

Then there is the trade market. Many teams will be looking to clear salary and the Pens could be able to buy cheap, like they did with Smith last season....Just need to choose wisely. Maybe Toronto will look to move Marner if they go out in the 1st round. Laine if he's back and ready to go could be available. Kotkaniemi in Carolina could be a young 3C we could use that could be had for cheap potentially. Plenty of options out there. Cap space is always king.

Real curious to see what KD does. Hopefully he can trim some fat and bring in more skill. Oh and fire Sully

How many of those listed will want to come play for the Penguins? What will be their draw? That they get to play with Crosby? We don’t have anything to lure top players our way anymore. Time to rebuild. If you didn’t figure it out….I would start with Firing Sully.

I partially agree, but maybe in a different way. I don't think the Penguins can just say, come here instead of there, we are awesome, we have Sid and Geno, and players are going to line up. But a lot of those players listed....Guentzel, DeBrusk, Bertuzzi, Teravainen, Stamkos, Mantha, Marchessault, Tarasenko, Changler, Lindholm, Domi, etc...they are all playing on teams that, even with the rising cap next year, are going to have a hard time bringing those players back. There are going to be decisions made where someone is left out. If Florida signs Reinhart, it's next to impossible to sign Tarasenko too. If Vegas signs Marchessault, they may be short on money to sign Stephenson. Carolina has Jake, Teravainen, Skjei, Pesce all as UFAs plus Necas, Jarvis, and Drury as RFAs.

So, while Pittsburgh may not be these guys first choice anymore, there's only so much money to go around. Pittsburgh should have the funds to make a sizeable signing and then fill out the rest of the team.

I think another thing to add is they could feel they're the missing piece. Like you've said for years about Reinhart, his style is pretty unique compared to most of the roster (minus Bunting of course). He might feel that this team was one more gritty top 6 guy from making it to the playoffs. Perhaps thinking Bunting/Reinhart = Kunitz/Hornqvist for one last run. Reinhart can also look at the failing PP and think that his presence might have a dozen or so goals over the course of the year and how many more points?

Point is, as a franchise yes they're diminishing and will need to rebuild probably during the life of the new contract. However, Dubas might be able to sell them on being the missing piece for a 3 year run realizing they can get traded in a few years for a chance at a cup afterward.

[BigMcK]

So, while Pittsburgh may not be these guys first choice anymore, there's only so much money to go around. Pittsburgh should have the funds to make a sizeable signing and then fill out the rest of the team.

Any professional team would dispatch a sales group immediately to showcase what a team / city has to offer. Ducks, Kings: surf in the morning, play hockey at night. Rangers, Isles: play hockey at night, party until the morning. Stars: brisket. Panthers, Lighting: golf, deep-sea fishing.

I see the Penguins as a city where you can play, raise a family, and retire celebrated by a hardcore fan base.

Not a knock on Canadian teams: snow activities, great camping before the bears awake, pond hockey, diner poutine 24 / 7.

Every team has a sales pitch.

Others?

[Daniel]

So, while Pittsburgh may not be these guys first choice anymore, there's only so much money to go around. Pittsburgh should have the funds to make a sizeable signing and then fill out the rest of the team.

Any professional team would dispatch a sales group immediately to showcase what a team / city has to offer. Ducks, Kings: surf in the morning, play hockey at night. Rangers, Isles: play hockey at night, party until the morning. Stars: brisket. Panthers, Lighting: golf, deep-sea fishing.

I see the Penguins as a city where you can play, raise a family, and retire celebrated by a hardcore fan base.

Not a knock on Canadian teams: snow activities, great camping before the bears awake, pond hockey, diner poutine 24 / 7.

Every team has a sales pitch.

Others?

I think a huge sales pitch is the state of Florida, Texas, Tennessee have no state income tax so you keep more of your money.

[FLPensFan]

A few odds and ends from Rossi:

--Team source says Penguins are optimistic a long-term deal is reached with Marcus Pettersson. They expect his new deal to go up at least 1M AAV each year.

--Rust was reportedly told at the trade deadline he would be part of the team plans heading into this year. Dubas had offers for Rust at the deadline, but didn't want to move him when already trading Guentzel. Rust's NMC is up after the 24-25 season.

--Rossi confirms Guentzel was not happy with how things unfolded, agitated by Dubas not being very straightforward with him. That said, a source told Rossi Guentzel would still let Dubas pitch him in UFA if things get that far. His fondness for the Penguins is greater than any ill will towards Dubas. That said, another source said it would be a very long-shot for him to come back...Jake is loving it in Carolina, and the feeling seems mutual.

--Says Penguins are operating under the premise that Ned will get better offers in UFA than they can afford to retain him. They are fine going into the season with expectation of Jarry and Blomqvist as their duo.

--Dubas engaged in talks with multiple teams on Reilly Smith at the trade deadline, but there were no takers due to him still having another year on his deal. That will change this season, and he expects the market to trade him to be more favorable, said both a team source and a source close to Smith.

[penny lane]

28th anniversary of the Pajama Game- 1996 pens v CAPS game 4



Too much action to be nervous. I was a zombie, before a thing, next day at work.

[FLPensFan]

This was an off the cuff remark by Taylor Haase today when talking about World Championships, but she made a comment that Rakell wasn't going because of his shoulder injury. According to Taylor, the injury occurred sometime in November and he wore a brace on that right shoulder all season.

I don't recall hearing about this at locker exit day or any other time during the season. Anyone else recall hearing about this injury? Rakell has always been a very up and down player from year to year, but, this goes a long way for me in explaining his somewhat down season.

[MayorofD6]

Staggy mentioned on his Saturday show that Rakell had a shoulder injury for most of the season. A good reason why he under produced. I am not against moving him in the off season.