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The Rangers have won the draft lottery. We talked a bit about thoughts on that revelation in the last post. New York’s exit from the bubble wasn’t devastating for that program. They are in a rebuild and the experience will be a good one for young members of that core moving forward.
On the other hand, there are teams whose exit from the bubble was not only disappointing, but will be the precursor to significant moves. In this post, we’re going to look at Pittsburgh. Jim Rutherford is, again, looking at moving pieces in and out (including staff) after what he feels was too early an exit for the team. Back to back cups in 2016 and 2017 and some future hall of fame players have the GM wanting to get some more kicks at the can (er, cup). In this series, I’ve reached out to some of you for your thoughts and opinions. Gergeswillems was the first reader I’ve worked with on this. Keep an eye on your inbox, because I may be touching base with you too!
Cap Friendly have about 68 million invested in 15 players. The stark reality is that there are many players who would be an upgrade to Detroit’s situation. Gergeswillems pick was to try and acquire Matt Murray for a third round pick. While I can see that player being an upgrade for Detroit, I questioned the asking price for certain. In my mind, Rutherford is going to want a good deal more for the RFA. G’s response to that was this:
Here's my reasoning... the goalie market is flooded. Murray is an RFA isn't he? Not sure. Pens seem to favour Jarry. Murray didn't really have a good regular season or playoffs this year. The Red Wings third round pick is essentially a late second rounder. Why am I giving up alot for Matt Murray when I can sign a UFA like Holtby, Lehner, Crawford or Talbot for free? Or trade for a goalie like Georgiev or Grubauer? It's a buyer's market.
I think he makes some good points in his argument. Murray has a $6mil qualifier (I believe). I wouldn’t mind seeing him in Detroit, but Rutherford may want a higher pick along with a prospect or roster player.
For me, personally, I wouldn’t mind seeing Yzerman try to sign Justin Shultz. He’s a UFA coming up, but you could make a deal to negotiate early. Packaging the rights for JS along with Murray could be a solid way to improve on both defense and in net. Those areas were difficult last year and some improvement could go a long way to giving the team a better chance to have some more confidence while players develop.
So, what do you think? Is there a Pittsburgh Penguin that you would make a deal for while JR looks to tweak his roster? Let me know!!
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