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After last year’s playoffs and most of this year, i forgot what fans sounded like. With limited capacity, the Isles fans were blowing the roof off of Nassau Coliseum! I don’t have a horse in this race, so I just got to enjoy it. I’m sure it was less pleasant to Penguins fans, but it was so good to have playoff hockey feel like, well, playoff hockey.
Pittsburgh looked exhausted. At the end of the second period it took Crosby a while to get off the ice. The guys were just gassed. This insane short season took its toll on a Penguins team that fought hard to win a very difficult division. The Islanders looked fresh and ready for more, content to send Crosby and Co 200ft down ice over and over. Now that the series is over, Pittsburgh has negative cap space and are missing most of their draft picks for this year. A stiff price to pay when you find yourself out in round one.
Here’s a link to Pittsburgh’s Cap Friendly page. Ron Hextall and Brian Burke came in to replace Jim Rutherford, who had wanted to bring Marc Andre Fleury back into the fold. Matt Murray’s post season brilliance was possible, in part, to having MAF in the fold. Murray has since moved on, and the “Flower” remains in the desert. However, as long as Crosby and Malkin are on board the team feels like they’re going to be a contender.
RFAs and UFAs number 6 apiece, so not a terrible post season ahead. Jeff Carter was a nice pick up and has one more year on his deal. Only Cody Ceci and Yannick Weber are without a deal on the blue line. However, the team is listed as being more than $1 million over the cap and need to make some deals.
I’m not convinced there are any “great fits” on this roster that Hextall will want to try and unload. Marino’s new 4 million dollar deal kicks in next year, and is part of the pinch. Guenztel isn’t likely going anywhere. Zucker’s 5.5 million dollar hit may be one they want to try and move on from. Brian Rust at 3.5 million and Kasperi Kapanen at 3.5 million could also get back some much needed space. I expect the team to try and make deals with Seattle, but also to try and work with teams that have cap space. The team is without their 1st, 3rd, 4th and 6th round picks this year. If they made the finals they would have lost 2022’s second pick, but lose only the third. They don’t have their 4th for 2023 (could have been a third if Carter played 50 games).
So, this team isn’t dealing from a place of strength in terms of draft picks. Yzerman’s ability to gather picks could make Hextall reach out. 2 firsts this year, 3 second round picks (two next year), two third round picks, two fourth round picks (three in 2022) and two fifth round picks. That is an incredible amount of leverage for teams that spent their picks to “go for it”. GMs get antsy and deals can be made.
Is there anything you would trade from the picks for from PIttsburgh? They’re going to keep swinging for the fences, but at this point only have a second, a fifth, and three seventh round picks going into the draft. They need cap space and picks, so get your trade simulators going!
Barry Trotz, to me, is a coach who makes an entire team better. Whatever it is that he puts into his teams, everyone in the roster seems to want to buy in. The Islanders have been better since his arrival, and the team genuinely plays for each other. I hope the man writes a book some day.
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Check out my previous blogs:
Yzerman is looking for two lefty D men
Edmonton is out of the playoffs. Are there deals to be made?
Washington was eliminated from the playoffs
St Louis is out, any players of interest?
The internal struggle
Yzerman working in silence
Cholowski has coffee with Carly
Bernier would like an extension, and Berggren has signed his ELC.
Eemil Viro has signed his ELC, but Petruzzelli may walk.
The Yzerman Press Conference
Blashill was extended, and a mock draft has Wings picking a goalie at #6
Roster turnover
Albert Johansson playing for team Sweden
Are you rooting for former Wings Players in the playoffs?
Thanks for a great season
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