Trade Jarry and Bjustadt to the Leafs for Anderson and Kapenin or Kerfoot.

Trade Murray to Oilers for JP and a pick.

Sign a UFA backup.

Agreed

I just despise this notion that Letang is somehow irreplaceable. Just because he's "Core" there's never a reason to extract value and look for an upgrade

GMJR needs to get on the phone and put out feelers for Letang (which is what he lowkey did by not mentioning him as unmovable)

If there's a trade to be made, then put in a full push offer for Pietrangelo or Krug. If they sign, pull the trigger on the Letang deal and don't give it a second thought. Might end up paying more $$ then Letang, but if the new guy is a better 1D and the guy coming back in trade provides value from a $ standpoint then the overall trade is a win

If you can't sign a Top FA, then just stick with Letang, warts and all
- TheGame316

If you don't think Letang is a number 1 defenseman, you'll be disappointed with Krug. He's an offensive defenseman who Boston keeps away from the toughest matchups. He is better than Letang on the PP. Letang has never been great there. But 5v5 against opposing team's best is a job Letang is much better suited for, at least until his legs slow down.

Pietrangelo is better than Letang, but the list of guys actually better suited than him is pretty small. He's not technically irreplaceable, just harder than a lot of people think.

Letang would benefit from reduced TOI. I don't see how they effectively replace him this off-season when considering cap hit. The available free agents are non-starters because of asking price.

Steigy was on the radio this morning. People seem to dislike him, but I've always liked his insight on the Pens. I think he's always "spot-on" when assessing the team.

A couple of things he mentioned...which I entirely agree with... The Pens need to get a little bigger. Not saying speed isn't important, just saying the NHL is constantly changing and they've largely adjusted to what the Pens want to do with the smaller, speedy players. (By the way... Trotz basically said this about the Pens when they finally got over the hurdle. Said they were letting the Sheary's and Rusts beat them by giving them so much space.)

He said Jarry is the goalie of the future. Murray is basically gone.

He mentioned Poulin and isn't sold on his skating. Likes him, but is worried about his first couple of steps being NHL caliber.

Said he really likes Legare. Likes the combination of size and shot even if his skating isn't great either.

He mentioned ZAR... Says he was sold as another Hornie, but doesn't see any of that in his game. Pretty much said he blows (my words) ha ha.
- madmike71

Steigy just wasn't good at play-by-play, he comes off as very knowledgeable in interviews and pre and post game.

Agree on getting a little bigger, but if they get a top 6 guy like that I'll be satisfied. Poulin or even Simon in for Marleau plus that switch for Sheary greatly improves their wall play.

I'm way more worried about Legare's skating than Poulin's.

I feel bad for ZAR because Rutherford put that Hornqvist comparison on him and it really never was accurate. He was considered a potential 4th liner who had a big offensive senior year so maybe he'd be a 3rd liner, not a top 6 power forward.

The flip side of the coin is that we cannot get slow. I’m happy the Pens org is high on Poulin and Legere and think they can challenge for spots soon. Effective players on ELC is super important, but if 30% of our roster can’t skate, we’re not gonna do well as Sid and Geno age. Poulin, Legere, ZAR, and Hornqvist is a not insignificant percentage of the forwards that don’t skate well if all four of those guys are regulars.
- Victoro311

I think Hornqvist will be gone by the time Legare makes the team.

Linemates probably matter as to how many bigger guys you can carry. ZAR playing with 2 burners in Blueger and Tanev insulates him.

Agree though as Sid and Geno slow, it would be good to balance that with speed. Tough to find those guys who have size, can skate, and have decent hands.

The flip side of the coin is that we cannot get slow. I’m happy the Pens org is high on Poulin and Legere and think they can challenge for spots soon. Effective players on ELC is super important, but if 30% of our roster can’t skate, we’re not gonna do well as Sid and Geno age. Poulin, Legere, ZAR, and Hornqvist is a not insignificant percentage of the forwards that don’t skate well if all four of those guys are regulars.
- Victoro311

I agree with that. If I remember the reason why both Poulin and Legare fell was because of their skating. I think the Pens need to get a little bigger. Not slower. Most of the bigger teams can still skate.

Trade Jarry and Bjustadt to the Leafs for Anderson and Kapenin or Kerfoot.

Trade Murray to Oilers for JP and a pick.

Sign a UFA backup.
- crawfordg

We already have an NHL backup in Casey DeSmith. He is buried in the AHL until the Murray/Jarry plays out this off season.

Jarry isn't going anywhere.

Trade Jarry and Bjustadt to the Leafs for Anderson and Kapenin or Kerfoot.

Trade Murray to Oilers for JP and a pick.

Sign a UFA backup.
- crawfordg

Decent proposals. Andersen is hard to judge because of the team in front of him, but I don't think shedding Bjug and gaining Kapanen is worth the potential of Jarry. Tough call. The Pens brass probably does it because they already like Kap, they only have to pay Andersen $1M (I think), they don't have to pay Jarry now, and Kap is cost-controlled for 2 more years and then RFA. I'd do the Oilers trade even without the pick, but JP could very well be a bust.

I know, I just more so get frustrated at the thought of how nice it would be to have him on this team as well. If Montreal advances to the next round, I would assume they won't be looking to trade anyone unless it makes them immediately better. I doubt prospects would get it done which I know a lot of fans would like.

I agree that a lot of the Dmen will probably receive better offers elsewhere. I think we will be in the middle of the pack, so maybe we able to land Pietrangelo, but if we move some salary around Shattenkirk, Tanev, or Barrie could be possibilities. I could also see JR signing someone like Zach Bogosian or Dmitri Kulikov just because we had been linked to both players at times previously (so I assume some of our talent scouts like them).
- 123Kid

This is exactly what JR would do. Instead of really going for it, or even getting someone really good, he'll go bargain bin shopping and get burned because he thinks the rest of the league is wrong about these cast-offs and they'll turn it around here.

I think Rutherford needs to strongly consider retaining salary on players to move them out.

I saw an interesting swap Marcus Johansson for Bjudstad in another forum. I think Johansson (even though he is a Left handed shot) would bring that Kunitz factor to our team.

Also Jake Virtanen is rumored to potentially be available this offseason. He was a 6th overall pick with Vancouver and he is more of a powerforward type. I wonder if we can get him and turn his career a jolt kinda like we did with Gudbranson. Gudbranson, who Vancouver saw as the worst player ever, played well on our bottom pairing.
- 123Kid

I can't stand that cheeseball Johansson and I think he is the opposite of Kunitz - a whiny faker. Not to mention he's injured a lot and is overpaid for what he provides. Not crazy about Virtanen, either, and I doubt VAN gets rid of him since he's a RFA and former high draft pick.

I think Rutherford needs to strongly consider retaining salary on players to move them out.
- Rinosaur

But would ownership okay that after losing money?

I think Hornqvist will be gone by the time Legare makes the team.

Linemates probably matter as to how many bigger guys you can carry. ZAR playing with 2 burners in Blueger and Tanev insulates him.

Agree though as Sid and Geno slow, it would be good to balance that with speed. Tough to find those guys who have size, can skate, and have decent hands.
- Tojo.

Yeah one thing that a lot of people on this sub keep bringing up is how the league’s evolved and caught the Penguins on speed and added size, like having size/physicality was this trait that people only just figured out was a good thing. To me that’s really reductionist. There are three basic traits everyone knows are good: scoring, speed, and size/physicality. Everyone knows that having all three of those things at the same time is good. Ask any GM if they’d rather have the small fast guy or the big fast guy, and they’ll pick the big fast guy. Boston and Washington haven’t come up with a new revolutionary way to team build By getting fast AND physical guys. They’ve just done a much better job of team building than we have since our back to back cups. The fact is that guys that are fast, strong, and can score don’t grow on trees, and GM’s need to be damn good at their job to be able to acquire them with limited assets and fit them under the cap.

I don’t want to sacrifice speed for physicality, but obviously it’s better to be fast and physical than fast and soft.

I think Hornqvist will be gone by the time Legare makes the team.

Linemates probably matter as to how many bigger guys you can carry. ZAR playing with 2 burners in Blueger and Tanev insulates him.

Agree though as Sid and Geno slow, it would be good to balance that with speed. Tough to find those guys who have size, can skate, and have decent hands.
- Tojo.

Agree with this.

Yeah one thing that a lot of people on this sub keep bringing up is how the league’s evolved and caught the Penguins on speed and added size, like having size/physicality was this trait that people only just figured out was a good thing. To me that’s really reductionist. There are three basic traits everyone knows are good: scoring, speed, and size/physicality. Everyone knows that having all three of those things at the same time is good. Ask any GM if they’d rather have the small fast guy or the big fast guy, and they’ll pick the big fast guy. Boston and Washington haven’t come up with a new revolutionary way to team build By getting fast AND physical guys. They’ve just done a much better job of team building than we have since our back to back cups. The fact is that guys that are fast, strong, and can score don’t grow on trees, and GM’s need to be damn good at their job to be able to acquire them with limited assets and fit them under the cap.

I don’t want to sacrifice speed for physicality, but obviously it’s better by fast and physical than fast and soft.
- Victoro311

Draft priorities

Draft priorities
- 10inchTerror

I mean is that really at issue? If you look at Rutherford’s drafting track record he’s picked a mix of physical and fast players. Shero did pick a lot of small fast guys, but that was mostly to extract value during later rounds during a time where players that didn’t meet a certain weight class were undervalued. It’s not like the Penguins were going out of their way to draft small guys because they had some infatuation with midgets. There was a strategic purpose behind it.

I mean is that really at issue? If you look at Rutherford’s drafting track record he’s picked a mix of physical and fast players. Shero did pick a lot of small fast guys, but that was mostly to extract value during later rounds during a time where players that didn’t meet a certain weight class were undervalued. It’s not like the Penguins were going out of their way to draft small guys because they had some infatuation with midgets. There was a strategic purpose behind it.
- Victoro311

I didn’t say it was an issue. Poulin and Légaré are prime examples. Palvychev (sp?) was a monster. Just saying that’s the best place to start and keep certain types of players in the system. Obviously sometimes there is a positional need of the group your choosing from have negligible differences, or sometimes one player is just better than the rest available in your scouts eyes so you take him regardless of other attributes.

If you don't think Letang is a number 1 defenseman, you'll be disappointed with Krug. He's an offensive defenseman who Boston keeps away from the toughest matchups. He is better than Letang on the PP. Letang has never been great there. But 5v5 against opposing team's best is a job Letang is much better suited for, at least until his legs slow down.

Pietrangelo is better than Letang, but the list of guys actually better suited than him is pretty small. He's not technically irreplaceable, just harder than a lot of people think.
- Tojo.

I agree with this, with the caveat that Letang is 33.5 years old, misses a good chunk of most seasons with injuries, has been a zero the last two playoffs, is showing signs of slowing down, and still makes $7.25M per for the next 2 years which isn't nothing. I also agree with the other poster who pointed out Letang's shortcomings.

I think Krug and Pietrangelo could be fool's gold for different reasons.

I would definitely listen to trade offers as there is probably a GM who overvalues Letang, even as good as he is. I doubt it will be a one-for-one trade with Letang's replacement, but two separate trades or a three-way could work. I think making a bet on a guy who is on the rise but not there yet for a team who needs a true 1RD now to put them over the the top is a scenario I could see happening.

Isles on the verge of sweeping the Caps with largely a roster of no-names (no disrespect). Replace Trotz with Sully the last two years and what do you think happens?

I find it hard not to root for the Isles. They probably won't go very far, but how good is Trotz? And even though he won a Cup three years ago, he was available. The Pens stuck with Sully, who promptly got embarrassed by Trotz the next year. The Pens then give Sully a big, long contract, only to be embarrassed the following year by a lower seeded team yet again. Ugh.

Yeah one thing that a lot of people on this sub keep bringing up is how the league’s evolved and caught the Penguins on speed and added size, like having size/physicality was this trait that people only just figured out was a good thing. To me that’s really reductionist. There are three basic traits everyone knows are good: scoring, speed, and size/physicality. Everyone knows that having all three of those things at the same time is good. Ask any GM if they’d rather have the small fast guy or the big fast guy, and they’ll pick the big fast guy. Boston and Washington haven’t come up with a new revolutionary way to team build By getting fast AND physical guys. They’ve just done a much better job of team building than we have since our back to back cups. The fact is that guys that are fast, strong, and can score don’t grow on trees, and GM’s need to be damn good at their job to be able to acquire them with limited assets and fit them under the cap.

I don’t want to sacrifice speed for physicality, but obviously it’s better to be fast and physical than fast and soft.
- Victoro311

I think a lot of people took Pittsburgh's back to back Cups as proof size wasn't important and you could build a team on just speed and skill. (Of course that ignores the grit guys they actually had).

Draft priorities
- 10inchTerror

Even in the draft there are so few guys like that and many have other questions (skating, scoring). Holloway is that guy this draft and might be there at 15.

I mean is that really at issue? If you look at Rutherford’s drafting track record he’s picked a mix of physical and fast players. Shero did pick a lot of small fast guys, but that was mostly to extract value during later rounds during a time where players that didn’t meet a certain weight class were undervalued. It’s not like the Penguins were going out of their way to draft small guys because they had some infatuation with midgets. There was a strategic purpose behind it.
- Victoro311

The only strategy in drafting for the NHL should be selecting the most talented player available. By the time most players get to the league, a teams need gas changed.

Sheros strategy was to load up on D with offensive upside. The problem is that he focused on that and overlooked better players. Picking Pouliot over Forsberg was a blatant example.

The only strategy in drafting for the NHL should be selecting the most talented player available. By the time most players get to the league, a teams need gas changed.

Sheros strategy was to load up on D with offensive upside. The problem is that he focused on that and overlooked better players. Picking Pouliot over Forsberg was a blatant example.
- MacPatty

Agree with this. IIRC, Johnston was the coach at the time and he coached Pouliot in Portland. Shero probably thought it was a match made in heaven and didn't want to lose out (even though he had another pick around where Pouliot should have been drafted in the first round, which I think was where we drafted Maatta). Turns out both Johnston and Pouliot sucked. At least we didn't trade Forsberg for Martin Erat.

Agree with this. IIRC, Johnston was the coach at the time and he coached Pouliot in Portland. Shero probably thought it was a match made in heaven and didn't want to lose out (even though he had another pick around where Pouliot should have been drafted in the first round, which I think was where we drafted Maatta). Turns out both Johnston and Pouliot sucked. At least we didn't trade Forsberg for Martin Erat.
- Hockey66

Rutherford hired Coach Farce. Shero was gone already.

But would ownership okay that after losing money?
- Tojo.

I don't know. I'm just saying they should consider it. Addition by subtraction, freeing up roster spots and finances. It's also better than buyouts.

JJ and Horn make $8.5M combined for the next three years, not to mention taking up roster spots that could be better filled. That could be only around $4M to $5M off the books with two roster spots opened up.

Rutherford hired Coach Farce. Shero was gone already.
- Victoro311

Oh, right, I had it backwards. JR hired Johnston a couple of weeks into his tenure in 2014 after Shero had drafted Pouliot in 2012, presumably (at least in part) trying to make Pouliot work out.

Oh, not only Forsberg, but Trouba was taken the pick after us, so even if he was obsessed with defensemen, he still managed to pick the absolute wrong one way higher than he was supposed to go.

And speaking of Maatta, he continues to kick ass in Chicago on a second line with de Haan with another helper and holding VGK to one goal.