Ryan Wilson: Nick Spaling Arbitration Figures Released Spaling Arbitration Figures Released

I don't think you can look at the FA's whosigned for dirt cheap and make a point about Spalling being included in the deal. Those deals were signed well after the trade occured and there was no one not you or anyone who thought those guys would sign for a mil or less aside from Gibbons.

Spals is a good third liner. It will be interesting to see if the Pens just let him go with this asking price. I can't imagine dropping over 2 mil on him...that is just unreasonable.

I would hope that anything over $2M and the pens go in a differnt direction. I still dont understand why they didnt get picks instead.

i would not be unhappy if they did not sign sutter or spaling.

I don't think you can look at the FA's whosigned for dirt cheap and make a point about Spalling being included in the deal. Those deals were signed well after the trade occured and there was no one not you or anyone who thought those guys would sign for a mil or less aside from Gibbons.
- dbell646

I was just asking this question here yesterday: is Spaling so much better than those guys to deserve double the money they signed for?

Winnik/Santorelli/Booth all went to the Leafs....to the Leafs! Let's not pretend it was their first choice all along. Booth wanted to become a Penguin and I bet Mueller and Stempniak had this in mind too.

Booth is one hit away from being a vegetable
Winnik is a younger Craig Adams
Stempniak is beyond the downside of his career

Take the chance on a young guy in an offensive system. Spaling will surprise a lot of people

I was just asking this question here yesterday: is Spaling so much better than those guys to deserve double the money they signed for?

Winnik/Santorelli/Booth all went to the Leafs....to the Leafs! Let's not pretend it was their first choice all along. Booth wanted to become a Penguin and I bet Mueller and Stempniak had this in mind too.
- Barnaby36

The value of those guys at their current rate isn't debatable but no one could foresee then taking those contracts. If they all signed for 2-3 no one would have been surprised

I was just asking this question here yesterday: is Spaling so much better than those guys to deserve double the money they signed for?

Winnik/Santorelli/Booth all went to the Leafs....to the Leafs! Let's not pretend it was their first choice all along. Booth wanted to become a Penguin and I bet Mueller and Stempniak had this in mind too.
- Barnaby36

I'll bet in the Penguins scouts eyes, Spaling is a better player than all other FA guys. He isn't better value, but I'll bet the Pens brass thinks of Spaling much more highly than most of those guys.

If Spaling gets $2M from an arbitrator, would that -- in theory -- raise Sutter's value?

Also, with Spaling, what kind of term are we talking about here? 1 year?

If Spaling gets $2M from an arbitrator, would that -- in theory -- raise Sutter's value?

Also, with Spaling, what kind of term are we talking about here? 1 year?
- YouMeAndDupuis9

If they go through an arbitrator, it's usually a 1 or 2 year deal.

I'd like to see Spal in a Pens uniform for at least this upcoming year. I am intrigued to see what he can bring to the table.

I've seen bits and pieces of him in the Preds games on Center Ice.

I've heard everything between "he sucks" to "he's a really good 3rd line player capable of spot duty on the top 2 lines".

Want to see for myself...

$2mill seems about right for 1 year.

I'd like to see Spal in a Pens uniform for at least this upcoming year. I am intrigued to see what he can bring to the table.

I've seen bits and pieces of him in the Preds games on Center Ice.

I've heard everything between "he sucks" to "he's a really good 3rd line player capable of spot duty on the top 2 lines".

Want to see for myself...

$2mill seems about right for 1 year.
- 87_71_11_29

I agree I am not sure if the award is too high that JR walks away from it. Kind leaves him with egg on his face for not acquiring a pick or another asset in place of Spaling.

I can not wait for the season to start. I am getting tired of reading about the same arguments over and over again. If the Pens are killing it in March and have the makings of a Cup calibur team, no one is going to care whether or not we overpaid Spaling by $200K or whatever. And even if they did overpay, it will be on a one year deal and we would be able to right the wrong next offseason. And its not like the overpay for him is going to prevent us from bringing in anything astronomical. The team is basically set, he will be on the team, so who cares if his deal is for 2 mil or 2.25 mil or whatever.

I wish the Arbiter wouldn't "meet in the middle"

Player puts forth a number, Team puts forth a number

Arbiter decides which number is more fair and thats what they get

Would require both sides to be as realistic as possible

I wish the Arbiter wouldn't "meet in the middle"

Player puts forth a number, Team puts forth a number

Arbiter decides which number is more fair and thats what they get

Would require both sides to be as realistic as possible
- RoloTahmasee

not a bad idea at all, or within 10% of either figure

Arbitrator: "Mr. Spaling, how do you justify your proposal given the projected role on the team and with respect to your on-ice producti..."

NS: "Deryk Engelland is being paid three million dollars this season."

Booth is one hit away from being a vegetable
Winnik is a younger Craig Adams
Stempniak is beyond the downside of his career

Take the chance on a young guy in an offensive system. Spaling will surprise a lot of people
- jchst22

I'd take a younger version Craig Adams for 1 mil and Stempy played some nice hockey for us while he was here. He dramatically improved our 3rd line and he can move up in a pinch without embarrassing himself.

Looks like JR f'd up a bit with Spaling.

Arbitrator: "Mr. Spaling, how do you justify your proposal given the projected role on the team and with respect to your on-ice producti..."

NS: "Deryk Engelland is being paid three million dollars this season."
- Johnny Wrath

pouilot may be the better argument

I can not wait for the season to start. I am getting tired of reading about the same arguments over and over again. If the Pens are killing it in March and have the makings of a Cup calibur team, no one is going to care whether or not we overpaid Spaling by $200K or whatever. And even if they did overpay, it will be on a one year deal and we would be able to right the wrong next offseason. And its not like the overpay for him is going to prevent us from bringing in anything astronomical. The team is basically set, he will be on the team, so who cares if his deal is for 2 mil or 2.25 mil or whatever.
- kfinl170

On the surface, $200K or $250K, might not seem like a lot, but for a team pushing the cap ceiling every bit is critical. And it's not just Spaling, we have to worry about Sutter too. What if we over pay both by $200K, then what? Don't forget, even once we come to terms with both of those guys, the Pens still have 2 open roster spots. Granted they don't have to fill them, but they will definitely at least fill one of them, there is no way they go into the season without a 13th forward. $6.43 million for 4 roster spots, so lets give Spaling $2.2 and Sutter $3.7 since the extra $200K is insignificant. The Pens then have $.53 million for 2 roster spots. They will fill at least one of those, so then they have zero cap space for the rest of the season.

On the surface, $200K or $250K, might not seem like a lot, but for a team pushing the cap ceiling every bit is critical. And it's not just Spaling, we have to worry about Sutter too. What if we over pay both by $200K, then what? Don't forget, even once we come to terms with both of those guys, the Pens still have 2 open roster spots. Granted they don't have to fill them, but they will definitely at least fill one of them, there is no way they go into the season without a 13th forward. $6.43 million for 4 roster spots, so lets give Spaling $2.2 and Sutter $3.7 since the extra $200K is insignificant. The Pens then have $.53 million for 2 roster spots. They will fill at least one of those, so then they have zero cap space for the rest of the season.
- PensFan1103

And Flats is gonna want more than 3.7...

I don't think Spaling's figure is what we really need to worry about. The real looming question is who Old Man Ruth decides to move. We don't have enough cap to deal with the vacancies, so a trade has to and will happen.

I'd take a younger version Craig Adams for 1 mil and Stempy played some nice hockey for us while he was here. He dramatically improved our 3rd line and he can move up in a pinch without embarrassing himself.

Looks like JR f'd up a bit with Spaling.
- madmike71

Winnik @ $1.3M + Stempniak @ $0.9M >>>> Spaling @ $2.2M

pouilot may be the better argument
- nightmare3020

Yes, I suppose you're right. Pouliot won a U20 Gold and played in three of the top five Eastern markets which probably didn't hurt his value; Engelland's top asset may be that he fills a chair.

And Flats is gonna want more than 3.7...

I don't think Spaling's figure is what we really need to worry about. The real looming question is who Old Man Ruth decides to move. We don't have enough cap to deal with the vacancies, so a trade has to and will happen.
- Victoro311

Yeah, Personally I don't like anything above Spaling at $1.85 and Sutter at $3.25, but was using $2 and $3.5 because those seem to be the numbers most people seem to be comfortable with. If Sutter comes close to $4, I absolutely hate it. I just don't see how the Pens come close to agreeing on that, they have all of the leverage in that discussion. If it were me and he isn't budging, I offer him the qualifying offer for 1 year at $2.7 and tell him that if he doesn't take it he can sit the rest of the year and see what that does for his UFA value.

Winnik @ $1.3M + Stempniak @ $0.9M >>>> Spaling @ $2.2M
- Barnaby36

I'm starting to sense a double standard here. Yeah, value has played a big part in our post season moves this year, but our primary objective was to get a deep and competent bottom 6. Our real knock against our bottom 6 wasn't really that they were too expensive. Guys like Jeffrey, Vitale, Adams, Pyatt, and to a much lesser extent Glass weren't exactly cap guzzlers. They were just bad.

That's why I'm not getting the argument that we should take a fly ball on the incompetent Mueller, Booth, and Winnik over a guy like Spaling who can actually help the team out just because we can sign all three of them to Spaling's one. Quantity of skaters on our team doesn't equal depth if they are all terrible and wastes of space. Its like having 4 Craig Adamses. Who in the (frank)ing hell wants that?

I get the argument for Stemp and Gibby because they were two guys that can help a team that were had very cheap, but these scrubs are not people that we should be beating ourselves up over. Maybe, maybe Mueller, but he's a stretch.

I'm starting to sense a double standard here. Yeah, value has played a big part in our post season moves this year, but our primary objective was to get a deep and competent bottom 6. Our real knock against our bottom 6 wasn't really that they were too expensive. Guys like Jeffrey, Vitale, Adams, Pyatt, and to a much lesser extent Glass weren't exactly cap guzzlers. They were just bad.

That's why I'm not getting the argument that we should take a fly ball on the incompetent Mueller, Booth, and Winnik over a guy like Spaling who can actually help the team out just because we can sign all three of them to Spaling's one. Quantity of skaters on our team doesn't equal depth if they are all terrible and wastes of space. Its like having 4 Craig Adamses. Who in the (frank)ing hell wants that?

I get the argument for Stemp and Gibby because they were two guys that can help a team that were had very cheap, but these scrubs are not people that we should be beating ourselves up over. Maybe, maybe Mueller, but he's a stretch.
- Victoro311

Hell I hope Spaling proves me wrong but I'd rather have Stempniak @ $0.9M right now than thinking about paying an unkown commodity like Spaling $2.2M. I really hope he can be very good for us!

Nobody is talking much about Downie but I'm pretty sure he'll have a nice impact for us!