• Please be aware we've switched the forums to their own URL. (again) You'll find the new website address to be www.steelernationforum.com Thanks
  • Please clear your private messages. Your inbox is close to being full.

Penguins Offseason, free agency, moves around the league, all in one thread!

thesteelcity said:
He is a big piece that will certainly be a welcomed addition. At times, I almost forget about him, which it's like adding a FA. Just hoping he is OK to play and no further damage is done to his health.
Unless the Pens pay what the going rate is for Daley, Bonino, Sheary, Schultz, Kunitz and possibly Cullen(if he doesn't retire), this team will be picked apart. Those first four guys will be coveted by teams like Nashville, Montreal, NYR, TB, Ottawa- any team that is close to put them over the top. The Rangers have $20M in cap space. Nashville lost Neal, a proven goal scorer. There are holes to fill on those teams and they are fully aware who can help and is out there. The Pens need to come close or match their offers. I expect GMJR to be quite active re-tolling this team for their 3rd run with or w/o our FAs.
Click to expand...

I'm gonna guess by all things said. Shultz will be priority. Cullen, Kunitz, Bonino and possibly Sheary are gone
 
thesteelcity said:
Penguins interested in Matt Duchene
Click to expand...



We don't necessarily need Duchene. We don't need another 6+ million dollar contract. We need solid depth. Especially on defense if Tanger goes down again.

I'm not especially worried about losing any of our FAs.

I think it'd do us good to get some fresh, hungry bodies in. It's one thing to try and keep a winning team together, but an injection of hunger to win could go a long way.
 
Spike said:
We don't necessarily need Duchene. We don't need another 6+ million dollar contract. We need solid depth. Especially on defense if Tanger goes down again.

I'm not especially worried about losing any of our FAs.

I think it'd do us good to get some fresh, hungry bodies in. It's one thing to try and keep a winning team together, but an injection of hunger to win could go a long way.
Click to expand...

I fully agree about getting some fresh bodies in there and to get some hungry guys that haven't won the Cup, possibly. The key ingredients are in-tact, which is important. I don't think they need Duchene either, but it's an interesting topic. I'd love to see them even more potent than last year, some how, some way.
 
Is Bonino, at say about $2 million less with no assets lost in a trade, a better value as a No. 3 center than a guy like Duchene?
 

NHL Trade Rumors: Duchene to Pittsburgh Penguins whispers are back

CBC's Elliotte Friedman thinks that the Penguins could be in the picture for Colorado's Matt Duchene. Could it be?

It's silly season for NHL trade rumors and Elliotte Friedman had a few Penguins centric items. Let's discuss:

There seems to be quite a bit of interest in Trevor Daley.

NHL teams were allowed to begin talks (but no formal agreements) with pending unrestricted free agents. It already seemed likely that Daley was likely to leave Pittsburgh, but this note reinforces that outside interest adds to that likelihood.

It looks like Minnesota, Pittsburgh or retirement for Matt Cullen, but it would not be a shock if Buffalo called him. GM Jason Botterill knows him and he’d be an excellent fit. A centre who can teach and still play is never bad.

Low-key Matt Duchene possibility: Pittsburgh. The Penguins have circled around him before.

Everyone’s frustrated: Colorado GM Joe Sakic, Duchene and agent Pat Brisson. Could Olli Maatta plus more pieces get the Penguins into this?
This would obviously be the move of the summer.

As Sean Gentille from the Post-Gazette sums it up:

So, if we’re spitballing, you have to assume it’d cost the Penguins something like Daniel Sprong and a first-round pick to get it done. As we heard ad nauseam after the Ryan Reaves trade, a late first-round pick is a crapshoot, and the Penguins’ overall goal for the next few years should be winning more Stanley Cups. Duchene furthers that goal to a significantly larger margin than Bonino, Sprong and a theoretical prospect.

And that sounds right. If the cost is paying Nick Bonino $4 million or upgrading to Matt Duchene for $6.0? That's a price the Pens can afford under the cap. The bigger difficulty for Pittsburgh, as Sean also notes, is how to replace a top-4 defenseman in Maatta. A lot of Pens fan have picked the nits of his game, and those nits and mistakes are there. However his youth and advanced stats show he is a steady and stable defender across the board.

Regardless, the total trade price probably determines if this happens. Colorado has wanted to trade Duchene for a while, but hasn't found a price they've liked and have held onto him. It appears they won't be just trading him to trade him.

The NHL trade market though, time and again, tells us that a puck moving defenseman is worth as much as even elite scoring forwards. See Adam Larsson for Taylor Hall. Or James Neal for Alex Goligoski. Perhaps the Penguins could stick to their guns and insist on that precedent being maintained. And with 3 goals in his last 39 games to end the season, it's not like Duchene is at peak-value right now either, also being just 2 seasons away from unrestricted free agency.

So now you see the sticking point and why most rumors and team who have interest don't always get the player. They have to offer enough to make the Avalanche want to trade, without giving away too many assets to cripple their own team. It's tough to hit the sweet spot.

Either way, you would think the Pens need to move quickly on this, since most the best free agents (including Bonino) are likely to sign on July 1st (this Saturday) and there isn't a lot of time to decide if they're keeping Maatta and adding a 3C possibly via free agency...Or getting Duchene and replacing Maatta with a cheaper option.

I'll be interested to see the results in the trade and the ensuing debate. It's been a while since we've had some good non-Fleury related trade ideas to discuss.

https://www.pensburgh.com/2017/6/27...hene-to-pittsburgh-penguins-whispers-are-back
 
Last edited:
I would do Maatta and a pick for Duchene. Do it today. Sprong? Not sure I pull the trigger there. I think he is going to be very good in the NHL for a long time. Tough decision. Glad all I have to do is like it or ***** about it if it happens rather than make the decision.
 
Maatta and a pick, yes. Sprong? No! We need some young guns in our offensive arsenal. I'm still not thrilled we gave up on Kaspanen, but the return was great.
 
and people cried when we gave up Scott Harrington, Luca Caputi and Beau Bennett

2 Cups later, we have survived
 
what are these 2 Cups that you speak of?

Beau Bennett? Seriously?? Fans helped him pack and move him to NJ. Scott Harrington was a disappointment and was almost forgotten the day he left. Kaspanen looked good in pre-season and has pedigree. He will be a contributor for TOR for awhile. Others are probably stocking groceries now, but there were a few guys like Despres and Bortuzzo that I was sorry to see get traded. It has worked out, so it's water under the bridge.
 
Last edited:
Who cried over giving up those three? Caputi? LOL, I had forgotten about him.
 
Can't we just be happy about the new guy we got?

 
I am happy with Reaves, but we are discussing who would be used to get more pieces here. Holes are to be filled and July 1st will be interesting!
 
I'd be uncomfortable giving up Maatta, Sheary/Sprong + for Duchene

You have to give up something to get something good. Do we have any real idea what kind of contract Sheary is looking at?


I'm generally opposed to trading a defenseman for any forward - unless we get one in return in some megablockbuster deal
 
Last edited:
Like Schultz, Sheary will demand a sizable raise. What that will be is a good guess. Is he a Top 6 forward? That may be debatable, but he has succeeded with Sid. If you part with Sheary, do you rush Sprong up to the big club? With Duchene, they would be lethal up the middle. The wings would need tweeking. A lot to consider and it would depend what COL really will take for him. $6M/year is another large contract on the books.
 
Kunitz and Cullen I don't pursue due to age.

Sheary is replaceable, because all of his stats are due to playing with Sid. We could get an upgrade there. I like Sheary, but I would never overpay for him, and Sid can play with anyone.

On offense, if I go after anyone, I go after Bonino. He's our 3rd line center and has an incredible motor. Can also play wing in a pinch. Very position flexible. Problem with us, is he's a 3rd line guy in Pit. Anywhere else he's probably centering the second line, and that would come with a marked increase in salary. Pens can't pay him like a 2nd line center. Kind of like Staal all over again...

Schultz, I resign in a freakin heartbeat. He's an all around D with the ability to be a threat in both zones. You lock that **** up!

When it comes to giving up Maata for Duchene, I'm open to it. You have to keep in mind that we essentially get a top D back in Letang, so losing one of the top 6 from the playoffs, doesn't hurt as much.
 
Pittsburgh Penguins ✔ @penguins
Recchi: "I'm excited for you guys to see Zach Aston-Reese."



I wonder if he makes it up before Sprong?


Pens open 2017 development camp

Hockey Hall of Famer Mark Recchi, who was recently promoted to the Pens director of player development, is ready to get things going.

"I'm excited to see all of them," he said Wednesday morning. "When you go through the meetings and listen to our scouts, they've seen all of them. We've seen the odd one, but not as significant as them. I'm excited to see all of our guys this year."

Several high-level prospects are in Pittsburgh for the week, including forwards Daniel Sprong, Thomas Di Pauli and Zach Aston-Reese and goaltender Filip Gustavsson.

"I'm excited for you guys to see Zach Aston-Reese," Recchi said. "It's good for him to come here and be around."

Aston-Reese, 22, signed a two-year deal with the Pens in March as a college free agent. The Northeastern product was highly pursued by NHL teams after he led the NCAA in goals (31) and points (63) in just 38 games during his senior campaign in 2016-17.

https://www.nhl.com/penguins/news/pens-open-2017-development-camp/c-290196120
 
thesteelcity said:
Maatta and a pick, yes. Sprong? No! We need some young guns in our offensive arsenal. I'm still not thrilled we gave up on Kaspanen, but the return was great.
Click to expand...

I'd be ok with trading Maatta. He's slow in Sullivan's system. Sprong --- no. Leave him out of discussions. Do not give ideas ;)

Kaspari for Phil. Looking back on it. It was a trade like Neal/Hornqvist benefited both teams. One thing about Phil is he turns it on when needed. I like the guy, and is a goal when you need it.

Kappinen looks really good in Toronto and is finding his game. A lot better than his look alike in Maatta. I do wish he was still a Pen though
 
Jean Sebastian-Dea may be a Pittsburgh Pen this season. I can see him jumping up from WBS to Pitt this season.
WBS is loaded. A luxury for the nhl club
 
MTC said:
I'd be ok with trading Maatta. He's slow in Sullivan's system.
Click to expand...



ha ha - I don't think the "system" has anything to do with his skating, but again, but who you gonna replace him with?
 
thesteelcity said:
Chad Ruhwedel.

next.

just kidding. I don't see any other big trades happening.
Click to expand...

I am not laughing. Ruhwedel is a better skater than Maatta. Is he a better defenseman? Probably not. But all I know is Maatta is not worth all that scratch he is being paid. The Preds straight up abused him and to a lesser extent Daley. Won't be upset to see either one of them go.
 
Daley will be gone. I was very hard Maatta in the PO, but will give him a pass because he is very young. He should only get better.
 
Spike said:
ha ha - I don't think the "system" has anything to do with his skating, but again, but who you gonna replace him with?
Click to expand...

I thought Sullivan turned Lovejoy into a decent D man. Maatta has regressed a ton. I'd say Ruhwedal for the fall
 
Maybe it's not so much the system, but the failure to clear pucks or knowing what to do with the puck when in their own zone.
The defense as a unit struggled all season. Letang(when healthy) will be an upgrade. If it's between Daley and Maatta. I think Maatta stays.

His skating is slow, and unlike last season, the other 4 guys couldn't really mask his weaknesses. In 2016, the Pens had an easier time clearing the puck and connecting on stretch passes. This season was a bit more of a struggle. But they still won it all. Who stays who goes is all water cooler talk right now. So just wait and see.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top