Official Pittsburgh Penguins thread

[jimotis4heisman]

players only get arb once in their career under the cba. hell get a 1-2 year deal from the arbitrator. he can still sign any deal the pens offer him. likely this makes him an rfa again next year. the rfa numbers will go up again (prob 10% this year and again 10% next year.) interesting move by the club. unless they think they can strike a deal and only need time. id assume fleury will cost them more next year, unless he has a less than stellar season. but he still has this run in his back pocket. so post july 1 the pens will be working on staal, malkin and fleury. or maybe its a great move that holds the core together for one more year? time will tell. shero has earned his pay so far and will earn it in the coming months.

[bukIpower]

I'm extremely excited that the pens made Hossa their #1 this year. What a weapon he was for the short peroid of time we had him. Not only does he score goals, but he also plays amazing defense as well. Hopefully the pens get to keep him, as well as Malkin/Fluery!

I honestly have no Idea how the pens are able to offer 7 million to Hossa, and 9 million to Malkin?? I mean don't we have to pay the other players too?? haha. I for one would rather see Malkin traded and for them to move Staal to 2nd line center and then spread the money we (pens) saved throughout the team. I'd hate to see the pens with only 2 great lines and then a [censored] defense, and below average role players. I'd rather have an overall good to great 4 lines with a good defense as well. I just feel the pens will have to sacrafice some money from somewhere sooner than later?

[Brutus1]

I disagree big time with the talk of trading Malkin, at least in the near future. Maybe before his next contract can the subject be talked about. Of course, if Hossa doesn't re-sign, then it will be easier to fill in around Sid, Malkin, Staal,Whitney and Fluery.

As soon as Letang and Goligoski prove their worth, and they will, then Whitney will be on the block, not because of his game but because they're all offensive defensemen and he'll be making 4Mil per year.

I'd like to keep Orpik, if he's affordable. He's a good defense-first complement to all the OD the team has.

At this point, even if Hossa doesn't re-sign, I think Ryan Malone is gone. Maybe I'm wrong, but it sure seems that way.

[bukIpower]

Yeah Malone is all but out the door right now because I read that Columbus is offering in the neighborhood of 5 years 25 million (over payed). I actually love Malone he's probably my 2nd fav player behind hossa, but he hasn't been consistent enough for 5 million a year. Well if hossa said its not bout the money then we're going to find out for sure because we've offered him a little over 7 million a year, and thats actually a slight increase in pay for him.

I'm not saying the only way to put a good hockey team on the ice is to trade malkin, but you know where i'm coming from right? I just hate having 25 million tied up in just three players. I just feel that if we do 3 really high priced players that we'll end up having to fill the roster with some real no namers sooner or later. He's demanding just as much as Crosby (which he should) but he should not be getting paid over what Sidney is thats for sure (so far reports showing he will make more than sid). I also don't think the pens will realistically keep malkin for that long anyways because of money issues. Imagine though if Malkin gets traded or we let him go next year and now we can fill out the roster with players like Damon Langkow, andrew burnette, and Ladislav Nagy for example? Rather than keeping malkin and pullin up minor leaguers or paying 1 year contracts for older out of their prime players?

[h0bb3s]

I've now read online that Malone wants to test the FA market and would not accept a trade to any other club. Smart move on his part as there seems to be multiple teams interested in him. Do not see him back in black and gold if that is the case. Pens are looking to resign Hossa and Orpik. Hossa has a contract offer and once he gets back from vacation may sign.

[Brutus1]

Lankow is going to re-sign, at least that's what I heard. I certainly see where you're coming from and I'm not dismissing the talk of making a trade. I'd just rather sign him and keep him for a few years, then trade him. They can open the new barn with those 3 making $25Mil, when it gets to be too big of a burden, then trade someone. Of course, that rumored deal with the Kings, would be hard to turn down.

I love Malone and, if he's leaving, I'd love to see him playing for the Blue Jackets, but it looks like that won't happen. At least they're saving their money by not throwing 5/year at him.

[jimotis4heisman]

Off-Season Game Plan: Penguins
pens offseason plan per tsn

A terrific run to the Stanley Cup final was a real coming-out party for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Now the challenge is finding a way to keep at least a good portion of this team together for the future.
Off-Season Game Plan takes a look at one of the teams that, based simply on the number of free agents, figures to be the most active this summer.
At season's end, Sidney Crosby told the Canadian Press, "I think we're all optimistic Ray's going to do the best job he can at keeping everyone together. We had a lot of success. I'm sure he doesn't want to change too much, if he can."
Those last words -- "if he can" -- are perhaps the most important.
Sure, the Penguins would love to have Marian Hossa, Ryan Malone and Brooks Orpik back in the fold since all three were major contributors but, any realist would note, there just isn't that kind of room under the salary cap.
Not only that, but any decisions the Penguins make this summer are going to impact future financial flexibility and this is a team that has to worry about potential long-term deals for Marc-Andre Fleury, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal.
It's not like these fiscal pressures come as a surprise. When the Penguins accumulated so many high draft picks, the questions had already started about whether the Penguins could afford to keep them all together.
If not, can general manager Ray Shero find the right mix of replacements to keep the Penguins in the title mix?
That's the challenge this summer.


continued...

[bukIpower]

yeah I hear ya on the pens opening their new arena with those big three playing for the pens still. I mean dont' get me wrong I would love to keep malkin I mean who wouldn't? But, I just hope this doesn't cash strap our team and force us to sacrifice some talent in other positions (like not being able to resign Malone, although I don't think we would've resigned him regaurdless of our situation). Lets just hope that Malkin also gives up some money and signs for around 8 million as well, because remember we still have staal at the end of the year to try and sign as well. If staal has a big year coming up then man oh man are we ever going to be hard pressed to resign him. It may even be impossible to do though if we resign both Hossa/Malkin this year.

It's my understanding that we dont' even have to resign Malkin this summer? Isn't that true? because if it is I'd rather the pens wait till the offseason next year and bring in some free agents for another big cup run. Maybe get 1 defenseman, with another 2 decent wingers? Might as well go all out if this may be Malkin's final year??

[Brutus1]

According to todays Post Gazette, the Pens are close to signiing Malkin to a 5 year extension worth 8.5Mil per year. Six more years of Malkin and at a price less than Sid's. Good start, Shero.

[3074326]

Let's hope he doesn't bolt for Russia when they offer him that non-taxed $12.5 million per year deal..

[bukIpower]

Well my boys better go out and get one more good winger because it looks like we'll be without Hossa :*(... Dammit he was my favorite player already after one year. Oh well, this way we have some flexibility though.

[BuckeyeMike80]

I hate to say I told ya so, but Hossa claiming to want to take less money really didn't fit into what his career profile has been so far.

Sure it probably felt good to go from a hockey hell hole that is Atlanta to the SCF with Pittsburgh, but Hossa has always been the guy who wants to be the best on a bad team instead of a good player (not the best) on a good to great team.

[3074326]

If he leaves, we'll have the room to sign others and get more depth. I don't want to call it a win/win situation, but I don't think his loss will hurt the team as much as people think. As long as we keep Crosby, Malkin, Staal and Fleury, I'm a happy Pens fan.

I'd still like to see him stay.

Maybe the Jackets will pick him up.

[bukIpower]

3074326- Damn man you have like a little less than half the number of posts I have! I gata like kiss ass or something to get my star thingy.. haha

Well yeah thats the way I looked at it when I heard Hossa denied the offer... Now we can possibly go out and get another winger for like 3-4 million. Maybe even get two good wingers for 2 million each? We could be a more balanced team depending on who we target/land.

All's I know is that I am dying to see some hockey. Besides Buckeye football, Penguin hockey is what I'm all bout.

[3074326]

Originally Posted by bukIpower

3074326- Damn man you have like a little less than half the number of posts I have! I gata like kiss ass or something to get my star thingy.. haha

Well yeah thats the way I looked at it when I heard Hossa denied the offer... Now we can possibly go out and get another winger for like 3-4 million. Maybe even get two good wingers for 2 million each? We could be a more balanced team depending on who we target/land.

All's I know is that I am dying to see some hockey. Besides Buckeye football, Penguin hockey is what I'm all bout.

lol, not sure what to tell you about the rep situation. Seems pretty random from what I can tell. I know a lot of my rep has came from really random stuff.

I'd like to see the Pens get another d-man and I'd like to see Malone re-signed.. now that we can definitely afford him. I just wish he didn't want so much.