So it will be a challenge to see who overpays the most then? Vegas or Edmonton?
- Gerk

Yes. Only Las Vegas an Edmonton will be willing to spend big on free agents next offseason.

waah

Yes. Only Las Vegas an Edmonton will be willing to spend big on free agents next offseason.

waah
- jmatchett383

I know Ottawa won't

I think that is too risky. I think more likely we make a bunch of trades pre-expansion. Only way we don't do that is if we can't find a taker for fleury. Also unless murray blows next year he's going to be an offersheet candidate. Which menas we can't afford fleury/murray.

Dump fleury anyway possible even with slight retention. Then flip hornqvist for a pick. I think 1 year of Horn could get us a 1st round pick (lucic got 2 1st round picks). I'd value a 1st round pick greater than losing rust, sheary, etc. Then we cut our losses to at worst a mid-6 guy. And free up a ton of cap.

If pouliot only shows 6d and isn't flashing potential then he won't be a trade chip and we just lose him to expansion. Mostly because he's a defenseman. There will be teams with 6 forwards and 3D worth protecting who hornqvist just means a not very important player gets unprotected.
- sditulli

That's definitely the more likely scenario even though I don't get all this non-sense about fearing an offersheet. We hear the same thing every off-season and then we see no offersheets. Beyond that any offersheet for 5M-5.6M would be no problem to match and anything over 5.6M would be ludicrous and I'd happily take the 3 picks compensation for him and hope that 1 of Jarry, McGuire or Gustavsson develop before Fleury's contract expires in 2019.

I don't think they'll be a cup contender, or even a playoff contender, by any stretch, but I think they could ice a pretty decent team. Just looking quickly through (plus assuming who might be available and unprotected from the remaining teams (I'm assuming that will be part 6)...and not taking into consideration any FAs they sign, I came up with

Forwards - Kruger, Grigorenko, Jenner, Brown, Granlund, Coyle, Plekanec, Wilson, Prince, Callahan

Defence - Methot, Schultz, Gunnarsson, Hamhuis, Brodin, Reinhardt

Goalies - Varlamov, Murray

(using the guys that Ryan thinks will be unprotected). that's not a terrible team, better than some teams in the league right now. certainly missing those 1 or 2 "marquee" guys, definitely no superstars, but a competitive team.
- sensarmy_11

I agree completely. I wouldn't surprise me at all if LV ended up similar to Carolina this past year where they flirted with possibly making the playoffs but ultimately finished 10th or 11th.

Honestly, I don't see DP even getting the shot to show it this season. Daley is back, Schultz returned.... the (frank) is DP even going to play at? I have zero issues with Schultz getting a chance to take DP's spot... but we now have a dieing asset that could be a top 4 Dman if he got a chance.
- Guile

I don't disagree. Personally I've never been as high as most on Pouliot, I've always felt he was going to be nothing more than a sheltered bottom pairing powerplay specialist but at the same time I've always hoped that I was wrong.

No way Murray goes. You just do not do that. That is just plain stupid. What have you done for me lately should be their reason for letting Mr Beloved go. Work something out with someone but keep Murray. Anything else is just stupid.

No way Murray goes. You just do not do that. That is just plain stupid. What have you done for me lately should be their reason for letting Mr Beloved go. Work something out with someone but keep Murray. Anything else is just stupid.
- holeinone

So then with the draft still a season away, if Murray struggles this year and Fleury plays great your opinion changes to you have to dump Murray and keep Fleury because he'd then be the guy who did best for them lately.

It's all fun speculation with an entire season to be played before any of it will matter.

There could be players on every team that go from 'must protect' to...'well, we could let him go' and vice versa.

That's definitely the more likely scenario even though I don't get all this non-sense about fearing an offersheet. We hear the same thing every off-season and then we see no offersheets. Beyond that any offersheet for 5M-5.6M would be no problem to match and anything over 5.6M would be ludicrous and I'd happily take the 3 picks compensation for him and hope that 1 of Jarry, McGuire or Gustavsson develop before Fleury's contract expires in 2019.
- jaydogg1974

This scenario won't happen because we would lose two assets for little. I mean you propose offering vegas something not to take murray and then lose pouliot/hornq to vegas. Then murray gets offersheeted and we get picks back. It won't be good asset management.-

Bottomline I expect 1-2 trades to rectify the expansion draft problems. But I it comes down to whether we want to keep pouliot or not. The goalie trade is guaranteed. If pouliot becomes too valuable then I'd look to trade Hornqvist as I think his trade value would be pretty high as a rental. Or you do a gogo-james neal type trade to someone whose willing to protect pouliot. And then we get into the acceptable loss criteria of a rust/sheary type.

I don't think they'll be a cup contender, or even a playoff contender, by any stretch, but I think they could ice a pretty decent team. Just looking quickly through (plus assuming who might be available and unprotected from the remaining teams (I'm assuming that will be part 6)...and not taking into consideration any FAs they sign, I came up with

Forwards - Kruger, Grigorenko, Jenner, Brown, Granlund, Coyle, Plekanec, Wilson, Prince, Callahan

Defence - Methot, Schultz, Gunnarsson, Hamhuis, Brodin, Reinhardt

Goalies - Varlamov, Murray

(using the guys that Ryan thinks will be unprotected). that's not a terrible team, better than some teams in the league right now. certainly missing those 1 or 2 "marquee" guys, definitely no superstars, but a competitive team.
- sensarmy_11

Will call this what it is trolling. Murray will be dealt in a worst case sceanrio for a mid-1st round pick. Or fleury dumped for a bag of pucks. Hopefully a better fleury scenario plays out.

Keeping Murray and Flower is easy. Move Murray to be a forward then protect him.

No way Murray goes. You just do not do that. That is just plain stupid. What have you done for me lately should be their reason for letting Mr Beloved go. Work something out with someone but keep Murray. Anything else is just stupid.
- holeinone

ok "what have you done for me lately". well he kept the team afloat early in the season when a coach tried his best to pull the penguins out of the playoffs. without maf then we might not even gotten to the playoffs.

Keeping Murray and Flower is easy. Move Murray to be a forward then protect him.
- Zac_O

nothing has said you can't do that. show me a credible source that says otherwise

I agree completely. I wouldn't surprise me at all if LV ended up similar to Carolina this past year where they flirted with possibly making the playoffs but ultimately finished 10th or 11th.
- jaydogg1974

If LV finds a way to steal one or two solid 1st line forward or a #1 Dman, I could see them taking a playoff spot. I believe the West is the easier side to steal the #8 spot in vs the East, even moreso in the next few years, so that is working in their favor.

East has Philly possibly on the rise, Buffalo has a good chunk of talent growing. Montreal also could just fight for a spot with Price there, same with another year or two of the Rangers with King Henry.

West... ummm... I guess Edmonton can show up sometime soon? Colorado might be going downhill, I can't tell with them. Calgary can become legit though... but with the prior 8 teams that made it, plus Calgary... Vegas could be in a 10 team race for 8 spots, vs a possible 12 in the East including them had they been on this side.

nothing has said you can't do that. show me a credible source that says otherwise
- martox

I am laughing my ass off at this... but... wow, is this legit/legal?

But I would assume ramifications from that would be MASSIVE... teams would never protect 4D, they would just rewrite one as a forward.

I am laughing my ass off at this... but... wow, is this legit/legal?

But I would assume ramifications from that would be MASSIVE... teams would never protect 4D, they would just rewrite one as a forward.
- Guile

I mean I highly doubt you could do that. that would be a way to massive loop hole but still I havn't seen anything that answers that question

What happens if a team has two goalies with NMC?

What happens if a team has two goalies with NMC?
- kgrpitt

you probably get to pick

I mean I highly doubt you could do that. that would be a way to massive loop hole but still I havn't seen anything that answers that question
- martox

I'm sure there is some rule somewhere deep deep in the rules that the player has to be registered to the position he played most during the season. So we have Flower get 50 starts and Murray dresses as a forward for every one of them. If Flower needs to be pulled or gets hurt Murray is the emergency goalie.


I feel dirty trying to think of loop holes like this. Oh well, none of this will even be considered by the pens. Just a funny theory to throw out there.

Keeping Murray and Flower is easy. Move Murray to be a forward then protect him.
- Zac_O

Holy poop. This is genius.

Edit: I would assume there is some stipulation that the player has had to have played that position in the preceding season to be considered. Or maybe even a "listed position for the majority of the preceding season." But if not, it would be interesting.

Holy poop. This is genius.

Edit: I would assume there is some stipulation that the player has had to have played that position in the preceding season to be considered. Or maybe even a "listed position for the majority of the preceding season." But if not, it would be interesting.
- jmatchett383

Maybe the 40/70 rule will be used to stop it

Holy poop. This is genius.

Edit: I would assume there is some stipulation that the player has had to have played that position in the preceding season to be considered. Or maybe even a "listed position for the majority of the preceding season." But if not, it would be interesting.
- jmatchett383

Like I said before have Murray dress as a forward for all of Flowers starts. Thats kinda going far into the cheating and loophole but still.

Interesting question IMO, what about someone like how the pens used Egnelland for a while. Both for defense and offense when needed? Since they've played both positions can they group him with the forwards?

Will call this what it is trolling. Murray will be dealt in a worst case sceanrio for a mid-1st round pick. Or fleury dumped for a bag of pucks. Hopefully a better fleury scenario plays out.
- sditulli

How on earth am I trolling with that post?

I'm sure there is some rule somewhere deep deep in the rules that the player has to be registered to the position he played most during the season. So we have Flower get 50 starts and Murray dresses as a forward for every one of them. If Flower needs to be pulled or gets hurt Murray is the emergency goalie.


I feel dirty trying to think of loop holes like this. Oh well, none of this will even be considered by the pens. Just a funny theory to throw out there.
- Zac_O

well I guess you took it from me when I proposed a couple months ago that we could do that. except back then my point was about moving pouliot to forward to protect him.

How on earth am I trolling with that post?
- sensarmy_11

we have had to many trolls in the pens blogs so some people are more aggressive against it than others.