I've warmed up to a Rusty for Puljujarvi deal.

I love Rust but being so cap crunched, and seeing Kapanen at $3.2, I think Rust reached that point like Maatta...a little over paid and would actually bring something decent back in return.
- YouMeAndDupuis9

I didn't like it before and I don't like it now. Sure, I like the idea of freeing up cap space, but unfortunately the Pens only free up enough space to keep the team they have and sign one fourth liner.

Now, if the Pens weren't so cap-strapped and this deal meant the Pens could land a solid UFA I'd be all about it.

Hornqvist's NTC. Is it a full NTC?
- Rinosaur

Full NTC for this year and next...then he can submit an 8 team list like Kessel for the last two years of the deal.

Full NTC for this year and next...then he can submit an 8 team list like Kessel for the last two years of the deal.
- YouMeAndDupuis9

JR was really smoking some serious crack.

Woah. After reading this blog I'd be looking at a total rebuild if I were a Pens fan. And to be completely honest, it may be time. Time to unload Malkin/Letang, whoever can get you first round picks in abundance. This team has top end talent that is rapidly reaching their best before dates. Would Sid consider playing in Anaheim? Kings? Intestinal fortitude is going to be needed before it's too late
- Hardbalz

Nah. Suck it reindeer games.

This has been the quietest start to free agency I can remember.

Then again the off season is like one day old. Ryan Wilson’s on his period again.

To me the sky is not falling. I’m ok with starting the season with the forwards we have or if we exchange Rust for a lesser forward we’re still fine. This is the time where you hope your young guys give you a little more. We all saw what this team CAN do even when some of our stars are hurt. Murray didn’t have a good start but he ended strong, Brassard was dragging us down for a while, JJ in a top 4 role drug us down all year.

Schultz should rebound with a full offseason of training and hopefully he pairs with Petts and as we all said weeks ago we’re hoping JJ gets passed on the depth chart

McCann-Crosby-Guentzel
Kahun-Malkin-Hornqvist
Simon-Bjugstad-Kessel
Blueger-Palve-ZAR

Dumo-Letang
Petts-Schultz
Kola-Gudbranson

And then let GMJR trade for a LD sometime during the season

I highly doubt JJ will be on the 2020 playoff roster and he’ll be gone by 2021. We just don’t have the cap space to keep him. Kahun, McCann and Murray will need raises and Schultz will need to be replaced. Props to Tojo for outlining Shattenkirks pros. He would be a good fit imo. If only, IF ONLY we could send JJ to NYR for Shattenkirk $1MM retained and then NYR would buyout JJ. Schultz then becomes an asset in a trade. Doesn’t look like a whole lot of teams have room in their top 4 for RHD atm. Tampa needs one but they need to send salary out as well

To me the sky is not falling. I’m ok with starting the season with the forwards we have or if we exchange Rust for a lesser forward we’re still fine. This is the time where you hope your young guys give you a little more. We all saw what this team CAN do even when some of our stars are hurt. Murray didn’t have a good start but he ended strong, Brassard was dragging us down for a while, JJ in a top 4 role drug us down all year.

Schultz should rebound with a full offseason of training and hopefully he pairs with Petts and as we all said weeks ago we’re hoping JJ gets passed on the depth chart

McCann-Crosby-Guentzel
Kahun-Malkin-Hornqvist
Simon-Bjugstad-Kessel
Blueger-Palve-ZAR

Dumo-Letang
Petts-Schultz
Kola-Gudbranson

And then let GMJR trade for a LD sometime during the season

I highly doubt JJ will be on the 2020 playoff roster and he’ll be gone by 2021. We just don’t have the cap space to keep him. Kahun, McCann and Murray will need raises and Schultz will need to be replaced. Props to Tojo for outlining Shattenkirks pros. He would be a good fit imo. If only, IF ONLY we could send JJ to NYR for Shattenkirk $1MM retained and then NYR would buyout JJ. Schultz then becomes an asset in a trade. Doesn’t look like a whole lot of teams have room in their top 4 for RHD atm. Tampa needs one but they need to send salary out as well
- WSCTeton17

Do you actually expect someone on a hockey blog to read your take on anything three paragraphs at a time? Get it together.

Checking back in after my bachelor party weekend only to see that literally nothing has happened. How is it possible that we made literally zero moves after we were told repeatedly by the GM that there was going to be roster shake up?

If there is a problem with the leadership/identity of the team it starts with 87, 78, and 71. I dont think JR makes those statements unless there is a locker room problem and its highly unlikely Maata was in that camp. I think you can assume the blame falls on Kessel and possibly Malkin for the "attitude" problem. You can't fix the cap/roster w/o moving a big name and nobody is taking JJ as a dump.

I'm not emotionally attached to the Pens or sports, I just watch for the entertainment and to escape for a few hours so whatever the Pens have to do to make a good product...F it.

Checking back in after my bachelor party weekend only to see that literally nothing has happened. How is it possible that we made literally zero moves after we were told repeatedly by the GM that there was going to be roster shake up?
- Victoro311

JR basically has no leverage with Kessel and JJ has less than 0 value on the market.

Do you actually expect someone on a hockey blog to read your take on anything three paragraphs at a time? Get it together.
- Grinder47

It’s a free blog. I have zero expectations from almost everyone here, but not every single commenter is outlandish and we often agree on new ideas. When was the last time you agreed with the majority of people on here? Or RW? And yet here you are, as many say, “with your Big Ben Jersey”

IDK RW.... Too much doom and gloom in this blog. I don't always love the way Rutherford does his work (speaking a lot less would be my preference), but I don't view him in nearly this bad of light. I guess it's human nature to focus on the bad, but Rutherford's overall work, while imperfect, has been pretty damn good. Every GM makes a mistakes like he did with JJ.

I always viewed his tantrum after the season and this talk about trading Geno/Letang as more of motivational thing. People are going to hate this method, but I don't disagree with his anger. The team lacked focus all season.....especially on the defensive side of the puck. Then they followed their up and down season by getting embarrassed in a sweep when the important games started.

Another thing... Too early to judge Rutherford yet. Free agency hasn't even started and the NHL just (amazingly) confirmed the cap yesterday.

InsidePittsburghSports suggested a leafs trade based around, Letang and JJ for Kadri, Kapanen and Zaitsev

Pens long term plan would involve extending Schultz and moving a forward for an experienced D option

I always viewed his tantrum after the season and this talk about trading Geno/Letang as more of motivational thing. People are going to hate this method, but I don't disagree with his anger. The team lacked focus all season.....especially on the defensive side of the puck. Then they followed their up and down season by getting embarrassed in a sweep when the important games started.
- madmike71

Then maybe blame the bad players and not the good ones? Or perhaps take a look in the mirror and figure out how the bad players got there in the first place?

InsidePittsburghSports suggested a leafs trade based around, Letang and JJ for Kadri, Kapanen and Zaitsev

Pens long term plan would involve extending Schultz and moving a forward for an experienced D option
- RoloTahmasee

Letang’s frustration boiled over dealing with the likes of Josh Yohe...no way in hell he waives his NTC to go to Toronto and deal with Steve Simmons

InsidePittsburghSports suggested a leafs trade based around, Letang and JJ for Kadri, Kapanen and Zaitsev

Pens long term plan would involve extending Schultz and moving a forward for an experienced D option
- RoloTahmasee

I proposed this trade just yesterday lol I bet they read HBuzz.

Letang/Jacko for Kadri/Kapanen/Zaitsev

Do you actually expect someone on a hockey blog to read your take on anything three paragraphs at a time? Get it together.
- Grinder47

Unless it's just ridiculous gibberish, which you can usually establish after reading a sentence or two, I generally read every word people write here when I'm around to read it at all.

InsidePittsburghSports suggested a leafs trade based around, Letang and JJ for Kadri, Kapanen and Zaitsev

Pens long term plan would involve extending Schultz and moving a forward for an experienced D option
- RoloTahmasee

Zaitsev is a more expensive JJ. Not to mention once you trade Letang, you don't have Letang. Not sure what forward they can get an "experienced D option" for that comes close to replacing Letang.

There are definitely positives to this deal, but the biggest negative (losing Letang) far outweighs those positives.

EDIT: I looked on TIOPS and haven't seen this mentioned anywhere.

Zaitsev is a more expensive JJ. Not to mention once you trade Letang, you don't have Letang. Not sure what forward they can get an "experienced D option" for that comes close to replacing Letang.

There are definitely positives to this deal, but the biggest negative (losing Letang) far outweighs those positives.

EDIT: I looked on TIOPS and haven't seen this mentioned anywhere.
- Rinosaur

I’m convinced Rollo is Jason Mackey’s sock account

Has anyone seen the rumour that we checked into puljujarvi from Edmonton and the asking price was rust.. any thoughts on this

Zaitsev is a more expensive JJ. Not to mention once you trade Letang, you don't have Letang. Not sure what forward they can get an "experienced D option" for that comes close to replacing Letang.

There are definitely positives to this deal, but the biggest negative (losing Letang) far outweighs those positives.

EDIT: I looked on TIOPS and haven't seen this mentioned anywhere.
- Rinosaur

The Pens are choosing Schultz long term over Letang, since beyond this year they won’t be able to afford both in this scenario

The forward moved could be Kessel for an experienced D with term from a team Kessel will accept a trade to

It was on there yesterday when all the chatter was going on

Zaitsev > JJ, The value Kadri brings offsets the price difference

If there is a problem with the leadership/identity of the team it starts with 87, 78, and 71. I dont think JR makes those statements unless there is a locker room problem and its highly unlikely Maata was in that camp. I think you can assume the blame falls on Kessel and possibly Malkin for the "attitude" problem. You can't fix the cap/roster w/o moving a big name and nobody is taking JJ as a dump.

- sammy87

Respectfully to those who take this position, if there’s a leadership/culture problem with the team I think it falls on JR/MS. Leadership comes from the top, the same place culture develops from. They set the tone with their approach, treatment of personnel, and decision making around strategy, tactics, people, etc.

A couple of ways you could interfere with that? Picking up bad players who are not respected by their teammates or don’t play the team’s game, and telling everyone they’re up for sale. If Malkin, Kessel, or anyone else is unhappy you need to ask what the root cause of that unhappiness is. Seems to me it’s likely you’ll be looking north.

It’s a free blog. I have zero expectations from almost everyone here, but not every single commenter is outlandish and we often agree on new ideas. When was the last time you agreed with the majority of people on here? Or RW? And yet here you are, as many say, “with your Big Ben Jersey”
- WSCTeton17

There really isn’t one aspect of my life where a big group of people agree with my opinions. Then again I’ve never been one to go along with the crowd. Just saying, people who talk a lot usually have nothing to say.

WSCT, in your post...who is Kola you have paired with Gudbranson? Did I miss someone/thing?