Hall to the Sabres

Sabres looking like a poor man's Maple Leafs.
- Hockey66

Guess he changed his mind about playing with a winning team. He must be too accustomed to losing

That's what ya'll said about JJ.
- Blackstrom2

Haha I was JK

Hall to the Sabres

Sabres looking like a poor man's Maple Leafs.
- Hockey66

I am shocked by that... on a 1 year deal no less. He should have watched the cowboys game and realized you need to take the long term deals you are offered.

If Hall gets another injury he will be on a one tear deal again next year.

That's what ya'll said about JJ.
- Blackstrom2

Ehem. That’s what one specific person said about JJ.

Guess he changed his mind about playing with a winning team. He must be too accustomed to losing
- 10inchTerror

Buffalo probably agreed to trade him to a contender at the deadline again...

Buffalo probably agreed to trade him to a contender at the deadline again...
- MacPatty

Oh Yea, even if they have to retain half salary he will be the big deadline grab again. JR got it all planned out lol.

Buffalo probably agreed to trade him to a contender at the deadline again...
- MacPatty

This. They will get a TON for him at the deadline.

This. They will get a TON for him at the deadline.
- Hockey66

Haha true! Now that’s thinking ahead. We’ll trade you to a top 4 team with half salary retained to whoever will pay most so you don’t have to guess at the beginning of the season.

Yea but who the hell knew this was happening. We gotta stop with this hindsight.
- 668710

In fairness, you can't judge any contract given this season with contracts given in previous years. Fast would have done better in a non-covid scenario.
- madmike71

Both of these, it's a different world now.

You know its ironic with the Pens...

When Shero was GM it was advantageous to have players under longer term deals but we always traded for rentals.

The last several years it has been advantageous to keep cap and roster space open for guys on rental/prove it contracts and JR is obsessed with only getting guys with term on their contract...

Well if you consider Tanev for Johnson a somewhat 50% in the savings... there you go.
- Guile

I was comparing Hornqvist at $3M (half price) and Johnson at $2.5M (again half price).

There is no way you get Johnson for Tanev in a trade. Even if you did now you have to replace Tanev. You are only shifting the problem, not solving.

I think Granlund now becomes the best, most realistic option for the Pens.

I hope JR doesn't waste our little remaining cap space on a 3RD, especially now since most of the decent ones are gone. I'd rather start the season with a bottom pair of Riikola - Matheson. Much easier to find a 3RD later than a 3C/3W.

Both of these, it's a different world now.
- Tojo.

It's a different world, but I think Rutherford has mostly butchered this off season. I give him credit for being proactive in clearing the roster of players that didn't have roles, but the Kap thing was rushed and unnecessary even though I like the player. If someone like me could foresee the current environment (fire sales), why couldn't JR? He should have cleared those players and sat on the cap space. It was obvious this climate was coming. I tend to give Rutherford a lot of rope, but this off season was a missed opportunity. It's unfortunate.

It's a different world, but I think Rutherford has mostly butchered this off season. I give him credit for being proactive in clearing the roster of players that didn't have roles, but the Kap thing was rushed and unnecessary even though I like the player. If someone like me could foresee the current environment (fire sales), why couldn't JR? He should have cleared those players and sat on the cap space. It was obvious this climate was coming. I tend to give Rutherford a lot of rope, but this off season was a missed opportunity. It's unfortunate.
- madmike71

Cleared what players?

He wasn't going to be able to move Horn without taking someone back

He bought out JJ, and retained to move Bjugstad

The only guy he brought in for nothing was [email protected] Million and he signed Jarry and McCann to pretty reasonable deals. Should he have let them walk?

You're salty about 3.2 Million?

ERod and Jank can be moved off the cap by being sent to the AHL

I think Granlund now becomes the best, most realistic option for the Pens.

I hope JR doesn't waste our little remaining cap space on a 3RD, especially now since most of the decent ones are gone. I'd rather start the season with a bottom pair of Riikola - Matheson. Much easier to find a 3RD later than a 3C/3W.
- Hockey66

I agree about the RD. Worry about that if Ruhwedel massively fails....which I don't think will happen.

I'm more concerned he's gonna face plant by trying to plant the MAF flag back in Pittsburgh.

Cleared what players?

He wasn't going to be able to move Horn without taking someone back

He bought out JJ, and retained to move Bjugstad

The only guy he brought in for nothing was [email protected] Million and he signed Jarry and McCann to pretty reasonable deals. Should he have let them walk?

You're salty about 3.2 Million?

ERod and Jank can be moved off the cap by being sent to the AHL
- TheGame316

We didn’t bring in Kapanen for nothing. He expended all of our prime trade capital on Kapanen.

I agree with MadMike 100%. I like Kapanen and I don’t think acquiring him was bad, but we were about to come into a buyer’s market and Rutherford paid an absolute premium for a third line forward before the playoffs even ended.

I think Granlund now becomes the best, most realistic option for the Pens.

I hope JR doesn't waste our little remaining cap space on a 3RD, especially now since most of the decent ones are gone. I'd rather start the season with a bottom pair of Riikola - Matheson. Much easier to find a 3RD later than a 3C/3W.
- Hockey66

I'm down with Granlund. Also think a Rik Math 3rd pair might work.... If Math is as comfy there as he said... Perhaps this is the idea all along...

I agree about the RD. Worry about that if Ruhwedel massively fails....which I don't think will happen.

I'm more concerned he's gonna face plant by trying to plant the MAF flag back in Pittsburgh.
- madmike71

I feel somewhat good about it that capwise it would be harder to work.

We didn’t bring in Kapanen for nothing. He expended all of our prime trade capital on Kapanen.

I agree with MadMike 100%. I like Kapanen and I don’t think acquiring him was bad, but we were about to come into a buyer’s market and Rutherford paid an absolute premium for a third line forward before the playoffs even ended.
- Victoro311

Its hard to not think we could of done better so far this off season hahah and that's even with JJ axed... Off season not over yet though.

Its hard to not think we could of done better so far this off season hahah and that's even with JJ axed... Off season not over yet though.
- MattStrat

At least he didn’t sign some atrocious contract like the other tanev or something similar in free agency. Hasn’t been a great off season seeing what some players are going for but he didn’t Richard us by signing another jj contract

I think Granlund now becomes the best, most realistic option for the Pens.

I hope JR doesn't waste our little remaining cap space on a 3RD, especially now since most of the decent ones are gone. I'd rather start the season with a bottom pair of Riikola - Matheson. Much easier to find a 3RD later than a 3C/3W.
- Hockey66

Granlund sounds good. Seeing some good players sign on cheap 1 year deals makes me wonder if Haula could be had on a 1 trip $2M deal.

I think Granlund now becomes the best, most realistic option for the Pens.

I hope JR doesn't waste our little remaining cap space on a 3RD, especially now since most of the decent ones are gone. I'd rather start the season with a bottom pair of Riikola - Matheson. Much easier to find a 3RD later than a 3C/3W.
- Hockey66

I'd be down for that. I'll add Granlund to my earlier list of Hoffman, Dadanov, Toffoli, Vesey, Duclair and AA. I'd like to have one of them.

We didn’t bring in Kapanen for nothing. He expended all of our prime trade capital on Kapanen.

I agree with MadMike 100%. I like Kapanen and I don’t think acquiring him was bad, but we were about to come into a buyer’s market and Rutherford paid an absolute premium for a third line forward before the playoffs even ended.
- Victoro311

What were we going to trade a 1st for? Good players on cheap deals are like gold right now. We obviously wouldn't have been able to afford to get a top tier player for a 1st

We *maybe* missed out on a 3.2 million Free Agent, Maybe a Craig Smith type vs Kapanen, but Kapanen is not some scrub, he's cheap this year and next and then is an RFA

It's a buyers market for Free Agents, It's not a buyers market for young players on value contracts

At least he didn’t sign some atrocious contract like the other tanev or something similar in free agency. Hasn’t been a great off season seeing what some players are going for but he didn’t Richard us by signing another jj contract
- 10inchTerror

100%...

...not yet, anyway. Off season isn't over yet.

EDIT: well actually one could argue Matheson is in that territory, depending on how he performs of course..

Its hard to not think we could of done better so far this off season hahah and that's even with JJ axed... Off season not over yet though.
- MattStrat

Don’t get it twisted: axing JJ was the single most important move we needed to make, but we also needed to do more and we didn’t. The Bruins just got so much better I can’t fathom being competitive with Them next year. But hey: anything can happen in the playoffs so if we can just get there I guess anything can happen.