Ryan Wilson: Stanley Cup tax alive and well Stanley Cup tax alive and well

What Wilson needs to realize is 3 million is the new 1 million

If a guy has a modicum of a skillset, experience and some intangibles outside of a fancy stat bar graph, he's getting 3 million

Losers, unproven youth (AHL RFA's), ELCs, and guys who are hanging on (regular healthy scratch) are the guys who get the 1 million dollar throwaway contracts now

Also, the fact you can't get over how there is literally no downside to the Cullen contract is baffling, especially given how FLAT OUT WRONG you were about it the first time around

We need a winger! Loved Malkin and Neal again but he got paid 😔
Trade Kessel and get 2 wingers thanks!

We need a winger! Loved Malkin and Neal again but he got paid 😔
Trade Kessel and get 2 wingers thanks!
- Street00

Guentzel
Hornqvist
Rust
Kessel
Sprong
Hagelin

Throw in the possibility of ZAR, Simon, and maybe Brassard playing wing and......

We need Wingers?

This year it is players like Jay Beagle, Carter Rowney, Tom Kuhnhackl, and Matt Cullen all getting deals above their current value.

Really? Matt Cullen for $0.65M? He's worth every penny and is a gamer. I'd put him in the Chris Kunitz mold. Good signing. He still can play and skate. Fitness freak.

I can't believe even Daddy won't get the due respect from Gunner..

This year it is players like Jay Beagle, Carter Rowney, Tom Kuhnhackl, and Matt Cullen all getting deals above their current value.

Really? Matt Cullen for $0.65M? He's worth every penny and is a gamer. I'd put him in the Chris Kunitz mold. Good signing. He still can play and skate. Fitness freak.

I can't believe even Daddy won't get the due respect from Gunner..
- Barnaby36

I wish I could find the quotes from when we signed him before the 2 cup wins

Blogs had the same tone about what a huge waste he was for 750k or whatever it was

Has RW finally gotten to the Tanner point where he can't write an article without being a snarky d-bag know-it-all?

I know I'm not one to talk, but I'm not getting paid, either.

Really weak take on Cullen. That will turn out to be a fantastic signing. He will be a 12/13th forward who will be able to work a rotation and keep everyone healthy. Gives them added depth at C in case of injury and flexibility to use Brassard and Sheahan on the wings if they want to try something different. He can also step in to kill penalties and has proven to be clutch for the Pens in the past. Couldn't care less what his fancy stats look like in a one year sample with Minnesota.

I wish I could find the quotes from when we signed him before the 2 cup wins

Blogs had the same tone about what a huge waste he was for 750k or whatever it was
- RoloTahmasee

You mean this one: http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=70336

"I really like this move a lot. Matt Cullen, despite his age (38), is still a productive NHL player. This move falls in line with the Penguins wanting to roll four scoring lines."

"Pittsburgh made it loud and clear they are a win now team with the Phil Kessel trade. This is a win now move that makes sense."

"Cullen produces offense at a first line rate during 5v5 action. This is tremendous and further cements the Penguins chosen direction of icing four scoring lines. Possession wise he is impacting his teammates at a solid second line level. Everything looks good here."

Seems like RW was in favor of the signing back in 2015.

I wish I could find the quotes from when we signed him before the 2 cup wins

Blogs had the same tone about what a huge waste he was for 750k or whatever it was
- RoloTahmasee

Baffling. RW knows hockey but I don't know why he would talk bad about Cullen, a perfect 4th liner that can pass and score. High hockey IQ.

Perhaps he dreams about a roster full of 22-23 year olds winning a championship. This won't happen.

Also Jack Johnson is our D-man now. Give him a chance.

Has RW finally gotten to the Tanner point where he can't write an article without being a snarky d-bag know-it-all?

I know I'm not one to talk, but I'm not getting paid, either.
- jmatchett383

I think he is like Tanner JR where he doesn't really watch hockey, he scours the internet for charts and then makes sure he writes stupid poop to get clicks in the comments. [/img]

The Rangers blogger floated the name Jake DeBrusk when mentioning Boston as a possible trade partner for Kevin Hayes, I wonder if Brassard could net that as well... top 6 LW and would clear cap as I believe he is on his entry level deal still

You mean this one: http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=70336

"I really like this move a lot. Matt Cullen, despite his age (38), is still a productive NHL player. This move falls in line with the Penguins wanting to roll four scoring lines."

"Pittsburgh made it loud and clear they are a win now team with the Phil Kessel trade. This is a win now move that makes sense."

"Cullen produces offense at a first line rate during 5v5 action. This is tremendous and further cements the Penguins chosen direction of icing four scoring lines. Possession wise he is impacting his teammates at a solid second line level. Everything looks good here."

Seems like RW was in favor of the signing back in 2015.
- jmatchett383

Why not stick to this thought? Because of age? Cullen is a fitness freak and I'll say it again: better than Bonino.

I'll trust what my eyes see and it is a warrior good old 4th line player who makes players around him score a few goals more than normal.

The Rangers blogger floated the name Jake DeBrusk when mentioning Boston as a possible trade partner for Kevin Hayes, I wonder if Brassard could net that as well... top 6 LW and would clear cap as I believe he is on his entry level deal still
- kfinl170

If GMJR could get DeBrusk straight up for Brassard, he wins life.

Why not stick to this thought? Because of age? Cullen is a fitness freak and I'll say it again: better than Bonino.

I'll trust what my eyes see and it is a warrior good old 4th line player who makes players around him score a few goals more than normal.
- Barnaby36

I agree. Just saying, RW was in favor of the move in 2015, not opposed to it.

If GMJR could get DeBrusk straight up for Brassard, he wins life.
- jmatchett383

Yeah I would agree, but wouldn’t you put Hayes and Brass in relatively the same category? If one could get it can’t the other?

This year it is players like Jay Beagle, Carter Rowney, Tom Kuhnhackl, and Matt Cullen all getting deals above their current value.

Really? Matt Cullen for $0.65M? He's worth every penny and is a gamer. I'd put him in the Chris Kunitz mold. Good signing. He still can play and skate. Fitness freak.

I can't believe even Daddy won't get the due respect from Gunner..
- Barnaby36

I agree with that. I'm pretty indifferent to the Cullen signing. I love the guy but I think he's cooked, but for 650K which can be buried in the AHL if worst came to worst? Who cares. We don't have a ton of AHL depth right now and we need 14/15 forwards in our system that can at least handle being call ups. Right now, Bleuger was our 13th forward without any moves and then after that it was a whole lot of nothing. Bringing in guys like Cullen and Jimmy Hayes was necessary, so fine moves by Rutherford.

Now, what will be a problem is if Cullen is awful this season and Sullivan starts playing him over guys who deserve it more. But that's not on Rutherford for bringing back Cullen, that's on the coach.

New cap space doesnt get spread out to all the players. It gets spread out to whoever needs a new contract that year. All these guys are just lucky this was the year.

If GMJR could get DeBrusk straight up for Brassard, he wins life.
- jmatchett383

I don't know much about DeBrusk but I'd love to get another good 40-50 point top 6 wing that can skate fast and hustle.

Why not stick to this thought? Because of age? Cullen is a fitness freak and I'll say it again: better than Bonino.

I'll trust what my eyes see and it is a warrior good old 4th line player who makes players around him score a few goals more than normal.
- Barnaby36

Because he was quite bad last year and his production changed substantially. He's not the player we signed three years ago anymore, so having the same opinion of him is pretty dumb.

What I don't get is being upset about the signing when the only player in our org that is a better candidate to be a 13th forward than Cullen is Bleuger. That's not enough organizational depth.

I wish I could find the quotes from when we signed him before the 2 cup wins

Blogs had the same tone about what a huge waste he was for 750k or whatever it was
- RoloTahmasee

http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=70336

No. They didn't. Ryan Wilson praised the move. Your memory is fogged, much like your eye test.

I agree with that. I'm pretty indifferent to the Cullen signing. I love the guy but I think he's cooked, but for 650K which can be buried in the AHL if worst came to worst? Who cares. We don't have a ton of AHL depth right now and we need 14/15 forwards in our system that can at least handle being call ups. Right now, Bleuger was our 13th forward without any moves and then after that it was a whole lot of nothing. Bringing in guys like Cullen and Jimmy Hayes was necessary, so fine moves by Rutherford.

Now, what will be a problem is if Cullen is awful this season and Sullivan starts playing him over guys who deserve it more. But that's not on Rutherford for bringing back Cullen, that's on the coach.
- Victoro311

The experience Cullen will bring is priceless. Guys like Simon, Aston-Reese, Sprong, Rust and Sheahan will benefit from this signing. I'm happy they'll learn from a great player.

Because he was quite bad last year and his production changed substantially. He's not the player we signed three years ago anymore, so having the same opinion of him is pretty dumb.

What I don't get is being upset about the signing when the only player in our org that is a better candidate to be a 13th forward than Cullen is Bleuger. That's not enough organizational depth.
- Victoro311

Dumb is to judge the player from a 1 year sample in Minnesota. I respect the player and hope he gets a roster spot anyway.

I think he is like Tanner JR where he doesn't really watch hockey, he scours the internet for charts and then makes sure he writes stupid poop to get clicks in the comments.
- MacPatty[/img]

Do you follow either Tanner or RW on Twitter? They regularly tweet about the games they are watching all the time. The narrative about how bloggers and analytics people don't watch games is about as off base as needing guys like Kuhnackl and Ryan Reaves to win boats.

Dumb is to judge the player from a 1 year sample in Minnesota. I respect the player and hope he gets a roster spot anyway.
- Barnaby36

I think it's a more for the 3 year trend. He was awesome in PIT the first year, his 2nd year in PIT you could see him trailing off, and his year in Minny was pretty gross. Could he come back to PIT and play well? Yeah, and I hope he does for the Pens sake, but if I'm gonna look at the last 3 years.. I think there were better options given the direction the guy was going.