Brutal contract if he doesn't bounce back

Pens can't afford Kap at that price. He isn't worth it now anyway. If he wins arbitration (unlikely as it may be) he becomes a UFA. Pens can afford a 2MM / 1yr deal. That's about it.

About right (the contract), and theres hope he can improve, but it probably means your 2 extra skaters are ruhwedel and archibald. As a arbitration elgible RFA, he was never going to get less money than he was on, although I'd still look to move him.

The 3rd line is okay, but poehling is a stretch there, and because hes weak, it really exposes the average (at best) 4th line. Hopefully somebody really comes through in camp and takes 3LW.

Not a bad lineup, maybe not as good as last year, but pretty thin and old. Hopes are on everybody staying healthy and Petry/Kapanen rebounding

He signed today for this price

Poehling weak ? You don't watch hockey why talking about players ? Talk all you want about statistic but don't come here and making stuff up

Hes coming into his 5th professional season and has 22 pts in 89 games, 3 of those pts came in his 1st nhl game in 2018-2019. Does that seem like quality 3rd line? Those are statistics, not "made up stuff"

You can't say he never could have got less money in arbitration - it very well could have happened

Yeah but you ignore that he played with Nate 'no finish' Thompson in 2019-2020 with barely minutes every night and last year he played with AHLer Michael Pezzetta and Tyler 'useless' Pitlick again on the 4th line. He creates chances but his teammate were just horsepiss. Martin St-Louis used him on the PP where he plays with better player and he goes in front of the net. He still managed to score 9 goals with almost no ice time ( that's 2 more goals than Gallagher ). He isn't great but he is a NHL who needs to play with people with talent, no grinders

Its very rare, and when it does, its a much longer term. Even on this site, you can see that most settle prior to arbitration and the only/few guys who make less = get longer term.

Maybe, and not saying you give up, but from this moment when you're looking at a team nearing the end of its window, a surer thing than Poehling at 3LW.

Hes a solid bottom 6 guy, just not sure hes the right fit with those 2 (and their age/inconsistency). Ive never seen and the statistics show that he is unlikely to elevate to a top 6 position or produce in a lesser role/with lesser players.

As a MTL fan, you'd be acquanted with Jordan Weal, an AHL offensive powerhouse and able to create and produce a bit in the NHL, but never enough to be an average 3rd liner. Not saying poehling is weal, but just saying poehling on 3LW on a real contender is weak on paper. I just dont see him as more than a quality 4th line 10-12minutes guy

There's no such thing as much longer term in arbitration - it's 1 or 2 years.

Correct - the vast majority settle before arbitration. I'm just saying there is a very real possibility that he could have made under 3.2mil from arbitration. It wasn't impossible

The difference with Poehling and Weal is Weal is only a PP specialist with a small stature, while Poehling his a big body who can do it all. He doesn’t have the offense to be a top 6 guy, I think he fits better on a 3rd line. We’ll see how he turns out in Pittsburgh, he’s not a sure thing but I do believe he’ll be a regular in the NHL