I don't understand this Eller contract tbh. So many young unqualified RFA's out there. This one doesn't make sense to me.

Right? I’m backing the Jarry signing despite the *a little high* AAV

Re-sign your young goalie who’s shown he can be relied on in net as a clear starter.

I don't either, especially at that AAV, I guess he or Acciary is going to be the 3C and other 4C Or Ellers and Acciary are 4th line with DOC and Nieto 13th foward?

Exactly. I agree it's high - I'm not thrilled with it. I wanted around 4.5mil - 5mil max. But it's not a brutal or team breaking contract. He's a top 8-10 goalie and is making the 12th highest AAV. It's not great - but it's definitely not terrible. And there weren't really any better options out there.

Pens fans seem to have a real fickle relationship with some of their players sometimes - a lot of times goalies. I will give him credit though for at least calling him average and not saying he sucks like a lot of people do.

Annnnd Drouin just signed for damn near league minimum

Would’ve liked him or Geekie rather than this option. But I guess this goes into winning in the playoffs, crucial depth veteran presences that can be relied on, and playing hockey in the metro you need guys like Eller. Not a terrible signing but not the best one he could’ve done. I’ll take it though.

I've said this before but HARD pass on Drouin haha, I would of liked Geekie though

I still think we need a big move like Karlsson and to shore up the 3rd line. This team as it is right now I don't think has a chance to contend.

Agreed. No reason to sign Eller with Acciari already signed. Same reason there was no need for Nedejlkovic

I'm a little nervous now, since he said in the press conference that this is likely a similar team we'll have opening night. Makes me nervous the Karlsson trade isn't happening. I think we need a huge move like that. As of now I think the roster is too old/slow.

Flower was a generational goalie. It’s not even close. Jarry is the same as Campbell, Darcy Keumper (ya he won a cup on a loaded team), Husso, Binnington (awful contract), Andersen, Korpisalo (another awful contract), Grubauer (awful contract), Samsonov, and Georgiev.

There are elites and everyone else. The elites are:

Sorokin
Vasilevskiy
Shesterkin
Otter
Hellebuyck
Saros

This is the almost elite list:

Demko
Bobrovsky
Gustavsson (too soon yet but he’s close)
Ullmark (one great year doesn’t quite get you there)
Swayman (young still but could get there
Skinner (showed me more in one year than just about any of the goalies in Jarry’s camp)
Markstrom (he was once an elite but fell off)

Yup, and if that doesn’t happen I hate to say it but man I don’t have much expectations

I am as well. If this is the opening night roster it looks like another year of hoping they slide into the final wild card spot haha

And Jarry goes right at the top of the almost elite list after Ullmark. Therefore putting him in the 8-10 range of goalies - like I said. And he is the 12th highest paid goalie - therefore not making the contract awful.

We all wanted the AAV to be lower - and think it's a bit high. But a possible slight overpayment doesn't make a contract awful. You're not being rational here man. I think it's easier to rank in tiers than an actual numbered order - that's why I put him in the 8-10 range. He's on the next tier outside the elites. Nothing wrong with that - and he's paid as such. He has a .915 save % over the last 4 seasons, stop trying to act like he isn't good. 2 top 7 Vezina finishes - would have been 3 if he didn't get hurt this past season

Taking money off the books the only goalie on that almost elite list that’s clearly worse off than Jarry right now is Markstrom. The rest are still better. On the list I put him on he’s equal to Korpisalo, Campbell, Georgiev, and Darcy K.

I really really hope he's just playing it off like Petry and Granlund are a huge part of the plan just for the sake of not playing our hand in negotiations. Really really hope the report on us being close on Karlsson is actually true. So many good younger, faster players out there like Fischer and Gurianov. I like Accari signing, but other than that our bottom 6 looks brutal now and D only marginally better than last year.

If it doesn't happen we straight up aren't making playoffs. And by a lot for that matter. Really like Dubas and trust him, but the bottom 6 looks brutal right now and the D is only marginally better. Have to think he has 2-3 more moves.

You want to pay EK probably 8M or more a year for 4 more years to join this nursing home of a team? Especially after our glorious cap space was destroyed today?

Incorrect. The only one in the almost elite list that you can put above him with absolute certainty is Ullmark.

He's a top 8-10 goalie in this league and he's now paid the 13th highest AAV. Ami happy about the AAV? no. Did I want it to be slightly less? Of course. But Jarry is obviously a great goalie and the contract isn't horrendous - especially considering the market and available options

If it was my choice I would have targeted almost exclusively younger players in FA. Fast guys like Sam Steel, Gurianov, Fischer, etc. But we didn't. Now we have a team that isn't a playoff team as currently constructed. Karlsson is just about the only move I can think of right now that would make this a playoff team and actually better than last year. Not ideal to add another older player, but I think we're past the point of having a young team already. (even though I agree it's a huge issue that the team is still older and slow). I don't know what else we can do, I just don't see the team right now as a playoff team.

You can argue all day but in the end our goaltending is worse simply by running Casey off for Nedeljkovic who shouldn’t be in the NHL. Then we signed a declining 34 year old to be a 3C for god knows what reason. The bad outweighs the good today.

The answer is simple, whatever small chance we had was killed today with this awful cap management. What were we going for? Making it to the 2nd round? Let’s get realistic this group accepted aging out together and deep down they know it’s over as far as winning cups goes. Now if you go add EK65 and somehow magically don’t give up any assets then sure, but the entire point of that deal was to target teams that need to move cap. Now we are the team with no cap space!

I think there's a very good chance you are right. As far as going all in, we need a move like Karlsson to have any chance. But still, even if we make that move the chance is still small, but it's something. We'd have one of the best top 2 pairings for D in the league. That would be something at least. If we are out of playoffs by deadline though, then we 110% have to rebuild imo. Even if we are only a few points out.

I'm just very concerned about the rest of the metro. I can't see us keeping up with New Jersey, I fear they'd still skate circle around us. Hope I'm making sense here, not trying to be confusing. TLDR I guess is I'm similar to you, extremely skeptical we can still contend. But if they go all in, I want them to actually do something big, not just run it back with an older version of the same team that is only marginally better. And I don't see any way we have even a shot without something like Karlsson or at that level. I'm puzzled too that we signed older players for bottom 6.

We can’t trade 1sts. That’s an absolute deal breaker. We’re probably going to have a pick similar to this draft and we can’t hand those over to chase minimal chances at getting to the 2nd round.

I think we could potentially get a Karlsson deal done without a 1st. Me wanting to trade for him is based on that. Maybe it's just wishful thinking. But yeah, I would not trade a 1st.

Oh I fully agree there. If the tandem becomes Jarry/Nedejlkovic its a worse tandem. But that's a totally different argument. And I also agree on the Eller signing - absolutely no reason to sign him after Acciari. See, we can agree on some things haha