The Elephant in the Room II: Who Might the Penguins Trade With Part I
When I wrote “The Elephant in the Room” last month, it was at the forefront of my mind that it was not a matter of if, but when the Penguins would have to say goodbye to either Marc-Andre Fleury or Matt Murray. Of course, this wouldn’t be the case if the NHL weren’t expanding to Las Vegas, but that’s where we are. (Let’s not forget that another expansion is likely coming down the road in the next few years.) The new franchise will be snagging three goaltenders from the list of unprotected goaltenders the other thirty teams will send to the NHL on June 17, 2017. For the most part, this means that each team will have at least two goalies unprotected, some upwards of four or five, but a few teams will only have one goalie left unprotected. The Penguins are one of those teams. Fleury’s limited no-movement clause means the team has to protect him if they keep him through the deadline next June. Matt Murray would be a prime candidate for selection if the Penguins can’t make a move beforehand. Continue reading
Where Are They Now? Ray Shero Draft Pick Addition
Based on a Cblog discussion with Rad and THE!66thDF I wanted to see how the Pens first round draft picks panned out. Right up front, it’s clear that outside of the top 5 or so players in each draft there is no guarantee that a player will turn into a productive NHLer.
The primary metric involves games played and points scored. That’s why we draft players, it’s apparently not why the Oilers draft players, but that’s a different article. We want to get players who will soak up minutes and contribute, offensively or defensively, to the teams success. I didn’t dig too deeply into playoff stats because for most of these players it didn’t ever come to that.
On one hand the draft is an opportunity to get cheap talent in a salary cap regime. It’s difficult to have sustained success without finding some bargain players, and the draft is the primary means teams use to fulfill that end. Don’t believe me? Just sign every player to a 6 year 5 million AAV deal and ask Columbus.
On the other hand, the draft is little bit of luck. And there is no guarantee that a player drafted high will be a good choice as compared to those below him, looking at you Nail. Continue reading