2 weeks Ago
TAMPA, Fla. — It’s time for Round 2 of the monthly Pittsburgh Penguins mailbag ( Round 1 here ). When I was a kid watching hockey, the offseason always felt so boring and insignificant.
These days, the offseason actually seems far more entertaining for fans who are as preoccupied with player movement as they are the game itself. So, we’ll spend much of our time in this mailbag speaking of that subject. I like to give the people what they want.
Away we go. Which restricted free agents do you see Kyle Dubas targeting this offseason? — @ArmandisAmazin The name I’ll throw out there is utter speculation on my part. I’ve got absolutely no intel on this one.
So let’s make that clear. But if I’m Dubas, here’s what I’m thinking: • My blue line absolutely stinks, especially on the left side. • I have plenty of cap space.
• Adding a young, talented player makes sense. Advertisement • Ideally, I’m taking advantage of a franchise that might have its hands tied and one that isn’t particularly well run. All of which brings us to the Buffalo Sabres and one player in particular.
Bowen Byram is only 23 years old, which is hard to believe. He was part of Colorado’s Cup team in 2022, and he’s been in Buffalo for the past couple of seasons, where he’s been fine but hasn’t reached his outrageous potential. Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power, a couple of fellow left-handed defensemen, are already costing Buffalo nearly $20 million annually against the cap for the next three seasons.
Byram, a pending RFA, earned about $3.8 million last season. If you’re Dubas, it’s one to consider.
You’ve got young, talented guys such as Harrison Brunicke, Owen Pickering, Emil Pieniniemi and Finn Harding on the way. Throw Byram into that group, and maybe you’ve got something to be excited about moving forward. I’d consider it, were I Dubas.
What do you say to the “tank for McKenna” crowd in terms of the realistic likelihood the Pens could draft him, how players would respond to being asked to tank, how Sid would respond? — @RetiredCrayon The thing is, you can tank and end up with the NHL’s worst record next season, and you’ll still only have a 25 percent chance to nab the No. 1 spot. Even if the Penguins try to tank, they probably won’t come in last in the NHL.
And if you do come in last, you probably still won’t get the prize. I just don’t see the point in attempting to tank. The Penguins may stink organically next season.
Maybe the hockey gods will shine on them. One way or another, the Penguins need to continue to develop their prospects, keep acquiring high draft picks and young assets, and proceed accordingly. I’ve seen the videos of Gavin McKenna.
I’m aware of how impressive he is. If it happens, it happens. Intentionally trying to tank is for the weak.
It creates a dangerous culture change, and it humiliates Sidney Crosby at the end of his career. Advertisement Hypothetically, if Pens won the lottery, do you think they’d go Misa or Schaefer? — @marsrfm Great question. Matthew Schaefer, the presumed No.
1 pick in the draft, is an outrageously gifted offensive defenseman. An NHL scout I’ve spoken with has compared him to Quinn Hughes. He could be that kind of player.
Michael Misa, likely the second best player in the draft, projects as a legitimate No. 1 center, maybe a John Tavares kind of player. You can’t go wrong with either.
Should the Penguins luck out and get the top pick, I’d guess they’d go with Schaefer. They need someone to run the power play moving forward. They need real talent on the left side of their blue line.
And, my most accounts, he’s the best player available at No. 1. I would have to think he’d be the guy.
What goodies would the Pens have to give up for Elias Pettersson? I would think you could send Graves back to offset some of the contract. — @JamMasterJim Why would anyone want to trade for Pettersson? It looks like a disaster of a contract, and he’s not very well respected around the league. Getting rid of Ryan Graves’ contract is an alluring thought, and Pettersson has plenty of talent, to be sure.
But I don’t think I’d take that risk. Do you have an opinion on the officiating so far in these playoffs vs. the regular season? Thank you Josh for your great work in reporting the NHL.
— @Patrick00029 Honestly, I think it’s been fine so far. Here’s the thing ..
. I grew up in the 1990s, and back then, you’d see literal assaults committed on the ice during the playoffs, and nothing would be called if it was a close game. I’m not kidding.
So, after witnessing that, I have a hard time being critical of officiating these days because it’s so much better than in the past. I haven’t watched every second of every game, and I do think the Leafs have gotten their fair share of calls, from what I’ve seen. But I think the officiating has been something less than problematic, if not perfect.
Advertisement Where will the parade be planned for when we trade Erik Karlsson this summer? — @Jeffs_Penguins Ha. Ikea? I don’t know. It’s a funny thing.
I really like him on a personal level, and his talent is undeniable. But he’s just not what they need. Not by a long shot.
Hi Josh, who do you think Karlsson’s trade value is at this point? Would the Seth Jones trade be a good comparison? — @alexcander95 That would be Christmas in July if the Penguins pulled off something like the Seth Jones trade. It’s impossible to say. The opinion of Karlsson around the league varies more than any other player I can imagine.
Some still think he’s valuable, others wouldn’t touch him with a 10-foot pole. I will say this: His performance at the 4 Nations Face-Off opened plenty of eyes. Sid and Geno’s career goals, assists and point total predictions when they retire? Can Sid get to 2,000 points? — @neilharrison24 I’ll say Evgeni Malkin puts up 20-40-60 next season and retires after the season.
That puts him at 534 goals, 872 assists and 1,406 points for his career. Sid’s tough. He has two years remaining on his contract, which will take him to within a couple of months of his 40th birthday.
Could he retire then? Sure. Will he still be playing at this level then? I kind of doubt it, but I don’t know. He hasn’t slowed down yet.
If I had to guess? I’ll say he’ll play four more seasons. Let’s predict good health. If anyone deserves that, it’s Crosby.
So, let’s say he plays 300 more games, which would be an average of 75 games per season. I’ll project that he’ll score 100 more goals and add 315 points in that stretch. That takes Crosby to 725 goals and 2,002 points.
It would require good health and only a slight drop in his production. But who are we to doubt him at this point? Since the Pope’s death I’ve been wondering almost constantly, would Sid make a good pope? — @notpghguyinva Well, I could think of worse choices. He’s a great role model and seems to make top-notch choices in life.
He already has a pretty good day job, though. Plus, he would have some explaining to do. It might be impossible to watch to P.
K. Subban praise Sid on ESPN without think about the time Crosby dribbled his head off the ice like a basketball pic.twitter.
com/pYeMYz6kYA — Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) April 8, 2023 If Toronto were to win the Cup this year, how many numbers would get retired, and would the NHL make a new 100 list so they could all be included? — @pelagano I don’t know. I can’t count that high. Better sandwich place in Pittsburgh: OG Primanti’s in the Strip, or Long Story Short in Lawrenceville? — @screaminyeti I’m actually more partial to Danny’s in Bethel Park.
Who are you? — @B_Bunny610 I’m a hockey writer who has readers who ask questions such as this. Ha. When you aren’t watching hockey, what are you up to? — @joanmuise I’m just an ordinary man living an extraordinary life.
I enjoy a nice walk in the evening, the peace of a good bookstore, playing with my cats. I enjoy Christmas time very much. My favorite thing is spending time with my children.
I enjoy watching football with my lady friend on Sunday afternoons. Advertisement When all else fails, eating ice cream and listening to ’90s music typically gets the job done. Thanks for all the great questions this month, everyone.
It should be a very interesting offseason for the Penguins, and I’ll have you covered every step of the way. Hopefully, you’ll check out my Panthers-Lightning coverage in the meantime. (Photo of Bowen Byram: Sean M.
Haffey / Getty Images).
