Pens: Semin vs Mueller?

[Carcillo]

I can't help but wonder if Doan is the guy the Pens want, if not why don't they have either Semin or Mueller in the fold already? I suppose either one might be proving tough to negotiate with, but on a two year deal, can't imagine either not being excited to sign with the Pens.

I'd love to have Doan in Pittsburgh. He's a lot better option than either Semin or Mueller and would fit in perfectly next to Crosby. Tough to get him though as many teams are after him and does he even want to go to Eastern Conference?

[Shoeless]

I guess my point was more about why haven't the Pens settled on a forward already and made a deal? Having a hard time imagining them paying for either Ryan or Nash, so ..... who is out there that has to fall? Seems like Doan is the guy that is holding things up.

As a Doan owner in both my keeper leagues, I would love to see him with the Pens but I honestly believe he will be back with the Yotes.

[One87]

The Penguins stock piled D for a number of reasons

1. They are better at developing them
2. The Penguins feel like defense is more value and harder to come by.

I highly doubt the exact thought process of shero was "lets get defense just to trade them".

Bortusso/Strait/Sneep have no trade value to bring in bobby ryan. They are 5/6 defensive defencemen without much offensive upside. No one is going to trade for them right now until they are established and can actually handle a true shutdown role.

Morrow - Untouchable from everything I've heard

Despres - Could be the center piece of a trade but someone has to fill in for Michalek this year and from what I heard he could be the perfect partner for Letang.

Pouliot/Maata - just drafted and you don't see trades involving just drafted players much.

Harrington has some true value and could be a part of a trade but he won't be the key piece coming back.

What was the Penguins problem last year? It wasn't scoring goals it was keeping goals out. Which means Bobby Ryan is a luxury - not a need. Crosby needs a winger but it is still more of a luxury than an actual need.

Plus you have to consider the Penguins have lots of defensive holes to plug now and in the coming years.
Michalek is gone
Orpik will be leaving
Martin will be shipped at some point (the money will probably go to keep letang
Engelland is a nice #7 not a #6

That is all assuming that these prospects work out. We won't know for a couple years if Pouliot/Maatta are going to pan out.

Plus a prime example and my original point of how valuable home grown defense is: Letang - 3.5 Million per year. Wideman - 5.25 Million per year.

Supply Demand - It is always cheaper to have home grown and with the way defensemen are being valued - it is even more important to have home grown.

You have your opinion and i have mine. PMD are hard to come by. The Penguins obviously have an eye for developing them, so i'm sure enough of them will pan out. Apparently, they don't have the same eye for scouting wingers. The odds of their defensive prospects panning out are greater in number than the wingers. If they don't draft wingers and they don't bring them in via FA, what other options do they have but to trade from their surplus? Our G depth is also poor.

To your point about the Penguins getting burned defensively, yes, this is true. However, the issue is them not having enough SHD. We have THE deepest lot of prospects who are PMD out of any team in the NHL. It is our only bargaining chip from an organizational depth perspective.

[One87]

I guess my point was more about why haven't the Pens settled on a forward already and made a deal? Having a hard time imagining them paying for either Ryan or Nash, so ..... who is out there that has to fall? Seems like Doan is the guy that is holding things up.

As a Doan owner in both my keeper leagues, I would love to see him with the Pens but I honestly believe he will be back with the Yotes.

^ Great question, Shoeless. My gut, too, feels that he'll be back in Phoenix.

[Filadelphia]

Not a chance Semin signs ANYWHERE for under 6.5 mil. He's a Russian who chases money, not cups, so he wont give the Pens a contender discount. If no one coughs up that cash then I see him taking a ridiculously high offer from the KHL.

As for Mueller I just don't see him as a sniper or a powerforward that would compliment Crosby. The pens are better off looking elsewhere... I mean... hey Pittsburgh, go for it!