My Redo of the Penguins 17-18 Season

Team: 2022-23 Custom Team

Initial Creation Date: Jul. 22, 2022

Published: Jul. 22, 2022

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

This is my attempt to redo the 2017-2018 Penguins in an attempt to achieve the Three-Peat.
The Salary Cap that year was set for 75 Million but since CapFriendly will not allow you to sign players for under $750,000 a year I had to increase the Cap by $688,333 to accurately include the contracts of Guentzel, Kuhnhackl, Rowney, Sundqvist, Wilson, Ruhwedel, and Rust whose cap hits were lower than 750k and IMO could have been regulars in the lineup that season.



******2017 NHL Expansion Draft:
This is the first challenge that I chose to face. PIT originally decided to go the route of protecting 4 forwards, 4 defenseman, and a Goalie. This list included: forwards S. Crosby, E. Malkin, P. Hornqvist, and P. Kessel. The defenseman were K. Letang, B. Dumoulin, O. Maatta, and J. Schultz. And the Goalie was M. Murray.

Below is the list that I would've submitted:
Protected Forwards:
S. Crosby
E. Malkin
P. Kessel
P. Hornqvist
B. Rust
O. Sundqvist
C. Hagelin

Protected Defenseman:
K. Letang
B. Dumoulin
J. Schultz

Protected Goalie:
M. Murray

I choose to leave O. Maatta unprotected and pay VGK a 2018 2nd round Pick to select him over Fleury.

****** IMO opinion I could see that Maatta's game was in decline during the 17' Cup run and maybe they could have suckured VGK into taking him over Fleury. Maatta was only 22 at that time and already had a few solid seasons under his belt.

****** 2018 pick was used by PIT to select C. Addison
****** 2020 pick was originally sent to VGK to select Fleury over Rust



The first mistake IMO that GMJR made that summer was trading their 2017 1st Rd Pick and O. Sundqvist to STL for R. Reaves. (This was a stupid move then and obviously even more stupid looking back at it)

***** With the 17' 1st the Penguins could have selected several good prospects that still remained and w/ my hindsight I would have selected Jason Robertson. (Sorry Dallas)




******Pittsburgh's RFA's resigned in the Summer of 2017:
B. Dumoulin- 6 yrs/$4,100,000 (Good signing and I would of done the same)

J. Schultz- 3 yrs/$5,500,000 (Probably an overpay but with the season that he had and the FA market lacking at RHD I chose to re-sign him)

C. Sheary- 3yrs/$3,000,000

****** Pittsburgh's UFA's :
T. Daley- (I couldn't justify matching Detroit's 3 year/$3.16 Million at his age and had to let him walk

N. Bonino- (This one stung and probably hurt the Pens more than any loss but I couldn't justify matching Nashville's 4 year/$4 Million either and had to let him go. If they could have gotten him around $3 Million then it probably would've happened but obviously it just wasn't meant to be.

R. Hainsey- ( 2/$3 Million enough said)

C. Kunitz- (1/$2 Million w/ TB; I wrestled w/ this one but decided to let him go)

M. Cullen- ( I decided to through an extra $200k to persuade him from going back home to MIN in hopes of using him as bridge that season before trying to acquire a 3C)


******Notable Prospects for PIT:
D. Pouliot
D. Sprong
F. Gustavsson
J. Robertson (Who I would've picked in 1st of 2017)

******Notable Draft Picks at My Disposal for 2017-2018:
2018:
1st (Used to acquire D. Brassard from OTT)
3rd (Used to acquire R. Sheahan from DET)

2019:
1st (Originally used to pick S. Poulin)
2nd (Used in a package w/ Brassard to acquire McCann and Bjugstad from FLA)

2020:
1st (Lost in the Kapanen trade w/ TOR)
3rd (Originally used to pick C. Clang
4th

IMO the Penguins hang around the 4 or 5 spot in the Eastern Conference and they decide to add a LD and a 3 C at the Trade Deadline


******Trade Deadline:
I go for a blockbuster here and acquire R. McDonagh and JT Miller from NYR. I. Cole and Sullivan had issues so a trade probably had to happen. The Oleksiak trade was a good one so I kept it.


******McDonagh and Miller from NYR for C. Sheary, F. Gustavsson, D. Sprong, 2018, 2019, and 2020 1st Rd Picks:
TB originally acquired Miller and McDonagh from NYR for V. Namestnikov, L. Hajek, B. Howden, 18 1st, and a 19 1st. Since NYR and PIT are divisional rivals and I needed NYR to retain half of Miller's salary the price would need to be increased.
Going the Rangers way would be Conor Sheary (young LW who had produced both in the regular season and playoffs and who seemed to play good against the Rangers, also similar to Namestnikov value wise IMO), F. Gustavsson, D. Sprong, and 2018, 2019, and 2020 1st Rd picks.

******V. Namestnikov from TB for I. Cole:
Since Cole had to be traded I moved him to TB for Namestnikov. TB was looking for a LD and I needed a LW to play with Geno.

******Oleksiak from Dal for a 2019 4th Rd Pick:
This was a good trade that actually happened and was necessary since Cole had to be traded. Oleksiak IMO was solid for the Penguins.

******Notable WBS call ups and scratches for depth:
Z. Aston Reese
D. Simon
D. Pouliot
C. Rowney
S. Wilson




IMO this lineup is stronger than what they had against WSH that year and stood a better chance of knocking them out again. MAF and Murray could split the job in goal again with the hotter of the two leading the way just like the previous year. Obviously there are no guarantees but I likes this lineup's chance to 3-Peat.