Team: 2020-21 Pittsburgh Penguins

Initial Creation Date: Dec. 21, 2020

Published: Dec. 21, 2020

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

Just playing around with the idea of bringing some FA help before the season starts and trading away some pieces to make room.

Both CA and CS are brought in to bring a veteran presence to some of the younger players (specifically for Jarry and McCann) and to help with the "leadership" workload from both Crosby and Malkin. AA is brought in to compliment the third line pairing and to avoid having to have two "fourth lines" and allows all three lines to interchange in case of any injuries.

I personally find that JG compliments Malkin's left-wing better than he does with Crosby so I made that change as well. The left D seems expensive and I had thought of trading Petterson away instead of Riikola, but Ceci is a bit of an unknown as to how he will produce so I wanted to ensure that all lines have more of a "balanced" approach. (Although you can trade Petterson in this scenario if you are afraid he gets taken by Seattle)

Trading DeSmith allows signing a veteran goalie like CA to help and potentially push Jerry and allows a bit more stability in nets. Not that I did not trust DeSmith, but I think there are better options in the UFA market at this point that better helps to secure a stronger tandem. (Although goaltending depth is still a major concern)

Colton seems like a player that will get a few games in, but he also seems like the type of player GMJR will want to move out when given the chance. I get the gut feeling that he will try to make a "musical chair" type of move like he has done in the past, but I just traded him away for a seventh-round pick to save time and effort in trying to find a replacement player.

The additional 1.4 mil cap allows enough funds for call-ups (though the taxi-squad thing does play a role in this) and to see what options may lie during the trade deadline. I had thought of using it to bring a player like Haula and or even Hoffman on cheaper deals, but the ones that I chose felt like they complement the roster better, but who knows, maybe we will see the Pens spend right to the last penny of the Cap and bring in those few highly profiled FA's, but I have doubts they will even go ahead and sign anyone else because you know...GMJR.

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