I mean no one has really thought of this or mentioned, but if it really comes down to it; wouldn’t hurt to buy him out tbh. Free up at least SOME cap and solve our logjam. Otherwise we are only making it harder on ourselves trying to build a team with jammed cap in the lineup that we don’t want. In the end, we will find a suitor for his services though. That’s more of a last case scenario, nothing else to do type thing.

It's both.

He isn’t that bad tho - his analytics are actually really good and better than marinos

Yep, just can’t afford him anymore that’s all there is to it

Buying him out would be a short sighted mistake. I would rather send smith down for a year as he is waivers exempt

Can always throw these guys in as sweeteners

Just send Smith down and have POJ on the 3rd D pair with Ruuta, that'd be the smart way to go about it.

and how do they stack up compared to Mathesons

Pettersson>Matheson>Marino, per Andy and Rono on Twitter (and a lot of other models I have seen).

https://twitter.com/arhockeystats/status/1547604451384471552?s=21&t=GFVj5Y275hwgfMpJ4pns5Q

https://twitter.com/arhockeystats/status/1548409500599607296?s=21&t=GFVj5Y275hwgfMpJ4pns5Q

If i had a nickel for every conversation with a Pens fan trying to convince them of his lack of trade value because of his contract…🤷🏻‍♂️

https://twitter.com/byronmbader/status/1548451481501634564?s=21&t=GFVj5Y275hwgfMpJ4pns5Q

Before last year smith had a 98% chance at becoming a solid NHLer and a 91% chance at becoming a star with player comps which included Niedermayer and Coffey.

Yes he had a poor year last year but he was also playing on a bad, poorly coached team on a pairing with the corpse of PK Subban. In the right situation he could flourish.

As for poehling he was also a high pick and Corey Pronman said he is looking like a bottom 6 player with a dwindling chance at becoming more which I agree with. Not a bad toss in for a trade

Watch Smith play. He is horrible in his own end. Can't defend the slot or the point to save his life. He is an offense first guy whose transition game is lousy because he hesitates and ends up coughing the puck up. He is also undersized and doesn't keep his blade on the ice, often looking lost in his own zone. He should be in WBS. There are too many glaring holes he needs to fix if he has any hope of turning it around. Projecting as a star is a joke. This kid developed bad habits and sloppy play because he was not properly developed.
Poehling is just plain bad. Turnover machine who can't transition and loses the puck by trying to do to much. Not a strong puck carrier at all. He's too stiff and can only carry the puck directly in front of him.
Smith may be able to improve, but I'm not optimistic if he stays in the NHL. Poehling will be lucky to make the roster. Both need to play in WBS

I never claimed to be some Ty Smith expert. All I was doing is saying based on this model, before this season there was a 91% chance of him becoming a star. “Projecting as a star is a joke” is unfair to say because the model is probably more accurate then your eye test

Trust me, it's not. Seeing a player is the only true way to evaluate them

How many Jersey games you watch this year?