PDA

View Full Version : Penguins' Niskanen not necessarily gone



X-Terminator
09-12-2013, 09:48 AM
Rob Scuderi nearly ruined Matt Niskanen's summer and perhaps for no good reason.

His signing in July placed the Penguins (http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/) over the $64.3 million salary cap and left them with eight NHL-ready defensemen as training-camp practices begin Thursday. Coach Dan Bylsma learned last season that keeping eight defensemen is not ideal.

Niskanen figures he has the short end of the stick because the Penguins need cap space, and moving his hit ($2.3 million) would make the team compliant. It doesn't seem likely GM Ray Shero will deal Brooks Orpik, a physical presence and vocal authority. (Orpik and Niskanen are in the final year of their current contracts, though Orpik's deal includes a limited-movement clause.)

Niskanen suspects he is down to his final weeks as a Penguin; clubs must be at or under the cap by Sept. 30. However, there are reasons for him to breathe easier.

Management and coaches believe their best chance to win the Stanley Cup is with Niskanen as a No. 5 defenseman who can work on a second power-play unit.

Next is the Penguins' presumed cap overage, which website CapGeek estimates at about $1.01 million. That number does not match the one calculated by assistant GM Jason Botterill, who hinted Wednesday the Penguins have more cap space than some believe.

The Penguins insist they can get under the cap by the roster-set date without a trade, so they feel no pressure to move Niskanen.
Finally, of their eight NHL-ready defensemen, only Simon Despres — with his $840,000 cap hit — does not need to pass through waivers to play in the AHL.

Bylsma termed Despres, a 2009 first-round pick, a “top-four defenseman” after last season, but that was when the Penguins did not have Scuderi.

There is a sense that Despres could benefit from a substantial AHL role instead of a limited one in the NHL. A start in the AHL also might inspire consistency from Despres. Frustration with not making the Penguins did wonders for Kris Letang when he was sent to the AHL after camp in 2007. Letang was a regular by the 2008 playoffs.


Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/4688265-74/niskanen-penguins-cap#ixzz2egp57H9k
Follow us: @triblive on Twitter (http://ec.tynt.com/b/rw?id=d-D-nM8emr4ALpacwqm_6l&u=triblive) | triblive on Facebook
(http://ec.tynt.com/b/rf?id=d-D-nM8emr4ALpacwqm_6l&u=triblive)
I swear to God, if they keep Niskanen and send Despres back to the minors, I will be pissed. I do not understand this team's fear of playing young players. They're even talking about competition for a top-6 forward, even though the lines should be set with Bennett manning the LW for Malkin/Neal and Crosby's line intact. They play old, useless stiffs like Craig Adams, while young, gritty players like Zach Sill rot away in Wilkes-Barre. It makes no damn sense, and it's another thing Bylsma does that drives me nuts.

salamander
09-12-2013, 11:38 AM
Hey, I pay good money to see players like Sill rot away here in wilkes-barre. :chuckle:

In all seriousness though, you are correct. Guys leave here all the time because they know they'll never get a shot with the big club.

steelerdude15
09-12-2013, 08:07 PM
I think Niskanen will be traded to another team sometime soon. I could be wrong, but I think he's the one who goes. I mean, it makes sense if you think about it. We have better defensemen coming up through the system and if we do trade Niskanen, that will not only put the Pens under the cap, but also give Ray some room to add someone if he wishes.