Pens Cut 7 More: Including Eric Tangradi and Nick Johnson

by Hooks Orpik on Sep 28, 2011 11:58 AM EDT

The Pittsburgh Penguins have made another round of roster cuts. From the team:

The Pittsburgh Penguins reduced their training camp roster by seven players, it was announced today by executive vice president and general manager Ray Shero.

Forwards Ryan Craig, Nick Johnson, Colin McDonald and Eric Tangradi and goaltenders Scott Munroe and Brad Thiessen were assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Defenseman Scott Harrington was returned to his junior team, the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).

Craig, Johnson, McDonald and Munroe will have to clear waivers by Thursday at noon before joining WBS.

None of the moves can be too surprising- Tangradi is the biggest name, but given he's still waiver ineligible, and a bunch of other roster bubble guys would have to go through waivers (like Joe Vitale and Richard Park) it makes a little more sense.

Also interesting- Harrington goes back to junior but Joe Morrow remains in camp. He'll at least get another pre-season game or two to show his stuff. Will Morrow stick in the NHL for the first nine games? That was totally out of the question a few weeks ago, but with Morrow's performance coupled with Brooks Orpik not practicing regularly from his hernia surgery, seeing Morrow early in the year could be possible.

No one, I believe, has been claimed on waivers yet this season. And unless some team thinks that anyone on the wire can make their NHL team, there's no point in claiming him. With due respect to those cut, I'd expect them all to clear waivers and end up in Wilkes-Barre.

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So ... who's left?

i.e. I’m too lazy to look it up. Can someone else do it for me?

Jagr? I don't even know 'er.

by PopRocks on Sep 28, 2011 12:01 PM EDT reply actions

Crosby, Jeffrey, Williams, Orpik (injured?)

Sullivan-Malkin-Neal
Kunitz-Staal-Kennedy
Cooke-Letestu-Dupuis
Asham-Vitale-Adams
MacIntyre-Park

Martin-Michalek
Niskanen-Letang
Lovejoy-Engelland
Morrow-Strait
Picard-Valabik (hurt?)

Fleury, Johnson

Pensburgh

"You come at the King, you best not miss."

by Hooks Orpik on Sep 28, 2011 12:07 PM EDT up reply actions

I think that’s up to date…

If you assume that Jeffrey and Crosby can’t start the year (safe assumption) than it looks like Park vs. Vitale vs. Williams may be the last battle up front.

On defense they’ve probably kept a few more guys for back-to-back preseason games coming up here…Depending on Orpik’s health, maybe Strait stays…But you imagine Picard and Valabik are not long for the roster.

Pensburgh

"You come at the King, you best not miss."

by Hooks Orpik on Sep 28, 2011 12:09 PM EDT up reply actions

The Pens email said they have 18 forwards, 12 defenseman — so I may have missed one of each. But, remember, if someone gets hurt they go on the Pens IR (thus Alex Grant was technically on the Pens roster last year from Sept – Feb or March or whenever)

Pensburgh

"You come at the King, you best not miss."

by Hooks Orpik on Sep 28, 2011 12:20 PM EDT up reply actions

I think the missing ones are thus Robert Bortuzzo and Nick Peterson. Injured AHL players, but they started camp (and got hurt) with the NHL Pens.

by 4thline on Sep 28, 2011 5:04 PM EDT up reply actions

I don’t know about Morrow. He looked solid alongside Letang during the Minnesota game, so I wouldn’t mind seeing him stick around. I’m more concerned with the need to have a stay-at-home to take the extra spot on the blue line. In that case, I’m firmly in the Brian Strait camp.

Morrow’s going to be good, that’s for sure. But so will Despres. I’ll be shocked if Shero doesn’t deal Strait or Bortuzzo by the deadline this year. Both of those guys could play third-pairing NHL minutes somewhere else, and with the Pens’ contract lengths on D, there’s not much of an opportunity in Pittsburgh over the next two or three years (unless Niskanen isn’t given an extension as an RFA).

DUE TO THE LENGTH OF NHL HOCKEY
SKATE ELECTRIC WILL NOT BE SEEN

by docciavelli on Sep 28, 2011 12:59 PM EDT up reply actions

Not sure if I follow on trading one of Bortuzzo/Strait this year.

For one, both are NHL unknowns. Can’t see any NHL teams lining up to pay a price worth trading either for, and for good reason- we haven’t seen them much (if at all) in NHL action.

Second, they’ll be cheap on future contracts. It won’t be $$ pressure that pushes them out.

Three, Shero likes to keep 10 NHL capable defensemen.

I think a more likely scenario is we’ll see how this season plays out (Bort and Strait likely will both get NHL opportunites at some point) and we’ll see from there. Next summer Niskanen will need a new contract, and maybe next summer Shero could make a decision on Lovejoy and/or Engelland, depending on how they play. That, to me, would make the most sense.

Pensburgh

"You come at the King, you best not miss."

by Hooks Orpik on Sep 28, 2011 2:01 PM EDT up reply actions

Thx :)

Jagr? I don't even know 'er.

by PopRocks on Sep 28, 2011 12:34 PM EDT up reply actions

I knew Tangradi was in trouble when he was skating with Vitale and Adams later in the game. He actually looked ok, I think he’ll be up first if a top 6 winger gets injured.

by AronV on Sep 28, 2011 1:03 PM EDT reply actions

I think the biggest possible waiver pick up would be Colin Mcdonald. Although he has failed to impress me so far this pre-season.

by STAALKINEAL on Sep 28, 2011 1:06 PM EDT reply actions

I assume he will not be claimed. He had 42 goals in the AHL last year, but did little before that. The team claiming him would have to keep him on the NHL roster or re-expose him to waivers. All of which would likely be for AHL depth.

by King Oskar on Sep 29, 2011 10:37 AM EDT up reply actions

Lines?

Haven’t the seen the Pens play at all this preseason and the regular season starts next week. What do you think the lines will look like without Sid, DJ, and possibly Orpik based upon the preseason?

Also thoughts on what they will look like when the before mentioned players return?

Life is about one simple choice, get busy living or get busy dying

by Dr Tre on Sep 28, 2011 2:13 PM EDT reply actions

I think the top three lines will look like I wrote above. (defensively, who knows)

Bylsma’s said, once Sid comes back he’ll play with Kunitz and Neal and Malkin will be with Sullivan and Kennedy. Leaving Cooke and Dupuis for Staal on the 3rd line..

Pensburgh

"You come at the King, you best not miss."

by Hooks Orpik on Sep 28, 2011 2:19 PM EDT up reply actions

Cuts

Shero would have been smarter to send down Johnson, Craig, McDonald, Williams and Monroe before they would have had to pass through waivers to aqvoid losing them both as prospects and for WBS.

by stoopidful on Sep 28, 2011 4:10 PM EDT reply actions

There’s a reason for everything they do. I believe no veteran player can be sent down before AHL camps open anyways, and by that time waivers are already in progress for vets like Craig, McDonald, etc.

I haven’t brushed up on the exact CBA specifics, but I don’t think there’s such a simple loophole to avoid it altogether.

Pensburgh

"You come at the King, you best not miss."

by Hooks Orpik on Sep 28, 2011 4:40 PM EDT up reply actions

Plus there’s that whole thing about how this is a good time of year to send guys through waivers since teams are in more of a “subtracting” mode than an “addition” mode.

Jagr? I don't even know 'er.

by PopRocks on Sep 28, 2011 4:48 PM EDT up reply actions

Yup. It’s probably over-simplifying it, but if a team claims a player now, it likely means they have to expose two of their players to waivers as opposed to one. And this for a guy some other team deemed not good enough for the NHL.

by King Oskar on Sep 29, 2011 10:40 AM EDT up reply actions

why

the only NHL teams that are going to pick those guys up are going to be teams that think those players have a SURE shot at making their team, otherwise once they get cut, they’re BACK on the waiver wire…theres a reason nobody has been claimed yet

by NoVAPensFan on Sep 28, 2011 5:55 PM EDT reply actions

WBS Penguins start their preseason tonight

I’ve been looking into the cuts made so far and agree with all of them. I’ve also been at both of the AHL Penguins training camp practices and what strikes me is the level of competition amongst these guys, especially at the AHL level where 10 guys are on a tryout.

So glad hockey is back.

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by TonyAndrock on Sep 28, 2011 6:20 PM EDT reply actions

Cuts

It is my understanding of the collective bargaining agreement that those players (non vets) sent down before the beginning of the AHL pre-season do not have to clear waivers. Specifically: Johnson, Vitale, McDonald and Monroe.

by stoopidful on Sep 28, 2011 8:28 PM EDT reply actions

I don’t believe that you can do that

by AronV on Sep 28, 2011 8:32 PM EDT up reply actions

Right. Because if you could do that, why wouldn’t 30 teams do that?

Pensburgh

"You come at the King, you best not miss."

by Hooks Orpik on Sep 28, 2011 9:18 PM EDT up reply actions

There’s a cutoff where you can do that with some guys, but it’s pretty early (earlier than before the beginning of AHL pre-season … and I’m not 100% certain of the various constraints that are involved). The thing is that if a guy might be called up during the season then he’s going to have to go through waivers when he’s sent back down anyway. In general this is a much better time to be putting these guys through waivers than part way through the season when teams are more likely to need a replacement player.

At this point the only guys that don’t have to go through waivers are the guys who normally don’t have to go through waivers.

Jagr? I don't even know 'er.

by PopRocks on Sep 29, 2011 9:23 AM EDT up reply actions

I heard Johnson was claimed per bob mckenzie

by edro on Sep 29, 2011 12:25 PM EDT reply actions

Yep, Minny took him. Disappointing loss, Johnson looked good enough to have a future role in the NHL. Just not really room for him right now.

by Jay32600 on Sep 29, 2011 12:27 PM EDT up reply actions

New article up on the main page to discuss this.

Pensburgh

"You come at the King, you best not miss."

by Hooks Orpik on Sep 29, 2011 12:30 PM EDT up reply actions

Morrow/Orpik situation

Agree w/ Hooks conjecture that we will see Morrow for the 1st 9 games.
He’s been the best of the prospects.
If he plays well, nah…I just don’t want to watch Niskanen out there. Puts me on edge.

by Diomedes7 on Sep 29, 2011 7:17 PM EDT reply actions