Create Your Ideal 2012 Pens Roster

With free agency just 4 days away, everyone has their opinion on who the Pens should sign (Most answered: Parise), re-sign (Sullivan), or trade (Martin).  While no one has a clue what’s going to happen, we all love playing internet GM anyways and filling in the holes

Today, twitter friend Nick Case (@Nick422) suggested his ideal roster (though it was over the salary cap):

Parise – Crosby – Doan

Neal – Malkin – Kunitz

Cooke – Sutter – Dupuis

Asham – Vitale – Tootoo

Tangradi – Adams

Letang – Orpik

Allen – Martin

Niskanen – Engelland

Lovejoy

Fleury

Vokoun

The Cap was announced at $70.2 million today.  Here’s your task internet GMs, build your ideal team (you can’t trade Martin).  How does it shape up?

For help, here’s the Pens roster and salaries on capgeek and here’s a list of free agents (you can look at RFAs there as well).  Estimate your free agent signings as best as possible.

Here’s what I would do:

Kunitz (3.725) - Crosby (8.7) – Parise (7)

Dupuis (1.5) - Malkin (8.7) – Neal (5)

Cooke (1.8) - Sutter (2.067) – Kennedy (2)

Jeffrey (.575) - Vitale (.55) – Adams (.675)

Tangradi (.840) – Kassian (.525)

Letang (3.5) – Allen (4)

Niskanen (2) - Orpik (3.75)

Martin (5) – Engelland (.567)

Lovejoy (.525)

Fleury (5)

Vokoun (2)

Total: $70.2 million

You’d be surprised how quickly the Pens get up to that $70.2 million mark as you do this.  Ideally I wanted to sign Peter Mueller and throw him on the 2^nd line with Malkin, but I can’t fit him under the cap.

With this roster, I would try to trade a D (Martin or Lovejoy) to free up money or at least a roster spot to call up Despres.  The deals in my head are: Zach Parise for 7 mil, 6 years.  Matt Kassian for 525k (league minimum), 2 yrs.  Bryan Allen for 4 mil, 3 yrs.  All paid lower than market value, so here’s hoping they want to win a cup!  Parise with the Crosby connection, Kassian just to be on a winner, Allen to get a cup as he gets older.

So either hit me up on twitter (@HockeyMeesh) or post in the comments below.  What would you do??

This may be discussed on the Podcast coming out Friday morning, which will also include rating the PGH media and a preview of free agency and UFA destinations.  As always, thanks for reading!!