Scuderi signs with Kings - 7-2-09

Why you *#@&!!!!

I hope this is a joke too.

Expected. Can't blame a defensive defenseman for taking the cash. Scuderi's value will never be higher than it is right now and this was his chance to break the bank. Thanks for everything Scuds and best of luck!

Good for you Scuds. Once in a life opportunity to capitalize on your hard work. Thanks for the memories!

So you play a cruel joke, and then you announce this!  You need to learn to keep your mouth shut!  :)

they probably made him an offer that was way to much money for us to counter offer....if it was over 2 million a year he is not worth it and you are putting way to much stock in a sub par defenseman

i'm happy for him but it hurts!!

Yes if anyone deserved it, it was Scuderi, he more than paid his dues, I can't believe LA though, trade in the snow shovel for earthquake insurance,

Anyone know the specs on his deal and if the Pens were in the running?

That first post was the jinx.  

Good luck and thank you, Scuds.

Can't say I'm surprised we lost Scuderi...  and at least its to a team in the western conference.  

My only question is why Rupp?  Don't we have enough 4th line players?

if he went for money good for him because this is the best chance he is going to have to make real money in the NHL and playing on a team like L.A. everyone is going to see the sub par defenseman he is

Good for Scuds. "The Piece" will always have a place in Penguins lore.

Scuderi was good this past year, but lets keep this in perspective, he's not irreplaceable.

I can't blame him for going for the cash, but then I didn't blame Ryan Malone either.  Maybe they can share a crying towel during the playoffs.

"he is not worth it ".. i dont agree with you.  he wasnt worth it because we couldnt afford it, but for a team who can.....

he is a shut-down defenseman. paired against the top offensive talents in the nhl.  

The Rudd signing baffles me as well. Save that money for Fedotenko or Sykora.

Ben Lovejoy - step right up!  I'll take these defensive lines in a heartbeat:

Gonchar - Orpik

Letang - Lovejoy

Goligoski  - Eaton

4 million in LA = 2 Million in Pittsburgh.

Inflation sucks...

4 years $14 million according to DePaoli.  Too much money for the Pens to compete with.

I hate to repeat myself, but it is clear that Shero is going to move a combination of Dupuis, Godard and / or Cooke.  Most likely for  a defensive defenseman.  That's the only reason to sign Rupp.

Since Scuderi has gone to the LA Kings and California's economy and state budget are in the tank, does that mean he gets paid in IOUs?

$3.4 million a year. Way to much for a # 4 or 5  d-man. The Pens already have Orpik, Gonchar, Lateng above him. No way the Pens could have matched that.

Disgruntled Goat: Ray Shero has been quoted to say that Goodard is not going anywhere.

Doubtful that Cooke would go - he makes $1.2 million and was part of the wrecking crew that is the Cooke-Staal-Kennedy line.

Dupuis may go, but he is going to have to be packaged. Of course, if Lovejoy moves up and Pesonen or Caputi takes the place of Fedotenko, there's no need to make a move.

This is Ryan Malone all over again, only Scuderi opted for West Coast hockey purgatory rather than the Gulf Coast option.   I was never fully a believer that Scuderi had "blossomed" iinto a defensive D-man, and I can't blame the Pens for letting him walk at the reported $3.4 million annual cap hit.   Even money says you never hear of Rob Scuderi again ......... except in the same sentence as "Malone is begging to be traded back to Pittsburgh".

This is the way I'm looking at it: Yeah, he had a helluva run in the playoffs and was rock solid through the regular season, but if the Pens had giving him this deal LAST year we'd all be throwing a fit about how that's too much money for a defensive d-man. He'll be missed, but he IS replaceable.

Too bad they can't use the saved money next year for resigning Gonchar & Lateng. They do need one more D-man this year.

Also, I'm surprised no one has gone after any of the surplus of Restricted Free Agents. Phil Kessel would be a good addition to anyone's lineup.

mhs  -  I heard Shero say that too, but then I've heard lots of GM's say things that ended up not being true.

I doubt that moving Cooke would be a priority too, but the fact is that this team has a glut of 3rd and 4th liners and some other holes to fill.  Getting rid of Cooke or Dupuis' contract would help stay under the cap.

Lovejoy will move up and so will Goligoski, but that still leaves another D-man hole to fill and nothing at WBS.

Pesonen is an unrestricted free agent, wasn't on the playoff roster and was never given a shot last year, even when his minor league head coach was promoted.  Caputi needs at least another half year at WBS.

I think everyone was pretty much expecting him to go, so no one's really surprised.

I have to say that I would have rather him been a Canuck and not a King, but maybe that's just my bias against California.

So much for him learning his lesson about what happened with Malone, L.A. is a GARBAGE team. The Pens HAVE to lock up Letang, give Gonchar nad extension, but most importantly go sign a defensemen ASAP!!

If ever there was a hockey player that deserves to be paid it is Scuds.  I recall a game (I think vs. Atl?)  where Scuds took a hard shot that shattered his pinky finger.  His pinky was against his stick and the puck literally burst it!  Defensive defensemen almost never get the glory because what they do doesn't show up on the score sheet.  Scuds got his recog for the awesome work in the SC Finals.  But we true Pens fans knew about him all along.  Good luck in LA, Scuds, we'll miss you, your blocked shots, your "crab walk" in the goal crease, and your lunch-pail, hard-working,  winning attiutde!

Scuderi isn't worth what he signed for. I thought he was better than Gil but Gil was awful. Pens need speed and they have young guys waiting to step in, I don't think Fedetenko is coming back either. Thats a good thing. He only plays well in the playoffs anyway.

Nice comments @lemieux67

@sonnydrysdale

"Scuderi isn't worth what he signed for. "

Your an idiot.

About Pesonen - Blysma needed to get the team into the playoffs. At that time, the team was 27-25 and in tenth place.

Your point would be valid if Pesonen was on the roster and not playing when Blysma was there, but that took place when Therrien was the coach. Obviously, Pesonen has some skill - he set the season record for points @ WBS and he didn't even play a full season there due to sitting in the club box during his time in Pittsburgh.

Don't get your concern about the salary cap when Shero has over 7 million of cap room to work with. Shero is not going to make a major move for the sake of making a major move. This is not like the Craig Patrick era when you have years of horrible drafts and very little talent coming up from the developmental system. For the first time in twenty years, Pittsburgh is developing players from the minors and bring them up to the big club.

Additionally, that is the whole purpose of the Baby Penguins - taking prospects and developing them and not winning Calder Cups. If winning the Calder Cup was a barometer of NHL success, the Washington Capitals should have won three Stanley Cups in a row.

Good luck, Rob. LA is an up-and-coming team with (as Seth mentioned) a stable of yound D-men. Probably overpaid, but Scuderi deserves it. He's got his ring, now he's got his money. No problem with him going this route.

Interesting to see how our FA approach shifts now (if at all).

How about Pens siging Kovalev on a one year deal @ 4 mil.

"They have $52,204,300 worth of cap space committed to 18 players for the 2009-10 season, when the cap ceiling will be $56.8 million."  --D. Molinari.   That's way less than $7mil. and they still need to sign a top two lines winger, a d-man and a back-up goalie.  Plus, they need room to make moves later. Hence my concern about the salary cap.

Pesonen is an unrestricted free agent and will not be back.  If they liked him, he would have been on the playoff roster instead of guys like Minard and Taffe.  If Bylsma liked him, he would have had Shero call him up.  Please forget Pesonen, he's not the answer.

As far as WBS goes, I have no idea what your point is, but let me say this:  The only two players ready to step up now for sure are Lovejoy and Goligoski.  Anyone else (Bissonette, Jeffrey or Wallace) would play on the fourth line and as I stated earlier, we already have too many of those guys.

I just hope we dont have to hear any idiots complain about "Shero letting Scuderi walk" like we did in December about Malone and Hossa.

Fact of the matter is, Scuds (and Gill) blocked a helluva lot of shots, hopefully Lovejoy has that mentality in his blueprint because that is one of the things I love about this team. Their willingness to block shots and sacrafice like that. Shero needs to sign another Dman and that Dman needs to be a shot blocker. Given how Shero is I would assume he would be.

Also, I'd be VERY surprised if Cooke were moved (and very angry). Shero signed Cooke to replace Ruutu. Shero likes having guys like that on his roster.

Why the hell is everyone putting so much stock in Rob Scuderi. Let L.A. pay him the 3.4 million a year that he is not worth....did he do well for the Pens in the playoffs yes...but, he is replaceable and not worth that price tag. The Pens will find someone of equal talent for lesser value to take his place and we will all be better for it. L.A. is a year or two off from becoming a team that matters so for those next couple years or shall i say the first 2 yrs of Scuderi's contract he will be exposed for the sub par 3rd or 4th line defenseman he is. this is not the end of the world. Scuderi should not of even been a high priority to worry about his decision on if he would stay or not.

Why is anyone questioning the Rupp signing?  What else does Shero have to do to prove that he knows what he's doing.

I am hoping Lovejoy gets this spot.  We do not need to sign a defenseman ASAP!!!  At least not in terms of needing a new starter here.  I don't know if Lovejoy can hack it right now for sure, of course, but building from within is almost always better than seeking quick fixes.

Matt, it's not a matter of if Lovejoy is ready or not, it's the fact that they only have 6 NHL caliber Dmen on the roster right now.

Sarge, Eats, Candy, Go Go, Letang and Lovejoy. That's not enough. The team had 9 NHL Dmen last year and they needed every single one of them. NHL teams need at least 7 D. So getting another is a top priority IMHO.

Watching Lovejoy play this year at WBS, we need to sign another D-man.  He made too many mistakes and turnovers.  He will not be staying in Pittsburgh if he starts there this next season.

marty34156, you resort to name calling? Scuderi isn't worth a discussion. He is very replaceable. Lets give Shero the opportunity. You shouldn feel ashamed for calling me (pens fan) an idiot. Save that for the Flyers.  Obviously you don't know hockey

Scuds is not worth 3.4M. As it is, he's now LA's highest paid defenseman. Shero was right to walk away. I agree with Matt, Shero knows what he's doing.

Day 2 is very quiet.

Scuds,

Great Job Man. Real Pens Fans Appreciate your effort. Thank You & Good Luck!

Apparently Scuderi's career goal is to play for draft lottery teams?