Offseason Keys: Pittsburgh Penguins

While expansion and the beginning of free agency were the early headlines in what will be a busy NHL offseason, there are still several other storylines for each team in the months to come. Here is a closer look at what still lies ahead for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Last offseason, the Penguins were able to keep the bulk of their Stanley Cup winning team together and it paid dividends as they once again took home the title in 2016-17.  However, there have already been several changes to the roster as this time the salary cap has necessitated some departures.  While some moves have already been made, GM Jim Rutherford still has some work to do.  Here are their remaining offseason keys.

Fill Out Their Bottom Six Centers

At first glance, it seems hard to believe that a team that features Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin as their top two centers could have a bit of an issue down the middle.  However, the depth they have behind those two is lacking.

This past season, Nick Bonino and Matt Cullen were their third and fourth pivots respectively.  Bonino, as expected, left in free agency, inking a four year, $16.4MM deal with the Predators.  As for Cullen, he remains a free agent and hasn’t decided if he wants to return for another season.  If he does decide to play, the Wild are another team that has already shown an interest in his services.

In terms of internal options, rookie standout Jake Guentzel has spent some time down the middle but he’s probably better served on Crosby’s wing.  Carter Rowney played as the fourth center at times last season but at the age of 28, he has yet to establish himself as an NHL regular.  Rutherford suggested last weekend that he’s more likely to go the trade route to replace Bonino.  As for Cullen, they will probably have to wait for him to decide about his future before they can look to fill that spot.

Re-Sign Dumoulin, Sheary

Of the 28 players that have filed for arbitration and have yet to sign new deals, Pittsburgh has a pair of notable ones in defenseman Brian Dumoulin and winger Conor Sheary.  Dumoulin is coming off his bridge deal while Sheary has finished his entry-level contract and both players will be in line for sizable raises.

Dumoulin’s case would be an interesting one if it was to go to arbitration.  He doesn’t stand out in terms of the traditional statistics that typically come up in a hearing (he has one goal over the last two regular seasons) but he logged over 20 minutes a game and established himself as a top four player.  In each of the last two postseasons, he has seen his role increase even more which will be something his representatives certainly bring up in contract talks.  He earned just $800K in each of the last two years which made him one of the better bargains on the back end.  That won’t be the case when he signs this next contract.

Sheary signed as an undrafted free agent just two years ago but fit in nicely alongside Crosby in the 2016 postseason and for big chunks of 2016-17.  He finished fourth in team scoring (behind their big three up front) with 53 points in 61 games; his 0.87 points per game mark ranks him third best among all restricted free agents league-wide.  While playing with Crosby undoubtedly contributed to his success, that type of production is bound to earn him a significant raise over the $667K he made the past two seasons.

Add Winger Depth

If Rutherford does make a trade for a center, there’s a good chance that one of their wingers will be on the move and if that happens, they will likely look to replace the one they deal.  Even if that isn’t the case, they could still stand to add a bit more veteran depth on either side.

As things currently stand, the Penguins will be counting on quite a few young players in their bottom six.  While it’s nice to have some youngsters in the wings, having at least one veteran in there (a winger version of Cullen, for example) that could move up the lineup in a pinch would be beneficial as a lot of their current options fit best on a fourth line.

Fortunately for the Pens, this is an area where supply typically outweighs demand and they certainly have some marketability in terms of having won two straight titles plus the potential to play with Crosby or Malkin at times.  As the offseason progresses, there are typically bargains to be had on the wing on one year deals and assuming that they don’t spend all of their remaining cap space filling the first two keys, they should be well positioned to land one of those bargains as we get closer to training camp.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.