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Offseason Keys: Pittsburgh Penguins

August 20, 2020 at 8:59 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 7 Comments

As teams are eliminated from the Qualifying Round, it means that the offseason has arrived for several more squads.  Having covered the teams that weren’t a part of the NHL’s return, we shift our focus to the ones that have been ousted.  Next up is a look at Pittsburgh.

For the better part of the season, the Penguins looked to be a legitimate contender.  Augmented by the addition of Jason Zucker, things appeared to be looking up for them.  However, a slump just before the pandemic hit forced them out of the seeding round robin and into the Qualifying Round where they were upset by Montreal in four games.  All of a sudden, there are questions abound and GM Jim Rutherford has promised changes.  Here’s what Pittsburgh should be looking to do this offseason.

Shake Up The Forward Core

On paper, there aren’t many teams that have as strong of a forward group as Pittsburgh does.  Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin remain a strong core down the middle while Jake Guentzel is a year removed from a 76-point season and was on pace to beat that before being injured this season.  Zucker is a capable top-six forward while Bryan Rust was tied for 50th in scoring league-wide.  Veterans Patric Hornqvist and Nick Bjugstad had tough years but have been impact players in the past.  That’s enough firepower to be a contender but they have come up short the last couple of postseasons.

Rutherford tried to shake things up last year by moving Phil Kessel to Arizona and then ultimately tried to replace him with Zucker before the trade deadline, a player he had been targeting last summer.  Evidently, that wasn’t enough to move the needle.

With Rutherford saying changes were going to be made (and it’s reasonable to assume he wasn’t just talking about the three assistant coaches who won’t be returning), it seems like he’s intending to make another notable swap.  The question becomes who moves though.  The list of those that Pittsburgh would be willing to move that would bring back a notable return is rather small.  On top of that, Rob Rossi and Josh Yohe of The Athletic report (subscription required) that the team is looking to shed some payroll and start next season in the low-to-mid $70MM range.  At a time where many teams will be looking to do the same, finding new homes for some of their underachieving core players is going to be even more difficult.

Rutherford hasn’t been shy about changing things up in the past and he’ll certainly be trying to do so again.  However, he may find more difficulty trying to do so this time around.

Make A Goalie Choice

With Tristan Jarry establishing himself as a capable NHL goaltender (just months after it was believed he was available in trade talks), Pittsburgh actually had a pretty strong tandem between him and Matt Murray and they were in the bottom ten in goals allowed during the regular season.   However, both are eligible for restricted free agency with arbitration eligibility.  Even if they don’t clear out salary this offseason, it’s hard to envision them keeping both around when they already have more than $68MM in commitments to just 15 players for next season.  But who do they keep?

Murray got the nod in their series against Montreal but was eventually replaced.  That’s similar to the regular season where he was the starter before Jarry started cutting into his playing time.  With a save percentage of just .899, he shouldn’t be in line for too much of a raise on his $3.75MM qualifying offer.  Worth monitoring here is that he’s a year away from UFA eligibility so it’s possible that Murray opts to take a one-year deal (with or without arbitration).  While that would set him up to hit the open market, it would certainly negatively affect any possible trade value so it seems unlikely that Pittsburgh would let it come to that.

As for Jarry, he wound up being a huge bargain for them this season with a cap hit that was $25K below the league minimum.  It’s safe to say that he’ll be in line for a significant raise but a lack of an NHL track record (just 62 career regular season games) will limit his earnings ceiling.  Accordingly, a short-term deal would make sense but he’s only two years away from UFA eligibility himself.  Presumably, that means a one-year deal could be on the table but if not, a deal that buys an extra year or two of team control would likely be the way they’d prefer to go if they’re confident that he can be their starter moving forward.

If Rutherford has an eye on keeping both beyond next season, the expansion draft for the Kraken could help push him in the other direction.  Both Murray and Jarry would be eligible for selection and Pittsburgh could only protect one.  Losing one for nothing isn’t an ideal scenario, even if it mirrors what happened with Vegas just three years ago.

It’s shaping up to be an intriguing offseason on the goalie front with it appearing as if there will likely be some activity on the trade front at that position.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Penguins involved at some point.

Add Defensive Upgrades

Quietly, Pittsburgh has added a pair of capable young defenders in recent years that has their back end in better shape than it projected to be not long ago as John Marino and Marcus Pettersson have both filled important roles quickly.  However, the back end of their blueline has been an area of concern and is something that needs to be addressed.

Justin Schultz had a tough year and it seems like he’s unlikely to return, especially with Rutherford publicly criticizing him following their loss to Montreal.  Jack Johnson has a long list of detractors but the GM isn’t one of them.  Even without the public vote of confidence, his contract which has three more years at $3.25MM makes it likely he’s sticking around.  Meanwhile, Chad Ruhwedel and Juuso Riikola both held their own at times but are best served being in depth or reserve roles.  In the system, Pierre-Olivier Joseph has some upside but isn’t ready for NHL duty just yet.

That means that at the very least, one defensive addition is needed.  In an ideal world, a top-four option that could push one of their youngsters onto Johnson’s pairing to help balance things out would be a good pickup but there aren’t many of those available.  Instead, they may have to settle for trying to find a steadying presence for the third pairing and follow that up with an extra depth option or two as it’s hard to see them signing two new third pairing players and pushing Johnson into the reserve role.  Their ability (or lack thereof) to clear out a high-priced veteran up front will likely ultimately decide which route they wind up taking here.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Offseason Keys 2020| Pittsburgh Penguins Pro Hockey Rumors Originals

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View Comments (7)

Comments

  1. Gbear

    5 years ago

    I often here Pens radio analyst Phil Bourque being critical of Kris Letang’s play and I have to agree with him. Way to many mistakes being made by a guy you lean on to play big minutes.

    I like some of these big forwards the Pens have drafted recently, would be great to add that size (and hopefully skill) to their lineup on the cheap. If they can get that plus some stability on the back end, they should be a good team next season.

    Reply
    • MacJablonski--NotVegasLegend

      5 years ago

      @Gbear – I’m with you there. I hear pain in The Old Two-Niner’s voice every time he has to describe one of Letang’s suspect decisions. It’s kinda tough because he’s a pretty likeable guy, but his play seems to be falling off, and maybe it’s just due to a lot of wear-and-tear. That $7.25MM cap hit isn’t helping his cause, either, unfortunately. I’d hate to see him get forced into a Robidas Island situation.

      Reply
  2. CoryPensFan59

    5 years ago

    I agree to both of you about this, Letang has not been playing up to his 7 million+ contract. As being a pens fan, you would hate to see him go but at the same time, it can’t stay like this

    Reply
  3. 66TheNumberOfTheBest

    5 years ago

    As someone who follows the Penguins as closely as anyone who doesn’t draw a paycheck from them, this is an excellent write up of their issues (with the exception of labeling Nick Bjugstad an impact player, he’s a lump).

    The Pens could go in a few different directions, it will be interesting to see which they pick.

    They could adopt a more structured, disciplined defensive system. They could add veterans for a last gasp type run. They could move out their current middle class and replace them with younger players. They could trade guys for similar guys just to shake things up. Never know with Rutherford.

    The three key decisions are Letang, Murray and Rust. I doubt 58 is moved, but I wouldn’t be shocked. Only two years left on his deal. What do other teams think of Murray and what could they get for him and is it enough to not just keep him and expose him to Seattle next year? Do they move Rust, a guy who simultaneously had his best year but might still be stale here?

    This is my EA NHL GM mode plan that tweaks the roster rather than blow it up, but I could Jimmy doing something like this, though I could also see him blowing it up.

    Guentzel Crosby Rust
    Zucker Malkin Puljujarvi
    Poulin McCann Legare
    Tanev Bluger Hornqvist
    Simon

    Dumoulin Letang
    Pettersson Marino
    Bean Vatanen
    Johnson Ruhwedel

    Jarry
    DeSmith

    Trade Murray to EDM for Puljujarvi*. Trade the #15 pick to Carolina for Bean*. Overpay Vatanen in free agency. Bring up the kids. Make minimal use of scrubs you already have under contract (DeSmith and the fourth D pair). Get rid of Bjugstad somehow.

    *Or similar players. Young, high upside but with a few years of development already that have role or playing time issues with their current teams.

    Reply
  4. MacJablonski--NotVegasLegend

    5 years ago

    @forwhomjoshbelltolls – The big thing for me with Murray & Letang here, is if their play is suffering because of concussions. I’m not satisfied with the league’s protocol and it seems as though guys like Murray, Letang, and others are being declared “healthy” by waving a magic wand over them. Having had concussions, I see things in players that “don’t look right.” It will probably take years for the disclosures after the fact before we are proven right, though. Murray’s trade value may be adversely affected because of health concerns and Letang may be in the same boat. We also have to consider that some teams are already making rumblings to suggest they will impose their own internal caps, until the league gets back to good financial health. So, a team that has room below $81.5MM, may not spend to that. We won’t know unless they disclose it to all of us. That makes Barcalounger Hot Stove trading an almost useless exercise. EDM can theoretically afford Murray (barely), but might not go there due to health concerns. And, GMJR may end up with salary retention to get rid of players.

    Reply
  5. riverrat55

    5 years ago

    Does that mean I can draw a paycheck if I become a fan of the Penguins , I am in where do I sign up. Agree on getting younger at the forward position and have in recent post I had seen Legare in 2019 training scrimmages on youtube and saw a few of their exhibition games before the season started. and getting a look at Poulin, I like a few other players other than Puljujarvi on their depth roster than going with him to fill out bottom six to get younger maybe move Sheary to them in nice package for prospects and picks along with Murray. before they loose Murray or Jarry in expansion draft for nothting, have to look at deal with Carolina maybe with Edmonton deal can package it for Bean, Nice !!!!
    Hello Mac , good to see you.

    Reply
    • MacJablonski--NotVegasLegend

      5 years ago

      @G! – Looks like it’s still scenic where you’re at! Hope you’re doing well, my friend!

      Reply

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