Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson is one of their notable extension candidates this summer as he’ll officially enter the final year of his contract in July. Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette examined some of the possible comparable players for the blueliner, concluding that a long-term agreement for him could approach $6MM per season, a fair-sized raise for someone making just over $4MM per year now. The 28-year-old is coming off a career year, one that saw him collect 28 points in 82 games while logging over 22 minutes a night which certainly will help his case in negotiations. Considering the long-term deals Pittsburgh has on the books already, it’s quite possible that the team could look to move him if they feel he’ll be too expensive to keep around.
Elsewhere in Pittsburgh:
- As a result of Carolina being eliminated from the playoffs on Thursday, the Jake Guentzel trade from March is now finalized. CapFriendly points out (Twitter link) that because the Hurricanes lost (failing to reach the Stanley Cup Final), the conditional 2024 second-round pick (44th overall from Philadelphia) they gave up will not be upgraded to their 2024 first-round selection. Meanwhile, the conditional fifth-round pick will no longer transfer to Pittsburgh since Carolina isn’t going to win the Stanley Cup this year.
- Forward Jansen Harkins is slated to hit unrestricted free agency for the first time this summer. Although he eventually earned the trust of the coaching staff as the season went on, Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review suggests that it’s not a guarantee that the Penguins try to bring him back. Harkins was claimed off waivers in training camp to add more depth up front but GM Kyle Dubas could conceivably try to bring in other players to battle for those last couple of roster spots while moving on from the ones who has those spots this season. The 26-year-old had four assists in 45 games while averaging just over eight minutes a night of ice time.
Dubas traded Guentzel for a second… he’s so smart.
Four other players went to Pittsburgh as well. While most expected a first was a lock, getting Michael Bunting proved to be a very nice pickup.
Gymnasts hate Larry Nassar less than Leafs fans hate Dubas.
HoF comment
Please do not give Pettersson a $6M AAV. Come on now.
PLEASE DO NOT bring Harkins back under any circumstances – nor do I think they will.
Just noticed Jack Johnson still playing a key role on a solid Avs team last night.
Weird that he can be a solid contributor when he isn’t booed from his first shift. Glad he’s still on our books.
Trading Pettersson while keeping Graves in the lineup seems like a recipe for a lottery pick.