The Penguins will enter this summer with around $24.5MM in cap space, per PuckPedia. At first glance, given their veteran core, it could be inferred that Pittsburgh could be active on the open market to try add a couple of pieces to boost their chances of getting back to the playoffs next season. However, speaking with reporters Friday including Josh Yohe of The Athletic (subscription link), GM Kyle Dubas indicated that he doesn’t expect to be particularly active in free agency unless they’d be getting one of the younger players who deserves some term on a contract. Instead, he noted that Pittsburgh is likely to be more active on the trade front and that discussions on that front have picked up recently. No team has more draft picks over the next three years than the Penguins so it wouldn’t be surprising to see some of them converted into players or prospects who are closer to being NHL-ready in the coming weeks.
More from Pittsburgh:
- In a recent episode of The Sheet (video link), Daily Faceoff’s Jeff Marek suggested that Mike Leone could be a candidate to join Dan Muse’s coaching staff. Leone spent this season as head coach of the Sabres’ AHL affiliate in Rochester, leading them to the North Division Final. However, Leone’s professional coaching experience is rather limited with just this season and one year as an ECHL assistant after retiring in 2017. He has, however, also worked at the NCAA and USHL levels along with USA Hockey at the junior level and would be an intriguing addition as a coach to help in player development.
- Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review previews the upcoming year for center Thomas Novak. Acquired from Nashville near the trade deadline, this season was a bit underwhelming for the 28-year-old who managed just 22 points in 54 games after passing the 40-point mark the previous two campaigns. Novak only played twice after being acquired before sustaining an undisclosed injury but it’s fair to say that the Penguins will be counting on him to get back to that 40-point range as a key secondary scorer, an element that was a little hit-or-miss for Pittsburgh this year.