Offseason Checklist: Pittsburgh Penguins
The offseason has arrived for all but a few teams. It’s now time to examine what those clubs need to accomplish over the coming months. It’s going to be a busy summer. What is on deck for the Pittsburgh Penguins?
The Pittsburgh Penguins finished first in what was arguably the best division in the NHL this season. The East boasted the likes of the Washington Capitals, Boston Bruins, New York Islanders, and even the New York Rangers, the best team not to make the playoffs. Yet, Pittsburgh finished with 77 points for the fifth-best record in the league despite stiff competition. It seemed like Sidney Crosby and company were primed for another deep playoff run this season. Instead, it all came crashing down quickly in a first-round loss to the Islanders in which Pittsburgh could not counter New York’s smothering approach. The Penguins’ weaknesses were exposed in the postseason and must be addressed in the offseason, but the team currently lacks the flexibility to do much of anything.
Shed Salary
The Penguins cannot start adding until they do some subtracting. Pittsburgh is currently pegged to have just $3.2MM in salary cap space heading into the off-season, a projection that includes just 19 contracts. Forget improving the roster, Pittsburgh needs to create cap space just to preserve their current roster, as key restricted free agents Teddy Blueger and Zach Aston-Reese require new contract and the team will likely try to re-sign impending UFA defenseman Cody Ceci as well. Those three alone will cost well more than $3.2MM.
The Penguins could actually receive some help from the Expansion Draft – if they are lucky. Pittsburgh is likely to expose both forward Jason Zucker and defenseman Marcus Pettersson in expansion; the pair are talented players, but underperformed in 2020-21, especially relative to their substantial contracts. Either player would be a loss for the team, but the added cap space would more than make up for the departure.
If the Seattle Kraken instead grab Aston-Reese, Blueger, or Jeff Carter, the Penguins will be in trouble. Even if the pick is Zucker or Pettersson, new GM Ron Hextall will still likely work the phones in an effort to move some salary. Again, Zucker and Pettersson are both good players and the Penguins will not just give them away, but they could be had for a bargain price this summer as Pittsburgh is desperate to shed salary.
Add a Goaltender
What will the Penguins do if they can open up cap space? Hextall, a former goalie himself, has already hinted that adding a veteran netminder is a priority for Pittsburgh this offseason. It is difficult to look at the team’s postseason collapse and not attribute much of the blame to starter Tristan Jarry. The young keeper followed up a stellar 2019-20 season with a decent regular season this year, but he struggled greatly in the postseason and kept the Penguins out of several games. Backup Casey DeSmith actually outplayed Jarry this season, albeit in lesser games, but he himself is also streaky. More importantly, DeSmith is injury-prone and is not a reliable understudy to Jarry. The Penguins need a reliable veteran presence to push their young starter.
Of course, the popular prediction is going to be old friend Marc-Andre Fleury. The Vegas Golden Knights are also looking to shed salary and who better than Fleury, coming off an incredible season, to return to Pittsburgh to stabilize the net before he rides off into the sunset, retiring as Penguin. It all sounds great, but Pittsburgh taking on Fleury’s $7MM salary is an impossibility and Vegas retaining considerable salary, if any, is unlikely. A return for Fleury is probably not going to happen, but the shared history means it can’t be ruled out compeltely.
More reasonable targets include free agents Frederik Andersen, Jonathan Bernier, James Reimer, Antti Raanta, Jaroslav Halak or Devan Dubnyk. Even a young UFA like Linus Ullmark or Chris Driedger could see Pittsburgh as a good opportunity to win a starting role and prove they can be a top option. If the Penguins are lucky, the market may actually drive down the salary requirements if there are a number of goalies interested in a great situation to win games and have an open competition in net. While free agency seems like the more viable route, trade options will be numerous and the Expansion Draft could shake up the market. Anton Khudobin stands out as an ideal trade candidate.
Improve the Bottom Six
Another area where Hextall and company have been open about their desire to improve is in their forward corps. The Penguins have no problem scoring, but their two-way play up front was a major concern this season. For Pittsburgh to take a step forward and return to postseason success, they must become harder to play against. That starts with getting better defensive play and physical engagement from their forwards. Hextall has harped on the Penguins needing to be more physical and has talked about adding size and grit this off-season, but it’s more than that. Pittsburgh was poor on the penalty kill this season, did not block shorts (particularly at forward) and their issues at the face-off dot continued through the regular season and into the playoffs. In nearly all facets of defensive play, the Penguins must improve.
With that said, retaining the likes of Blueger and Aston-Reese through expansion, getting a full season of Carter, and getting a healthy season from Brandon Tanev is already a great start to improved bottom-six play. The roster does not need a complete overhaul to improve team defense. That doesn’t mean that they can’t add another impact player though. Mark Jankowski, Evan Rodrigues, and Colton Sceviour were not the answer this season and all three are on their way out of town. The Penguins need to use what little cap space they may have left after re-signing their key free agents and adding a goalie to add another veteran difference-maker to round out the bottom-six.
Decide the Future of Malkin and Letang
What is to become of the Penguins’ long-time core? Crosby is still as good as ever and still signed for several years, but Malkin and Letang are entering the final years of their current contracts. Malkin is coming off a down year by his standards and will spend all summer rehabbing from an injury. Letang continues to show signs of slow but steady decline and is not playing up to his $7.25MM price tag. Yet, both players are still major contributors to the team and franchise icons. The new administration has vowed to stick with them, but for how long? Do they enter the season on expiring contracts and deal with the repercussions? Do they sign them to extensions this summer despite the concerns? Do they trade one? Both? There are major questions that need answering about the veteran stars. The front office does not want to hurt themselves in the short-term by moving on too soon from either one, but they also don’t want to hamstring themselves long-term by throwing out new contracts that aren’t necessarily warranted. It’s a difficult decision and one that will weigh on the team this summer.
Latest On Kirill Kaprizov Negotiations
It’s been a week since the hockey world all momentarily turned their eyes on the Minnesota Wild and Kirill Kaprizov. A bombshell rumor from NHL Network’s Kevin Weekes noted that Kaprizov was back home in Russia while CSKA Moscow was preparing a contract to bring the winger back home. While the danger of Kaprizov leaving North America is much lower than the initial rumor may have suggested, nothing is ever official until pen hits paper.
Today, a new article from The Athletic’s Michael Russo provided a tad more clarity into Kaprizov’s negotiations. One serious complicating factor for both Kaprizov and the Wild is that their second- and third-best forwards, Joel Eriksson Ek and Kevin Fiala, are similarly in need of new deals for next season. In a Tuesday radio interview with Russo referenced in the article, Wild general manager Bill Guerin had this to say:
Well, it’s definitely a busy summer. But it’s not like we haven’t been planning for it for a long time. This stuff has been going on in our office for months and months and months, and it’s not like the season ends and now it’s like ‘ok, let’s figure it out.’ No – we’ve tried to figure this out long in advance so when we have the time, we can just kind of go into action. But yeah, we have to sign Eriksson Ek, we have to sign Fiala, there are a number of UFAs that we have… but we’re already working on it.
Throughout these negotiations, it’s become clear that leverage is what’s most important to Kaprizov and his agent. Russo concurs, pointing out that all signs lead to a bridge deal that takes Kaprizov to unrestricted free agency rather than a maximum eight-year deal.
One potential complicating factor that Guerin won’t have to worry about is the possibility of an offer sheet. Because Kaprizov signed a two-year entry-level deal during the 2019-20 campaign but didn’t play a game in the NHL, he becomes a 10.2(c) RFA, making him ineligible for an offer sheet. His two options are Minnesota or Russia, so it’s not like a different team could lure him away with more money than Guerin can stomach.
The situation doesn’t just end with Kaprizov, Eriksson Ek, and Fiala, though. As Russo points out in his article for The Athletic, Minnesota will need to upgrade at the center position to stay competitive into next season. Just how much of Minnesota’s $22 million in cap space will remain for that? It’s a giant question mark right now for Minnesota’s front office, as the combined cap hits of Kaprizov, Eriksson Ek, and Fiala could come within shouting distance of that number.
With the nature of Ryan Suter‘s and Zach Parise‘s contracts holding this team back at the moment, it may end up that everybody is signed to bridge deals so that Minnesota can reassess the cap when those deals expire. It’s a risky bet, however, with both deals still having four seasons left. A cap dump trade of one of them could work, and as Parise fell out of favor with the coaching staff this season, he could be dealt with a heavy sweetener from Minnesota’s end. What’s for certain is that the Wild front office is aware of the moment and will make their best attempts to bolster the team for the immediate future.
Montreal Canadiens Sign Laurent Dauphin
Another minor league forward will avoid Group VI unrestricted free agency, as Laurent Dauphin has signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Montreal Canadiens. The deal carries a $750K salary at the NHL level and includes a minor league guarantee of $215K. He was set to become a UFA after his one-year 2020-21 contract expired.
It’s now been multiple seasons since the last time Dauphin hit the ice for an NHL game, playing a single contest for the Arizona Coyotes in 2018-19. Overall, he has just 35 games at that level and has been mostly limited to the minor leagues. Selected 39th overall in 2013, he has settled into an important role for the Laval Rocket, scoring 16 points in 21 games this season. That’s likely where he’ll be back again next year, though with a nice AHL guarantee in his pocket.
Dauphin was one of a number of pending unrestricted free agents in the Canadiens organization, including fellow minor league Group VI players Brandon Baddock and Gustav Olofsson. Despite still being very much alive in the Stanley Cup playoffs, Montreal’s front office has a long list of things to get done this summer. Taking care of contracts like this one for Dauphin is easy enough to do while the NHL team is still playing, and will shorten the workload over the next few weeks.
Like any move being made lately, the expansion implications are important to mention. Dauphin will be eligible for selection by the Kraken, but does not fulfill any of the exposure requirements for the Canadiens. The likelihood of him being picked is just about zero, given the other options that will be available to Seattle.
Latest On Kirill Kaprizov’s Contract Talks
There’s a long list of things to do this offseason for Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin, but more important than anything is getting Kirill Kaprizov signed. The odds-on favorite for the Calder Trophy had an outstanding first season in the NHL, breathing life back into a franchise that was desperate for excitement. Because he took so long to come to North America after being drafted in 2015 and burned the first year of his entry-level contract in 2019-20 without actually playing, the 24-year-old forward is a restricted free agent this summer.
It has already been reported that the Wild have offered Kaprizov an eight-year contract, trying to lock him up for as long as possible right now. Michael Russo of The Athletic wrote a week ago that he didn’t think that would actually be signed, given the hesitation from the player to commit that much of his playing career to the organization. Russo explained that Kaprizov’s camp wants a “clear plan to upgrade the middle of the ice” in Minnesota and noted that it is a “big risk” if the team doesn’t significantly upgrade at the center position.
Now, Kevin Weekes of the NHL Network tweets that talks between the two sides have cooled. In fact, according to Weekes Kaprizov is currently in Moscow and that CSKA of the KHL is still trying to sign him. Of course, just traveling back to Russia doesn’t necessarily mean anything in regards to contract negotiations (in fact, Russo tweets that Kaprizov is there to attend a friend’s wedding and his agent informed the Wild of it ahead of time).
One thing to keep in mind with Kaprizov though is that now that he has played in North America, the Wild do not indefinitely hold his rights. When they selected him in 2015, they could wait as long as it took for him to try his hand at the NHL. The lack of a transfer agreement between the NHL and KHL meant that Kaprizov’s draft rights would never expire; if he wanted to play in the NHL, it had to be with Minnesota unless they traded him. But now that he has played out his entry-level contract and reached restricted free agency, that’s no longer the case. He would become an unrestricted free agent in three years when he turns 27, whether he plays in North America or not.
That makes this summer an absolutely crucial time for the Wild if they want to retain the services of the dynamic forward. Kaprizov scored 51 points in 55 games this season, 11 more than the team’s second-place scorer Kevin Fiala. Joel Eriksson Ek was the team’s highest-scoring center with just 30 points, though 19 of those were goals. The team does have an elite center prospect in Marco Rossi coming up the pipe, but after he missed the entire season with COVID-19 health complications, there’s no telling exactly how long it will take for him to break into the NHL. Matthew Boldy is also in the system but failed to make an NHL appearance after signing his entry-level deal in April.
There’s absolutely nothing more important for Guerin this offseason than keeping Kaprizov in the organization, and Wild fans shouldn’t panic just yet. The threat of a return to the KHL has been used many times in the past during contract negotiations but is rarely actually followed through on. It’s not clear which side this specific case will come down on, but it’s certainly a situation to keep an eye on this offseason.
Carl Soderberg Signs In Sweden
Carl Soderberg’s time in the NHL has come to an end. Rather than take another run at the free agent market next month, the veteran has decided to head back home as Malmo of the SHL announced that they’ve signed Soderberg to a two-year contract.
Soderberg was one of the top-scoring centers in free agency in the fall after a 35-point campaign with Arizona (and 49 the year before with Colorado). However, interest was limited and it took until just before training camps began for him to land a one-year, $1MM contract with Chicago.
The 35-year-old managed to put up a respectable seven goals and eight assists in 34 games with the Blackhawks before he was traded to the Avalanche as extra depth for their playoff push. He wound up having a limited role with them down the stretch, notching just two assists in 11 games and was a frequent healthy scratch in the playoffs although he did manage a goal and two helpers in his four contests.
That type of end to his season wouldn’t have helped his free agent market so rather than sit waiting for an opportunity to come up, Soderberg will instead return to his hometown team, getting himself a two-year guarantee in the process. His NHL time wraps up with 110 goals and 187 assists in 597 career regular season games. Not a bad run at all for someone who is legally blind in his left eye.
Minor Transactions: 06/16/21
The further into the summer it gets, the busier the transaction wire becomes. While the rumor mill has been heating up in recent days, there have been a fair share of confirmed moves as well that include names familiar to NHL fans and impacting NHL fans. Take a look:
- So much for the Alexander Khokhlachev comeback. The former Boston Bruins prospect whose NHL rights finally expire this off-season had previously hinted at a return to North America following five years in the KHL. When he walked away from the reigning Gagarin Cup champions Avangard Omsk, it only added fuel to the fire. However, it was all for not. Khoklachev has returned to former KHL club Spartak Moscow, the team has announced. It is only a one-year deal, so the speculation of an NHL return for the 27-year-old scoring center return next season. Yet, if Khokhlachev was ever going to make the jump, it seemed that this was his chance given years of sustained success capped off with a title and his newfound free agency. It could be Khokhlachev simply stays in Russia for the rest of his career.
- Jori Lehtera is also not returning to North America, though it should come as no surprise. Lehtera’s production decreased continually through his NHL career and fell off immensely following a move to the Philadelphia Flyers from the St. Louis Blues in 2017. Between poor play and off-ice issues, he seemingly wore out his welcome in North America. Upon returning to Europe last season, he immediately re-discovered his scoring touch in the KHL and scored at better than a point-per-game pace for Spartak this year, leading the team. Spartak has rewarded him with a one-year extension. The 33-year-old will take that short-term commitment, especially with the likes of Khokhlachev and Vasili Ponomaryov joining him in Moscow next season to potentially make the team could be a surprise contender.
- Cole Clayton has signed a one-year deal with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters and while you might not know his name yet, you could soon. The big, mobile, two-way defenseman from the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers led all league defensemen with nine goals and 30 points this season in just 23 games. At 6’2″, 210 lbs. but able to skate at a high level, Clayton is an impact player all over the ice and surely had some NHL interest before settling for a job with Cleveland. If his play translates to the pros, it is a safe bet that the Columbus Blue Jackets will have him signed to an entry-level deal sooner rather than later. The Monsters also announced the signings of veteran forwards Brett Gallant and Adam Helewka for next season.
Otto Leskinen And Kalle Kossila Sign In KHL
A pair of pending free agents have decided to not wait to test NHL free agency and have instead opted to sign overseas. Jokerit of the KHL announced today that they’ve signed defenseman Otto Leskinen and center Kalle Kossila to two-year contracts.
Leskinen signed with Montreal as an undrafted free agent back in 2019 and has spent the majority of his two seasons with them at the AHL level, only getting into six NHL games along the way. However, the 24-year-old had 17 points in just 33 games with Laval which was enough to earn a recall to their reserve squad for the playoffs. The Canadiens will be able to retain his NHL rights with a qualifying offer and considering that Leskinen won’t be UFA-eligible until 2024 (a year after this contract expires), they likely will do so.
As for Kossila, he last saw NHL action back in 2018-19 when he was with Anaheim and he has 19 career NHL contests under his belt. While he hasn’t been able to lock down an NHL job, the 28-year-old has been quite productive in the minors which was enough to earn a two-year deal from Toronto back in 2020 with this season being a one-way deal. While he led the Marlies in scoring this season, he may not have been able to command another one-way deal so he’ll instead try his hand back home with Finland’s lone KHL squad. He was set to be an unrestricted free agent late next month.
Dougie Hamilton Given Permission To Speak With Other Teams
Of those players set to reach unrestricted free agency this summer, Dougie Hamilton stands as one of the best. The Carolina Hurricanes defenseman is one of the league’s best offensive weapons from the back end, while also posting some of the NHL’s best possession numbers year in, year out. For some, he could be considered the top free agent available in 2021 and now he’ll get an early start on the market.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Hamilton has been given permission from the Hurricanes to speak to other teams, opening up the potential for a sign-and-trade. Remember, only the Hurricanes (and Seattle Kraken) can sign Hamilton to an eight-year contract, meaning an acquiring team could maximize his term by working through Carolina before free agency opens. Of course, sign-and-trades are discussed a lot more than they actually happen, as the player being moved has to watch his new team give up several assets. Hamilton could just wait a few weeks and sign with that team for nothing more than money, though he then would only be eligible for a seven-year deal.
As Friedman notes though, this also could be a simple way for the Hurricanes to prove to Hamilton that their offer is competitive. Let the 27-year-old defenseman check out the market value on his services, before returning to Carolina to eventually re-sign. There have been cases like this in the past, most notably Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning. In 2016, Stamkos took meetings with several teams around the league before re-signing with the Lightning for eight years. Hurricanes fans will hope that scenario plays out with Hamilton, who has done nothing but produce since arriving in Carolina three years ago.
Over those three seasons, Hamilton has recorded 121 points in 184 games, including 42 goals, most among NHL defensemen. He finished 14th in Norris voting in 2018-19, seventh last season and very well could be even higher than that this time around. In 2020-21, he recorded 42 points in 55 games, once again posting outstanding possession numbers. Hamilton and Jaccob Slavin have developed an incredibly strong partnership, allowing each to use their best attributes effectively.
Of course, there are some who believe Hamilton is a little one-dimensional and would struggle without the support of the more defensive-minded Slavin. That belief could shrink his market, though it would not be surprising if more analytical-leaning front offices are falling over themselves to get a meeting with the defenseman. Either way, he’s now allowed to talk to whoever he wants.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Josh Currie, Philippe Maillet Sign In KHL
Two more players that saw NHL action this season are headed overseas, as both Josh Currie and Philippe Maillet have signed with Mettalurg Magnitogorsk in the KHL. Each was scheduled for unrestricted free agency this summer and spent most of the 2020-21 season in the minor leagues.
Currie, 28, was on a one-year, two-way deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins and suited up just once for the NHL squad. A veteran minor league performer, he added 23 points in 24 games and served as captain for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The former Edmonton Oilers prospect now has 22 NHL games to his name, but will continue his playing career overseas where a new opportunity is waiting.
Maillet, 29, has a very interesting hockey story to this point. Undrafted out of the QMJHL, he signed with the Ontario Reign in 2017 after spending several years at the University of New Brunswick and earned himself an NHL contract with the Capitals in 2019. That two-year, two-way deal is set to expire with just two NHL games played for the minor league forward. Another successful AHL scorer, Maillet recorded 21 points in 16 games for the Hershey Bears this season but failed to register an NHL point in his two appearances with Washington. He’ll also be headed overseas to continue a career that has already been one of determination and perseverance.
Taylor Hall, David Krejci Not Looking To Maximize Salary On Next Deals
When the Boston Bruins held their end-of-season media interviews today, a few things stood out. First, several players including Tuukka Rask were dealing with serious injuries, but perhaps, more importantly, was the idea that many pending free agents hope to return to Boston. Taylor Hall was asked about his future and was quite clear he’d like to stay a part of the Bruins organization:
I see a fit. Hopefully they feel the same…hopefully we can make that happen.
I don’t even know what my value is at this point, I feel like I had two different seasons. I’m not looking to absolutely maximize my value at this point in my career. I’ve been fortunate enough to make some good money in this league and at this point it’s about more of a fit for me than money or a long-term thing. We want to find a home for the next few years here.
Hall was an excellent pickup for the Bruins at the deadline, acquired from the Buffalo Sabres after his dreadful first half. In 16 games down the stretch in Boston he had eight goals and 14 points, while adding another five points in 11 playoff matches. Coming off a one-year, $8MM contract from last summer, Hall has been clear in all of his interviews that he sees Boston as a good fit for the next part of his career. Whether the two sides can come together on a deal is still to be seen, but he is obviously willing to hear them out.
During his interview, Hall noted that there are some other players on the Bruins that have been around the team longer and will have to be sorted out first. One of those is his linemate David Krejci, who is coming off a six-year, $43.5MM deal with the team and is also a pending free agent. The difference perhaps is that Krejci is now 35, meaning a long-term deal is certainly out of the question. Similar to Hall though, the veteran forward isn’t looking to maximize his salary, explaining that his next deal “is not going to be based on money.” Krejci said he can’t see himself playing for another team, but also admitted he hasn’t made a firm decision on his future at this point.
Even though he is now in his mid-thirties, Krejci’s offensive production hasn’t really slowed down. He registered 44 points in 51 games this season and added another nine in 11 playoff games. The 35-year-old’s hands are still as silky as ever, even though his skating may not be quite as powerful as it once was. There’s a milestone to be had in Boston should he return, as Krejci is just 38 games away from 1,000 in his career, to this point entirely spent in a Bruins uniform.
As much as Hall, Krejci and Rask have all indicated they would be open to a return, Bruins GM Don Sweeney has made difficult decisions before when it comes to an aging free agent. Just last season he parted ways with franchise icon and longtime captain Zdeno Chara when it was clear the big defenseman’s role would be drastically diminished. With Charlie McAvoy and Patrice Bergeron needing new contracts after next season and David Pastrnak scheduled for unrestricted free agency a year after that, Sweeney and the Bruins front office will have to delicately balance the transition from the current core to the new one. It might come with some difficult decisions.