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Brian Dumoulin

Arbitration Notes: Dumoulin, Watson, Arvidsson

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Penguins GM Jim Rutherford has already stated that he expected to go to arbitration with restricted free agent defenseman Brian Dumoulin.  Based on their arbitration filings, it’s reasonable to understand why.  According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link), Pittsburgh has submitted a one-year proposal at $1.95MM while Dumoulin’s camp came in at $4.35MM.

Dumoulin has seen his role increase steadily over the past two seasons and has become a reliable stay-at-home player for the Penguins.  In 2016-17, he played in 70 games, scoring once and added 14 assists while logging a career best 20:33 per game.

While the fact that he has become a reliable top four defender will help his case, what will work against Dumoulin in the arbitration hearing is his lack of offensive production and a fairly small track record overall as he only has two full NHL seasons under his belt.  The traditional offensive statistics that often play a role in the hearings aren’t particularly strong and judging by the $2.4MM gap in the filings, it’s clear that the Penguins are banking on the lack of production being a factor.

If the two sides aren’t able to reach a deal, the arbitration hearing will take place on Monday.

Other arbitration notes:

  • Dumoulin wasn’t the only player whose submissions were due today as the Predators and winger Austin Watson also made their filings. The gap here is considerably less with Watson asking for $1.4MM with Nashville coming in at half of that amount, also per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link).  Watson set career bests across the board in 2016-17 with 77 games played along with five goals and 12 assists.  He also had a strong postseason run with four goals and five helpers in 22 playoff contests, something that his camp will likely be arguing as a sign that he is capable of being more of a point producer next season.
  • Today is the scheduled hearing between the Predators and winger Viktor Arvidsson. It appears that not enough traction has been made towards bridging the sizable gap between the two filings as of yet.  Arvidsson, who tied for the team lead in scoring, filed for a one year, $4.5MM deal while Nashville asked for a two year deal with an AAV of $2.75MM.

Remaining Arbitration Dates

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While the league continues to try and lock up their young players, several arbitration dates remain on the docket for the next few weeks. Starting on Thursday, teams and players will head to hearings to determine their salary for the upcoming season (or seasons). For more information on how the arbitration process works, check out Mike Furlano’s two part breakdown of the system from last summer.

The remaining arbitration dates are as follows:

July 20 – Colton Parayko (St. Louis), Tomas Tatar (Detroit)

Originally scheduled: Tyler Johnson (Tampa Bay) who signed a seven-year, $35MM contract.

July 21 – Ryan Dzingel (Ottawa)

Originally scheduled: Michael Chaput (Vancouver) who signed a one-year, $688K contract

July 22 – Viktor Arvidsson (Nashville)

Originally scheduled: Micheal Ferland (Calgary) who signed a two-year, $3.5MM contract.

July 24 – Austin Watson (Nashville), Brian Dumoulin (Pittsburgh)

July 25 – Mika Zibanejad (NY Rangers)

Originally scheduled: Joey LaLeggia (Edmonton) who signed a one-year, two-way, $700K contract and Ondrej Palat (Tampa Bay) who signed a five-year, $26.5MM contract.

July 26 – Ryan Spooner (Boston)

Originally scheduled: Jordan Martinook (Arizona) who signed a two-year, $3.6MM contract.

July 27 – Robin Lehner (Buffal0)

Originally scheduled: Marek Mazanec (Nashville) who signed a one-year, two-way, $650K contract.

July 28 – (none)

Originally scheduled: Jean-Gabriel Pageau (Ottawa) who signed a three-year, $9.3MM contract.

July 31 – Matt Nieto (Colorado)

August 1 – Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg), Reid Boucher (Vancouver)

August 2 – Calvin de Haan (NY Islanders)

Originally scheduled: Kevin Gravel (Los Angeles) who signed a one-year, two-way, $650K contract. 

August 3 – Nate Schmidt (Vegas), Nino Niederreiter (Minnesota)

August 4 – Mikael Granlund (Minnesota), Conor Sheary (Pittsburgh), Nathan Beaulieu (Buffalo)

Penguins’ 3rd-Line Center Options

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With the loss of Nick Bonino to Nashville via free agency, the reigning champion Pittsburgh Penguins have a gaping hole down the middle. For the first time in over a decade, the center position is now one of relative weakness. It’s always a possibility that Matt Cullen decides to re-sign for one more year, but he will not be able to carry the load of a typical 3rd-line center. Cullen showed signs of slowing down toward the tail-end of the team’s playoff run, and he was only averaging 13:55 a game through the regular season. At 41 years old, he simply won’t be a viable long-term option. The Penguins likely have high hopes for Zach Aston-Reese to make a push in training camp, but he is an unknown quantity at the NHL level. GM Jim Rutherford had 5 potential trade options in the works prior to July 1st, according to the very reliable Josh Yohe of DKPittsburghSports. Talks either fizzled or were put on the back-burner, but one might imagine the number of available targets is far fewer now. With Dallas’ three-year signing of Radek Faksa, there is one fewer name left for consideration. Vegas seems to be content with merely flipping defensemen from here on in, although names such as Cody Eakin and William Karlsson shouldn’t be thrown out entirely. Erik Haula is likely a pipe-dream, but he’s another possible target. Matt Duchene was linked for a time, but between the high cost and the stubbornness of Colorado GM Joe Sakic to make a move, he seems incredibly unlikely.

Who are the safest bets for an off-season move? Or will Pittsburgh enter the season with someone unproven slotting behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin?

Tyler Bozak

Bozak has made tons of sense since his name was first mentioned. A lot has been made of his relationship with Phil Kessel. When they played on a line together in Toronto, Kessel saw some of his best career production. More than that however – the Leafs are in a bit of cap pinch as they will look to free up dollars for Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander in the next two seasons. They certainly aren’t in any hurry to drop underneath the ceiling due to LTIR intricacies, but moving out Bozak’s $4.2 MM for this next season would be a forward looking move. If he’s due a raise, it’s likely they’ll lose him for far less, as his contract expires at the end of 2017-18. The move makes sense for Pittsburgh because of the Kessel relationship, but also because he fits the mold of the Pittsburgh squad. He’s a solid skater, sees the ice well, and hustles back into his own zone. His playmaking abilities would be a wonderful fit on the cheap to aid the high-powered offense, and the player would be a positive possession asset to remove the stress from the bigger guns. Bozak does have a modified no-trade clause, but it’s hard to see Pittsburgh being included on his list of non-tradeable teams.

Jordan Staal

Staal saw a lot of success in Pittsburgh before he was traded away to Carolina at the 2012 draft. Jordan was traded to that team in particular due to his desire to player with his older brother Eric Staal. Seeing as Eric is no longer in the picture, it would make sense that Staal might be open to a Pittsburgh reunion. Staal is one of the better defensive centers in the league, and has been forced to take a more uncomfortably offensive role in Carolina. Staal’s biggest downside is that he isn’t the most agile skater, but he’s not any slower than Nick Bonino was. That said, he can play the shutdown role and be a total nuisance for top opponents. Rutherford loves the player, as he was the GM of Carolina when they initially acquired the player, for a hefty sum of Brandon Sutter, Brian Dumoulin, and a 1st-round pick (which became Derrick Pouilot). According to Yohe, Staal is apparently open to a return, and the nostalgic element of the team’s fanbase is clamoring for this to happen. Rutherford stated on a local radio segment with Ron Cook that “to his knowledge he (Staal) isn’t available”, but he’s played coy with the media in the past.

Out Of Left-Field

Rutherford has been known to throw the hockey world for a loop with some of his trades. The James Neal–Patric Hornqvist trade shocked just about everyone, and the Phil Kessel trade is still being discussed to this day. If there’s one thing we should expect from him, it’s the unexpected. There are a few lesser options out there for Rutherford to explore, and management may want to have the Conor Sheary and Brian Dumoulin contracts put to paper before making any sort of transaction. It seems unlikely that anything will happen until those deals get done. Rutherford told Jason Mackey of the Post-Gazette that there are “hundreds of names on (his list)”, and that it’s “a patient process”. Could Detroit be willing to move Andreas Athanasiou? Could Bryan Little be pried from Winnipeg for a young defenseman? It’s hard to speculate as to where exactly management have set their sights, but Rutherford is generally willing to overpay to “get his man”. There is the slight likelihood that they enter the season with that hole left unfilled, but it’s hard to imagine. Until more dominoes fall, Rutherford is likely to bide his team and search for the correct deal.

East Notes: Dumoulin, Sheary, Stafford, Patrick

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The Penguins have made no progress in discussions with restricted free agents Brian Dumoulin and Conor Sheary, GM Jim Rutherford told Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  He added that he expects both to “probably” go through the arbitration process.  Both players are coming off contracts that paid them below $1MM and will likely at least triple their previous contracts when they sign their next deal.  Pittsburgh has money to work with still as they have a little more than $10MM in cap space per CapFriendly at the moment.

Other notes from around the East:

  • While the expectation is that the Bruins are waiting to re-sign RFA David Pastrnak before seeking a deal with unrestricted free agent Drew Stafford, CSN New England’s Joe Haggerty suggests that the fact that there hasn’t much talk about a new contract suggests that Boston isn’t all that interested in keeping him. Haggerty thinks they won’t offer him much more than a PTO deal given their prospects that are on the cusp of making the big club and what is a perceived lack of interest elsewhere around the league.  The 31-year-old slotted 21st in our free agent rankings last month with a projected two-year, $4.5MM deal.
  • Nolan Patrick will not be participating in the upcoming World Junior Summer Showcase (which opens up on July 28th), the Flyers confirmed to NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman (Twitter link). The second overall pick from last month is once again dealing with a sports hernia, the same injury that cost him a big chunk of the season, but he is expected to be fully ready in time for training camp in September.

Penguins Sign Defenseman Kevin Czuczman

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Last off-season, the Pittsburgh Penguins went on a signing spree, inking a whole bunch of defenseman with even the slightest NHL experience to two-way deals in hopes that bolstering their defensive depth would pay off. The 2016 names included Chad Ruhwedel, Cameron Gaunce, Steve Oleksy, David Warsofsky, Stuart Percy, and Tim Erixon. After a season where their NHL defensive corps suffered injury after injury and the AHL depth was constantly called upon, even earning Ruhwedel a new contract, the Penguins are back at it again this summer. New additions already include Zach Trotman, Jarred Tinordi, Chris Summers, and an extension for Trade Deadline acquisition Frank Corrado as well.

Add another name to the list, as the Penguins announced today that they have signed Kevin Czuczman to a one-year, two-way deal worth the $650K minimum at the NHL level. Czuczman spent the 2016-17 season with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose on a minor league contract, but posted the best scoring numbers of his entire hockey career, with 32 points in 76 games. The former Lake Superior State standout has NHL experience as well, as he signed with the New York Islanders out of college in 2014 and played in 13 games down the stretch with the team, recording two points. Since, Czuczman bounced around the Islanders’ minor league affiliates and then moved to Manitoba, establishing himself as a good defensive defenseman and a locker room leader along the way. Czuczman will provide some solid stay-at-home depth for a team that often lacks that type of player.

Will Czuczman see any NHL action in 2017-18 though? Probably not. The Penguins’ top six of Kris Letang, Brian Dumoulin, Justin Schultz, Olli Maatta, Ian Cole, and newcomer Matt Hunwick is well-established and Ruhwedel has likely earned the #7 spot. Down in Wilkes-Barre, Corrado and Derrick Pouliot will push for roster spots and, assuming they fall short, will certainly be the first call-ups. Trotman, who played in large chunks of the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons with the Boston Bruins, and Tinordi, who was a spot starter for the Montreal Canadiens for years, are then next up on the depth chart. That would make Czuczman approximately 12th on the Pittsburgh organizational depth chart. With all that said, if any team is gonna blow through eleven defenders this season, it’s the injury-prone Penguins. Czuczman chose his new home wisely.

RFA Arbitration Hearings Begin Soon

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Although it’s likely that many of these restricted free-agents come to terms with their teams before the hearing dates, the list of set dates has been released. Last year, only one RFA actually made it to their date without a deal. We should see more players actually make it to the arbitration process this year, but how many is unclear. It could be zero, or it could be five.

That said, these arbitration hearings begin in only 11 days, so the crunch is on. Teams will hope to hammer out details with players they hope to lock in for longer than two years. PHR published a preview highlighting players most likely to see a massive pay-raise, but arbitration by its nature can be rather capricious.

According theScore’s Cody Wilkins, the set dates are as follows:

 

July 20 – Tyler Johnson (Tampa Bay), Colton Parayko (St. Louis), Tomas Tatar (Detroit)

July 21 – Ryan Dzingel (Ottawa), Michael Chaput (Vancouver)

July 22 – Micheal Ferland (Calgary), Viktor Arvidsson (Nashville)

July 24 – Austin Watson (Nashville), Brian Dumoulin (Pittsburgh)

July 25 – Joey LaLeggia (Edmonton), Mika Zibanejad (NY Rangers), Ondrej Palat (Tampa Bay)

July 26 – Jordan Martinook (Arizona), Ryan Spooner (Boston)

July 27 – Robin Lehner (Buffal0), Marek Mazanec (Nashville)

July 28 – Jean-Gabriel Pageau (Ottawa)

July 31 – Matt Nieto (Colorado)

August 1 – Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg), Reid Boucher (Vancouver)

August 2 – Calvin de Haan (NY Islanders), Kevin Gravel (Los Angeles)

August 3 – Nate Schmidt (Vegas), Nino Niederreiter (Minnesota)

August 4 – Mikael Granlund (Minnesota), Conor Sheary (Pittsburgh), Nathan Beaulieu (Buffalo)

Offseason Keys: Pittsburgh Penguins

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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.

Apr 12, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin (8) gathers the puck against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the first period in game one of the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG PAINTS Arena. The Penguins won 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY SportsDumoulin’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.

RFAs Headed For Payday In Arbitration

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As the list of the players who have filed for arbitration was released earlier today by the NHLPA, a few names stick out as those due a meaningful raise. Arbitration is a tricky process to reliably predict, but it’s a safe bet these names will see their cap hit rise substantially.

 

Brian Dumoulin – D – Pittsburgh Penguins

There was a time when the young Dumoulin was a well-kept secret in the league, overshadowed by the far flashier play of Kris Letang. Dumoulin’s accolades this last playoff year certainly didn’t go unnoticed, and as the lone defensive defenseman in their core group, he probably holds the greatest job security on the team’s blueline. He doesn’t put up points – only one goal in the last two seasons, but he blocks shots and drives possession while eating a ton of minutes against top competition. As analytics are utilized more and more, his case only gets stronger. A contract well over $4 MM is certainly looking possible.

Colton Parayko – D – St. Louis Blues

This is the name seen most commonly associated with offer-sheets this summer, and with good reason. Parayko plays with the mentality of an old-time defenseman, but he can skate quite well for a large (6’6) man. He’s only had two seasons in the NHL, but he’s impressed since he first took the ice. Again, he isn’t a massive offensive force (he scored 3 goals last season), but he’s already averaging over 21 minutes a night with near equal starts in both the offensive and defensive zone. He’ll be hurt by the quantifiable stats factor, but he’s a big body with a rare right-handed shot to boot. This contract could look relatively cheap compared to his next, if he continues along this course. He should cost around $5.5 MM.

Ondrej Palat – F – Tampa Bay Lightning

Others will look to the undersized center Tyler Johnson as most likely to get a payday. But don’t over look Palat’s consistency – it may give him an edge with arbiters. Johnson does have his 72 point campaign to lean on, but that was now two full seasons ago. The fact that both players couldn’t break 20 goals in the last two seasons will bring their prices back down to Earth. Palat has grown into his role on the team and back-checks with a ferocity not often seen in younger stars. Johnson is no slouch either – they’ve both accumulated Selke votes over the years. These are two pivotal pieces of the Lightning, and their upcoming contracts were a big reason Jonathan Drouin was traded away to Montreal. GM Steve Yzerman will happily lock both up, but he will be hoping for figures under the $6 MM mark.

Viktor Arvidsson – F – Nashville Predators

This would have been an unlikely name on such a list even last December, when you consider how truly meteoric Arvidsson’s rise was. His value in arbitration will be deeply interesting – the shifty winger has played himself into the core of the team within a season. He really only has 2016-17 and the long playoff run to hang his hat on, as he scored only 16 points through 56 games in 2015-16. This year was a remarkable offensive explosion, with 30 goals and 31 assists. At only 5’9, Arvidsson has really shocked many onlookers by how easily he’s adapted to the physicality of the NHL game. His talent has never been in question, and with his production now well-established, it’s safe to believe he’s going to get a cushy award. How bad the damage will be is going to affect Nashville’s cap going forward – I suspect over $5 MM, but there are few comparables.

Mikael Granlund – F – Minnesota Wild

Granlund is perhaps slightly more enticing league wide than fellow Wild RFA Nino Niederreiter. He’s a marginally more cerebral player, and he plays the valuable center position. Neiderreiter is the more natural goal-scorer and larger frame, but Granlund has better PPG and has broken 30 assists thrice. Both players will get paid, as they both broke 25 goals last season and will be important pieces in the State of Hockey for some time. I think the more interesting thing to watch here is whether the Wild play it safe with Granlund and take a one year deal, or attempt to lock him up for longer. This was the first season he really scored with any consistency, but the Wild have shown their faith in the player by continually giving him over 17 minutes of icetime even when he struggled to produce. A one-year would easily command over $5 MM, whereas a longer deal could bring cost down.

 

Pittsburgh Penguins Re-Sign Justin Schultz

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed one of their most important pieces, inking Justin Schultz to a three-year, $16.5MM contract. The deal runs through 2019-20, after which Schultz will become an unrestricted free agent.

Schultz has had his career completely resuscitated since joining the high-flying Penguins last season. Signing as a big-name college free agent, he struggled for parts of four seasons in Edmonton before being shipped for a third-round pick at the 2016 deadline. Schultz went on to win the Stanley Cup in back-to-back seasons, and was especially important this last post-season, helping fill the void left by the injury to Kris Letang.

Schultz is known primarily as an offensive defenseman. His isn’t overly physical and generally isn’t played in shutdown situations. However, he was far from sheltered last season in Pittsburgh, playing over 20 minutes a night in the regular season against quality competition, generally being slotted alongside the stay-at-home Ian Cole on the second pairing. Schultz finished the season with 51 points, good for 7th among all NHL defenseman. Notably, he finished within 5 points of household names like Duncan Keith, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Dustin Byfuglien. He was a solid shooting option on the powerplay and truly flourished once May rolled around, adding 4 goals and 9 assists as he utilized a solid first-pass to spring the more threatening Pittsburgh forwards.

His $5.5 MM cap hit is likely more than what GM Jim Rutherford had expected to set aside for him when acquired just over a season ago. Fellow restricted free-agent Brian Dumoulin is also looking to get a payday this summer, so it remains to be seen whether some money may be moving out from the defense corps. A possible target could be Olli Maatta who is coming off a sluggish year, and is earning $4.083 MM for the next 5 seasons. Dumoulin and Schultz have definitively passed Maatta on the depth chart, and this sort of financial commitment will only add fuel to the fire that Maatta is the odd man out.

Penguins Will Have Lots Of Offseason Decisions To Make On ‘D’

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The Pittsburgh Penguins are just one win away from capturing their second straight Stanley Cup title with Game 6 tonight, but they’ve done it throughout the playoffs with one of the most unheralded defensive corps possible. With two-time all-star Kris Letang out for the season with neck surgery he underwent on Apr. 13, the team has played without a star defenseman and it showed early in this series when the Predators dominated in Games 1 and 2. However, the defense held together and took things a step further the other day in Game 5 when the defense dominated on both offense and defense. They got two goals and three assists during that victory.

That defense, made up of Olli Maatta, Ian Cole, Trevor Daley, Ron Hainsey, Brian Dumoulin and Justin Schultz, has held tough and just might be increasing their stock as the offseason approaches for them in the next few days. The Penguins may have a few offseason issues to deal with in the upcoming weeks when it comes to their defense. While Letang is locked up until 2021-22 ($7.5MM), only two others are officially under contract for next year. The 22-year-old Matta is also under contract until 2021-22 ($4.083MM) and Cole has one more year left at $2.1MM. The rest are all free agents with Daley and Hainsey listed as unrestricted free agents, while Dumoulin and Schultz are both restricted free agents who should command more than they made this past year.

Daley played a much stronger game in Game 5 and was able to move the puck much more quickly in that performance. He is completing a six-year deal ($3.3MM) and the Penguins must decide if they want to bring the 33-year old back next season. He played in just 56 games and had 5 goals and 14 assists for 19 points, but has had a goal and five assists in the playoffs, including a key assist in Game 5. Hainsey came over as a rental from Carolina at the trade deadline. The 36-year-old is finishing up a three-year deal in which he was getting $2.833MM per season. Hainsey finished the season with four goals and 13 assists, but has proven valuable in the playoffs which could net him a solid offer next year. The veteran has put up two goals and six assists during the playoffs despite struggling to keep up with the top line.

The Penguins must also make key decisions on the restricted front. Dumoulin is wrapping up his second full season with Pittsburgh. The 25-year-old has played solidly and should get quite an increase from the $800,000 he is currently making. Dumoulin, a gifted young defender, scored one goal and added 14 assists this season, while adding a goal and five assists in the playoffs this year. He’s even been mentioned as a possible expansion candidate if the team trades backup goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. Finally, Schultz is coming off a breakout year. After taking a paycut last year from $3.9MM in 2015-16 to $1.4MM this year, the 26-year-old will be looking for a long term deal after putting up 12 goals and 39 assists this past year. His playoff performance should also improve his stock with four goals and eight assists so far.

The Penguins should have plenty of questions to answer once they reach the offseason.

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