Projecting Sidney Crosby’s Next Contract
With Auston Matthews’ recent signing to a record-breaking contract, speculation has already started to ramp up as far as other soon-to-be elite free agents. While it is far too early for a lot of the chatter, it’s fair to wonder what kind of money these elite free agents will command when they come up for new deals. Connor McDavid was asked recently about it, and it is exactly what Dan Kingerski writes about in Pittsburgh Hockey Now. Kingerski wonders what type of contract Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby will get when his contract ends in two years. The comparison isn’t a great one given that Matthews and Crosby are in wildly different places in their respective careers, however, it is a fair question to ask given that Crosby is still playing at an elite level despite being 36 years old, and he will be eligible for an extension in less than a year.
Crosby is entering the 11th season of a 12-year deal he signed back in 2013. At the time, the Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia native’s $8.7MM cap hit was a considerable discount to give the Penguins. It allowed the team to have the cap space to surround him with elite talent. It was also a huge risk from the Penguins’ perspective given that Crosby was coming off multiple concussions, including one that put him out of action for nearly a year. But the Penguins made the move, which paid off in spades as the team captured Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017.
Crosby has given the Penguins a discount on every extension he has signed thus far in his career with both of his extensions coming with that $8.7MM cap hit. It has set the tone for Pittsburgh and allowed the Penguins to keep many of their stars under below-market contracts. For Crosby, he was always a team player but was also able to make nearly as much money off the ice as he did on it.
Pittsburgh fans and media have speculated about Crosby’s future since well before Matthews signed his extension and will likely continue to do so right up until he signs his next contract. But what might that look like?
It’s tough to project where Crosby’s game will be in two seasons, Crosby will be 38 years old by the time his next contract begins, however, NHL.com is projecting that Crosby will increase his point totals next season. Sid the Kid had 33 goals and 60 assists last season in 82 games and it’s hard to imagine him topping that at 36-years-old. But that is exactly what NHL.com is projecting he will do as they are predicting he will put up 102 points next season.
Whether or not Crosby hits that number is likely inconsequential when it comes to contract talks with the face of the Penguins franchise. Crosby has remained loyal to Pittsburgh and the Fenway Sports Group has remained steadfast in their desire to have Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang retire as Pittsburgh Penguins as evidenced by the long-term deals they gave Malkin and Letang.
Josh Yohe of The Athletic has said in the past that he believes Crosby wants to play until he’s around 40, which could make a two-year extension make sense. Under normal circumstances, a rising cap would lead a superstar like Crosby to ask for north of $10MM annually on an extension. However, given the past two extensions Sid has signed with Pittsburgh, Kingerski throws out an interesting number, $8.7MM per year.
Snapshots: Letang/Karlsson, Lundell, Top 50 Prospects
One potential aspect of concern for Pittsburgh Penguins fans regarding the acquisition of Erik Karlsson is the rather rocky history of his playing with another high-powered right-shot defenseman. While there were no off-ice issues between him and similarly offensively elite teammate Brent Burns with the San Jose Sharks, they didn’t seem to exactly benefit each other on the ice, and Karlsson’s performance diminished when he wasn’t the sole go-to offensive defenseman for his team (although injuries also became a factor). With Kris Letang heading things up for the Penguins, it was natural to wonder whether similar issues may arise this time around.
Letang himself says he’s not worried, telling the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Matt Vensel that Karlsson’s fit in Pittsburgh is “unbelievable.” The veteran Penguins defender alluded to the fact that Pittsburgh still has Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin on separate lines and that having two elite puck-moving defenders to play with each at even strength will still allow both Letang and Karlsson to play to their strengths. Regarding his role on Pittsburgh’s power play, Letang said, “If they ask me to play in the pocket, if they ask me to play [in the left circle], on top, net front, it doesn’t matter.”
Elsewhere from around the NHL this evening:
- The Florida Panthers are going to need contributions from everywhere in the lineup to keep their momentum rolling next season after last year’s breakthrough playoff performance, and The Hockey News’ David Dwork believes center Anton Lundell is primed for a breakout campaign in 2023-24. Dwork expects Lundell to see some more power play time next season after taking a small step back in the point production department last year, although he did have a strong postseason with ten points in 21 games. The 2020 12th-overall pick remains on track to become one of the better two-way talents in the game, following closely in the footsteps of teammate and fellow Finn Aleksander Barkov. Lundell will look to build on his rookie season form from 2021-22 when he recorded 44 points in 65 games to match a similarly stellar +33 rating and 56% Corsi For at even strength. He’s been relied upon to play solid penalty-killing minutes throughout both of his NHL seasons so far, too, an area where he did noticeably improve last season.
- NHL Network released their yearly list of the league’s Top 50 Prospects, with 2023-drafted players taking the first four spots on the list. To no one’s surprise, Chicago Blackhawks projected first-line center Connor Bedard tops the list as a projected generational talent, but a fair amount would argue recency bias was quite strong in this year’s list. New Jersey Devils 2021 draft pick Luke Hughes was ranked as the top defenseman at number five on their list, while Minnesota Wild netminder Jesper Wallstedt was ranked as the top netminder at #21.
Update On Erik Karlsson To Pittsburgh Rumblings
Rob Rossi of The Athletic wrote a column today with regard to the Erik Karlsson trade saga. While many of the updates offered were hardly surprising, there were a few pieces of information that gave some insights into how the Pittsburgh Penguins became involved in the trade talks. Pittsburgh always seemed like a team that couldn’t squeeze a player with Karlsson’s cap number into their lineup, but based on the recent reporting it appears that they are the front-runner.
Rossi begins the article by dropping the news that Kyle Dubas reportedly identified Erik Karlsson as a trade target while he was in the interview process with Penguins ownership. Now, aside from the Tristan Jarry extension to this point much of Dubas’ work has been to tinker around the edges of the Penguins lineup. But it does appear that he’s built up the club’s depth in the bottom six and their defense core for the possibility that some players could be shipped out very soon.
Another newer piece of information that Rossi mentions is that Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang have reportedly endorsed the potential Karlsson acquisition and in Letang’s case, he’s even agreed to make changes to his own role within the Penguins lineup. If a potential trade were to go through, Letang would remain as Pittsburgh’s number one defenseman, however, Letang would change his powerplay role to allow Karlsson to quarterback the Penguin’s powerplay.
San Jose was also reportedly interested in defenseman Marcus Pettersson being part of a potential blockbuster, however, Dubas has squashed that notion thus far as head coach Mike Sullivan sees Pettersson and newly acquired defender Ryan Graves as the top two options for the left side of Pittsburgh’s defensive group. Pettersson was terrific for Pittsburgh last season after seeing his name all over trade rumors boards for much of the summer of 2022.
Lastly, Dubas apparently wants to put top-5 protection on any first-round pick he trades in a Karlsson deal and has reportedly floated the idea of putting other conditions such as home-ice advantage on lower-round draft picks that could be involved in the deal.
While it appears that the Penguins are still the front-runner to land the reigning Norris Trophy winner, it doesn’t appear that a trade is imminent anytime soon. Pittsburgh would have to navigate an awful lot of moving parts to push the trade through, however, as we’ve seen in the past these trades can come together quickly when teams are motivated to make the move happen. Regardless of the outcome, it does look like Dubas has plans to continue his makeover of the Penguins roster before the start of the 2023-24 season.
2023 NHL Awards Winners
2023 The NHL Awards were given out tonight in Nashville. The ceremony kicks off what should be a busy week as teams continue to prepare for the NHL Entry Draft and free agency, which begins on July 1st.
Here is the full list of winners, with the top two runners-up in each category:
Calder Trophy – Top Rookie
Winner: Matthew Beniers (Kraken)
Runners-Up: Owen Power (Sabres), Stuart Skinner (Oilers)
Norris Trophy – Top Defenseman
Winner: Erik Karlsson (Sharks)
Runners-Up: Adam Fox (Rangers), Cale Makar (Avalanche)
Ted Lindsay Award – Most Outstanding Player (as voted by the players)
Winner: Connor McDavid (Oilers)
Runners-Up: Erik Karlsson (Sharks), David Pastrnak (Bruins)
Lady Byng Trophy – Most Gentlemanly Player
Winner: Anze Kopitar (Kings)
Runners-Up: Jack Hughes (Devils), Brayden Point (Lightning)
Hart Trophy – Most Valuable Player
Winner: Connor McDavid (Oilers)
Runners-Up: David Pastrnak (Bruins), Matthew Tkachuk (Panthers)
Vezina Trophy – Goaltender Of The Year
Winner: Linus Ullmark (Bruins)
Runner-Ups: Connor Hellebuyck (Jets), Ilya Sorokin (Islanders)
Selke Trophy – Best Defensive Forward
Winner: Patrice Bergeron (Bruins)
Runners-Up: Mitchell Marner (Maple Leafs), Nico Hischier (Devils)
Jack Adams Award – Coach Of The Year
Winner: Jim Montgomery (Bruins)
Runners-Up: Dave Hakstol (Kraken), Lindy Ruff (Devils)
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy – Perseverance, Sportsmanship, and Dedication
Winner: Kris Letang (Penguins)
Runners-Up: Clayton Keller (Coyotes), Alex Stalock (Blackhawks)
King Clancy Memorial Trophy – Humanitarian
Winner: Mikael Backlund (Flames)
Runners-Up: Anders Lee (Islanders), Darnell Nurse (Oilers)
Mark Messier Leadership Award
Winner: Steven Stamkos (Lightning)
E.J. McGuire Award – Prospect Commitment to Excellence
Winner: Connor Bedard (Regina Pats, WHL)
Congratulations to all the winners and the nominees.
Kris Letang Wins 2023 Masterton Trophy
Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang has won the Bill Masterton Trophy as the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. The long-time Penguins rearguard was awarded the trophy over Clayton Keller of the Arizona Coyotes and Alex Stalock of the Chicago Blackhawks.
Letang suffered through a tumultuous season as he suffered a stroke in late November 2022, and in an incredible feat, he returned to the Penguins lineup just 12 days later, missing a total of five games. Unfortunately, after just eight games, Letang suffered a lower-body injury that forced him out of the lineup once again. When he returned to the Penguins lineup, he and the club were preparing for the Winter Classic when his father sadly passed away.
Letang returned to the club and posted a four-point game, including an overtime winner in a game that just felt like a storybook. Unfortunately, despite his best efforts, the Penguins fell short of the playoffs. However, Letang was still one of the Penguins’ best defensemen despite being 36 years old and being forced through the gauntlet. Letang finished the year with 12 goals and 29 assists in just 64 games.
Pittsburgh Penguins Will Hire General Manager And President
Hockey Insider Frank Seravalli stated today on the Daily Faceoff Rundown podcast that he expects the Pittsburgh Penguins to employ the same management structure they had with their previous group and hire a General Manager and a President of Hockey Operations. Previous GM Ron Hextall and President of Hockey Ops Brian Burke were fired after the season ended as they led the Penguins to their first season out of the playoffs in 16 years.
While it comes as no surprise that the Penguins would want to use that structure, some of the names of who they’ve reportedly interviewed are quite surprising. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun is reporting that Pittsburgh spoke with 10-12 candidates in their first round of interviews and included in that list were Marc Bergevin, Eric Tulsky, Jason Karmanos and Peter Chiarelli. LeBrun added that he expects some of those men to be interviewed a second time as the process goes on.
One name that will likely not be interview is Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas. The young GM held a press conference today where he expressed his desire to remain in Toronto while simultaneously stating he didn’t want to look elsewhere at this time after the past season was so difficult for him and his family.
Whoever ultimately lands the Penguins management jobs will be in tough to build around an aging core with multiple bad contracts to try and navigate. Pittsburgh correctly committed to Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin last summer, as well as Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell. However, they were saddled with a bottom six that couldn’t get going offensively, and a team that couldn’t find a defensive identity. All of this, coupled with inconsistent goaltending from Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith led to the Penguins missing the playoffs for just the second time in the Sidney Crosby era.
It’ll be a long summer in Pittsburgh; however, it could be the most interesting one they’ve had since Jim Rutherford plucked Phil Kessel from the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 2015 trade and kickstarted a two-year run of brilliance in the steel city. The Penguins still have a very strong top-6 and will have around $20MM in cap space once free agency begins.
NHL Announces 2023 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Nominees
Following up on the announcement of the 2023 King Clancy Memorial Trophy nominees, the NHL also released the list of the 2023 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy nominees, which will include Clayton Keller (Arizona), Kris Letang (Pittsburgh), and Alex Stalock (Chicago). The award is annually given out to the player that “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey”.
At the end of last season, Keller suffered a broken leg in a game against the San Jose Sharks, an injury that would take six months to fully rehabilitate. He managed to start this season on opening night for the Arizona Coyotes, and played in all 82 games, scoring 37 goals and 49 assists, tying a long-time single-season point record for the Coyotes set by Keith Tkachuk in 1996-97.
In one of the most incredible stories of the 2022-23 season, Letang suffered the second stroke of his life in November of 2022, and also mourned the passing of his father, all within the span of one month. Miraculously, Letang would return in early December, scoring 29 points in 43 games after the fact. One of the long-time leaders for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Letang recovered, and continued to play a high level when many players may have called it a career.
Lastly, after only playing one game since the start of the 2020-21 season, Stalock made his return to professional hockey at 35 years old with the Chicago Blackhawks. In 27 games played in the Windy City, Stalock would produce a record of 9-15-2, carrying a .908 SV% and a 3.01 GAA. Stalock made his return to the NHL after suffering from myocarditis during the 2019-20 season, and although suffering multiple injury setbacks this year, was able to produce a quality season in Chicago.
The 2023 NHL Awards will take place at the home of the Nashville Predators, Bridgestone Arena, on Monday, June 26th at 8:00 PM ET.
Nominees Announced For 2023 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy
The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is given out annually to the NHL player who exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. The Professional Hockey Writers’ Association has voted on the award since 1968, and today they announced their nominees for 2023.
Past winners of the award include Carey Price (2022), Oskar Lindblom (2021), Bobby Ryan (2020), Robin Lehner (2019), Brian Boyle (2018), Craig Anderson (2017), and Jaromir Jagr (2016).
Below are the nominees from each team:
Anaheim Ducks – Jakob Silfverberg
Arizona Coyotes – Clayton Keller
Boston Bruins – Nick Foligno
Buffalo Sabres – Craig Anderson
Calgary Flames – Mikael Backlund
Carolina Hurricanes – Jordan Martinook
Chicago Blackhawks – Alex Stalock
Colorado Avalanche – Andrew Cogliano
Columbus Blue Jackets – Boone Jenner
Dallas Stars – Jamie Benn
Detroit Red Wings – Robby Fabbri
Edmonton Oilers – Derek Ryan
Florida Panthers – Patric Hornqvist
Los Angeles Kings – Pheonix Copley
Minnesota Wild – Mason Shaw
Montreal Canadiens – Alex Belzile
Nashville Predators – Cody Glass
New Jersey Devils – Dougie Hamilton
New York Islanders – Zach Parise
New York Rangers – Jimmy Vesey
Ottawa Senators – Derick Brassard
Philadelphia Flyers – Nick Seeler
Pittsburgh Penguins – Kris Letang
San Jose Sharks – Nikolai Knyzhov
Seattle Kraken – Brandon Tanev
St. Louis Blues – Sammy Blais
Tampa Bay Lightning – Pierre-Edouard Bellemare
Toronto Maple Leafs – Mark Giordano
Vancouver Canucks – Brock Boeser
Vegas Golden Knights – Phil Kessel
Washington Capitals – John Carlson
Winnipeg Jets – Sam Gagner
Marcus Pettersson Put On LTIR By Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that defenseman Marcus Pettersson has been put on LTIR retroactive to March 18th. Pettersson left in the third period of Saturday’s 6-0 loss against the New York Rangers with what is being described as a lower body injury. Pettersson was shuttled back and forth from the bench to the dressing room a few times in that game but was eventually shutdown when it became out of reach.
The Penguin’s defense has been decimated by injuries in the past week. Right shot defensemen Jeff Petry and Jan Rutta are both already sidelined by ailments, and now Pettersson has joined them. The Penguins open the week against the Ottawa Senators this evening and will have to try and battle without half of their starting defense. They already brought up Mark Friedman on the weekend, and now have recalled Taylor Fedun who skated with the team this morning at practice.
Fedun is the captain of the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins and last played in the NHL during the 2019-20 season when he had 9 points for the Dallas Stars in 27 games. Fedun won’t offer the Penguins much offense, but he is a defensively sound and capable replacement for the Penguins short term. So far in the AHL this season, Fedun has 10 points in 53 games.
It’s a tough break for Pettersson and the Penguins as he has really flourished this season in an expanded role. He has spent large stretches on the Penguins top defensive unit next to Kris Letang and has played some terrific hockey. Coming into Saturday’s loss, Pettersson had 11 points in his previous 10 games and was just a single point away from matching his career high. This is a far cry from a year ago when the Penguins tried to move on from Pettersson but couldn’t find any takers for the Swedish defenseman.
The Penguins will try and overcome this hurdle beginning tonight at home to the Ottawa Senators. Pittsburgh currently sits seven points ahead of Ottawa for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference with 13 games to play. The Penguins have been on a slide having lost three games in a row, including the blowout loss to the Rangers. The Penguins have been an uneven team throughout the year having gone on several lengthy winning and losing streaks. For now, they control their postseason fate, but with a surging Florida Panthers team sitting one point back, they could be prone to a letdown in what has been a disappointing season thus far.
East Notes: Capitals, Penguins, Drouin
Washington Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette gave updates today on some of his injured players, noting that defenseman Nick Jensen will be a game-time decision tonight against the St. Louis Blues. He also mentioned that forward Sonny Milano will draw back into the lineup after missing two games with a non-COVID illness.
Jensen has been Washington’s de facto number-one defenseman for much of the season with John Carlson out due to injury, although that title has now been usurped by youngster Rasmus Sandin. The 32-year-old is ailing from an undisclosed injury and also missed three games with an upper-body issue earlier in the month. He has a career-high 24 points in 66 games and recently signed a three-year, $12.15MM extension with Washington.
Milano, a productive early-season pickup for the Caps, is projected to skate on a line with Nicklas Bäckström and Craig Smith in his return.
More notes out of the Eastern Conference today:
- The Pittsburgh Penguins were without their top two right-shot defensemen at practice today, and head coach Mike Sullivan issued updates on both players. Kris Letang had a maintenance day, and Jeff Petry is still being evaluated, leaving last night’s game against the New York Rangers after taking an elbow to the face from winger Tyler Motte. The two veterans are Pittsburgh’s highest-scoring defensemen this season, despite both missing significant time with multiple injuries.
- Montreal Canadiens forward Jonathan Drouin was held out from practice today after missing a team meeting this morning, according to head coach Martin St. Louis. As a consequence, St. Louis said he may also opt to scratch Drouin for tomorrow’s game against Tampa, his former team. The 27-year-old forward has one goal and 24 assists in 45 games this year.