An offseason checklist for the Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins cannot start adding until they do some subtracting. Pittsburgh is currently pegged to have just $3.2 million in salary-cap space heading into the offseason, a projection that includes just 19 contracts. Forget improving the roster, Pittsburgh needs to create cap space just to preserve its current roster, as key restricted free agents Teddy Blueger and Zach Aston-Reese require new contracts and the Penguins will likely try to re-sign pending UFA defenseman Cody Ceci as well. Those three alone will cost well more than $3.2 million.

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 Penguins, 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 Pittsburgh's playoff 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 playoffs 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 $7 million 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 completely.

More reasonable targets include free agents Frederik Andersen, Jonathan Bernier, James Reimer, Antti Raanta, Jaroslav Halak or Devan Dubnyk. Even a young UFA such as 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 might 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 in which 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 playoff success, it must become harder to play against. That starts with getting better defensive play and physical engagement from its forwards. Hextall has harped on the Penguins needing to be more physical and has talked about adding size and grit this offseason, but it’s more than that. Pittsburgh was poor on the penalty kill this season, did not block shorts (particularly at forward) and its 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. However, that doesn’t mean that the Penguins can’t add another impact player. 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 might 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 on 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 season 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 $7.25 million price tag. Yet, both players are still major contributors to the team and are 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 to be answered about the veteran stars. The front office does not want to hurt itself in the short-term by moving on too soon from either one, but it also doesn’t want to hamstring itself 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.