With the first day of NHL free agency rapidly approaching, I thought I’d evaluate the Penguins potential needs and see who’s available.
First, let’s look at the forwards.
Centers
Nick Bonino and veteran Matt Cullen are set to become free agents on July 1, potentially leaving the black and gold with a gaping hole down the middle.
Bonino, who tallied 18 goals last season while filling a vital two-way role, is likely to draw heavy interest from other clubs and, ultimately, a substantial boost in pay. Cullen, who hasn’t ruled out a return, isn’t likely to announce his decision until later in the summer.
While versatile Carter Rowney has been mentioned as a possibility at center, the locals may need to look outside the organization for help. Here’s a table listing the most prominent free-agent centers.
| Player | Age | Team | $ (M) | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
| Nick Bonino | 29 | PIT | $1.9 | 80 | 18 | 19 | 37 | -5 |
| Brian Boyle | 32 | TBL-TOR | $2 | 75 | 13 | 12 | 25 | 3 |
| Mike Fisher | 37 | NSH | $4.4 | 72 | 18 | 24 | 42 | 1 |
| Sam Gagner | 27 | CBJ | $0.65 | 81 | 18 | 32 | 50 | 10 |
| Martin Hanzal | 30 | ARI-MIN | $3.1 | 71 | 20 | 19 | 39 | -17 |
| Dominic Moore | 36 | BOS | $1.0 | 82 | 11 | 14 | 25 | 2 |
| Joe Thornton | 37 | SJS | $6.75 | 79 | 7 | 43 | 50 | 7 |
Sam Gagner, the youngest and cheapest of the bunch, has offensive pedigree. However, he’s inconsistent, weak on faceoffs (45.3% for his career) and falters away from the puck. In many ways, he’s the antithesis of the gritty, shot-blocking Bonino.
Among the other candidates, Brian Boyle and ex-Pen Dominic Moore would seem to be the best fits for the Pens. Neither figures to command an exorbitant salary. Both play a strong two-way game and are good on draws.
According to an article on NHL.com, the hulking Boyle (6’7” 253) hopes to sign with Tampa Bay, where he played for two-plus seasons before landing in Toronto at the 2016-17 trade deadline. That leaves Moore, an excellent skater and penalty killer who plays with an edge, as a strong possibility.
Of course, trades are an option, too. CBC’s Elliotte Friedman suggests the Pens may have an interest in Colorado’s Matt Duchene, an explosive skater and scorer. The price tag, however, is likely to be steep.
Wings
With crease-crasher Patric Hornqvist and kids Conor Sheary (3.27 P/60), Bryan Rust and rookie Daniel Sprong manning the starboard side—not to mention newly acquired banger Ryan Reaves—the Pens are stacked on right wing.
The port side is another matter, especially if feisty free agent Chris Kunitz—who’s drawing lots of interest from other clubs—moves on.
Tom Kuhnhackl, a left-handed shot who’s comfortable playing either side, could slot behind incumbents Carl Hagelin, Scott Wilson and Jake Guentzel, a natural center who performed brilliantly on the wing. However, depth is definitely an issue.
Glancing at a short list of free-agent options, there’s not a lot to choose from.
| Player | Age | Team | $ (M) | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
| Shane Doan | 40 | ARI | $4.83 | 74 | 6 | 21 | 27 | -3 |
| Jarome Iginla | 39 | COL-LAK | $5.33 | 80 | 14 | 13 | 27 | -30 |
| Jaromir Jagr | 45 | FLA | $5.51 | 82 | 16 | 30 | 46 | 2 |
| Chris Kunitz | 37 | PIT | $3.85 | 71 | 9 | 20 | 29 | 0 |
| Patrick Marleau | 37 | SJS | $6.66 | 82 | 27 | 19 | 46 | 4 |
| Alexander Radulov | 30 | MTL | $5.75 | 76 | 18 | 36 | 54 | 10 |
| Patrick Sharp | 35 | DAL | $5.9 | 48 | 8 | 10 | 18 | -22 |
| Thomas Vanek | 33 | FLA | $2.6 | 68 | 17 | 31 | 48 | -5 |
| Kris Versteeg | 31 | CGY | $0.95 | 69 | 15 | 22 | 37 | -3 |
| Radim Vrbata | 36 | ARI | $3.25 | 81 | 20 | 35 | 55 | -18 |
| Justin Williams | 35 | WSH | $3.25 | 80 | 24 | 24 | 48 | 14 |
Among the most prominent free agents, only the Patricks—Marleau and Sharp—play left wing.
Blessed with good size (6’2” 215), a lethal shot and excellent speed for a big man, Marleau is still dangerous, if streaky, at age 37. Although he plays the type of dynamic, power game the Pens could sorely use, he’ll most likely be too rich for GM Jim Rutherford’s blood.
A four-time 30-goal man with Chicago, Sharp’s seen his once prodigious output tumble the past three seasons a la Kunitz. Unlike “Kuny”, he doesn’t play a strong enough all-around game to compensate for the dip in production.
Conclusion? The Pens may seek a trade…or elect to stand pat for now.
Tomorrow we’ll look at defensemen and goalies.
Duchene is not the answer, like I said before Vanek or Versteeg would fit.
And Boyle would be excellent at third line if Jim could get him 2yrs. at 1.8??
It appears that the Pens answered my question about goaltending. Apparently Buckley said that they would be going after a veteran goalie to give Jarry more time to develope his game, carrying the workload in WBS. So it looks like he will be following Murray’s footsteps of playing at around 2-full seasons in WBS as their no 1.
Hey all,
Almost on cue, two veteran left wings are suddenly available.
Arch-villain Scott Hartnell was bought out by Columbus. And Benoit Pouliot was waived by Edmonton and will be bought out if no team claims him.
Pouliot sounds like a bit of an enigma. But I must confess, Hartnell intrigues me. If Kunitz departs, I wouldn’t mind plugging someone with a bit of nasty into his spot. Hartnell would certainly fit the bill.
He’s not the player he once was (13 goals in ’16-17). And his skating isn’t great. But I’d welcome a 6-2, 214-pound bruiser with a nose for the net, even if he is on the downside.
Rick
Since their contracts were bought out they may be able to get on the very cheap. So that could be an interesting stop gap with the hope of one of the kids stepping up down the line. I guess it will all depend on how the other contracts work out.
Back to FA, Just saw an article saying that Daley has narrowed his list of teams to 2 or 3 and the Pens aren’t one of them.
Hey Other Rick,
Even though JR seemed hopeful Daley would return, I wasn’t expecting him back. But it sure puts an onus on signing Schultz, Dumoulin…and perhaps Hainsey.
Rick
Agreed Rick;
I honestly didn’t think that Daley wold resign, but was hopeful. He still can still skate and has a great shot. For whatever reason, I do think Schultz and Domoulin resign.
Hopefully Maatta has a season like his rookie season to make up for the offensive shortfall that may come from losing Daley. And let’s not forget, Letang may not really come back theLetang of yore.
But looking around the Division the Caps are apparently not interested in signing any of their free agents, but I saw an article suggesting that CBJ isn’t done wheeling and dealing and just may make a deal with the Devil(s) and get the rights to Kovalchuk. So as Was appears to be setting, CBJ looks like they could be on the rise. Imagine Kovalchuck (if returns to form) and Panarin in CBJ.
I am just not sure if Kovalchick fits CBJs personality. Having watched him for several when I was in Atl, he has loads of O but can be a D liability.
However, if they do deal for Kovalchuck, does that push JR to up his ante for Duchene? (Last I read Sakic is asking a ton for him or at least posturing) Does CBJ start and Arms Race in the Metro Division?
They are saying he may have a deal with Detroit already.
Detroit? I was under the impression that Detroit was rebuilding, from their trade deadline moves, so I would have thunk they would rather go with younger guys than sign a 33 yr old FA. However, it doesn’t surprise me that much if the contract is a short term contract, they it may mean they may look to deal him at the trade dead line for draft picks.
With July 1 and FA just around the corner all this talk about FA is pretty good but I want to change gears a bit Rick.
Even before FA, right now the Pens are running their Developmental camp. So another question I have is who is going to be the surprise player, if any. I don’t just mean at developmental camp, but I mean through training camp and maybe opening night.
Who if anyone of these kids does anyone think may make opening night roster? Sprong? Aston – Reese? DiPauli? will Pouliot turn his game around,? Taylor, Prow? Tiffle?
Hey Other Rick,
Boy, that’s a really good question. Seeing as how I completely whiffed on my evaluation of our previous batch of kids (Guentzel, Sheary, etc.) I hardly consider myself an expert when it comes to our developmental pipeline.
Still, I’ll toss in my two cents (which is about all it’s worth). I think Sprong’s the real deal, offensively. He may have been NHL-ready from a scoring standpoint when we had him up in ’14-15. Apparently, his overall game needed a ton of work, which is why Mike Johnston was reluctant to play him and Mike Sullivan sent him back to junior. From what I’ve read, he’s making significant strides.
Aston-Reese is kind of the flip side of your typical Pens’ prospect. It sounds like all the elements of his game are pretty much there…except his skating. He was described in the Trib as having a “slow first step”, which is worrisome given how much we value speed.
The last guy I heard described that way was Sergei Plotnikov. He’s “back in the USSR.”
I hate to sound down on the kid but, nice skill set aside, I don’t think Pouliot’s going to make it. I read recently that he knows he needs to ratchet up his complete level, which is consistent with what I observed last year.
Nobody expects him to drive guys through the boards. But if your battle-level ain’t up to snuff, you’re not gonna’ play for Sullivan.
I don’t know enough about the other kids to form an opinion, although I’ve heard Prow was highly regarded.
How about you? Who do you think will shine?
Rick
I really wish I had the time to head up to Cranberry right now and see these kids in person. I hate trying to judge things on what I read.
However, here goes;
I too think Sprong is the real deal. If the team wan’t as deep as it is at RW I would think he was a shoe in to start on opening night. I still think that the way he is coming together that the Pens might just try and deal 1 or 2 RWs and chance him.
Like you I read that Trib piece on Aston – Reese which made me worry a bit, but I then read another article that said he had picked up some quickness. I also read somewhere where he was compared to both Hornqvist and a young Kunitz.
You make an interesting point about Plotnikov, However, Plotnikov may have had other issues holding him back. He may have had a bit of culture shock. Also, I was never really impressed with his scoring touch.
DiPauli is apparently a big fan of Aston – Reese and had a lot of good things to say about him, although he is just a rookie himself. So he is the kid that intrigues me and makes me want to get a look at him in person. In the end, I don’t if he starts the season out with the Pens but if he shows anything resembling what I have read, he may be here by mid season Like Guentzel.
From what I have read about DiPauli and Tiffel, I think WBS may be looking at them for big things. I think I will be paying a little closer attention to what they are doing down there.
LIke you I am not all that high on Pouliot. When I first saw him play, I was floored by what I saw from him, but he seemed to peak in his first 5 or so Hockey games and has back slid ever since. Maybe he thinks too much and simply doesn’t allow his skill to just show, but I am not sure I would even have given him a qualifying offer.
I haven’t had a chance to see Prow play but I have wanted to see his play after everything I read on him. Statistically, I think he was a disappointment for me last year in WBS. I was hoping that since he was a college player that he would come out more mature like Orpik and Whitney did when they came up, but I guess he needed some time to adjust.
To sum up. I think at least Sprong makes the opening day lineup which means I also think that at least Sheary is traded before then maybe even Rust and/or Hornqvist. I would be very surprised if more than 1 of those 3 are on the roster come March. The fan in me doesn’t want to think about that, I like all three, but reality doesn’t always care about that.
Hey all,
A free-agent left wing I neglected to mention is P.A. Parenteau. Kind of an under-the-radar guy and a bit long in the tooth at 34, but a veteran who possesses a scoring touch. He’s notched 20 goals twice–including two seasons ago with Toronto–and is very good on the power play, where his puck-handling skills and creativity come to the fore.
Inexpensive, too, at $1.25 million.
P.A.’s not an especially good skater, nor is he strong on the defensive side of the ledger, so I don’t think the Pens will bite. Still, given the dearth of free-agent left wings, I thought I’d mention him.
Rick
I want to keep our ” beard”–don’t want that other one
Hey Sandi,
I’d like to keep Bonino, too. So would Jim Rutherford, I’ll bet.
“Bones” possesses a lot of different attributes…grit, defensive acumen, shot-blocking prowess and a subtle scoring touch…that are going to be hard to find in someone else.
Unfortunately, most people feel that another team’s going to throw mad money at Bonino, something we just can’t afford to do.
Rick
I would love to see him stay in the burgh too, but I think he may be pricing himself above what he really brings to a team.
Hey Rick,
While Gagner is coming off of a cheap $650k season, his previous contract was $4.8mil. and he had fairly good season better than Bonino so he will probably be asking for something to where he was at least $3 mil.
I would think that Moore is the best option for the 4th line.
However, I am one of those who thinks that the Pens could get Duchene. One option for the Pens to trade just might be Hornqvist in a deal whith a D man. With Hornqvist in a contract year, he would be a prized rent-a-player at the trade dead line for Col to get another 1st round pick or solid prospect or both. So they could fill a D need and get a great draft pick down the line.
And with the glut of RWs on the Pens roster, particularly the possibility of Spron or Aston-Reese or both on the roster by the trade dead line, that could make a lot of sense.
As for the Ws, the Pens don’t need any more RWs so as interesting as the names of Doan, Inginla, and Jagr, I think we can skip right by them
Although it would be interesting to see if Jagr would come back to the ‘brugh.
My thought still is trying to make a blockbuster deal for not just Duchene but Landeskog. Unfortunately, that one may really cost more than I would be willing to give up.
Actually, maybe not, if I recall Landeskog’s contract, next year his contract goes to a NTC, so if Sakic is really not all that happy with the current state his team is in, he may be willing to trade Landeskog while he can, before the NTC kicks in. So, again, my philosophy of asking, I just might make an offer. It would require some thought though to consider salaries and projected salaries over the next couple of years, since Guentzel, Sprong, Rust, Aston-Reese and many young players contracts will be expiring soon. Therefore, I would have to try and project what Landeskog’s contract would mean 2 years down the line.
But short term, imagine getting both of them.