More than a month has passed since the otherwise ordinary New York Islanders steamrolled the Pittsburgh Penguins into an offseason of utter uncertainty.
So now what?
The Penguins aren’t about to venture into a rebuilding era, not with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin on their roster. This summer’s plan is to retool, not rebuild.
Advertisement
Jim Rutherford’s position when he took the job as Penguins general manager in 2014 wasn’t all that different. The only differences then were that his stars were five years younger and his pool of prospects, while hardly of the five-star variety, was better.
The job then wasn’t easy, but it is decidedly more difficult now. Still, it is not impossible.
Here is a list of suggestions for Rutherford and the Penguins as the franchise’s most important offseason in half a decade is about to commence.
1. Don’t trade Kris Letang
I know, I know. The Penguins have proven they can win without Letang, and Letang has proven during the Penguins’ last six playoff games — starting with his awful performance in Game 5 against the Capitals in 2018 — that he can’t always be trusted in the postseason.
It’s not that he should be viewed as untouchable, but trading Letang at this point in time would likely be a big mistake. Let’s not forget that he was outstanding during the 2018-19 season. Every now and then, yes, he burns you. But for the most part, he helps the Penguins win on a nightly basis.
Also, the Penguins are staggeringly thin on the blue line throughout their system, and their only other true offensive weapon among defensemen, Justin Schultz, has but one year remaining on his contract. This is no time to trade Letang.
Rutherford has taken an enormous amount of heat for his comments last month that the Penguins’ blue line is better than at any point during his tenure. I don’t agree with Rutherford. However, I also don’t think their defense is all that bad. Letang and Brian Dumoulin form one of the NHL’s best pairings. As a third pairing, Marcus Pettersson and Erik Gudbranson were quite good. Schultz was hurt for most of the season but is a reliable, top-four, right-handed defenseman. There are only so many of those. Maybe the Penguins need an upgrade over Jack Johnson or Olli Maatta in the top four on the left side. Fair enough. But let’s not act like the blue line is a disaster because it isn’t.
Advertisement
Losing Letang, though, could be disastrous.
2. Don’t trade Evgeni Malkin
Snicker at this if you will, but Rutherford didn’t exactly deny the possibility that he was thinking about dealing Malkin when asked in April. I don’t know if Malkin will spend the remainder of his hockey career with the Penguins, but I do know that now almost certainly isn’t the time to deal him. It’s a trade you almost certainly aren’t going to win.
Yes, he can be maddening. Yes, at 32, there should be a hell of a lot more maturity in his game. This is undeniable.
But he’s also an all-time great, and betting on him to put together a couple more great seasons seems like the prudent course of action.
3. Make a decision on Patric Hornqvist
Hornqvist scored three goals in his final 39 games last season and looked a shell of himself after enduring his fifth concussion in as many seasons. Maybe he’s done being an impactful player.
If the Penguins believe this, they need to trade him now. And that’s OK. He has been a great warrior for the Penguins and scored some of the most unforgettable goals in franchise history. But players like him don’t last forever, and the Penguins need to make a decision.
If he’s going to be a bottom-six guy and receive something less than full-time work with the power play, then he can’t possibly justify his salary and needs to be moved before trading him becomes too difficult.
Put him in the top six and on the power play or ship him out. Neither decision is the wrong one. But the gray area Hornqvist was in regarding his usage last spring was puzzling and unproductive.
4. Commit to an identity
The Bruins, Kings and Capitals have won the Stanley Cup in recent seasons largely because they were bigger, tougher and more physical than their opposition. Sure, plenty of talent was on display, too. But they were in the “heavy team” mold, and either the Bruins or Blues will win the Stanley Cup this season playing a similar brand.
Advertisement
However, the Penguins and Blackhawks also won championships during the past decade — six of them, to be precise — largely because of top-tier talent.
The point? You can win a championship using either method. One isn’t really better than the other. But making up your mind and sticking to a direction is important. In the Penguins’ case, it would be quite prudent to return to the style of hockey that saw them use their speed and skill to win the Cup in 2016 and 2017. They should act accordingly this summer. Look into acquiring Jason Zucker? Sure. Bring back Carl Hagelin? Maybe. The Penguins were noticeably slower than some of their opponents this past season, and it’s a trend that needs to be reversed.
5. Trade Tristan Jarry
The return value might not be sensational, but Jarry deserves a chance to become an NHL goalie. Matt Murray is the goal for the present and future. Casey DeSmith is a capable backup who works relatively cheap. Sure, goaltending depth in a system is a nice thing to have, but not at the expense of someone’s career. I don’t know if Jarry will be a good NHL goalie, but his pedigree says he deserves that opportunity.
Plus, he will give the Penguins an asset or two in return.
6. Trade Phil Kessel
It’s time. Kessel did exactly what he was supposed to do in Pittsburgh. He never missed a game, put up impressive numbers and helped the Penguins win two Cups.
He also isn’t the same player that he was four years ago. He’ll be 32 in October. He no longer has the breakaway speed that once made him so unique. He has more trouble getting separation from defensemen than he once did, which explains why his shot totals are consistently dropping. It’s not an unwillingness to shoot, but he isn’t getting the good looks to which he once was accustomed.
He went more than two months last season without scoring an even-strength goal. He plays hard when he wants to, as evidenced by the fact that he was the Penguins’ best player in the Islanders series. It’s great that he shows up in the playoffs, but it’s not so becoming that he goes long stretches of regular season action without looking interested.
Advertisement
I’m not anti-Kessel. I think he’s still a terrific player and hardly a bad guy. I am well aware of the fact that he remains a point-per-game player. But ask yourself this: If he played on another team, do you think he’d still be a point-per-game player? I don’t think he would and, while there’s something to be said for Kessel being a valuable fit with the Penguins, I can tell you that it’s extremely likely that he will be traded this summer. Kessel isn’t without his flaws, and the Penguins are in a position where they would be best served to move on and use that $6.8 million elsewhere.
7. Shed some more salary
The Penguins have some people on their roster who simply make too much money. You know the names. They aren’t all bad players; in fact, some of them are quite good. But players like Hornqvist, Nick Bjugstad, Bryan Rust, Gudbranson, Johnson and Maatta all make a lot of money. Those six players alone combine for around $24.2 million against the salary cap next season. Given that Crosby, Jake Guentzel, Malkin, Kessel and Letang already take up approximately $38.3 million, or nearly half of the team’s allotted salary space, some changes need to be made.
Losing players like Kessel, Hornqvist and Maatta, for instance, would be tough to handle. But it will also free the Penguins of around $16 million in cap space and could bring something of quality in return and some fresh blood. Additionally, while spending money on the free agent market is risky business, this summer’s crop is very good.
8. Don’t commit to the latest young wave
Dominik Simon does some things very well. Scoring goals isn’t one of them. Zach Aston-Reese has potential, but he’s also failed to make a major impact in his two seasons with the Penguins. They’re attractive to the Penguins because they work cheap. But if it turns out that they aren’t good enough, then they need to be replaced. Plain and simple.
9. Don’t worry about the locker room
Rutherford has commented many times during the past two seasons that the locker room needs certain personalities. Ideally, the locker room would be comprised of the most perfect personalities imaginable. But life doesn’t work that way.
As long as Crosby is the Penguins’ captain, the locker room will be fine. He’s grown considerably in that role in recent seasons.
10. Don’t watch a second of the Stanley Cup final
As previously mentioned, the teams competing for the Stanley Cup play a brand of hockey that the Penguins don’t specialize in. And that’s fine. You can win with speed and talent. The faster the Penguins get back to being faster, the better off they’ll be. This summer is a good time to start.
(Photo: Justin Berl/Getty Images)
