Pittsburgh Penguins: Top 5 Personnel Decisions Facing the Pens This Summer

Dec 18, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Blake Comeau (17) skates with the puck against the Colorado Avalanche during the overtime period at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Penguins won 1-0 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

4. Blake Comeau

Winger Blake Comeau was the biggest surprise of any player on the Pens’ roster this season.

Signed to a one-year, $700,000 deal, Comeau surpassed all expectations, earning his place among the Pens’ top-six and contributing with 16 goals and 31 points in 61 games (a 20-goal pace, when projected over a full season).

Comeau also came up with five game-winning goals and established some decent chemistry with Malkin, making him a likely candidate to return.

The big issue here will be the fact that he’s clearly in line for a raise.

Should he choose to take a discount to return to Pittsburgh, Rutherford may be able to bring Comeau back with only a slight bump in salary.

However, after showing he can still score at a 20-goal clip, other clubs will certainly offer a higher dollar amount, meaning Comeau could leave town for a bigger contract, as was the case with Jussi Jokinen last year.

At age 29, one could hardly blame Comeau for looking to cash in before his career comes to a close, though he’s proved himself as an excellent potential addition to this team.