Pittsburgh Penguins: Top Five Offseason Mistakes to Avoid This Summer

Feb 7, 2015; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Colorado Avalanche forward

(48) in the second period against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. The Minnesota Wild beat the Colorado Avalanche 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

5. Don’t Get Caught Up in Big Names

There are going to be veterans available this summer that have contributed in the past. A great example is Daniel Briere. I’m sure Pittsburgh Penguins fans remember him from his days with Montreal and Philadelphia. He’s been a very good player in the NHL for a long time, but that was decades ago in hockey years.

While it was a different regime, Pittsburgh fell into this trap when they traded for defenseman Douglas Murray. He’s a guy with a well-known name and reputation and Ray Shero traded two second round draft picks for him. When he arrived in Pittsburgh he looked old and slow, because that’s exactly what he was.

They also signed a guy by the name of Rob Scuderi to a long-term deal based on past accolades.  We all know how well that has worked out.

What I’m saying is, don’t get hung up on past successes and big names. This team needs to get younger.