Pittsburgh Penguins: The 5 Worst Contracts Heading Into the Offseason

Feb 6, 2015; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Johnston on his bench against the Calgary Flames during the second period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

With what is sure to be an eventful offseason already entering full-swing, Pittsburgh Penguins General Manager Jim Rutherford and Head Coach Mike Johnston are sure to be faced with a number of perplexing decisions, difficult questions and seemingly impossible hurdles. The team’s disappointing finish to the regular season, and ultimately the playoffs, highlighted a number of problems with the team’s structure, a number of which could be found in the form of poor contracts.

While a great deal of space will be opened by players whose contracts expired, including Craig Adams and Thomas Griess, the Penguins will still find themselves handicapped by a series of incredulous contractual obligations. With a championship-caliber team, it is natural to invest a great deal of money in top-tier players. One of the Penguins’ primary problems, however, is that so much money has been dedicated to players who are no longer top-tier and are, as such, limiting the team’s ability to field a deep and full roster.

The unfortunate reality is that there are more than a few of these type of contracts on the Penguins, but here are the five worst that the team must try to rid themselves of if they wish to propel themselves past the disappointing results of the 2014-2015 campaign.

Apr 22, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Ben Lovejoy (12) and New York Rangers right wing Kevin Hayes (13) battle for the puck during the third period in game four of the first round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the CONSOL Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

5. Ben Lovejoy

The appearance of this New Hampshire native will surprise almost no one. When Rutherford traded the polarizing Simon Despres to the Anaheim Ducks for Ben Lovejoy, it seemed as though the Penguins faithful emitted one, tremendous gasp. One question revolved around the decision: why?

Trading a 23-year-old defenseman with immense potential for a 31-year-old veteran was an almost inconceivable decision. Despres had shown signs of promise offset by the occasional mistake, but the Pittsburgh press began to report that the young defenseman had apparently lost the trust of the Penguins.

And yet, it would seem that the Ducks have always known which player they were receiving. Since moving across the country to California, Despres has put up consistently strong performances and has become a strong component of the team’s second defensive pairing.

Rutherford indicated that the initial move was driven by unidentified personnel who had been with the team back when Lovejoy was initially with the Penguins. The idea that lower level members of the Penguins’ hockey operations staff could persuade the general manager to make such a perplexing decision remains perplexing in and of itself.

And so the Penguins ditched a 23-year-old player with remarkable upside making only $900,000 for a 31-year-old veteran who disappointed consistently throughout the playoffs who will make $1.2 million in 2015-2016.

Even Rutherford has admitted this was a mistake.

Oct 22, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) and right wing Pascal Dupuis (right) celebrate a goal by Dupuis against the Philadelphia Flyers during the second period at the CONSOL Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

4. Pascal Dupuis

Choosing a player who was forced to miss most of the season thanks to injury may seem like an unfair decision, especially considering that Pascal Dupuis has been a mainstay of the powerhouse Penguins offense in years past.

But at 36 years of age, Dupuis is already heading toward the twilight of his career. Toss in the tearing of his ACL in February 2014 and incredibly dangerous blood clot diagnosis that he received in November 2014, and it becomes clear that the winger is playing on incredibly limited time.

However, Dupuis is contracted through 2016-2017. This upcoming season, he will be making $4 million and he will earn $3 million in the final season of that contract. When it expires, he will be 38 years old.

While the work ethic, determination and passion displayed by Dupuis is undeniable, it is also unmistakable that the past several seasons have marked a steady decline in his numbers. He posted a career best 59 points in 2011-2012 and tallied a stellar 38 marks during the shortened 2012-2013 season, but slipped to 20 and then 11 in the previous two seasons. Granted that those two seasons were cut short by injury, but given the severity of his ailments and his age, it would be surprising to see him return to his peak form.

I would love to be disproved by Dupuis and see him return better than ever. But the fact is that the Penguins need to become younger and cheaper, and contracting an injury-riddled 36-year-old winger will not help them any.

I remain hopeful that Dupuis retires, eliminates his cap hit as he signed his contract before turning 35 and then joins the Penguins staff, à la Bill Guerin. I want to see Dupuis remain a Penguin, but it might be time for him to take a position off the ice and give the team some more financial flexibility on it.

Feb 6, 2015; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Pittsburgh Penguins left wing David Perron (39) skates against the Calgary Flames during the second period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Pittsburgh Penguins won 4-0. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

3. David Perron

Like all the other players on this list, I would love to see David Perron prove me wrong. But until further notice, the addition of Perron to the Penguins roster has been a bust.

Received after the team transferred their first round pick to the Edmonton Oilers, Perron managed to tally 22 points over the course of 43 games for the Penguins in 2015. This may not sound to terrible at face-value, but when you take into account that he scored 13 of those 22 points during his first month and a half with the team and only managed one two-point game after the beginning February, the questions begin to mount.

In the playoffs, he only mustered one assist in five games. Had he performed up to the expectations established of him, he could have helped to propel the team over the New York Rangers, who defeated them by one goal in every single game. Instead, when you factor in the fact that he managed one assist in the final 13 games of the regular season, he became one of the major reasons for the team’s disappointing finish.

Although there is only one year left on his contract, Perron will be making $4.5 million. This is why he ranks higher than Lovejoy. The number of depth players who could be added to the team with that money should not be underestimated. For instance, assuming that current free agents would be taking a relatively similar cap hit to the one they had last season, the Penguins could add defenseman Michael Del Zotto ($1.3 million) and winger Marcus Johansson ($2 million) and still have money left over.

There is a good chance that the 26-year-old Perron was simply experiencing the pinch of playing on an injury-riddled Penguins roster. However, given his cap hit and what the Penguins gave up to receive him, it is not unreasonable to expect more from him. His contract will be a limitation on the team until further notice.

Dec 31, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Chris Kunitz (14) reacts after scoring a goal against the Carolina Hurricanes during the first period at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Penguins won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

2. Chris Kunitz

My opinion of Chris Kunitz has already been expressed at length and it has not changed.

During the 2014-2015 regular season, Kunitz scored 17 goals and 23 assists for a total of 40 points across his 74 games. This marked his lowest total since his injury-shortened 2009-2010 season. He even managed less points than during the 48 game season in 2012-2013, when he managed 52 points.

This is made even more distressing when you examine the final three months of Kunitz’s season. From February 1 until the final game on April 11, a timespan that covered 33 games, the 35-year-old winger scored nine points. Three of those points came during a contest against the Carolina Hurricanes on February 6. From March 7 until the season’s close, he managed one assist and had a streak of 11 games without a point.

Poised to make $4 million during the upcoming season and $3.550 million the season after, that level of production is unacceptable from a player making first-line money. If the Penguins could find a suitor for his contract, they would be fools not to make the move. Unfortunately, it appears that the team will be saddled with the aging, declining Kunitz for at least two more seasons as he continues to hold the team back.