Pittsburgh Penguins Free Agency: To Sign or Not to Sign?
By Mike Necciai
Apr 22, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Paul Martin (7) shoots as New York Rangers center Derek Stepan (21) and defenseman Ryan McDonagh (27) and goalie Henrik Lundqvist (30) defend the net during the first 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
Paul Martin
It pains me to say this, but Paul Martin’s time in Pittsburgh is done. And it should be.
I wrote an entire piece discussing Martin that you can find here. Despite the fact that they’re going to miss him tremendously, they have young guys like Olli Maatta, Scott Harrington, and Brian Dumoulin that will develop into a similar type of defenseman. Maatta is already nearing that level.
Martin will likely be signing his final NHL contract somewhere this summer in hopes of finally winning a championship. He’s going to command a similar salary to what he currently makes, and Pittsburgh can’t afford another $4 million+ veteran contract.
It’s been a pleasure watching Paul Martin over the last four years (the first of his five wasn’t so enjoyable). But, it’s time to part ways.
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