Pittsburgh Penguins: Free Agency Nears – 5 Options for the Pens in a Weak Market
By Mike Necciai
The Pittsburgh Penguins haven’t given up on acquiring a big name top-six winger via trade. Talks continue with Toronto for Phil Kessel, and T.J. Oshie remains someone of interest for Jim Rutherford and staff. But, it’s time to start looking at the free agency market as well to fill voids.
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The toughest part about free agency this summer is that the Pittsburgh Penguins are quickly being priced out of contention for any real impact players. With the recent contracts given to mid-level UFA’s like Carl Soderberg and Mike Fisher, the price is going to sky rocket for the Drew Stafford‘s of the world.
This simply means that the Pens will need to be smart, and not focus on making a splash when July 1 rolls around. If there’s a trade made before then, obviously the mindset changes and you have to plan accordingly based on what you’ve received and forfeited. However, if you look at what’s available right now, the Pens have few options that are realistic given their current cap space and needs.
On the following slides we’ll discuss a few of the best options for the Pittsburgh Penguins this summer. This is an updated list from when I originally touched on this topic, as we now have a good idea of who will still be on the market. Keep in mind, these aren’t in order of best to worst or vice versa, but just a look at five options that make a lot of sense for this team.