This offseason for the Pittsburgh Penguins is going to be crucial due to cap space. However, a few key trades could shake up things for the better going into next year.
The Pittsburgh Penguins will have a total of 11 contracts to work out this summer, 11! With those contracts come impending cap space issues and question marks surrounding specific trades. This article isn’t to start trade rumors or speculation, just to play GM for a day.
With that, let’s put on our best Jim Rutherford hat, grab our Fiji water, and open up the trading block. To not make a huge splash and completely rearrange the Penguins roster, we are going to look at three potential players that the Penguins should trade out. From those three players, we look at five potential incoming players to either fill the void or stack up another needed position.
Our three suitors to get the boot out this summer are Nick Bjugstad, Justin Schultz, and Matt Murray. For Bjugstad, his inability to ever really get going or stay healthy in Pittsburgh. As for Schultz, the juice isn’t worth the squeeze anymore as he’s been passed over by Marino and Pettersson.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Top 5 players to target via trade in 2020
Moving on to Murray, it’s a tough call, even playing a fake General Manager. This call will be difficult for Rutherford and Sullivan to make as either he or Tristan Jarry depart. It’s not smart money to keep both, so with Murray being worth more, you trade him.
Murray and Jarry are the same players in between the pipes, but Jarry is younger and cheaper. With all 3 of these guys come cities that they could go to, but for who or what in return? 2 out of 3 of these trades would be considered blockbuster deals, so let’s start with the milder or the three businesses and work our way up.