Going into the offseason, many assumed the Pittsburgh Penguins would take the next step into contention. They just finished a season where they shocked many by getting back into the playoffs, and with an abundance of draft picks and cap space, many thought they would land some big upgrades. That didn't happen as trade prices and options in free agency didn't make sense.
With the initial wave of the offseason now over, it's easy to criticize the Penguins additions on the trade front and free agency.
They did nothing to move the needle, in fact, you can question if they are as good of a team as the one who lost to the Flyers in the playoffs. Teams around their division have gotten better, but Pittsburgh might be starting to see their ship take on water once again.
Pittsburgh Penguins Trades and additions in Free Agency provide more questions than answers
This trade still doesn't make much sense. Basically, they added another young player to an already crowded group of skaters. Hendrix Lapierre has never been a massive offensive factor in the NHL, yet the Penguins paid a premium to acquire him from the Capitals. Unless he breaks out at 24 years old, this won't make sense.
At least Lapierre isn't a costly gamble at his meager contractual price.
If the Penguins didn't overstock the cupboards on the right side of their defense, then this trade would make more sense. Kaden Korczak is a gamble because he hasn't taken on a big role yet, but he is young and under cheap contract control for a while. Losing Parker Wotherspoon continues to make little sense as Pittsburgh doesn't seem to have a fix for the left side of their defensive pairings.
When they made the trade for Nick Robertson, it seemed like an easy win. Then they announced his extension, which was pricier then many anticipated. Perhaps bringing in Robertson will make a trade for his brother, Jason Robertson possible.
Either way, the Penguins now have to play Nick Robertson in a bigger role because of the salary they are paying him, instead of being an experimental addition.
The logjam of right shot defensemen continues to be baffling for the Penguins. Unless they make further trades this offseason to add left shot help, the addition of Trevor van Riemsdyk in free agency doesn't add up. He can play both sides, but he is much more effective on the right side. Not only do the Penguins get older by adding van Riemsdyk but he holds Harrison Brunicke out of the NHL.
Here is the Anthony Mantha replacement as Andrei Kuzmenko is someone with prior NHL success, but a laundry list of injuries during his career. Perhaps joining the Penguins will help turn his career around similar to Mantha, but only time will tell. It's a reasonable gamble for Pittsburgh, and it's only a one-year trial run. Kuzmenko might be the best move they made during free agency thus far.
Kind of a shocking grade of Declan Carlile as many don't love the signing for Pittsburgh. In reality, this is a low costing gamble on a player they hope will be the replacement for Parker Wotherspoon. It makes sense on paper as both players have some similarities, but Carlile has much less experience. Wotherspoon had 108 NHL games coming to Pittsburgh whereas Carlile only has 46.
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