The Penguins bottom six as currently constructed is subpar. It is going to put way too much pressure on the top six. It resembles the late-stage Shero years. The Penguins only have 2.7M in cap space left so it isn’t going to be an easy task. Kasperi Kapanen, Danton Heinen, and Evan Rodrigues are still unsigned. The latter two are UFA’s. Kapanen is on the path to arbitration.
To bring the bottoms six even to last year’s standard they will have to make a trade to cut salary. Brian Dumoulin, Marcus Pettersson, and Brock McGinn are candidates for this. Even if they do move someone out it won’t be an easy task to improve this area of the roster with 5.4-6.7M in space. There are some ways to make the money work if they want.
I believe the Penguins are the oldest team in the league at 30 years old. They might as well lean into it. If they do find some extra money, they should get some Jeff Carter insurance for the center position. Carter’s 2021-22 season wasn’t very good. His contract extension was hanging over his every mediocre performance. There are certainly no guarantees it gets better in his year 37 season.
There’s an older center with a very good track record. His cap hit was 3.75M last year, but he might not be chasing dollars. He is looking for a contender. Now whether or not the Penguins fit his description of contender is up for debate, but he is a player I would definitely reach out to even if , he too, will be 37 years old this season. I am talking about Paul Stastny. Who is still showing signs of life.
Not too shabby if you can get him on a deal around the 1-1.5M range.
ICYMI: A look at what's left on the NHL's frozen free-agent market. Fifteen names to watch on CJ's UFA Bargain Board:https://t.co/SkSAOPNSQP
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) July 18, 2022
Stastny has been comfortable waiting out the market and seeing where things settle. His biggest priority is finding a team where he has a chance to chase a Stanley Cup, so this next contract is more about opportunity than dollars. He could be a sneaky good add for a contender in the second wave of free agency.
Beggars can’t be choosers and I think this is an opportunity for the team to get the most bang for their buck while bargain shopping. They are already as old as dirt, what is another old player? Successfully making this signing also has the potential to move Jeff Carter to the wing position. Or at the very least maybe they can load manage Carter’s minutes this upcoming season with the presence of someone like Paul Stastny in the lineup.
The Penguins don’t have much to trade. They don’t have much cap space. What can they realistically do to improve their bottom six? I think signing Paul Stastny is one of the few prudent options.
Thanks for reading!