The Penguins are back in action and they will have their hands full with the Tampa Bay Lightning. They are officially kicking off the Tampa Bay, Carolina, Florida, Vegas, Carolina stretch. Big games against big time Eastern Conference teams. While doing poorly during this stretch probably won’t have any impact on their ability to make the playoffs it will probably shed some light on their ability to compete and challenge for a Stanley Cup. The conclusion drawn from these games should be the same. If the Penguins do well, they should add talent and make a run. If they do poorly, they should add talent and get better to potentially make a run. They shouldn’t leave the trade deadline with their 2022 first round pick, either way.
This is a team pot committed to the now. Ron Hextall is going to have to make some moves in the coming weeks whether it is something he is comfortable doing so or not. One way to attempt to alleviate losing first round picks is to explore amateur free agency whether it is from the college ranks or if they are from juniors. Pittsburgh signed a few junior players recently.
The #LetsGoPens signed undrafted 20 y/o F Jordan Frasca to 3 yr Entry Level Deal:
— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) March 1, 2022
Yr 1 750K NHL Salary, 92.5K Signing Bonus, 82.5K GP Bonus, 80K Minors
Yr 2/3 775K/92.5K/57.5K/80K
Cap Hit 859K, AAV 925K
Rep'd by @jwalters82 @ianpulver @WillSportsGroup https://t.co/NqdGHXPDCO
Frasca is an overage junior player and he has 65 points in 44 games. He leads the team with 32 goals. Overage players having great offensive numbers in juniors isn’t exactly uncommon. It isn’t a predictor of future success in the NHL. It is a free lottery ticket, though. The more the better.
Pittsburgh also signed a goaltender, Taylor Gauthier
The #LetsGoPens signed undrafted 21 y/o G Taylor Gauthier to 3 yr ELC:
— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) March 2, 2022
Yr 1 750K NHL Salary, 92.5K Signing Bonus, 82.5K GP Bonus, 80K Minors
Yr 2/3 775K/92.5K/57.5K/80K
Cap Hit 859K, AAV 925K
Rep'd by Allain Roy @royhockeygroup https://t.co/StOMfOzdgh
Hi @penguins fans,
— The WHL (@TheWHL) March 1, 2022
May we interest you in a Taylor Gauthier @pdxwinterhawks highlight reel? pic.twitter.com/GmMXgl6TvH
Gauthier is also an overage player. He leads all WHL goaltenders with a .932 save percentage among goaltenders with at least 20 games played.
These are good signings because there is no risk. Whether or not they pan out there were no assets spent to find out. Teams spends hundreds of draft picks a year to have players not pan out. That’s the reality of not being in the top of round 1. Acquire as many lottery tickets as you can. If you’re the Penguins spend your draft picks to teams to improve the current roster for Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang. It’s a win now situation. Get creative replacing those lottery tickets.
Thanks for reading!