Good morning and happy Wednesday to you all! Today I'm joined by Penguins blogger Ryan Wilson who has provided his list for the Pens.
PENGUINS PROTECTION LIST
FORWARDS
Sidney Crosby Evgeni Malkin Jake Guentzel Bryan Rust Jason Zucker Jared McCann Kasperi Kapanen
DEFENSE
Kris Letang Brian Dumoulin Marcus Pettersson
GOALIE
Tristan Jarry
EXPOSURE REQUIREMENTS - FORWARD Jeff Carter Sam Lafferty Brandon Tanev
EXPOSURE REQUIREMENTS - DEFENSE Michael Matheson Chad Ruhwedel
EXPOSURE REQUIREMENTS - GOALIE Casey DeSmith
Rationale for leaving Tanev and Matheson unprotected is they are not worth their contract.
Protecting McCann because he has trade value more so than Teddy Blueger or other forwards.
I'm not overly interested in giving up a first or 2nd round pick to get out of the Tanev or Matheson deals.
---
Thanks for the words Ryan!
If I was to sum up the options available from Pittsburgh in a couple words it would be, "need to reach the cap floor." I wouldn't target guys such as Matheson or Tanev as their contracts are not only high but each are far too long. A player such as Jeff Carter however may be more enticing due to his 5.2 million dollar deal with only a single year remaining on his deal.
Alternatively there are a couple younger options in forwards such as Sam Lafferty or Teddy Blueger that could fit in well with a brand new team and earn a more prolific spot in the lineup.
Lastly Casey DeSmith has shown some skill this year and could be an option as a third goalie to select but I do believe there will be better options available.
What say you? Who would you select from the Pittsburgh Penguins?