CTC Off-Season Outlook Anthony Wyng Style: Pittsburgh Penguins
Team #24
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
Ladies and Gentlemen, your 2008-2009 National Hockey League Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins.
Ok, now that I have moved that out of the way, let’s figure out what exactly this Penguins club could possibly be in need of.
These Penguins are the defending Stanley Cup Champions, and just today, re-signed two pretty significant pieces which helped them advance through the playoffs and raise the cup at the end of the season (Guerin and Adams). With most of the core already locked up, it might just be two or three new faces to make up for the players lost come the start of the season. That is, if they are salary cap friendly players/contracts.
A repeat, or at least a third apperance to the Cup finals in as many years is definately something to consider from this Penguins club. They have all the tools, in all the right places, for all the right situations.
Let’s take a look at the roster:
The Blue Line:
Sergei Gonchar, Brooks Orpik, Mark Eaton, Alex Goligoski, Kris Letang
Cap hit: $13.5
UFA: Philippe Boucher, Hal Gill, Rob Scuderi
RFA: none
Scuderi is looking for a massive pay raise, while Boucher and Gill probably won’t be back. I personally feel Gill could be a solid addition for a third pairing veteran player. So we shall assume that Gill is back, and Scuderi walks.
estimated cap hit with re-signings: $15 million
The Fowards:
Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, Chris Kunitz, Pascal Dupuis, Matt Cooke, Maxime Talbot, ERic Godard, Tyler Kennedy, Craig Adams, Bill Guerin
Cap hit: $32.8 million
UFA: Ruslan Fedotenko, Miroslav Satan, Petr Sykora, Mike Zigomanis
RFA: Paul Bissonnette, Tim Wallace
If the Penguins are smart, they find a way to bring back Fedotenko, with the rest walking. Bissonnette and Wallace could get qualifying offers and stay in the AHL, but Fedotenko is the only real key signing here, as it is most likely been rumored that Sykora walks.
estimated cap hit with re-signings: $34.4 million
In net:
Marc-Andre Fleury
Cap hit: $5 million
UFA: Mathieu Garon
RFA: John Curry
Total team cap hit (estimated): $54.4 million
Team needs: Back up goaltender, third unit d-man, another d-man, second line forward. With very little cap space to play with, it will be interesting to see who exactly is brought back, at what price, and who they try to go after via the UFA market. Keep an eye on the Penguins this week for sure!
