The Pittsburgh Penguins exceeded expectations by making the playoffs, but some observers believe it's time they break with their past and consider parting ways with their top veteran players.
The Pittsburgh Penguins were expected to miss the playoffs when this season began.
However, the retooling club exceeded expectations, finishing second in the Metropolitan Division with 98 points.
Despite that solid regular-season performance, they were eliminated from the first round by the Philadelphia Flyers. That early exit has some observers wondering if GM Kyle Dubas will continue to retool his roster or make more significant changes.
Pittsburgh Hockey Now's Dan Kingerski believes the Penguins must shed their past and build their future. If this season is the best the current roster can do, he sees no reason to retain their plethora of veterans.
Among those veterans are longtime Penguins stars Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. They also include defenseman Erik Karlsson and forwards Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell. Kingerski believes there's no point in keeping them if they're no longer capable of carrying the team.
ESPN.com's Kristen Shilton noted that the Penguins have four picks in the first three rounds of this year's draft. She suggested they could get more if they attempt to trade Crosby this summer. The Penguins captain has a year left on his contract, and Shilton believes he doesn't want to spend it fronting a rebuilding club.
Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review believes Dubas must decide whether to re-sign Malkin or let him depart via free agency. He must also determine the fates of his other pending UFAs, such as Anthony Mantha and Stuart Skinner.
Rorabaugh's colleague, Joe Starkey, thinks the Penguins shouldn't attempt to discard some of their core veterans, such as Malkin and Letang, after watching their performances against the Flyers. He suggests that Dubas attempt to provide support for those aging stars.
Dubas will likely continue on his path of transitioning away from older veterans toward promising young talent.
Letting Malkin depart via free agency seems the most likely place to start. Despite the 39-year-old center's bounce-back season and his eagerness to stay, Dubas seems reluctant to get down to serious contract extension talks.
Malkin's departure could affect Crosby's willingness to play out the final season of his contract, but the Penguins captain would likely fulfill that obligation. Whether he'll stick around after that remains to be seen. He has a full no-movement clause, giving him the final say about his future.
Karlsson has a year left on his deal, and his trade value may have improved after his solid performance this season. He still has a cap hit of $11.5 million, with the Penguins carrying $10 million, but he will make $7.5 million in actual salary next season, with the Penguins paying off $6 million of that in a signing bonus on July 1. That will make him more affordable dollar-wise, but his no-movement clause remains a sticking point.
As for Letang, the 39-year-old defenseman has two more years left on his deal with an average annual value of $6.1 million and a 10-team trade list starting next season. It's doubtful another club will take the fading blueliner off the Penguins' hands.
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