It's Jun. 30, and that means NHL free agency is just one day away.

In years past, there was much more fanfare surrounding Jul. 1, especially since there was talent to be had in unrestricted free agency. That's not to say there isn't any talent this season, but there certainly isn't nearly as much intrigue surrounding the free agent class this season as opposed to years past.

Just take it from Pittsburgh Penguins' president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas, who actually laughed when asked about whether or not the Penguins will turn to free agency to fill talent holes. 

"We can be as aggressive as we want on Jul. 1, but if you look at what's available, it could be an expensive mistake," Dubas said. "And I try to learn from the past. We'll try to steer clear of that."

Even if Pittsburgh could risk making some "expensive mistakes," however, that doesn't mean they won't be active on Jul. 1 - they just aren't likely to overpay.

So, what should Penguins' fans expect when free agency begins at noon ET? Here are three storylines to watch.

After the trade that sent left defenseman and Erik Karlsson's partner Parker Wotherspoon to the Vegas Golden Knights for right defenseman Kaeden Korczak - as well as the free agent signing of veteran blueliner Trevor van Riemsdyk - the Penguins are loaded up on the right side, but they are pretty barren on the left.

As of now, they have Karlsson, Korczak, van Riemsdyk, Kris Letang, and Harrison Brunicke on the right side - in addition to Finn Harding and Chase Pietila right behind them as far as depth in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) - so it is becoming a crowded place. In contrast, the Penguins now have just Sam Girard, Ryan Graves, Caleb Jones, and Ilya Solovyov left over from last year's NHL roster on the left side, and Owen Pickering, Jake Livanavage, and Maleek McGowan will be pushing for a roster spot from WBS. The only surefire NHL-caliber player there - right now - is Girard.

In free agency, options are limited. 27-year-old San Jose Sharks UFA Mario Ferraro is, potentially, a name to keep an eye on, as he recorded seven goals and 23 points last season and is a perfectly solid bottom-pair guy who can be had for relatively cheap. Same goes for Calgary Flames 28-year-old UFA Jake Bean, who played just 16 games with Calgary last season because of a season-ending injury sustained in December.

And, of course, there's still a few big names to watch on the trade market if the Penguins want to shoot higher. Zach Werenski and Thomas Harley are hot names, as is Alexander Nikishin, as the Carolina Hurricanes are exploring his market.

This is definitely a situation to keep an eye on Jul. 1 and into the rest of the summer.

To be upfront about this, I believe this is unlikely.

Dubas said last summer that he believed offer sheets aren't particularly viable in the rising cap environment: Teams not only have more cap space to match offers, but the pick compensation is also going to make things more complicated, as it will be a bit hard to predict how that ratio is going to work relative to the cap. 

It's difficult to completely rule it out because there are some cap-strapped teams. However, with prime offer sheet candidates already off the board in Mavrik Bourque and Nick Robertson - the latter of which the Penguins already traded for from the Toronto Maple Leafs - it's hard to imagine much happening there. 

Perhaps blueliners Braden Schneider and Arber Xhekaj made some degree of sense, but only for a reasonable cap hit - and I doubt Dubas would surrender first-rounders for either, meaning he can't go above $4.68 million. RFAs like Nikishin will cost too much on an offer sheet.

Again, I doubt this is the route they'll take. But never say never.

Following Dubas's body of work, it's clear that he likes to make trades after Jul. 1 - particularly in the month of August. The Karlsson deal happened in August of 2023. The Rutger McGroarty deal in August of 2024. 

But, given the trade market landscape right now, it's hard to imagine, if the Penguins are indeed shooting big in the trade market, that they will be able to wait that long to get something done.

Rumors have been swirling about superstar winger Jason Robertson, and Pittsburgh is in the thick of it. For three of the other teams that were revealed to have checked in on Robertson - the Seattle Kraken, St. Louis Blues, and Ottawa Senators - it was almost immediately shot down that Robertson would sign long-term with those teams. 

So far, that hasn't been the case for Pittsburgh, and it's reasonable to think it would have been shot down by now if there was no interest, on his part, in coming to Pittsburgh.

As mentioned before, the Penguins are loaded up on the right side. A guy like Karlsson immediately makes a win-now team better. A guy like Brunicke gives a playoff-hopeful team something to look forward to. If the player is right, both of these guys are probably going to be in play, and Dallas needs right-side defensemen.

The chances of the Penguins pulling something as massive as Robertson off are slim, especially given their asset pool. But that doesn't mean it can't get done. And that doesn't mean they still won't be in the mix for a guy like Nikishin, or even a guy like Anaheim Ducks defenseman Pavel Mintyukov. 

So, stay tuned. Things could get pretty interesting in the coming days.

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