A look at the state of the Pittsburgh Penguins after the official opening of free agency.

With Kyle Dubas now at the helm of hockey operations for the Pittsburgh Penguins, changes were sure to be abound. While there were many additions and subtractions, one thing stayed the same: the starting goaltender.

The Penguins’ postseason streak was snapped following a below-standard season in Pittsburgh. The previous regime was fired and now Dubas and his team run the show.

With the signings/trades of the past few days and the retention of other players who seemed destined to play elsewhere next season, I’ve got some thoughts on the state of the team as it stands following day one of free agency.

The Jarry-sized Elephant in the Room

Oh boy. This one has not been received well across the fan base and for good reason. Tristan Jarry has always been a pretty average goalie. He’ll give you some elite stretches of play and he’ll give you totally abysmal stretches. He’ll also be unavailable to you for the most important times of the season.

Unfortunately for Dubas, the 28-year-old goaltender had all the leverage and he used every bit of it. Jarry got the long-term deal he wanted to sign with the Penguins when it seemed nearly impossible that he’d get more than a one or two-year deal.

Jarry’s new five-year deal will pay him $5.375 million annually. Typing that out still feels like an error.

Regardless, the Penguins will trudge on with Jarry and newly-signed goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic as their tandem. One would assume Casey DeSmith is now a lame duck.

Jarry’s going to have to ensure that he’s healthy for the stretch run and the playoffs going forward. His .891 career playoff save percentage doesn’t scream “top-10 goaltender” money but Jarry now ranks near that category.

The market collapsed fairly quickly with goalies flying off the board. With each name that dropped, Jarry’s return felt more and more inevitable. However, his return on a one-year prove-it deal seemed like a more prudent option.

‘Old’ Penguins Didn’t Get Much Younger

I’m not completely against the moves the Penguins made this past week. They found players that arguably make the team deeper and a tad better. That was ultimately the goal as the 2023-24 season approaches.

However, many assumed the Penguins would go young with their bottom-six additions. That isn’t quite the case.

Reilly Smith is a helluva get for Dubas. A third-round pick that was acquired for Teddy Blueger? Automatic upgrade. Smith is coming off winning the Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights but he’s also on the wrong side of 30.

Lars Eller is 34-years-old. Matt Nieto is 30. Noel Acciari? He’s 31.

Ryan Graves, 28, and Nedeljkovic, 27, represent the only free agents signed under 30-years old for Pittsburgh.

Look, they’re all solid additions and the Penguins needed toughness in the bottom-six. They’ve certainly achieved that. But with Jeff Carter and Mikael Granlund also penciled into the bottom-six, there are a handful of 30+ year olds prepared to handle a large chunk of playing time in that role for Pittsburgh this upcoming season.

Signing Guentzel Must Be Next Priority

You could argue there are a few purposes for this.

Pittsburgh, as it stands, has a shade over $70 million committed for 2024-25. That is a whole season away but the significance there is that Jake Guentzel is eligible for a contract extension. The cap is projected to sit at $87 million next season.

Currently, Guentzel is the only player of substance that needs an extension. That’s great news for a Penguins team that will need a large sum of money to regain Guentzel’s services.

Guentzel is the preferred left winger for Sidney Crosby. Keeping Guentzel around would likely influence Crosby’s decision when his contract extension talks can begin next July 1st. The Penguins should jump on this.

However, Guentzel’s name has come up in trade chatter. The talk seems to be more fan-based than anything just as a way to potentially strengthen the goalie position. That is no longer going to be necessary with Jarry’s extension.

However, if the Penguins do trade Guentzel, having him signed to a long-term deal would attract more buyers and a better return with his contract status already dealt with. This situation seems like the unlikeliest outcome.

If the Penguins want to make Guentzel a part of their organization for years to come, they’d be wise to get him under contract now and their focus next offseason can solely be on improving the roster as a whole instead of dealing with an important extension.

Could the Penguins still acquire Erik Karlsson?

As things stand, the Penguins are essentially out of cap space. They’d have to get creative to make any more additions but there are some contracts that could be sent out.

Jeff Petry’s $6.25 million along with Granlund’s $5 million are two contracts the Penguins reportedly wouldn’t be against moving. Obviously, other pieces would have to be attached.

Could you imagine being able to land the reigning Norris Trophy winner? Well the Penguins reportedly are a finalist to do so.

As it stands now the Penguins top-six will be some combination of Petry, Graves, Kris Letang, Marcus Pettersson, Jan Rutta, P.O. Joseph, and Chad Ruhwedel. Ousting someone from that group and adding Karlsson would change the dynamic of the blue line group.

The acquisition would be more of a luxury than a necessity but it would certainly improve the overall outlook. Imagine having Letang and Karlsson on the same blue line. Haters might say “yeah it would’ve been cool five years ago”. But the duo would still form one of the best defensive duo’s in the league today.

Penguins’ Top-Six Still Scary on Paper

Jason Zucker signing with the Arizona Coyotes kind of stinks. However, with Zucker signing a one-year deal, how far apart were the Penguins and Zucker that they couldn’t figure something out? It doesn’t matter now.

Zucker is gone and Smith is his de facto replacement. The Penguins are still going to roll a nice top-six out next season.

Jake Guentzel - Sidney Crosby - Rickard Rakell

Reilly Smith - Evgeni Malkin - Bryan Rust

Maybe it’s not the most prolific top-six in the league but it certainly won’t be taken lightly by opponents. Crosby and Malkin are still elite until proven otherwise. Guentzel is a consistent 30-goal scorer. Rust underperformed and still potted 20-goals last season.

Rakell has proven to play well with either one of Crosby or Malkin. Smith is the new guy but plays a game that should seamlessly translate with Malkin.

Dubas has revamped the Penguins pretty quickly. It will be interesting to see if the revamp is for the better or for worse as the Pens begin preseason play in September.

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Penguins Defenseman Brian Dumoulin Signs Deal with Kraken

Penguins Sign Lars Eller to Two-Year Contract

Penguins Sign Noel Acciari to Three-Year Contract

Penguins Sign Ryan Graves to Six-Year Deal

Penguins Sign Tristan Jarry to Five-Year Contract

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