The Pittsburgh Penguins should do everything they can to retain Danton Heinen
The Pittsburgh Penguins are currently in a standstill when it comes to their contract negotiations. Since the Bryan Rust extension, the action has stalled, but speculation certainly has not.
The closer we get to free agency beginning, the closer we get to the Penguins potentially losing one of their cornerstone players. Despite this, management is still adamant they're trying to contend next year and want to re-tool this squad rather than rebuild.
In order to do so, they'll have to make decisions on several depth players, like forward Danton Heinen. With all the uncertainty surrounding the roster, the Penguins should do all they can to bring him back for another year.
The Pittsburgh Penguins took a flyer on Heinen when they signed him to a one year, $1 million deal last summer. The former second round pick showed some potential with the Boston Bruins, but looked to be out of chances after his disappointing stint with the Anaheim Ducks.
This season, however, Heinen resurged to relevancy at 26 years of age. He was far from perfect, but he gave the Penguins a solid two-way player with scoring ability that could play in multiple spots in the lineup. He put up 18 goals and 15 assists for 33 points. He also pitched in three goals in their playoff defeat against the New York Rangers.
Heinen became a key depth player for the Penguins during the 2021-2022 season. Coach Mike Sullivan tinkered with his spot throughout the season, but Heinen seemed his most confident playing next to Evgeni Malkin or Jeff Carter. Heinen also rediscovered his shooting touch due to getting minutes on the second power play and more offensive chances playing in the Penguins system. With his return to form and utility throughout the lineup, he would be an excellent depth player to retain for next year.
What type of deal can the Penguins expect for Heinen? To start, he has earned a raise from his $1 million salary, but how much is the important question. The other consideration is the term of the deal.
The Penguins have slightly more control because of Heinen's status as a restricted free agent (RFA). This means Penguins can choose to qualify Heinen and give themselves time to work out a new contract. Even if that effort fails, extending a qualifying offer to Heinen will mean he returns to Pittsburgh or gives the Penguins the right to match any contract offer extended to him.
If Heinen wants a two year deal and the Penguins can keep his cap hit below $2.5 million, the Penguins would be foolish to pass on that. Not only is Heinen worth that amount, but adding a 15-20 goal scorer that is under the age of 30 during free agency is a much more expensive task than trying to keep the ones you already have.
The Pittsburgh Penguins still have Malkin and Kris Letang as their top priorities to re-sign, as it should be. The rest of the team will most likely have to wait for those two contracts to be resolved before any other deals are finalized. Despite this, the Penguins management needs to think long and hard about retaining Danton Heinen and do everything they can to keep him in Pittsburgh. His age, scoring abilities, and overall play are too much to let go.
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