Analyst Believes Penguins Need Top Winger
Should a top-end winger be atop the Pittsburgh Penguins wishlist this offseason?
The 2023-24 iteration of the Pittsburgh Penguins had many flaws. Those flaws led the team to a turbulent and, at times, tumultuous season that concluded with a second consecutive missed postseason.
Most who watched the Penguins this year would not place them anywhere close to being a Stanley Cup contender. According to Shayna Goldman of The Athletic, one significant addition this summer could reverse their fortunes.
According to Goldman's Stanley Cup Checklist, the most prominent missing piece for the Penguins is an elite first-line winger to support Sidney Crosby.
"Knocking each forward down a slot would make a big difference; someone like Michael Bunting would be in a top-six capacity versus the top line. Drew O’Connor would slip off the list entirely. There would still be depth issues to solve, considering what a black hole for scoring the bottom six was all year. But reinforcements at the top of the lineup would have a trickle-down effect. A change in power play direction should help after this year’s surprising struggles."
Penguins president of hockey ops Kyle Dubas teased potential bottom six opportunities for prospects Ville Koivunen, Vasily Ponomarev, and Brayden Yager, among others. That could allow the Penguins to barely add another big name to the top of their lineup.
Free agents Sam Reinhart, Steven Stamkos, and Jake Guentzel would fit that mold. There are also multiple trade options, Mitch Marner and Trevor Zegras, that could have a similar effect on the Penguins lineup.
The Penguins have roughly $12.9 million to work with this offseason. Any sizable addition will come at the expense of other positions that need improvement (goaltending, left-side defense, etc.).
With the Penguins in win-now mode, it is not unrealistic that Dubas may want to swing big again this offseason. However, any noteworthy additions like this will limit the Penguins in any other improvements they may want to make over the summer.
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