The Pittsburgh Penguins still have a few decisions to make this offseason, two of which will come this week.

The NHL offseason has reached its' slowest month, but the Pittsburgh Penguins are still hard at work. With the Erik Karlsson sweepstakes slowly turning into a stalemate, there may be no days off for Kyle Dubas and his newly formed front office.

Outside of Karlsson, the Penguins have a pair of decisions this week regarding two of their forwards. Drew O'Connor is scheduled for an arbitration hearing this Friday to determine the 25-year-old forward's next contract. 

Apart from submitting the team's desired contract terms, there isn't much left for Dubas to do. 

At his best, O'Connor has the potential to become a reliable middle-six forward that could serve as a short-term injury replacement for one of the Penguins' top two lines. At worst, he is an average fourth-line winger and can shift to center. 

The more important decision for the Penguins will come after the arbitration case is closed.

Kyle Dubas will once again have the option to buyout forward Mikael Granlund. Granlund has two years remaining on his contract and will cost the Penguins $5 million against the cap each year if he remains on the team. 

The buyout for Granlund would net the Penguins over $4 million in cap relief this season and $3 million next season. The following two years would cost the Penguins an extra $1.8 million in dead cap space.

The slow season has begun around the NHL, but the Penguins have a few moves on deck to help shape their roster.

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