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Pittsburgh Penguins rumors: Roster changes seem inevitable

By Dave Stevenson

PITTSBURGH, PA - MAY 03: Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Carl Hagelin (62) looks on during the second period. The Pittsburgh Penguins won 3-1 in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Washington Capitals on May 3, 2018, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - MAY 03: Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Carl Hagelin (62) looks on during the second period. The Pittsburgh Penguins won 3-1 in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Washington Capitals on May 3, 2018, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The Pittsburgh Penguins are likely going to be seeing some big changes this offseason

After failing to win their third straight Stanley Cup, the Pittsburgh Penguins are getting a much-needed offseason. Players can finally sit back and rest up after most of the roster has endured two long Stanley Cup runs. Considering how hard it is to accomplish what they have, they’ve earned it. However, the extended break will also give the Penguins’ front office time to evaluate their roster.

During the locker cleanout day in Pittsburgh, general manager Jim Rutherford confirmed the team will be busy this offseason.

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“I think it’s obvious that I’m going to keep an open mind to making some changes, and I will make some changes,” Rutherford said, via Triblive.com. Though he later confirmed the nucleus will being staying intact.

Rutherford gave another hint as to what changes could be coming. When asked about 2015 second-round pick Daniel Sprong, the general manager could hardly contain his excitement. Rutherford went as far as to say he will be a regular player in the lineup next season.

Not only does this ensure the restricted free agent Sprong will be returning, it also suggests there will be a spot open for him. Which, looking at the Penguins roster, suggests a forward will be traded. They currently have nine forwards under contract.

Bryan Rust, Dominik Simon, Tom Kuhnhackl, and Riley Sheahan are restricted free agents who are likely returning. That leaves the Penguins with 13 forwards. One can assume either Simon or Kuhnhackl will fill the 13th forward. So who goes?

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Trade Options

We can rule out Sidney Crosby, Phil Kessel, and Evgeni Malkin. Not only are they valuable to the Penguins, they each have a no-movement clause. This makes trading any of them a complicated and unnecessary process.

Derick Brassard and Patric Hornqvist have no-trade clauses. While this doesn’t make trading them impossible, it makes it more difficult. Also, the Penguins have already signed Hornqvist to a long-term extension and they gave up quite a bit to get Brassard. So we can rule them out.

Once you rule out the players on entry-level contracts (a staple of the Penguins thanks to the large salaries of Crosby, Kris Letang, Malkin, Kessel, and others), you’re left with Conor Sheary and Carl Hagelin. Both are valuable to Pittsburgh.

Trading Hagelin, in a vacuum, makes sense. The Penguins likely won’t be able to afford his next contract. He’ll be a free agent after next season. However, Hagelin is more important because of his speed and his ability to kill penalties. And if the Penguins are still interested in winning right now, he’s a guy they’ll want to keep.

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Sheary has several strikes against him. First of all, his playing time fell from 2016-17 to 2017-18. And Sheary barely averaged 10 minutes per game in the postseason. Secondly, he saw a demotion from the top forward line. The emergence of Jake Guentzel caused Sheary to no longer be Crosby’s left wing.

Thirdly, clearing his contract helps the Penguins slightly more. Pittsburgh has to worry about next offseason when Guentzel will be due a raise. He plays with Crosby, so you can pencil him in for 50 points. Trading Sheary would create some breathing room and give Sprong a roster spot. A return of prospects and picks would make sense, but a hockey trade that involves the Pens getting a defenseman is more probable.

Why target a defenseman? You don’t need a pencil to connect the dots and see that defenseman Matt Hunwick is on his way out. Whether it be via a buyout or a trade, it would be surprising to see the Penguins keep a guy making over $2 million who was regularly a healthy scratch down the stretch. Chad Ruhwedel did an admirable job filling in as a third-pairing defenseman. But there are better options.

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The Penguins are still a darn good team. But they need to make some changes if they want to win more Stanley Cups. Rutherford has proven to be a man who gets what he wants. Now he has time to figure what that is.

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