Five Free Agents The Pittsburgh Penguins Should Consider Adding
ThePittsburgh Penguins missed the playoffs this past season by just one point. They were so close to sneaking into the playoffs but finished the year with two losses, against the Chicago Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets that ultimately squashed their playoff dreams.
The Penguins are going to have to change a little bit to succeed moving forward. They need to get younger and adapt this lineup to play alongside Sidney Crosbey and Evgeni Malkin. We have seen the Penguins struggle in the past without their two star players playing at their best, but this past season that was not the case. The Penguins got Crosby and Malkin at their best. Both played in every game and played at a point per game pace. There is not much more you can ask for from your stars. So now, Kyle Dubas will have to find pieces to play alongside Malkin and Crosby.
Pittsburgh was one of the oldest teams in the league this past year. The average age of the Penguins roster was 31 years old, and that is not just because of outliers like the 38-year-old Jeff Carter. Of the ten leading point getters on the Penguins roster, only Jake Guentzel is under the age of 30. Richard Rakell was 29, but he turned 30 in May so even he doesn’t count. This team will have to get younger in the moves they make during the coming months.
The Penguins do not have a lot of assets to make trades right now. Their best bet to help build out the roster for the future will have to be through some smart free agent signings. Let’s dive in with five free agents to consider.
Five Free Agents The Pittsburgh Penguins Should Consider Adding
There are a lot of names to keep an eye on, but these five players make sense for the team in order to move in the right direction next year, and they help fill a need within the organization.
1. Pius Suter
Pius Suter has spent two seasons with the Detroit Red Wings after signing with the team in free agency. Now Suter is an unrestricted free agent at the age of 27 after putting up just 24 points in 79 games this past season. It does not seem like the Wings are going to re-sign Suter, so the Penguins could make sense as a potential new home for the forward.
Pius Suter could make sense in a third line role for the Penguins. He can take faceoffs and score some big goals. During his time in Chicago he played really well putting up 27 points in 55 games, that averages out to about 40 points over the course of an 82 game season.
Suter can kill penalties and provide some extra depth for the Penguins. The problem in Detroit the past two years for the forward has to be that he was expected to be that second line center behind Dylan Larkin. Suter can thrive well in an organization where he is behind a few bigger stars like in Pittsburgh, and he would help add to the youth movement this team needs moving forward.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are in need of a goalie.
Casey DeSmith is signed through the end of this 2023-24 season, but Tristan Jarry is a free agent. Should the team decide to move on from Jarry there are some names available that can help the team.
2. Adin Hill
Adin Hill is due for a pay raise after the Vegas Golden Knights run to the Stanley Cup Final. Hill has not been a known commodity until this postseason run, which makes me think teams will be a little more apprehensive about signing him big this upcoming season.
The Penguins can offer Hill a big opportunity on a team pushing to stay in the playoff mix this upcoming season. This would be a gamble for the Penguins. They better then anyone else know how hard it is to bet on goalies due to success in the playoffs, but they are going to have to make a gamble at this position.
3. Antti Raanta
Antti Raanta is another name who could make sense for the Penguins. He is reliable in the net, but he has struggled with staying healthy the past few seasons. Raanta is coming off a really strong season with the Carolina Hurricanes. He has played a starting role in the past, his career high was playing 47 games during the 2017-18 season with the Arizona Coyotes putting up a .930 save percentage.
4. Michael Bunting
Michael Bunting is another name who could make sense for the Penguins. The Penguins President of Hockey Ops has experience with him as he handed out Bunting’s last contract two years ago, and at just 27 years old he is still on the younger side.
Bunting has put up 126 points in 187 NHL games with his best outing coming in 2021-22 when he put up 63 points in 79 games. The Penguins can offer him a considerable pay raise compared to what he was going to get in Toronto, and if he likes playing under Kyle Dubas that would be an easy choice for Bunting to make.
5. Ivan Barbashev
Ivan Barbashev is another player who could make sense for the Penguins, although his playoff run right now might be pricing him out of the picture. Barbashev put up 16 points in 23 games after being traded from the Blues to the Vegas Golden Knights at the deadline this year.
The 27-year-old also has 17 points over the course of 21 games thus far in the playoffs, oh and his team is just one win away from winning the Stanley Cup. If the Penguins add Barbashev they would be adding a skilled winger who has won one or two cups in his career (depending on how the next few Stanley Cup Final games go) and will only be 28 by the time next postseason comes around.
Barbashev and Bunting both could potentially play alongside Crosby and Malkin or they can play on a third line providing offense on their own. These are the types of free agents the Penguins need to go after when free agency comes around.
Free agency starts on July 1 at noon ET. The Penguins currently have $20.2 million in projected cap space according to CapFriendly. Additionally the Penguins will be drafting 14th overall at the upcoming NHL Draft.