Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: The Pittsburgh Penguins have just under $24 million in salary cap space but re-signing Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin could take a big chunk of that.
One way to gain a bit more cap space would be to move on from forward Jason Zucker. The Penguins like Zucker as a person and player but not the contract. He has another year left at $5.5 million. Four paths for Zucker.
1. Salary Dump – Given his age, injury history and salary, he’s likely not holding much trade value at all. The Penguins may have to sweeten the pot with a pick or prospect.
2. Hockey Trade – Could they find a deal like they did for Patric Hornqvist, acquiring Mike Matheson from the Florida Panthers.
3. Contract Buyout – A $2,033,334 cap hit and then $1,733,334. Would be a $3.5 million savings next year. Jack Johnson is still on the books next year at $1.9 million and then $916,667 million for three more years.
4. Keep Him Around – They have pending free agent forwards in Rickard Rakell, Kasperi Kapanen, Evan Rodrigues and Danton Heinen so they could use him up front.
Josh Yohe of The Athletic: Sure the Pittsburgh Penguins have over $23 million in salary cap space but it could disappear quickly.
The Penguins have a group of players who may not have lived up to their contracts last season.
Jason Zucker: $5.5 million
John Marino: $4.4 million
Brian Dumoulin: $4.1 million
Marcus Pettersson: $4,025,175
Jeff Carter: $3.125 million
Brock McGinn: $2.75 million
Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang have come in at $16.75 million for years and the Penguins can’t expect to pay them the same if they remain. Malkin is almost 36-years-old and had knee surgery a year ago. He’s willing to play for less but how much less? Letang may not be looking to take less money and is coming off a good season.
Potential trade candidates include Marino and Pettersson. If they lose Letang, it’s hard to see them wanting to trade right-handed defenseman Marino. Dumoulin didn’t have a great season and could be moved given their depth down the left side.
Kasperi Kapanen and Danton Heinen are RFAs. Some still like Kapanen. Heinen may end up costing too much. If Malkin and Letang aren’t back, they might have room to keep pending UFA Rickard Rakell. How much would it cost to keep pending UFA Evan Rodrigues?
Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Brian Boyle had signed a one-year, $750,000 at the start of last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was a bit of a surprise at first but it eventually made sense. He’s coming off season-ending knee surgery, and re-signing him could block someone like Drew O’Connor or Filip Hallander. His leadership and a bit of a physical presence was a welcome addition though.
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