Pettersson and Petry were good together last season. 1 defenseman, and the idea is for Graves to be to Letang’s latter career what Brian Dumoulin was for prime-Letang - the ideal pairing partner. Otherwise, the cap math just couldn’t work.Įven without Karlsson, the Penguins’ top four on the back end is formidable. Any deal would be complicated, probably would involve a team other than the Penguins and Sharks, and presumably would mean parting with either Marcus Pettersson or Jeff Petry. Those players, especially if needed only in spot duty, are probably more ready to help a veteran-laden roster in what should be an extremely competitive Metropolitan Division.ĭubas not only acknowledged looking at trying to trade for Karlsson, but also did not rule out continuing that pursuit. A returning Zohorna along with Koppanen and Johnstone figure to lead the calvary when it is ultimately called to Pittsburgh. Which is not to suggest they’ll be unable to recall NHL-capable players in case of injuries. If the Penguins only get that much from their bottom six, it will be a lot more than last season.Īs for prospects - the Penguins still don’t have many of them to speak up front. Those lines’ effectiveness will be judged by if they possess the puck and how quickly they move it out of their own zone. What it lacks in scoring, the Penguins’ third and fourth lines figure to make up for by being built better to attack than in recent seasons. If Granlund and/or Carter are to outperform their respective disappointing last seasons, each is better suited to do as a winger. Each player should benefit from Dubas’ additions, as Acciari and Eller figure to slot behind Crosby and Malkin down the middle. Mikael Granlund, presuming he’s still on the roster going into the season, and Jeff Carter still have some goals in their veteran hands. The new-look bottom six forwards have potential to chip in here and there, but there doesn’t appear to be a lot of goals coming from that bunch. Jake Guentzel, perhaps playing for a new contract, along with Smith, Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell will be counted on to do the bulk of scoring for the Penguins - at least as things stand currently. Last season proved those two future Hall of Fame centers could perform up to reasonable expectations (for former MVPs now in their mid-30s) and the Penguins would still need more from elsewhere. It’s not entirely accurate to suggest these Penguins will only go as far as Crosby and Malkin can carry them. Then again, that’s been the case since Jordan Staal was traded over a decade ago. If it doesn’t, they lack adequate lineup replacements for either superstar. The Penguins would be fortunate for that to happen again. The other, Magnus Hellberg, adds veteran depth to the mix.Ī big reason for the group’s success was the health of Malkin and captain Sidney Crosby, who played in 82 games together for the first time. He’ll face competition from Alex Nedeljkovic, one of two goaltenders Dubas signed this past weekend. Jarry’s regular backup, Casey DeSmith, remains. Then there is the goaltender position, which Dubas influenced by not only keeping Tristan Jarry, but full-on stamping him as the Penguins’ franchise goalie. Ryan Graves joined the defense corps, likely to partner with Kris Letang. If nothing else, Alex Nylander appears to have more competition for an in-season recall from the AHL, while prospects such as Sam Poulin and Nathan Légaré face a higher climb within the system.īut Dubas also has made changes at each level of the roster - don’t forget his trade for Reilly Smith at the NHL Draft in Nashville. However, Dubas had more money to spend, and he used it to add organizational depth up front.īy adding Joona Koppanen and Marc Johnstone and bringing back Radim Zohorna, Dubas made it likely any injury-replacement players will be different than they were for the Penguins last season. On their own, those moves were enough to liven up any perceived staleness with the Penguins. Dubas committed $5.35 million - or 35.2 percent of the Penguins’ available cap space coming into free agency - to three new forwards for the bottom six: Noel Acciari, Lars Eller and Matt Nieto.
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