A bit earlier than anticipated, the Penguins have entered the offseason.
With that comes some tough decisions on some pending free agents.
Here are the players set to become restricted free agents this summer, and what decisions I would make on each player:
TEDDY BLUEGER
Expiry status: Restricted, arbitration eligible
2020-21 cap hit: $750,000
Blueger is the most notable of the Penguins' pending free agents, and likely the one due for the biggest raise, but that doesn't necessarily make him unaffordable. In addition to the money saved by letting a couple of low-salary free agents walk (more on that below), the Penguins will gain $2,050,000 in cap space for next season when the money retained from the Nick Bjugstad trade comes off the books. Blueger is obviously worth keeping around and should still be affordable, but I think the bigger question with him is what happens with the expansion draft. If they end up choosing him to leave him unprotected, then it'd make sense to wait until after the expansion draft to sign him, rather than risk signing him to an attractive deal for Seattle. If they plan on protecting him, which isn't a given, then he could be signed at any time.
COLTON SCEVIOUR
Expiry status: Unrestricted
2020-21 cap hit: $1,200,000
Sceviour was a fine depth option this year, but I wouldn't expect him to return. There doesn't look to be a spot for him in the lineup, and he'll likely go somewhere where he can get more regular playing time. Not really a huge loss.
ZACH ASTON-REESE
Expiry status: Restricted, arbitration eligible
2020-21 cap hit: $1,000,000
I think Aston-Reese will likely be left unprotected in the expansion draft but could be an attractive depth option for Seattle as the Kraken look to round out their forward lines, which could be a factor here. Like Blueger, if Aston-Reese is to be unprotected, it might make the most sense to not re-sign him until after the draft. With some other penalty-killing forwards potentially on the move via the expansion draft or free agency, it would be worth keeping Aston-Reese around. He'd likely command a similar salary to what he got this season.
FREDDY GAUDREAU
Expiry status: Unrestricted
2020-21 cap hit: $700,000
After making the league-minimum salary this season, Gaudreau's definitely earned a raise, but his limited NHL time this season -- 19 games in the regular season, six in the playoffs -- should at least keep him affordable, and keep him off the Kraken's radar. I'd bring him back, especially given his versatility to play both center and wing and his ability to kill penalties.
MARK JANKOWSKI
Expiry status: Restricted, arbitration eligible
2020-21 cap hit: $700,000
No. I can't imagine the Penguins would want him back, and I can't imagine that he'd want to come back. Just, no.
EVAN RODRIGUES
Expiry status: Unrestricted
2020-21 cap hit: $700,000
For league-minimum, Rodrigues was a great depth signing to have for this season, But with the number of returning forwards the Penguins have, he likely wouldn't have a regular spot, and would be able to find at least more consistent playing time elsewhere.
CODY CECI
Expiry status: Unrestricted
2020-21 cap hit: $1,250,000
There were doubts with Ceci entering this season, but he proved to be a serviceable defenseman and earned his second-pairing minutes. With that would likely come a slight raise for his next deal. If his asking price isn't too steep, I'd re-sign him, especially given the lack of right-handed options otherwise.
MAX LAGACE
Expiry status: Unrestricted
2020-21 cap hit: $700,000
This one is a little tricky. Alex D'Orio and Emil Larmi can share the net in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton next season, neither should go down to Wheeling. But both are still young and don't have a ton of AHL experience and no NHL experience, so I'm not sure if the Penguins would be confident entering the season with one of them being the third option if needed.
I think what happens here (whether it be Lagace, or any other depth option like him this summer) depends on if any changes happen with the goaltending at the NHL level. There are going to be some interesting names hitting free agency around the league -- Linus Ullmark, Chris Driedger to name a likely few. With goaltending being such an issue this postseason, it might be worth it to look into some available options on the market to create a 1A, 1B situation with Tristan Jarry next season, someone who might be able to push him and be more competition than Casey DeSmith was. If that's the case, then the Penguins might be able to sneak DeSmith through waivers again and keep him around in Wilkes-Barre as the third option, making a depth signing like Lagace unnecessary.
OTHER FREE AGENTS
There were three pending restricted free agents who finished the season as Black Aces -- forwards Kasper Bjorkqvist and Radim Zohorna and goaltender Emil Larmi -- and I think all three are worth re-signing. Bjorkqvist and Larmi, though both were in their second professional seasons with the organization this year, have such limited AHL experience due to injuries and the circumstances created by COVID this season, but both have shown enough to bring them back for what will hopefully be a normal AHL season next year.
Looking at the players who finished on the AHL roster, there are two pending restricted free agents, and I don't know what to make of either. One is defenseman Jesper Lindgren, acquired in the Kasperi Kapanen deal. He suffered a season-ending injury in Wilkes-Barre's first preseason game this year, so there's not much to go off of with him. The other is forward Sam Miletic. Miletic had really strong seasons his first two years in Wilkes-Barre, putting up 35 points in 49 games as a rookie and 32 points in 62 games in 2019-20. He was limited to just 21 games this season, missing the AHL training camp the early part of the season after contracting mononucleosis, and needing some time to regain his strength. He didn't produce much when he came back, only scoring two goals and three assists and spending some games as a healthy scratch toward the later part of the year. I don't know how much of that can be attributed to his early bout with mono and what that did to his strength. I don't think it would hurt to re-sign him and see how he fares after a full offseason, especially given his earlier body of work before this season.
There are three pending unrestricted free agents from Wilkes-Barre's roster. Two are defenseman who have been around several years now in Zach Trotman and Kevin Czuczman, both of whom finished the season injured which explains why they weren't called up at the end of the AHL season. Both have gotten a handful of NHL games over the years, and even if the Penguins don't end up needing them at the NHL level again, they're just two good veteran guys to have on that blue line in Wilkes-Barre, and I'd bring both back for that. The other unrestricted free agent is forward Josh Currie, Wilkes-Barre's captain and leading scorer at 23 points in 24 games. He didn't show much in his one-game opportunity in Pittsburgh this year, his first NHL game since 2018-19. He's definitely worth bringing back if just for his impact and leadership with Wilkes-Barre.
