Today’s post will be a combination of a few of the above posts. In this piece, I give you a couple UFAs, RFAs and trade targets I would love the Penguins to try and get their mitts on. The moves are made in descending order, so my favorite move is the last one.
For the most part, these are logical acquisitions that can be made. I will not go out there and say the Pens should trade Beau Bennett for Vladimir Taresenko, unless the Blues are into that sort of thing, which they’re not. I try to make this as rational as possible.
Without any further adieu, let’s take a look at the moves I would like to see the Pens make this summer.
Call On The Blues
Two names that I am looking at are Ty Rattie and Dmitrij Jaskin. Both players saw time with the Blues this season, but unless a drastic move is made, both still won’t have a spot next season.
Jaskin would be a perfect fit for the Penguins for several reasons. First, he is a Russian winger. I have said it once and will continue to say it until I am blue in the face that the Penguins need to get a Russian winger for Malkin. I think it would be huge for him to have that and Jaskin provides that. He also has a mean streak like Malkin, which could allow for the two to take on the world.
Secondly, Jaskin is a big, strong kid that is projected to be a top-six winger. Again, the Blues don’t have the room for him and he is too talented to play a checking line role. In 54 games with the Blues he had 13 goals and 18 points, imagine what he could do alongside Malkin for 17 minutes a night.
I have discussed Rattie on the blog before. This season was his first full pro hockey season and all he did was put up 31 goals for the Blues’ AHL affiliate. He projects to be a top-six winger like Jaskin and is also ready to make the jump.
Both Jaskin and Rattie are under 23 years old, have a 772k cap hit and both will be restricted free agents after the 2015-16 season.
Now, what would be necessary to get the two of them? The Blues could stand to acquire an NHL ready defenseman, which the Penguins have a multitude of. Ben Lovejoy’s name jumps immediately to mind, and coupled with a couple draft picks would be a decent package. A Brian Dumoulin or Scott Harrington could also fit the bill, but it would have to be a more straight up deal with no picks in my mind.
Make A Pitch TO Justin Williams
Williams will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1st if not re-signed by LA. He has spent the last few seasons with the Kings, including bringing them two Stanley Cup titles. He has been making 3.05 million dollars annually, and will likely get a jump in salary on the market.
Now, the only problem with such a signing is Justin Williams is currently 33 years old. I want the Penguins to get younger, especially up front and Williams doesn’t help on that front.
However, I see Justin Williams as the “Billy Guerin” piece. Williams is a consistent producer, putting up another 40 points season on a limited offensive team in LA. He is consistently healthy, playing 81 games this season and 82 to the previous one. Most importantly, he is born and bred for the playoffs. He has already won three Stanley Cups in his career and his playoff numbers are pure insanity.
To me, he would be what Billy Guerin was to the 2009 Stanley Cup championship team. He could play anywhere in the top-9 and could provide those big goals and experience in the playoffs.
If Williams can be had on a one-year deal at 4 million dollars, I’d gladly do it. I think he is an invaluable piece, especially come playoff time.
Make A Serious Run At Matt Beleskey
As far as I am concerned, Beleskey is the best-unrestricted free agent winger available under the age of 30 this summer. Sure there are bigger name guys like Williams, Joel Ward, Marty St. Louis, etc., but Beleskey has youth and upside in his favor, while the rest have age and regression.
Like the previously discussed Justin Williams, Matt Beleskey would fit on any of the Pens top three lines. He has spent much of this past season skating alongside Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, so playing alongside a Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin would not be asking too much of him.
The best part of any potential Beleskey signing is the cap hit. He is currently making 1.4 million dollars. Now, that number will grow, maybe even double. However, I don’t think we have seen his best hockey yet and a three-year deal at 2.5-3 million annually is not out of the question in my mind. The 6-foot, 200 pound winger put up 23 goals in 65 games this year, imagine what he could do in front of the net for Malkin next season.
Handcuff The Division Foes
Fast has been much better in the playoffs than the regular season, but if the Pens wanted to make a run at him they could. He made 900k this year, and don’t expect him to get a huge raise.
The two I’d really recommend the Pens chase are Miller or Hagelin. Hagelin had a very good year for the Rangers, scoring 17 goals and 35 points. He played in all 82 games and had a cap hit of 2.4 million. I think his salary will grow north of four million annually, but given the right center he could flourish.
The same can be said for J.T. Miller. The Western Pennsylvania native had a good year for Rangers, posting 10 goals and 23 points in 58 games. He had a cap hit of 900k and I believe can play both wing and center. His salary, like Hagelin, will grow and maybe even double.
Now, why am I suggesting that the Penguins chase a couple restricted free agents from a division foe? The obvious reasons are they are all young, fast and talented wingers, something the Pens lack. The addition of any one of those players to the Pittsburgh lineup would add to the team.
However, the biggest reason I suggest such a move is much more cunning. If the Penguins put in an offer sheet on any of these players, the Rangers would be forced to match the offer or lose them for compensation draft picks. From the calculations of the cap conducted by HockeyBuzz.com, the Rangers would have roughly 10.4 million dollars to spread across the eight players needed to fill out the roster. If the Penguins put an offer sheet on Miller or Hagelin, it would force the Rangers hand; they would either have to let him walk, or they would have to match. Matching the offer could put the Ranger’s cap situation into more dire circumstances, which is why I suggest this option at all. Forcing the Rangers to match an offer sheet would keep them from spending money elsewhere, which could weaken them.
Now, if the Penguins were to sign a Miller or Hagelin to an offer sheet, and the Rangers don’t accept, they would have to send draft picks to the Rangers as compensation. The draft pick compensation is based off of the salary on the offer sheet. I do not fully understand how the compensation system works besides that it is based off salary, but I would rather give up draft picks for young wingers with multiple years of control over an aging, rental one.
Go All In On Brandon Saad
Unlike the Rangers, the Hawks are in serious salary cap trouble starting next season. Chicago will have roughly 49 million dollars invested in the likes of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Corey Crawford. The remaining players under contract push their used cap to roughly 63 million dollars, leaving them only 5.9 million dollars to spread out amongst nine players needed to fill the roster. That is quite the problem; especially considering young forwards Marcus Krueger and Brandon Saad are restricted free agents and are going to get some good money.
The Hawks have a big decision to make once their offseason begin: do they allow Saad to leave or do they try to move contracts like Patrick Sharp and Brent Seabrook? Obviously, you would look to keep Saad and move one of the other two. However, it would be difficult to get Sharp to waive a no-movement clause and I’m willing to bet Seabrook has one too. So the decision may be made for the Hawks, Saad may walk.
This is where the Penguins come in. The Pens will have 9 million in cap space alone with Martin and Ehrhoff coming off the books and still need a young, speedy winger to fill in the top six. I think they should go all in to get the Pittsburgh native Saad.
Saad made 832k on his entry-level contract, but I think he could make at least 3, if not 3.5 million dollars annually in a new deal. That’s a fair deal for a 22 year old, established top-six NHL winger. In 82 games this season, Saad posted 23 goals and 52 points. He is everything a team could want in a winger and better yet; he’s a local boy. The Pens should post an offer sheet on him, somewhere in the 5-year, 15-20 million dollar range. That works out between 3-4 million annually for a winger they would control through most of his prime. It would force the Hawks hand and it would make the Penguins a much better, and younger team.