Penguins Face Challenges: Needed to Win in NHL Free Agency

The Pittsburgh Penguins made a deal over the weekend getting ahead Kevin Hayes and a 2nd spherical draft pick out from the St. Louis Blues. In return the Penguins agreed to win in NHL free agency and give the Blues something inside the destiny although the info of that a part of the deal are not yet unique.

Kevin Hayes is set to begin the sixth 12 months of his seven yr settlement. Which has a earnings cap hit of $7,142,857. However, because of a trade from Philadelphia closing yr the Flyers are paying 1/2 of his profits for the relaxation of the agreement.

In this week’s Madden Monday podcast Mark Madden from 105.9 The X. TribLive says we can learn a lot about Kyle Dubas’ overall strategy from this move.

Dubas’ strategy is clear: he’s focusing on collecting draft picks rather than trying to win right now. Because he can’t win with the current team Madden said. He gave it a year and it was terrible even with Erik Karlsson the reigning Norris Trophy winner.

However, they ignored the playoffs in a very susceptible Eastern Conference. Now they may be seeking to the destiny in NHL free enterprise. I’m without a doubt curious to look how Sidney Crosby will react to this mainly given that as of Monday he can sign a contract extension.

Currently, Crosby has 365 days left on his agreement with the Penguins that’s really worth $8.7 million.

Madden says that even though the team seems to be preparing for an offseason without big acquisitions Crosby will probably still sign an extension.

I just do not think he has it in him to leave, Madden said. I think his agent might encourage him to consider all options. But at the end of the day I think he stays no matter what.

Fair enough. But could the Penguins’ current struggles to quickly improve the roster make Crosby hesitant to sign a long term extension that Penguins fans hope for?

I have no idea, Madden replied. They can’t win with this group of players anymore. And that’s not a criticism of Sid. If they had three players like Sid, Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin they might be able to.

As Seth Rorabaugh reported from the draft in Las Vegas. Dubas stated, We aim to return to contender status. Coaches and players focus on winning each day, but I must take a broader view. In Pittsburgh, just making the playoffs isn’t enough. We aspire to contend.

Madden agrees with Dubas’ implication that the team may need more than one offseason to reach contender status in NHL free agency.

He’s right, Madden said. One of the big problems with this team is that Sid still believes they can win. It’s understandable because he’s still playing at a high level. But realistically, they can’t win with this current group.

Madden believes the offseason moves so far haven’t changed this outlook much.

No one wants to trade for Tristan Jarry or Reilly Smith. Max Domi has already agreed to stay with Toronto, so some of the positive changes we hoped for with the Penguins aren’t happening, Madden concluded.

In the podcast, we also discuss Jake Guentzel’s rights being traded to Tampa Bay. The Pirates losing two out of three games in Atlanta, various Steelers topics, and even debate daiquiris versus margaritas.