Hockeywiztalks Hockey Blog

 The Pittsburgh Penguins have a tough offseason upcoming because they 6 major UFAs and 2 RFAs to resign and they only have about $29 million to do so. To make things tougher for the Penguins they don't have any of players in the system that can replace those players. Here is what I would do if I were GM of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Before the 2022 Draft, a few trades are made Pittsburgh Penguins trade Evgeni Malkin and Kasperi Kapanen to the Minnesota Wild for Kevin Fiala, Fredrick Gaudreau, 1st round pick '22. This is a win-win trade for both teams; Minnesota gets a top-line center in Evgeni Malkin to pair with Kirill Kaprizov, as well as Kasperi Kapanen to replace Kevin Fiala, while the Penguins get Kevin Fiala, a top 6 winger, Fredrick Gaudreau, an underrated center, and a 1st round pick. The Penguins also trade Kris Letang to the Montreal Canadiens for Kaiden Guhle, Ryan Poehling, Joshua Roy, 2nd round pick '22, 1st round pick '23. Montreal gets Kris Letang to be the...

 The Pittsburgh Penguins currently hold the 1st wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference with a 19-8-5 record and 43 points through 32 games played. With the current team the Penguins have, they won't be able to make a deep run but if they make a few moves at the deadline, they could have one last Stanley Cup run with their current core. In this blog, I write about what the Pittsburgh Penguins need to improve on and what needs to be done to improve their Cup Chances. Issues w/ Pittsburgh Penguins: 1. Lack of Secondary Scoring 2. Goaltending  3. Lack of Offensive + Defensive Depth The Biggest issue that the Pittsburgh Penguins will have in the Playoffs if they do not add any players is that they lack secondary scoring. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jake Guentzel, Jeff Carter, Bryan Rust are seasoned veteran players with Stanley Cup pedigree, but the rest of the forwards have yet to prove themselves a scoring threat in the playoffs. If the Penguins are to make a deep playoff run ...

The Pittsburgh Penguins have an aging core and might not be good enough to make the playoffs anymore, so I think the Penguins should seriously consider rebuilding. It would take some time, but if they rebuild correctly, the Penguins could be a playoff-caliber team in a few years. This is how the Pittsburgh Penguins should rebuild. At the 2022 Trade deadline, a few major trades are made: Pittsburgh Penguins trade Evgeni Malkin to the Dallas Stars for Roope Hintz, Denis Gurianov, Mavrik Bourque, and a 2022 1st round pick. With the addition of Evgeni Malkin, the Stars become immediate contenders, while the Penguins get three very top 6 caliber players and a 1st round pick. The Penguins also trade Kris Letang to the Nashville Predators for Dante Fabbro, Philip Tomasino, 2022 1st round pick. The Nashville Predators bolster their defense with the addition of Kris Letang, while the Penguins get two good young players and a 1st round pick. Jeff Carter, Bryan Rust are traded to the Edmonton Oil...

 The Pittsburgh Penguins will have a difficult offseason ahead of them because they have an aging core, limited cap space but have many issues to address with their roster. This is what the Pittsburgh Penguins should do in Free Agency. Before the free agency begins, the Pittsburgh Penguins need to free up some cap space because they only have about 3.2 million in cap space heading into Free Agency. When looking at the payroll for the team, the first thing that sticks out is that they have 3 LD getting paid over 4 million per season; the Penguins will need to move one of those defensemen in order to free up cap room. The player who is is easier to move is Marcus Pettersson because the Penguins aren't moving Dumoulin, and Matheson can't be moved without giving up other assets. Pittsburgh Penguins trade Marcus Pettersson to the New Jersey Devils for a 2022 4th round pick. This is a win-win trade for both teams because by trading Pettersson, the Penguins free up more than 4 milli...

 The Pittsburgh Penguins are far from being a contending team now, in fact they would be better off trading everyone except Crosby and going forward with a full rebuild. Two major trades are made by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2020 offseason: Evgeni Malkin is traded to the San Jose Sharks for Tomas Hertl, Ryan Merkley, Ryan Donato, 1st round pick '21. The Sharks get a superstar center in Evgeni Malkin to help propel the Sharks to new heights, while the Penguins get Tomas Hertl, a very good top 6 forward, Ryan Merkley, the Sharks top prospect, Ryan Donato and a 1st round pick. Kris Letang is traded to the Ottawa Senators for Erik Brannstrom, Josh Norris, Drake Batherson, 1st round pick '21. The Senators get an elite puck moving defenseman in Kris Letang, which makes them a legit contender; the Penguins get 3 very good young players in Brannstrom, Norris and Batherson as well as a 1st round pick. With Malkin and Letang gone, the Pittsburgh Penguins finish the 2020-21 season wi...

The 2004 NHL Draft was highlighted by two superstars in Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin but there plenty of other stars drafted as well, such as Blake Wheeler, Pekka Rinne and Alex Radulov. If the 2004 NHL Draft was to be redrafted, the landscape of the NHL would be very different. *Be sure to read my 2003 Redraft before continuing with this one* 1. Washington Capitals-Alex Ovechkin Original pick: Alex Ovechkin Washington Capitals still select Alex Ovechkin, as he is still clearly the best player in the draft. Ovechkin should a first ballot hall of famer, he has won 8 Rocket Richard Trophies, scoring 50 or more goals 7 times. He is already considered one of the greatest goal scorers of all-time, with 706 career NHL goals. 2. Pittsburgh Penguins-(C) Evgeni Malkin Original pick: Evgeni Malkin Evgeni Malkin is a superstar player in his own right but his always in the shadow of Sidney Crosby. With Crosby sidelined, Malkin's had one of the best campaigns in his care...