Will Sergei Gonchar Be Back with Pittsburgh Penguins Next Season?

Last night’s complete domination of the Pittsburgh Penguins by the Montreal Canadiens has left many Penguin fans wondering just what went wrong?

The loss to Montreal has many fans wondering about the future status of goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who, at times, looked like he had regressed as a goaltender, not exactly what you’d expect from a goalie who just won the Stanley Cup less than 12 months ago.

The unspectacular play of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Kunitz, and just about every one of the Pens wingers throughout the series no doubt will bring about a considerable amount of debate as to which players should stay and which ones should go.

One of the major decisions facing Ray Shero and the Pittsburgh Penguins is what to do with aging veteran defenseman Sergei Gonchar.

To say his performance in Game Seven was disappointing would be an understatement. Gonchar is taking plenty of flack for his apparent lack of effort, lack of hustle, and overall lack of physical play.

Needless to say, there are plenty of Pens fans that are hoping Gonchar will be shown the door in the offseason.

Question is, who can replace him?

Fresh off a great year both offensively and defensively, the obvious candidate to replace Gonchar’s minutes on the backend is 22-year-old Kris Letang, who is looking more and more like a top-tier defenseman everyday.

Letang, who recently signed a seven-year deal with the Penguins totally just over $14 million, appears to be the heir apparent to Gonchar’s throne, for better or for worse.

Gonchar, Mark Eaton, Jordan Leopold, and Jay McKee are all unrestricted free agents this summer with expiring contracts worth just over $9 million in total.

What this means is the Penguins have a considerable amount of money with which to replace three defensemen this summer, or do they?

Ultra “pain in the arse to play against" Matt Cooke is also a UFA this summer and will likely command a hefty raise from the $1.2 million he earned this season, while the Pens will also have to make tough decisions on forwards Bill Guerin (who is 38 years old), Ruslan Fedotenko, and, to a lesser extent, former Toronto Maple Leaf and trade deadline acquisition, Alex Ponikarovsky (who will likely be let go).

The free agent market offers some intriguing signings, including, Nik Lidstrom and Scott Niedermayer—both of whom are yet to announce if they intend to play next season or not.

Other options include re-signing Leopold (who fit in well with the Pens), Willie Mitchell (who was injury riddled this season), Mike Van Ryn (who has a history of injury troubles), Joe Corvo, Anton Volchenkov, Dennis Seidenberg, Dan Hamhuis, amongst others.

Hamhuis and Volchenkov are expected to command $4-6 million per on the open market, while Mitchell and Van Ryn come with considerable risk.

Corvo—a decent puck mover and good power-play option, could be a nice fit on the Pens blue line as might Seidenberg, who, at 29 years old, seems to be coming into his prime.

Other options include calling the Toronto Maple Leafs and asking about veteran defenseman Tomas Kaberle (who may or may not be available this summer), but the price for said player is expected to be high.

One thing is for sure, Gonchar appears to be a diminishing asset; with that in mind, it would be wise for the Penguins to let him walk and shop for a suitable replacement and/or replacements for Gonchar.

Let’s face it, Gonchar (who turned 36 years old April 13th) has his own injury woes, playing just 62 games in 2009-10 and 25 games in an injury filled 2008-09.

Can the Penguins afford to sign the likes of Hamhuis and/or Volchenkov while painfully aware that they will also need to upgrade their left and right wing positions?

Only time will tell. That said, given the way the Penguins were dominated along the boards and on the backend by the Canadiens, can the Pens afford not to make bold moves this summer?

If I were a betting man (which I am not) I would say Gonchar has played his last game as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins, given his lackluster play against the Canadiens, no one will miss him...

Until next time,

Peace!