Looking Ahead to the Pittsburgh Penguins Offseason

Penguins fans everywhere were in a state of dismay and shock this morning. How could the defending Stanley Cup Champions flop so badly at home in a must win Game 7?

It isn't the fact that they lost. Despite their lack of starpower and respect, the Montreal Canadiens had every right to be there last night, and subsequently they have every right to be in the Eastern Conference finals. It was how the Penguins lost.

Giving up a soft goal 30 seconds into the game. Extremely sloppy defensive play that led tp Marc-Andre Fleury sitting in the bench in the 2nd period. Extremely sloppy powerplays that led to too few opportunities to get back in the game. All in all, it was a horrible way to send off the good old Mellon Arena.

So between today and the first game at Consol Energy Center, the Penguins have many things to figure out if they want to get back to last year's glory.

Going into the offseason, the Penguins have eight unrestricted free agents. Among the forwards, those are: Alexei Ponikarovsky, Ruslan Fedotenko, Matt Cooke, and Bill Guerin. I have a suspicion that Guerin will retire after this year. He was not nearly the factor that he was last season, but that shouldn't be surprising since he is 38.

It is also fairly apparent that Ruslan Fedotenko won't be back. He was this year's Petr Sykora, and for good reason. Matt Cooke could be re-signed at a reasonable price, and should be resigned. He is excellent on the third line with Jordan Staal and Tyler Kennedy, and adds much needed grit and toughness.

That leaves us with Alexei Ponikarovsky. If he can be brought back at the same salary ($2.5 mil per year) or close to it, then I see no harm in re-signing him. However, I don't think any tears would be shed if he were to leave.

Four defensemen are up for free agency this offseason. They include Sergei Gonchar, Mark Eaton, Jordan Leopold, and Jay McKee. The most difficult decision will be with Sergei Gonchar. He has made invaluable contributions in his time in Pittsburgh. Not many fans will ever forget the fact that he played on basically one leg for a good portion of the playoffs last year. Gonchar is not Nicklas Lidstrom however, and will not be servicable for as long as Lindstrom, who is only now beginning to falter.

A prime example was the shorthanded goal scored by Travis Moen in last night's loss. Gonchar seemed to have decent position to make a play on Moen, but instead did nothing, allowing Moen to skate by him and beat Fleury for a 4-0 lead. I watched the replay several times and could not figure out for the life of me what Gonchar was trying to do there.

As difficult as it will be, unless Gonchar agrees to stay for less money, the team should part ways with him. In the salary cap era teams cannot afford to hold on to players for their sentimental value. Mark Eaton and Jay McKee should be brought back. Both are solid in their own end. If Gonchar goes, then Jordan Leopold should be resigned.

There are two major weaknesses for the Penguins going into the 2010-11 campaign. The first is at the winger positions. Pascal Dupuis does many things well, but does not score nearly enough to be on either of the top two lines.

The team has three young forwards waiting at Wilkes-Barre in Mark Letestu, Chris Conner, and Eric Tangradi who could come up next year. The top priority should be finding an good offensive winger in free agency.

Two that should be available at a reasonable price if not re-signed by their teams are Alexander Frolov and Alex Tanguay. They have decent offensive numbers that could increase exponentially playing alongside Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin.

The second major weakness is team defense. Last night's game was a glaring example, and there were many more throughout the regular season and the playoffs. With the losses of Rob Scuderi and Hal Gill, the team's defense corps became predominantly offensive-minded.

There has to be balance, and this offseason there needs to be a refocusing on team defense. This means protecting the net and their own end, and making smart plays with the puck in their own end and in the neutral zone. An example of a player the Penguins could really use is Ottawa defensemen Anton Volchenkov. He would bring a physical presence and good protection in the defensive zone.

If it means being unable to sign another blueliner, Ben Lovejoy could be brought up from Wilkes-Barre and be capable. Henrik Tallinder, Joe Corvo, and Brett Clark could be obtained without breaking the bank. General Manager Ray Shero has many issues to consider between now and the start of next season, but with the exception of this year's trade deadline, he has generally made the right moves and should be given the benefit of the doubt.