NHL Free Agency: Which Free Agents Should the Pittsburgh Penguins Keep?
Although the Stanley Cup playoffs just got underway, it is never too early to start looking towards free agency.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have 12 players who will be free agents at the end of this season. Nine players are unrestricted free agents, while three are restricted free agents. All of these players are forwards; none of the defensemen or goaltenders have contracts set to expire.
Each of these 12 players brings something special to the team, but the Penguins can't keep all of them for 2011-12.
So who should stay and who should look for a new home?
As always, leave your thoughts in the comments.
Alison Myers is an NHL and Pittsburgh Penguins Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Feel free to contact her with comments, questions or other writing opportunities at Alison.Myers@mail.com.
Craig Adams, Right Wing
1 of 12
Status: Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA)
Adams has been with the Penguins since 2009, when he was claimed off waivers from the Chicago Blackhawks.
His point totals aren't flashy; in fact, his 15 points in 80 games this year was the second-highest total of his career.
However, he has been a solid addition to the team. This season, he led all Penguins forwards with 64 blocked shots and 3:05 of ice time on the penalty kill. He is also fourth on the team with 171 hits.
Adams is also a two-time Stanley Cup winner, having won the trophy with the 2006 Carolina Hurricanes before helping Pittsburgh to its 2009 victory.
He also makes a very affordable $550,000 and does more than what you'd expect for a player getting that kind of paycheck.
Stay or Go: Stay
Arron Asham, Right Wing
2 of 12
Status: UFA
Asham signed with the Penguins this year after spending the last two seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers. He had two 20-point seasons with Philadelphia and 100-plus penalty minutes each year.
However, injuries have limited Asham's effectiveness this year. He played just 44 games, posting 11 points and 46 penalty minutes.
He brought some offense to the Penguins this season but wasn't as physical as some other players.
This was the second-worst season of his career. When he posted 10 points in 77 games with the New Jersey Devils in 2007-08, they didn't hold on to him, either.
Stay or Go: Go
Mike Comrie, Center
3 of 12
Status: UFA
Comrie signed with Pittsburgh after spending last season with the Edmonton Oilers.
However, he wasn't able to bring a healthy season with him. He played 78 games in 2007-08 with the New York Islanders, but has played less games each year since. This season, he bottomed out and played just 21 games, missing three-and-a-half months after having hip surgery.
Comrie had just six points this year, and to add insult to injury, he also posted a minus-four.
Pretty much the only time Comrie looked good this year was preseason, which counts for...well, you know...nothing.
Hope Hillary Duff didn't fall in love with Pittsburgh too much.
Stay or Go: Go
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Chris Conner, Right Wing
4 of 12
Status: UFA
Conner is in his second year with the Penguins organization, but has spent most of his time with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League.
Last season, though, he earned a call-up to Pittsburgh and had three points in eight games.
Pittsburgh called for Conner again this year when it was hit with the injury bug, and he responded. He finished the year with 16 points and a plus-five rating in 60 games.
He has come through in the clutch, posting three game-winning goals and scoring on a penalty shot against the Detroit Red Wings in a January game.
Don't be fooled by Conner's 5'8" stature. He has great speed on the ice, and he makes very few mistakes in his game.
He received a $550,000 payday this season.
Stay or Go: Stay
Pascal Dupuis, Right Wing
5 of 12
Status: UFA
Dupuis was acquired from the Atlanta Thrashers in exchange for fan favorite Colby Armstrong and shootout specialist Erik Christensen at the 2008 trade deadline. He posted 12 points in 16 games after being traded, finishing out the 2007-08 season with 27 points.
He has had 30 points in each of the last two seasons and is a veteran of over 600 NHL games.
This year, Dupuis was fifth in the NHL and first on the Penguins with four shorthanded goals. He was also second among Pittsburgh forwards with 55 blocked shots and third with a plus-16 rating.
He made $1.4 million this season, and if the Penguins can afford it, his consistency should earn him another contract in Pittsburgh.
Stay or Go: Stay
Eric Godard, Right Wing
6 of 12
Status: UFA
Godard was brought in to be an enforcer for the Penguins. In his first year in 2008-09, he did that, posting 171 penalty minutes for the second straight season.
However, Godard has seen his role decrease as time has gone on. He played 45 games last year and had just 76 penalty minutes. This year, he was limited to 19 games after serving a 10-game suspension in addition to other injury problems.
This year, he did show a little bit more physical edge, posting 105 penalty minutes.
Although Godard does his job, he is no longer needed on the team. Guys like Mike Rupp, Deryk Engelland and Brooks Orpik can easily handle his job, and they earn more playing time.
If Godard is given another contract by Ray Shero, I will be surprised.
Stay or Go: Go
Dustin Jeffrey, Left Wing
7 of 12
Status: Restricted Free Agent (RFA)
Jeffrey earned his first NHL call-up in the 2008-09 season, where he posted four points in 14 games and was a part of the practice squad during the Stanley Cup playoffs.
This year, he was called up permanently in February after Shero stated in a press conference that Jeffrey was ready to be in the NHL full time. He played 25 games, posting 12 points and a plus-five rating.
Unfortunately, Jeffrey's season ended early. He tore his ACL in a March 24 game against the Flyers and underwent surgery, where it was determined that he would need six months of rehab.
Even though he got hurt, he should get another contract to show what he can do during a full season in Pittsburgh.
Stay or Go: Stay
Nick Johnson, Right Wing
8 of 12
Status: RFA
Johnson first earned a chance in Pittsburgh last year, posting two points in six games.
This year, he went on a roll on his most recent call-up and tallied three points with a plus-one in four games.
But like Jeffrey, Johnson's season came to an end just as he was showing promise. He has not played since February 16, when he suffered a concussion in a game against the Colorado Avalanche.
He has been practicing, but it is unknown when or if he will play in the playoffs.
Johnson is another player who should be given a contract to show his true potential.
Stay or Go: Stay
Tyler Kennedy, Center
9 of 12
Status: RFA
Kennedy had the best season of his career this year, finishing with 45 points and 21 goals. It was the first time in his career that he scored 20 goals.
He carved his name out in Penguins history this year by scoring the first Pittsburgh goal in Consol Energy Center history. Furthermore, he has come up big at several times this year, scoring seven power play goals and two game winning goals.
After playing 67 and 64 games over the last two seasons due to injuries, Kennedy managed to stay relatively healthy this year and played 80 games.
His improvement has earned him another payday with the Penguins.
Stay or Go: Stay
Alexei Kovalev, Right Wing
10 of 12
Status: UFA
Kovalev previously played with Pittsburgh from 1998-2003 and had some of the best seasons of his career there.
However, the Kovalev of 2011 is not the same player who played for the Penguins in the early part of the 21st century.
Prior to being traded by the Ottawa Senators this year, he had 27 points in 54 games. Since re-joining the Pens, he has seven points in 20 games for 34 points in 74 games. He has also put up 16 penalty minutes.
Kovalev is beginning to slow down and has been known to take penalties at some of the worst times for the Pens.
He will always be a fan favorite, but this experiment has not worked out for the Penguins. They can't pay $5 million to a player whose stats have gone down for the third straight year.
Stay or Go: Go
Mike Rupp, Center
11 of 12
Status: UFA
Rupp is in his second season in Pittsburgh. Last year, he contributed 19 points and a plus-five rating while putting up 120 penalty minutes as one of the Penguins' tough guys.
This year, his production has dropped slightly, as he finished the regular season with 17 points and a minus-four. However, he has kept up his physical edge and had 124 penalty minutes.
He is also third on the team with 180 hits and has had his best two career seasons in a Penguins uniform.
He makes more than other tough guys Godard and Asham, but he also does his job better than both of them.
Stay or Go: Stay
Maxime Talbot, Center
12 of 12
Status: UFA
Talbot has been with the Penguins his entire NHL career and has four 20-point seasons in that time. He set a career high in 2007-08 with 26 points.
This season, he finished with 21 points and two shorthanded goals. However, at times, it has felt like he is invisible on the ice.
He has always been popular among Pittsburgh fans for his sense of humor and big heart in the locker room. His popularity soared after the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals, when he scored two goals in Game 7 as the Penguins defeated the Red Wings.
But since then, it's hard to remember anything else he's done.
Intangibles are nice to have, but statistics are just as important, and Talbot's aren't enough to keep him in Pittsburgh.
Stay or Go: Go
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