Pittsburgh Penguins: 5 Biggest Targets of the Offseason

As we approach the draft and free agency, the Pittsburgh Penguins are faced with several questions. 

Who do they pursue during free agency? Should they go after Jaromir Jagr? How can they improve the power play? Will Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin recover from their injuries?

Here are five targets the Penguins need to strike this summer. 

Get Jaromir Jagr for the Right Price

Penguins fans have been digging through their old clothes the last few days because of the prospect that former legend Jaromir Jagr will return to the black and gold. 

The great memories he brought Penguins fans still linger and it'd be great to see No. 68 finish his career where it began. However, with everything nice comes a price.

Jagr's agent Petr Svoboda will have a high asking price for his client, but the Penguins know better. They know that Jagr is 39. They know he's not what he once was. But the dude can still play. He recently scored a hat trick in an IIHF World Championship game.

He probably can't withstand an 82-game grind, but he can be a very valuable asset for the team in the locker room and he can help a struggling power play. Having Jagr, Crosby, and Malkin on the same line won't hurt television ratings either.

Ray Shero should do whatever it takes to acquire Jagr at the right price. Other teams also know that he's not worth $5 million a year. Now that the salary cap is expected to go up to $64 million, the Penguins will have more wiggle room. If the Penguins can get him for two million for one season, then they can should definitely bring Jagr back. But only if the price is right. 

Max Talbot and Tyler Kennedy

Max Talbot is the most important unrestricted free agent the Penguins absolutely need to bring back. Forget his heroics in Game 7. The value he brings to the locker room and on the ice is immeasurable. Talbot is also a fantastic penalty killer and helped the Penguins be the best penalty killing team in the regular season last year. He's also a fan favorite, and to see him go would crush the hearts of plenty of Penguins fans. Who will star in the A&L Motors commercials?

Among the restricted free agents, the Penguins really need to lock up Tyler Kennedy with a nice, long deal. The Penguins constantly say they need wingers, but Tyler Kennedy showed last year that he is worthy enough to play alongside Malkin or Crosby this year. He should be able to build on his career season when he's surrounded by superstars like No. 71 and No. 87.

Draft a Winger

With the Penguins in need of depth on the wings, they'll be looking to draft a winger who will hopefully blossom and become Sid's linemate for years to come. 

Brandon Saad, the Gibsonia, PA native, will be a great fit. He's from the Pittsburgh area, so he'll be the hometown boy. Last season in the OHL, he scored 27 goals and 55 points in 59 games. He also added 12 points in 12 games in the playoffs. Saad was also a member of the US National Development Team where he scored 26 points in 24 games. 

These numbers came with junior hockey linemates. Imagine what this kid could do with Crosby dishing him beautiful passes. 

Get Healthy

As much as we wanted Sidney Crosby to come back last season during the playoffs, now we are relieved he didn't. 

Whatever the Penguins are doing is working. They should just continue to let Crosby and Malkin rest and recuperate so that they are full healthy and ready to dominate by the time the season begins. 

Malkin has been making great progress and he has started to skate already. He will be ready by the start of training camp. 

The bigger question is Crosby and how his head will react to physical play. Penguins Nation is hoping he does not get recurring concussions. It would be very unfortunate to see a career cut short due to a concussion or head injury.

The Penguins can't do anything without Crosby and Malkin. They're not going to win the Stanley Cup without their guns. So it's very important that they continue to rest and get solid conditioning this summer. Their health is the prime determinant for the Penguins' success and getting them healthy should be the Penguins' conditioning staff's main target.

Sign Another Winger

If the Penguins can bring back Tyler Kennedy (which is expected) and lure Jaromir Jagr (which is not expected), they'll have a plethora of wingers to surround Crosby and Malkin. And with an increased salary cap, they'll still have room to get another scoring winger.

Let's not forget that the Penguins already have James Neal, too. There are plenty of solid wingers available at a decent price. The Penguins can go after Jussi Jokinen, a shootout specialist and a crafty winger. By signing Jokinen, the Penguins will have six solid wingers. 

Here's what the Penguins lineup would look like if all of this happens:

Kunitz—Crosby—Neal
Jokinen—Malkin—Jagr
Cooke—Staal—Kennedy
Rupp (re-sign him)—Talbot—Adams