Cap Issues Could Force Pettersson Out Of Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Penguins lost one of hockey's great General Managers in Jim Rutherford earlier this season in a surprise split from the team. The man they replaced him with is well known for building teams. 

Former Philadelphia Flyers goalie and GM Ron Hextall is the new man in town - along with the Pens' new president of hockey operations, Brian Burke. The two could have a busy trade deadline coming up, which will undoubtedly lead to a few TV appearances for Burke's famous undone-tie-draped-around-the-neck look.  

Though the Flyers eventually grew tired of Hextall's rebuilding efforts, they now reap the benefits. A full rebuild approach isn't likely with a Penguins roster that still has Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin, but some retooling efforts will need to be made. 

The team is also tight up against the salary cap, which labels them as sellers this year's trade deadline. If they want to add this season, they have to move parts out. 

One player sticks out as potential trade bait: Marcus Pettersson. His contract comes in at $4.025 million, but his solid play makes it worthwhile for teams looking to add. 

Ian Mendes and Sean Gentille of The Athletic report that Pettersson's contract simply won't fit on a Penguins team that has an extension for John Marino coming into effect for 2021-22, bringing with it a significant raise that moves his cap hit from $925,000 to $4.4 million. 

As well, Brian Dumoulin's $4.1 million contract is back on the books after his stint on the long-term injured reserve and off-season acquisition Mike Matheson's $4.875 million contract looms large.

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