Offseason Review: Pittsburgh Penguins

Now that the dust has settled on a wild NHL offseason, let's take a look at how each team did in regards to drafting and free-agent signings. Today, we'll look at the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Penguins were the top team in their division last year, which speaks to the team's continued ability to sustain success over a full season. The duo of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin doesn't seem to have lost a step despite nearing their mid-thirties, while players like Jake Guentzel, Jason Zucker, Chris Letang, and Brian Rust continue to produce points in their supporting roles. Goaltender Tristan Jarry had a decent regular season but fell apart in the playoffs, and it raised some questions about whether the Pens needed an upgrade in net. In fact, this team's three straight first-round exits after posting very good regular season results raise more questions about their ability to compete in the playoffs at all with their current roster. GM Ron Hextall is all too familiar with these issues following his time with the Flyers' front office. Let's see what moves he made to address them.

Free Agency:

To answer this question right off the bat, no the Pens didn't acquire a new goalie. There were rumors that they were in the market, with a few other teams also expressing interest in trading for Jarry, but in the end, the tandem will remain the same in Pittsburgh. What they did do is go out and sign left-winger Brock McGinn to a four-year contract, and right-winger Evan Rodrigues for one year. McGinn is likely the perennial replacement for Brandon Tanev, who was lost in the expansion draft. Rodrigues is more of a depth signing. The Pens also signed forwards Danton Heinen and Dominik Simon to one-year deals.

After that, the Penguins made a few depth additions, re-signed a couple of their homegrown players, and left the league to duke it out in free agency without them. Zach Aston-Reese was re-signed to a one-year bridge deal that will take him to unrestricted free agency next summer, and Teddy Bleuger was re-signed for two more years, at which point he will also become a UFA. They added Taylor Fedun on a one-two-way deal and gave the same deal to Michael Chaput. They also re-signed the undrafted Radim Zohorna and extended Kasper Bjorkqvist on one-year two-way deals.

Grade: C+; There are still clearly issues in Pittsburgh, ones which Ron Hextall was seemingly brought in to address. He didn't really deal with any of them though, and while the pieces he brought in aren't bad additions by any stretch, it doesn't feel like they've done enough to make this team a more serious playoff competitor than they have been in recent years.

Draft:

The Penguins gave up their first-round pick this year to Minnesota in the deal that brought them Jason Zucker before the shutdown last season. As such, their first pick came at 58th overall, where they selected Tristan Broz, a 6'0" forward from Minnesota. Broz plays with an attacking mindset. He reads plays well and knows when to circle the zone or crash the front of the net. He's not afraid of a little physical play here and there, likes to create opportunities for his linemates, and reads well off the cycle. He had 19 goals and 51 points in 54 games with the USHL's Fargo Force and added 3 goals and 11 points in 9 playoff games. He'll play for the University of Minnesota this year.

The next pick that Pittsburgh made wasn't until the 5th round. Normally we wouldn't even examine prospects that far down the list because at this point they are complete unknowns, but since that's all the Pens had this year, we'll make an exception for the 154th overall pick, Isaac Belliveau. Belliveau is a 6'2" left-shot defenceman from Fleurimont, Quebec. He split time in the QMJHL this year between the Rimouski Oceanics and the Gatineau Olympiques, racking up a total of 5 goals and 17 points in 37 games. It's a far cry from his production a year earlier, playing 62 games with the Oceanics and tallying 11 goals and 53 points, good for fourth on the team in scoring, although that may have had something to do with playing on the same team as 2020 first overall pick Alexis Lafreniere, who finished with 112 points in only 52 games. There is a bit of a "McDavid factor" to be considered there. Belliveau will return to play for Gatineau this season.

Grade: B-; The Pens traded away their draft capital this year long before Draft Day came around. As such, there isn't much to analyze, but what's here doesn't exactly jump off the page. Pittsburgh's pipeline isn't lacking though, with prospects like Pierre-Oliver Joseph and Drew O'Connor looking ready to make the jump. 

Overall grade: B-; The Pens obviously don't need any major signings to become competitive, they have been a playoff team for over a decade and don't look ready to stop just yet. Yet clearly something is missing when your team loses in the first round for three straight years, and nothing from this offseason suggests that the Penguins have solved that issue.

What do you think about Ron Hextall's first offseason as the Penguins GM?

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