Asking and answering our own questions..
On a summer Monday, we’re going to fill time and lead the conversation by asking and answering a few questions.
Q: The Athletic recently unveiled its best and worst contracts in the NHL, but no Penguins made the league-wide list. Who are the Penguins best and worst contracts?
Worst always gets the ire up and draws the most attention, so might as well start it off firing. It makes sense to begin with the guy that St. Louis just gave up a second round pick to get away from as a top contender for bad contract to player value (Kevin Hayes’ $3.571 million cap hit remaining for two years). Beyond that, two deals signed last summer with Ryan Graves ($4.5m for four more years) and Tristan Jarry ($5.375m for four more years) are already aging like milk at this point. If Rickard Rakell, 31, doesn’t bounce-back from his 15-goal campaign last year, those next four seasons at $5.0 million aren’t looking that great either.
One piece of good news is perception can shift very quickly. Bryan Rust ($5.25m, four years to go) would have been considered one of the worst contracts on the books last summer for the Pens. After scoring 56 points in 62 games last season, needless to say that Rust’s contract is not making the bad list this time around. It would be a great sign if any/all of the above listed names can make that kind of move.
As far as the good deals, Drew O’Connor figures to factor in more on the Sidney Crosby line, which means he could improve on his 16 goal, 33 point season from last year. All for the bargain sum of $900k. Marcus Pettersson’s cap hit is barely above $4m (just the fourth highest Penguin blueliner) and he’s worth his weight in gold. A problem in these contracts is they’re up after 2024-25.
Q: What would be more of a surprise: the Pens finish third in the division, or the Pens finish seventh in the division.
After wrestling with how high and low to go on these, I think the above is the right shock balance. Finishing as high as third or as low as seventh place next season sounds about equally as unlikely. The cheap way out would be to imagine a few key injuries to players Pittsburgh couldn’t survive losing (let’s not even specify) which tanks the whole season and makes it a painful winter not seen on the ice in these parts for the last 20 years. That’s an easy way out, but even without the health hypothetical - I could be talked into seventh more easily than third. But, then again on an over/under 4.5 divisional finish, I’m probably taking the under without a lot of worry next season.
Q: Weirder career path: Daniel Sprong or Alex Nylander?
Sprong has scored 89 total points in the last two seasons, but was largely unwanted and signed a cheap one-year deal with yet another new team over three weeks into free agency.
Nylander just accepted an AHL contract from the Toronto Marlies, which is nice enough for him being as his brother plays in town for that other team. Nylander looked like he was finally sliding into obscurity until the Pens traded him last spring, and defying all expectations and good sense actually scored 11 goals in 23 games with Columbus. Granted, sometimes weird things pop off when a last place team is playing out the stretch, and CBJ gave Nylander an average of 16:46 to play (ironically way more than Sprong has ever played in his career).
Both have their moments of oddities. What usually happens for others in similar situations doesn’t go the same way for them. Sprong’s indifferent attitude or general vibes seem to have soured him to many, and he’s already bounced around the league enough to the point where many coaches (and former assistants now working elsewhere) might be soured on him. For Nylander to actually, finally look the part of a real life NHL player for 20 games in Columbus only to not even get an NHL contract? Baffling.
