The Penguins were very active on the first day of NHL free agency, signing former Tampa Bay defenseman Jan Rutta ex-Buffalo winger Drake Cagiulla, and journeyman defenseman Xavier Ouellet, and bringing back to the organization goaltender Dustin Tokarski, who played last year for Buffalo, and winger Josh Archibald, who was with Edmonton last season. Both Tokarski and Archibald have been with the Penguins before, mostly playing with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
General Manager Ron Hextall stepped away from the negotiating table long enough to talk about free agency, the Pens’ roster as it stands now, and where he might make other moves this offseason, making it clear that he is not finished dealing.
Hextall commented on the re-signing of Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, longtime teammates of Sidney Crosby who will remain together as Penguins.
The GM says Crosby, Malkin, and Letang are legends, and they still have a lot of hockey left in them.
Hextall explained why he left the team largely intact, with the re-signing of Letang, Malkin, and forward Rickard Rakell.
Hextall says the Penguins needed the muscle of a defenseman such as Jan Rutta.
Hextall likes the talent of Rickard Rakell, who played mostly on Malkin’s line after being acquired at the trade deadline last season.
The Penguins have nine defensemen on the roster and the GM says that obviously won’t do. The team carried seven last year and usually dressed six, so he will be looking to dump salary through trades, hoping to acquire young talent, especially forwards.
Goaltender Luis Domingue signed with – of all teams – the Rangers!
The biggest names to land with new teams yesterday were former Calgary star Johnny Gaudreau, who took a seven-year deal with Columbus, and All-Star defenseman Brent “The Beard” Burns, who was traded by San Jose to Carolina along with forward Lane Pederson for forward Steven Lorentz, a goalie prospect, and a conditional third-round draft pick in 2023.
And a certain veteran NHL forward from the Czech Republic tweeted yesterday – tongue in cheek – that he is available as a free agent, too. Jaromir Jagr wrote that he’s 6-3, 265 pounds, 50 years old, and slow, but he has playoff experience and “strong and good hands”. He also would like to play only home games.
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