Still sore from missing out on the NHL Playoffs, the Penguins visited PPG Paints Arena for the final time this weekend for locker cleaning and one last media session. Talks centered around the contract status of several pending free agents to the front office turnover, which included the firings of general manager Ron Hextall and president of hockey operations Bryan Burke.
Captain Sidney Crosby played all 82 games this season for the second time in his career, so he focused on what went wrong ON the ice. He said the team couldn’t play consistently throughout the season.
As expected, Crosby was asked about his future both with the Penguins and his playing career. Without hesitation, Crosby indicated he wants to continue playing, especially in Pittsburgh.
Forward Bryan Rust was asked how the team was affected by the firings of Hextall and Burke, along with assistant general manager Chris Pryor. He said this sort of turnover is expected when goals aren’t met.
Goalie Tristan Jarry is coming off a rough season where he accrued a 2.85 goals against average and a 91 save percentage. He will also look at getting healthy during the offseason.
Jarry headlines a laundry list of unrestricted free agents, but he said that he wants to be back in net for Pittsburgh next season.
Another pending free agent is forward Jason Zucker, who posted the second most points of his career this season with 48. He collected 27 goals and 21 assists for the Penguins this year, and he said that he would like to recreate that line with the Pens next year.
Pending unrestricted free agents include Tristan Jarry, Jason Zucker, Brian Dumoulin, Nick Bonino, Josh Archibald, Danton Heinen, and Dmitry Kulikov.
NHL PLAYOFFS
The Stanley Cup playoffs begin tonight and two games are on the slate. The first seed Carolina Hurricanes host the Wild Card winner New York Islanders in a Metro showdown. Then, the top-scoring team in the NHL Boston Bruins host the Florida Panthers. In the West, Minnesota take on the Dallas Stars. And the final matchup showcases Edmonton and Los Angeles.
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