Going to be hard for the Penguins to re-sign Rickard Rakell
Dave Molinari of Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Given the Pittsburgh Penguins salary cap issues, it’s not going to be easy for the Penguins to bring back pending UFA winger Rickard Rakell.
Rakell recently switched agents to Claude Lemieux and is coming off a $3,789,444 cap hit.
It’s not known what Rakell will be looking for on his next contract. Lemieux will likely be looking to maximize Rakell’s next deal which doesn’t bode well for the Penguins.
Teams could be looking at Penguins’ top prospect Pierre-Olivier Joseph
Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now: A couple of sources have said that said the Pittsburgh Penguins’ top prospect Pierre-Olivier Joseph could be getting some interest this offseason.
One source said that before the trade deadline the New York Islanders had their eye on Joseph. The Montreal Canadiens were another team looking at Joseph, who is from Laval.
Joseph will be turning 23 next month and won’t be waiver exempt next season.
If the Penguins lose Kris Letang to free agency, they may need to find a replacement. Canadiens Jeff Petry is also right-handed and may be looking to get out of Montreal. Reports do have Petry rescinding his trade request after Martin St. Louis took over as head coach.
Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Should the Pittsburgh Penguins GM Ron Hextall make room for P.O. Joseph? If he doesn’t make the Penguins out of camp, he’ll need to be put on waivers and he’ll likely be claimed.
Joseph may have the skating, vision, and offensive ability to play in the NHL but his offensive instincts may not.
If the Penguins lose Kris Letang in free agency, it would obviously change how they roll their blue line. Joseph may move up on the depth chart on the left side, despite Letang being right-handed. Brian Dumoulin isn’t needed on the top pair with Letang gone. Joseph could be on the third pairing with Chad Ruhwedel.
The Penguins could test the trade value of Marcus Pettersson and Dumoulin this offseason.
Joseph could be used in a trade for a backup goalie or a penalty-killing forward. He could also be used as an asset to help move out a salary.
If the Penguins don’t think Joseph will be in their top-six defensemen next season, they should look to move him this offseason.
The Lighting are on the road against the Rangers tomorrow and are
-130 on the moneyline with Betway
