Pens Blue Line Depth, Free Agency, Trade Asset Management

This year has been busy enough that I have had very little time to post anything other than game updates.  Tonight, I will make an exception, and will take a look at the impressive depth on the blue line, the salaries and time left on their contracts.  I and you can speculate on how King Ray uses these assets going forward.  Let's start with the top 2 defensive pairings.  Brooks Orpik and Kris Letang are both signed through the 2014-2015 seasons or two seasons after this one.  They make 3.75M and 3.5M respectively, bargains in my estimation.  Paul Martin and Zybnek Michalek are signed through 2015-16, or three years after this one at 5M and 4M respectively, both within market value.  So the top 4 are signed through two more years at least.  As I review the remainder of the list and the pending UFA status of James Neal, and the following season, Jordan Staal, Sidney Crosby, Tyler Kennedy, Matt Cooke, Pascal Dupuis, and Craig Adams, I look at Paul Martin as a chip the Penguins will try to move this offseason despite his no movement clause, and his upside.  The 5M price tag, along with a glut of capable, younger, cheaper players makes him a target for cap relief.  Out of the remaining defensemen who have seen significant ice time this year, Matt Niskanen is a RFA at 1.5 million after this season, as is Robert Bortuzzo at $535,000.  Despite a rough night last night, Matt Niskanen has been a steady player on the blue line and seems to be a perfect fit for the Bylsma system.  He has 2 goals and 12 assists and has played to a +9 on the season. He is second to Letang in points for a defenseman on the Pens and leads all Pens blueliners in plus/minus.   I would think that Shero would try to keep Niskanen if the price and term were reasonable.  I would think Niskanen would relish the chance to stay.  Bortuzzo is a young guy they think can be a net clearing defenseman, and he is RFA, not UFA, but I am not sure where he fits here in the next year or two.  Deryk Engelland who makes $566,000 per year is signed for more two more years, and I like his chances to remain a 5th or 6th defenseman since he adds a physcal presence they lack on the blue line, he is cap friendly, and his overall game has improved by leaps and bounds.  Engo has 2 goals and 5 assists, and has played to a plus 5 this year.  He can also play the heavyweight role when necesssary,   What about Ben Lovejoy?  He has one more year after this one, he currently makes $525,000 per year, and also seems to fit the system of puck moving defenseman who make good first passes and can take the puck up ice to a tee.  A very solid, cap friendly player, but I don't think his ceiling is much higher.  Then you have Simon Despres, a highly touted, first round pick who almost made the club out of camp as a rookie last year.   Despres, our 2009 first round pick, is signed at a cap friendly $840,000 per year for two more years after this one, before he becomes RFA.  Despres has proven he can play in this league, NOW, but may not warrant enough ice time at this level IF we ever get healthy to keep him with the big team THIS year.  He needs big minutes to continue his development, so if the team gets to be 100% on the blue line, I see 47 heading back to WBS as he does not have to clear waivers.  I do see him however being the guy who makes Martin trade bait, as the more than 4M salary cap hit differential between he and Martin, and Despres' skill set and ceiling would seem to set up a possible move of Despres for Martin, with Martin fetching forward prospects to free up space for Neal and Staal.  Despres at 6'4" and 218 lbs is quick, agile, big, and getting more physical.  Could he be a bigger version of Tanger over the next two years?   Another intriguing decision centers around Alexandre Picard, a young defenseman who only makes $600,000 per year, and is RFA after this season.  Once the injury situation clears up, Picard would have to clear waivers to be sent to WBS, an unlikely event given his steady play, low cap hit, and the value on puck moving defensemen in the NHL.  He has 4 assists in 17 games, and is a plus 4.   I could see a Picard for draft picks move, similar to the Letestu move, simply because other GMs will know the situation King Ray is in with Picard.  After Picard you still have Carl Sneep at $850,000 per year and RFA after this season and Brian Strait at $861,000 (RFA after this year) who have played on the big club and look like possible fits for next year at this level.  Neither is flashy, but both have size, can skate, and have pretty good potential as 3rd to 5th defensemen at the NHL level.  After these two guys, you have this year's first round pick Joe Morrow, the 2011 first round pick and making $925,000 per year, signed for 2 seasons after this one before becoming RFA who made a strong case for a look at the NHL level this year, and may have on a team with less depth at the position.  Morrow has big upside as a solid defenseman with offensive skills, that I have making the move to the NHL, after a season in WBS next year.  Currently he plays for Portland in the WHL.  For Portland he has put up 9 goals and 20 assists in first 28 games, for better than a point per game as a defenseman.  Penguins scouts say that his skating and speed make him stand out at this level.  This year's second round pick, Scott Harrington beat out Morrow to make Team Canada for the World Juniors, as he is a more steady stay at home kind of player Team Canada favors over more offensive defensemen.  Still, he is a good skater, who makes good decisions with the puck and could be NHL ready in two years.  Harrington is currently playing for London of the OHL, and scouts say he plays the system well, and functions as a shut down defenseman who skates well enough to support the rush and add some offense.   At a current cap hit of $617,500 he is RFA after 2 more years.  Finally, you have Ulfie's son, Philip Samuelsson, also signed for two more years at $900,000, and projected as a solid NHL, 3rd to 5th defenseman.  Samuelsson is known as a guy who has great hockey sense, and can move the puck, even under duress.  He has to work on his skating. All of these prospects are bigger players at 6 feet to 6 feet 4 inches tall and 200 pounds or more.   Finally, the Pens have Boris Valabik, at $550,000 and RFA after this year in the system.  Valabik, like Picard, has played at the NHL level, and adds size and toughness, but probably is no more than a number 7 defenseman in the NHL.  He could stay for insurance purposes at league minimum.  If you count Valabik, the Pens have 11 defensemen in the system who have played solid time in the NHL.  Most teams are happy to have 8 or 9.  In addition, with Morrow, Harrington, Sneep, Samuellson, and Strait, and Bortuzzo  they have 6 more ready in a year or two.  That is a big stable of talent on the blue line.  The Penguins rate 7 of their top 10 prospects in their system as defenseman, with Tangradi, Bennett and Kuhnackl the only forwards regarded in that manner.  Tangradi who is RFA after this year at $845,000 could also be trade bait.  He has good size at 6'4" and 221 lbs., and a net front presence, so he has value to somebody, but thus far has not shown to be a fit in the Byslma system.  He has 10 G and 10 A in 24 games in WBS, but has not scored in 4 NHL games this season.  I am not sure how the Pens regard his future HERE, but he is an asset that still has value.  The biggest priority in my opinion for the Penguins would be to a. sign James Neal to a long term contract and b. obtain other young forwards who can score and c. prepare for two years out when much of the core of the team is up for contracts.  The above referenced stable of blue liners will be key to those objectives.  The question is, how will Ray Shero juggle the assets to keep this team a legitimate threat to win it all?  Stay tuned, it should be a fun ride!