Last March, the Pittsburgh Penguins put emotion and locker-room wishes aside when president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas traded for Jake Guenzel in exchange for four assets, including winger Michael Bunting. Guenzel was 29 and on an expiring contract, much like the situation facing defenseman Marcus Pettersson.
In this case, PHN has learned the Penguins have discussed a new contract with Pettersson, or at least broached the topic of a new contract, but any further talks are on hold until the most important issues are resolved.
Until Sidney Crosby signed.
Negotiations with Crosby would be the biggest surrounding the Penguins since Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle stormed out of a meeting with then-Governor Ed Rendell to discuss a new arena.
This news indirectly tells PHN that the Crosby deal is not the predetermined sure thing that many had assumed it would be.
On the surface, Pettersson's situation is similar to Guenzel's, but there are notable differences.
The first is the projected contract demands — Pettersson won't ask for more than $8 million — and the second is potential short-term and long-term replacements.
How difficult it will be to lose Marcus Pettersson
The PHN Penguins prospect rankings have two defensemen in the top 10, but only one left defenseman, Owen Pickering, and it would seem like a tall order to expect Pickering to be ready for top-four duty next season.
This means there is no one to fill this important role.
In fact, the team only has one left back under contract beyond this season, Ryan Graves, and given Graves' struggles and subsequent absence due to health reasons, Dubas will likely need a reliable veteran unless he's prepared to fill all three positions on the left wing.
Of course, in hindsight, Guenzel's transfer fee is not for the faint of heart. It's unclear what the difference was between his Penguins fee and what he would have asked for on the open market, but there was no talk of him taking a huge bargain to stay in his hometown. In fact, it was the opposite.
And while everyone waits for Crosby's new contract, Pettersson has been right to wait in the shadows. There's no one more thoughtful, quiet, but outspoken player in the Penguins' locker room, and his play mirrors that.
The team doesn't have a more reliable defenseman, which is a major reason why he's a good fit for the Penguins in this transitional period, but one can only speculate as to how much Pettersson could command in Pittsburgh, on the open market or on the NHL trade market.
But given Dubas's rejuvenation mandate, which was part of the Guenzel trade explanation, can and will they release Pettersson?
Of course, that seems like a significant risk if Dubas wants to maintain a competitive team with Crosby under his wing even after he signs a new contract.
But the door to negotiations seems more open than it was last summer, with both sides expressing interest in further discussions.
