The most-discussed question through the first two months of the Penguins' offseason -- who they would lose to Seattle in the expansion draft -- finally has been answered, and Brandon Tanev is on his way to the Pacific Northwest.
Tanev, signed as a free agent by Jim Rutherford in 2019, will take his high-energy game -- along with a $3.5 million salary-cap hit for the next four seasons -- to the Kraken.
And while the Penguins figure to miss his non-stop style, they will appreciate every dollar of the cap space they're gaining with Tanev's departure, since they still only have about $7.5 million of it for the coming season.
The next order of business for Ron Hextall and his staff will be the NHL draft Friday and Saturday, but after that, the focus will shift squarely to trying to upgrade the major-league roster to make a run at the franchise's sixth Stanley Cup in 2022.
Hextall said last week that he doesn't anticipate a major makeover, but it's always possible that one move -- perhaps even one not directly involving the Penguins -- could trigger a series of transactions as players who hadn't previously been on the market suddenly become expendable for their current team.
Regardless, here are some things that Hextall should prioritize in coming weeks:
• Find Tanev's replacement -- Toronto free agent Zach Hyman's name might come up a lot, but he's over-qualified -- he could fill a top-six role -- and will be overpriced for this niche. Barclay Goodrow, late of Tampa Bay, would have been a good candidate, but the New York Rangers shrewdly dealt for his rights last week and are expected to sign him. One free agent worth a good look is Joel Armia, a capable forechecker who is solid at both ends of the ice. He's not a Tanev clone but then, who is? San Jose's Kurtis Gabriel might be a cut-rate possibility; he's big and physical, but modest skills and subpar skating make him a marginal NHLer.
• Re-sign Cody Ceci -- Ceci didn't just save his career last season; he made himself a highly attractive commodity for any team seeking a good two-way contributor on defense. In the process, he might have put himself out of the Penguins' price range, although it helps their cause that he realizes he's a good fit here.
• Re-sign Frederick Gaudreau -- It shouldn't bankrupt Ron Burkle to keep him, and Gaudreau exceeded all expectations in 2020-21, proving that he can move up and down the lineup, kill penalties and play wing or center. As with Ceci, it helps that Gaudreau knows that the Penguins are willing to use him extensively and effectively, but it's conceivable that some other club will lure him with relatively big money and the promise of a prominent role.
• Shop Jason Zucker -- With the insurance policy that was Jared McCann gone, dealing a top-six winger is a high-risk move. The Penguins, though, seem to believe that Samuel Poulin is a legitimate candidate to step directly from junior hockey to the NHL, and his game likely is best-suited to playing on a first or second line. Zucker is a diligent, honest player, but has never produced to expectations since being acquired from Minnesota in 2020, and shedding his $5.5 million cap hit would give Hextall some badly needed maneuvering room in negotiations with others.
• Shop Marcus Pettersson -- He is better than he showed during much of the past season and the Penguins know better than most that it never hurts to have an ample supply of NHL-caliber defensemen. Nonetheless, Pettersson's $4,025,175 cap hit could be used to address some other personnel issues, and P.O Joseph (or Mark Friedman) would be a capable replacement as John Marino's defense partner, especially if it would be as the No. 3 pairing.
• Re-sign Zach Aston-Reese -- He's a responsible two-way, bottom-six winger and capable penalty-killer who might have some untapped offensive potential. Aston-Reese is restricted, so he doesn't have all that much leverage (although he is eligible for arbitration) and should come in at a workable number.
• Don't trade Bryan Rust -- Moving him might seem like a logical move; Rust will be an unrestricted free agent next summer, able to leave without the Penguins getting anything, and almost certainly would bring a good return in a trade now. However, with the second line likely gutted by the absence of Evgeni Malkin, at least early in the season, the Penguins figure to lean heavily on the Jake Guentzel-Sidney Crosby-Rust unit for offense. Kasperi Kapanen, the Penguins' other top-six right winger, did not mesh particularly well with Crosby last season, so breaking up the Guentzel-Crosby-Rust unit would be a real gamble. Perhaps a very costly one.
• Explore the goalie market -- Even if management is serious about being content to stick with Tristan Jarry as its go-to guy, there's no harm is finding out who else is available, and what it might cost to acquire him. There is, however, no need to seek a replacement for Casey DeSmith, whose attitude, skills set and cap hit ($1.25 million) are ideal for a backup.
• Re-sign Malkin and Kris Letang (but only to team-friendly deals) -- Contracts are supposed to compensate players for their projected contributions, not for what they've done in the past, so both guys should expect to take a pay cut and get relatively few years on a new deal. If there are concerns about Malkin's ability to rebound from his knee surgery, delaying talks until he has rejoined the lineup would be reasonable. If the Penguins want to honor the many contributions Malkin and Letang have made to the franchise, they should do it with ceremonies, not contracts.