Kyle Dubas made sure to temper expectations when he last spoke on Friday.
If the Penguins make a serious splash in free agency when the market opens Wednesday at noon, it would be one of the biggest surprises of the offseason. Dubas all but ruled out the idea after the first round of the draft on Friday, cautioning that overspending simply because the calendar turns to July is the kind of mistake teams can regret.
"You can be as aggressive as you want on July 1, but if you look at what's available, it could be an expensive mistake," Dubas said. "I try to learn from the past, and we'll try to steer clear of that."
It's a continuation of the goal Dubas has preached throughout the offseason. The Penguins are still searching for the middle of their roster -- players in their mid-20s who can help now while growing with the team's next wave of talent, bridging the gap between that up-and-coming wave and the older core. But they aren't willing to sacrifice long-term success or flexibility to make that move.
That means that in terms of signings, Wednesday will most likely be more about depth than big names, bolstering Wilkes-Barre's lineup more than anything.
One area, however, became a glaring need on Tuesday.
The Penguins shipped left-handed Parker Wotherspoon to Vegas for 25-year-old right-handed defenseman Kaedan Korczak. If one views the trade in isolation, it's a downgrade. Korczak would project as the third-pairing defenseman on the right side behind Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang, and Wotherspoon was Karlsson's partner on the left side. But if one looks at Korczak as the right-side replacement for Connor Clifton or Jack St. Ivany, and the Penguins are planning to find a younger, established left-handed defenseman or two this summer who can play top-four minutes, then that would allow the Penguins to be competitive while getting younger.
Moves like that would almost certainly have to come via a trade. By nature of the rules of unrestricted free agency, players usually don't hit UFA status until they're 27 years old at the earliest, unless they're restricted free agents who went unqualified, and thus probably not the impact player the Penguins are seeking.
Even if the Penguins were willing to sacrifice the desire for youth in favor of a higher-caliber, older player, it's just not a good market this summer for unrestricted free agents. The big names have largely been re-signed, or had rights traded and signed with their new teams. If the Penguins do end up going after an older, higher-caliber player to fill a void on defense, it would still have to come in a trade.
A trade like the Penguins need doesn't have to happen on Wednesday. Coming out of Wednesday's opening day of free agency with a dramatic roster overhaul just isn't going to happen, especially after Dubas' comments on Friday about building the roster "brick-by-boring-brick."
Dubas has made clear that he'd rather leave a need unfilled for a little longer than commit to a contract he believes could become an anchor in a couple of years. The Penguins may not make the biggest of moves when free agency opens on Wednesday, but after Tuesday's trade, finding help on the left side of the blue line has become the one move they almost certainly have to make sooner rather than later.
THE ASYLUM
Quiet free agency likely for Penguins
Kyle Dubas made sure to temper expectations when he last spoke on Friday.
If the Penguins make a serious splash in free agency when the market opens Wednesday at noon, it would be one of the biggest surprises of the offseason. Dubas all but ruled out the idea after the first round of the draft on Friday, cautioning that overspending simply because the calendar turns to July is the kind of mistake teams can regret.
"You can be as aggressive as you want on July 1, but if you look at what's available, it could be an expensive mistake," Dubas said. "I try to learn from the past, and we'll try to steer clear of that."
It's a continuation of the goal Dubas has preached throughout the offseason. The Penguins are still searching for the middle of their roster -- players in their mid-20s who can help now while growing with the team's next wave of talent, bridging the gap between that up-and-coming wave and the older core. But they aren't willing to sacrifice long-term success or flexibility to make that move.
That means that in terms of signings, Wednesday will most likely be more about depth than big names, bolstering Wilkes-Barre's lineup more than anything.
One area, however, became a glaring need on Tuesday.
The Penguins shipped left-handed Parker Wotherspoon to Vegas for 25-year-old right-handed defenseman Kaedan Korczak. If one views the trade in isolation, it's a downgrade. Korczak would project as the third-pairing defenseman on the right side behind Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang, and Wotherspoon was Karlsson's partner on the left side. But if one looks at Korczak as the right-side replacement for Connor Clifton or Jack St. Ivany, and the Penguins are planning to find a younger, established left-handed defenseman or two this summer who can play top-four minutes, then that would allow the Penguins to be competitive while getting younger.
Moves like that would almost certainly have to come via a trade. By nature of the rules of unrestricted free agency, players usually don't hit UFA status until they're 27 years old at the earliest, unless they're restricted free agents who went unqualified, and thus probably not the impact player the Penguins are seeking.
Even if the Penguins were willing to sacrifice the desire for youth in favor of a higher-caliber, older player, it's just not a good market this summer for unrestricted free agents. The big names have largely been re-signed, or had rights traded and signed with their new teams. If the Penguins do end up going after an older, higher-caliber player to fill a void on defense, it would still have to come in a trade.
A trade like the Penguins need doesn't have to happen on Wednesday. Coming out of Wednesday's opening day of free agency with a dramatic roster overhaul just isn't going to happen, especially after Dubas' comments on Friday about building the roster "brick-by-boring-brick."
Dubas has made clear that he'd rather leave a need unfilled for a little longer than commit to a contract he believes could become an anchor in a couple of years. The Penguins may not make the biggest of moves when free agency opens on Wednesday, but after Tuesday's trade, finding help on the left side of the blue line has become the one move they almost certainly have to make sooner rather than later.
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