Penguins Active in Free Agency; Miss on Key Targets
Aug 5, 2020 8:40:37 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2020 8:40:37 GMT -5
Pittsburgh Penguins GM Brad Palmer appeared to have mixed emotions when discussing the team's free agent haul this year. While the Penguins were reportedly looking to make a bigger splash, he was happy to land Philipp Grubauer early in the process.
"Philipp was our #1 target going into the free agency period, and we're ecstatic that he chose our team. We felt it was important to have two reliable veteran goaltenders as we come out of our rebuild here. We surprised people by making the playoffs a couple of years ago, and narrowly missed in game 82 last season. We feel that we're getting closer to where we want to be, and goaltending is a huge part of that. We believe in Philipp and in Mikko Koskinen, and we know they can provide quality goaltending. The other benefit to having two starters, is that is doubles the chance that one of them takes a step forward and carries us on a playoff run."
The Penguins also added Nick Jensen and Brandon Tanev on four year deals, adding a veteran presence that can step in immediately.
"We have a lot of young players in our group here, so adding Nick and Brandon gives us some reliable players in the bottom half of the lineup to help push our prospects and make sure that no one has to jump into the league before they are ready. It will be interesting at training camp to see who makes a case for themselves, not just on the roster, but we will have some battles for spots higher up in the lineup as well."
GM Palmer wouldn't offer any comments on the players that they missed out on, but it was clear the Penguins wanted to do more. Rumours out of Pittsburgh had them in deep negotiations with several other players, including some big fish that could have made an impact. The long-awaited return of Jordan Staal to the Steel City never happened, crushing the hopes of Eric Staal joining him. The brothers would have given Pittsburgh a formidable top six. Without them, they will be heavily reliant on a top line of Teravainen, Eichel, and Svechnikov. The Pens also missed out on Mikhail Grigorenko. The Russian import was highly sought after in his return to the NHL, with many scouts believing he can be an impact player in the upper half of a lineup following his ascent in the KHL. Reports also acknowledged the Penguins involvement in discussion with Garnet Hathaway, Corey Crawford, and Pavel Francouz, but it's unclear how far those discussions went. It remains to be seen if anyone else will be added prior to training camp.
"We may look to add some players on two-way deals going forward. If we see a fit where we can improve our depth at a price that makes sense, we hope to do something in the coming months."
"Philipp was our #1 target going into the free agency period, and we're ecstatic that he chose our team. We felt it was important to have two reliable veteran goaltenders as we come out of our rebuild here. We surprised people by making the playoffs a couple of years ago, and narrowly missed in game 82 last season. We feel that we're getting closer to where we want to be, and goaltending is a huge part of that. We believe in Philipp and in Mikko Koskinen, and we know they can provide quality goaltending. The other benefit to having two starters, is that is doubles the chance that one of them takes a step forward and carries us on a playoff run."
The Penguins also added Nick Jensen and Brandon Tanev on four year deals, adding a veteran presence that can step in immediately.
"We have a lot of young players in our group here, so adding Nick and Brandon gives us some reliable players in the bottom half of the lineup to help push our prospects and make sure that no one has to jump into the league before they are ready. It will be interesting at training camp to see who makes a case for themselves, not just on the roster, but we will have some battles for spots higher up in the lineup as well."
GM Palmer wouldn't offer any comments on the players that they missed out on, but it was clear the Penguins wanted to do more. Rumours out of Pittsburgh had them in deep negotiations with several other players, including some big fish that could have made an impact. The long-awaited return of Jordan Staal to the Steel City never happened, crushing the hopes of Eric Staal joining him. The brothers would have given Pittsburgh a formidable top six. Without them, they will be heavily reliant on a top line of Teravainen, Eichel, and Svechnikov. The Pens also missed out on Mikhail Grigorenko. The Russian import was highly sought after in his return to the NHL, with many scouts believing he can be an impact player in the upper half of a lineup following his ascent in the KHL. Reports also acknowledged the Penguins involvement in discussion with Garnet Hathaway, Corey Crawford, and Pavel Francouz, but it's unclear how far those discussions went. It remains to be seen if anyone else will be added prior to training camp.
"We may look to add some players on two-way deals going forward. If we see a fit where we can improve our depth at a price that makes sense, we hope to do something in the coming months."
