Penguins Mailbag: Letang, Crosby, and Goaltending

It’s that time again! With the off-season in full swing, I decided to do another installment of an off-season Penguins mailbag. Thank you to everyone kind enough to send in their questions! I chose 5 of my favorite questions I was asked to answer in this article.

@nhl_kyle on Twitter, who asked: “Do you think you guys (The Pens) bring back Letang?”
My answer is yes. I feel like if this team still wants to compete for a cup, they will make re-signing Letang a priority, but I believe he has a higher chance of not returning to the Pens over Malkin. I’m close on this, around 60/40 to be exact, but I think they ultimately will.

@CueTheDuckBoatz Podcast asks: “Do you think Crosby retires a Penguin?”
My answer is an obvious yes. I cannot imagine a scenario that would have Crosby leaving this team. He loves this city, and I can’t see him wanting to leave, and I cannot see management ever wanting him to leave. Simply put, I don’t see Crosby leaving at all. However, anything can happen in this league, so I won’t say never.

@jefflanejr asks: “Should the Penguins trade for Laurent Brossoit?”
I think he’s a solid fit on the Penguins if we don’t resign DeSmith. He could be a reliable backup who can play up to 20 games a year and win hockey games. Plus, the Pens could acquire him for a pretty low price. Solid backup for an affordable price? Yes, please.

@JacobAbenante asks: “Does Malkin re-sign?”
I’ve answered questions about Malkin all off-season, and I recently just wrote an article on the Malkin situation. I still stand by the belief that he will be back in Pittsburgh next season. I think management has made him THE top priority to get re-signed, and I believe he wants to return. So to simply put it, yes, I think Malkin re-signs.

The final question comes from @KevinSantangelo, who asks: “Who will be the backup goalie if DeSmith doesn’t resign?”
There are a few different options the Penguins could do. They could keep someone like Domingue as the backup, sign a free agent goalie, or acquire one via trade. One name that I like is Brossoit, as mentioned earlier. I don’t believe Alex D’Orio is ready for the NHL yet, so I’d count him out. There are a few other options out there, but I’m not sure the route the Penguins will want to take, whether they want a younger goalie or a veteran, so that’s more of a waiting game to see what happens. Also, before anyone asks, no…Marc-Andre Fleury is probably not coming home. Don’t get that idea, please.

That wraps things up for this installment of the Penguins off-season mailbag. Thanks to everyone for their questions, and if you are interested in sending in your own, follow me on Twitter @Nshermeto04 and comment or DM the question(s).

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