As of right now, the Pens roster looks mostly prepared for the upcoming season but will have some moves to make to become complicit with the salary cap.
Now, of course, there is the ongoing waiting game to see if Erik Karlsson will end up here in Pittsburgh. If that happens, this could once again make my article age badly, but the deal hasn’t crossed the finish line yet. Honestly, who knows if it ever will. If it does, though, the Pens will have some holes in their lineup based on who they likely would move in this blockbuster, so today, we get ahead of ourselves and look at replacements the Pens could sign on PTOs to replace the players who got shipped to SJS (if a trade happens.)
Now I’m not saying these players couldn’t join the team if a trade doesn’t occur, but…I honestly don’t know where these players would play in our lineup if we didn’t.
Anyway, here are three players who I think the Pens should target to sign to PTOs if they don’t sign somewhere else and the Karlsson trade goes through.
F Zach Aston-Reese
The 28-year-old left winger had ten goals and 14 points in 77 games with the Leafs last year. He is 6’0” and 204 pounds and had a cap hit of $840,630 last year. Sullivan and the coaching staff know all about him, as well as Dubas, who signed him to a PTO last season with Toronto and performed well enough in training camp to earn him a contract.
F Anders Bjork
The 26-year-old winger can play on both sides. He had two goals and eight assists in 14 games played for the Blackhawks last year. He is 6’0” and 197 pounds and had a cap hit of $1.6 million. Bjork has become a solid defensive player but has struggled on the offensive side of the puck. He showed promise in college but hasn’t lived up to the hype he once showed.
F Jujhar Khaira
The 28-year-old left winger scored six goals and 14 points in 51 games last season. He is 6’4” and 212 pounds and had a cap hit of $975K. He is good at using his size but struggles offensively.
Honorable Mentions:
-RW Brett Ritchie (8-5-13 in 51 GP with ARI, CGY)
-F Devin Shore (1-8-9 in 47 GP with EDM)
-C Colin White (8-7-15 in 68 GP with FLA)
Once again, it’s not likely the Pens will likely get any of these players. They are already above cap space, and the Karlsson deal is still just in a holding process. But if all the cards get dealt just right, one (or more) of these men could find themselves in the black and gold this September.
