Good morning and happy Wednesday to you all! Today I'm joined by Penguins blogger Ryan Wilson who has provided his list for the Pens.

PENGUINS PROTECTION LIST

FORWARDS

Sidney Crosby
Evgeni Malkin
Jake Guentzel
Bryan Rust
Jason Zucker
Jared McCann
Kasperi Kapanen

DEFENSE

Kris Letang
Brian Dumoulin
Marcus Pettersson

GOALIE

Tristan Jarry

EXPOSURE REQUIREMENTS - FORWARD

Jeff Carter
Sam Lafferty
Brandon Tanev

EXPOSURE REQUIREMENTS - DEFENSE

Michael Matheson
Chad Ruhwedel

EXPOSURE REQUIREMENTS - GOALIE

Casey DeSmith

Rationale for leaving Tanev and Matheson unprotected is they are not worth their contract.

Protecting McCann because he has trade value more so than Teddy Blueger or other forwards.

I'm not overly interested in giving up a first or 2nd round pick to get out of the Tanev or Matheson deals.

---

Thanks for the words Ryan!

If I was to sum up the options available from Pittsburgh in a couple words it would be, "need to reach the cap floor." I wouldn't target guys such as Matheson or Tanev as their contracts are not only high but each are far too long. A player such as Jeff Carter however may be more enticing due to his 5.2 million dollar deal with only a single year remaining on his deal.

Alternatively there are a couple younger options in forwards such as Sam Lafferty or Teddy Blueger that could fit in well with a brand new team and earn a more prolific spot in the lineup.

Lastly Casey DeSmith has shown some skill this year and could be an option as a third goalie to select but I do believe there will be better options available.

What say you? Who would you select from the Pittsburgh Penguins?

Join the Discussion: » 18 Comments » Post New Comment

» Kraken Season Opener + New Captain?

» Wright Skating In Top Nine Role

» Did the Kraken Get "Good" Too Soon?

» Kraken Extend (Future Captain?) Adam Larsson

» Seattle Nearing 7 Year Extension with Beniers