5 Pivotal Penguins Decisions and Deadlines for June

If July 1 is the storm, then June is the month-long gathering of clouds that hovers in the distance, gathering volume and intensity. The Stanley Cup will be awarded by June 20. The NHL Scouting Combine begins this week, leading to the NHL Draft on June 27 and 28. Qualifying offers to restricted free agents are due on the Monday following the NHL Draft (June 30), and the wallets will open with ferocity for free agency on July 1.

Oh, and the Pittsburgh Penguins are still shopping for a new head coach.

June could become one of the most pivotal months of general manager Kyle Dubas’s career, and certainly his Penguins tenure. The selection of a new head coach carries with it franchise-altering directives, including everything from player selection to expectations. Finding a good fit for this moment will be the platform on which everything else rests.

A wrong step here could set back prospects and development for an organization that is impatiently racing to get back to contention while Sidney Crosby is still an active player. No pressure, eh?

We’ll do this in quick hit fashion:

Decision 1: Penguins Coach

Kingerski decision: D.J. Smith. His experience with developing young talent was successful and if he’s willing to go through it again, the Penguins could use his blend of humor and direction. He’s experienced enough to command a room but light enough not to add to the difficult times ahead. The Penguins room can get very serious and heavy, especially in dark times, Smith can keep morale up.

Penguins Decision? Probably Mitch Love. It’s not a done deal, at least as of the time of publishing, but the synergy between the young hotshot GM and the young coach is too good. Love is the flavor of the moment because it’s his time. He was successful at every stop from the WHL to the AHL and was then part of a surprisingly quick Washington Capitals turnaround.

Decision 2: RFAs

RFAs: P.O Joseph, Conor Timmins, Connor Dewar, Vasily Ponomarev, Philip Tomasino.

Kingerski decision: Re-sign Joseph, Dewar, Ponomarev. Non-qualify but negotiate new contract with Timmins. Non qualify Tomasino.

An arbitrator could award more money to Tomasino and Timmins than the Penguins are willing, or should pay. Salary cap space isn’t paramount to this year’s team, but getting Timmins under contract for a couple of years on the right deal would allow the Penguins to develop him further or eventually move him. According to AFP Analytics, Timmins is trending up and is projected to get a two-year, $5.34 million deal. An arbitrator could award more, which would be an overpay.

The left side of the Penguins defense is problematic. Only Ryan Graves, Ryan Shea, and Vladislav Kolyachonok are under contract, and Shea might be the most functional. Prospect Owen Pickering should be given a full-time spot. Keeping Joseph as both a potential development opportunity and insurance makes sense.

Tomasino had a good shot with the Penguins, but the roster spot and ice time he needs to be  successful can best be used on another player, whether it be a prospect such as Tristan Broz, or a mid-level free agent signing.

Penguins Decision? Trying to project these decisions is presently difficult. A new coach should have a lot of input in this decision. It’s quite possible a coach such as Love will view Timmins as important to retain but not Joseph. Though, a Graves-Pickering-Shea left side would seem less than ideal.

Will Dubas double down on the Tomasino acquisition with another season and another chance?

Keeping Dewar and Ponomarev are the easy ones.

Penguins UFAs

Matt Nieto, Boko Imama, Joona Koppanen, Matt Grzelcyk.

Kingerski decision: Re-sign Imama and, if willing, Koppanen. Don’t re-sign Nieto or Grzelcyk.

Imama is recovering from torn rotator cuff surgery, and will not be available until the fall. However, he provides on and off-the-ice value to both the Pittsurgh Penguins and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. A few flying fists both excites the crowd and keeps the team engaged. A big personality and spirit keeps the team up, even with the mood is down.

Koppanen is a splendid 13th forward and good addition in WBS. He can play center and he played well in his limited NHL role toward the end of the season.

Nieto is a gritty player, but now in his 30s, the multiple knee surgeries clearly took their toll. The Penguins need some help on the left side of the defense, and Grzelcyk was just fine in his role, but some physicality or muscle for the Penguins top-four would go a long way.

Draft Pick Rights

The Penguins have one former draft pick who is due new contract this summer or the Penguins will lose their rights.

Chase Yoder was the team’s sixth-round pick in 2020. He played five seasons at Providence College under coach Nate Leaman, who is known to produce tough players. Yoder’s career high was 11 goals and 20 points, set last season.

The Penguins have until Aug. 15 to sign him, or he becomes a free agent. Since the Penguins have 13 open contract slots and only half of those will be used up in free agency, it would seem to be a no-lose situation if they sign him, but scouting reports may say otherwise.

The team did not sign 2023 sixth-round pick Cooper Foster by yesterday’s deadline and lost his rights. He was nearly a point-per-game center with the Ottawa 67’s of the OHL.

NHL Draft, First Round

The big one that will draw all of our attention following the coaching selection. Currently, the Penguins have the 11th overall selection in Round One and could find themselves with a few choices. The Penguins could receive the New York Rangers first-round selection, too. New York owes the Penguins a first-round pick this seaosn or next, but the 2025 first-rounder is top-13 protected, meaning New York can keep it.

Dubas and the Penguins scouting staff will gather next week to begin arguing, debating, and comparing notes on the top prospects. Brady Martin and Jake O’Brien have risen up the ranks over the last month, but the Combine this week could re-shuffle the top-10.

Kingerski rankings for the pick:

Roger McQueen (Brandon, WHL)
Jake O’Brien (Brantford, OHL)
Brady Martin (Soo, OHL)
Cole Reschny (Victoria, WHL)
Carter Bear (Everett, WHL)

We haven’t yet profiled Reschny, who is a stocky (5-foot-10, 187 pounds), skilled, and tenacious center. Since we think the Penguins will be looking for a center or defenseman with their 11th overall pick, our list is exclusively the centers because we’re not sold on the high-end potential of the defensemen who will be available.

“He’s been in and out of this space and his game is like a few others in this class in that he gets after it, but also has a finesse to his game to make others around him better,” Sam Cosentino wrote on Sportsnet.

Carter Bear is another fearless forechecker who gets around the ice well. Scouts say he has flashed some slick hands, but he doesn’t rely on skill. Scouts say Bear is a high-motor work ethic type.

“He’s an energetic forward who consistently gives it his all. He’s a good skater and has decent playmaking, finishing, and puck-handling skills but creates lots of his offense with his IQ and around the net,” wrote Kareem Elshafey on FC Hockey.

McQueen and O’Brien are the potential top-six centers with high ceilings and next-level offensive skill. Martin is the dependable and reliable middle-six center, who is probably a third-liner, but could surprise and elevate himself into a second-line role.

O’Brien’s drawback is skating. McQueen missed most of the season with a back injury, that was reportedly a small broken bone that required time to heal.