There have been reports that the Pittsburgh Penguins have been looking to re-tool their lineup for next season. Hoping to maybe have one last run with Sidney Crosby before he starts thinking about retirement. The Penguins will look to bring in some younger, and faster talent. Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang have been mentioned as possible casualties of the re-tool as they are both going to be UFAs this summer. Both are 35-years-old and nearing the end of their career.
The Penguins have reportedly made their first big move going into next year. As reported by Darren Dreger and Frank Seravalli it looks like Pittsburgh has agreed on a 6-year extension with forward Bryan Rust. The 30-year-old will carry a cap hit around $5.2million, a $1.7 million per year increase over his current deal. Rust mostly played on the top line with Sidney Crosby amassing 58 points in 60 games.
The Penguins have a lot of pending free agents to sign including Evan Rodrigues, Rickard Rakell, and Casey DeSmith, who are all likely to get significant raises as well. If Malkin and Letang are willing to take a discounted deal they could stay in Pittsburgh, but only time will tell.
