MONTREAL — Good times have a short shelf life in the NHL.
"We have to turn the page at some point," Penguins general manager Ray Shero said Saturday after the last round of the NHL Draft at Bell Center.
Their Cup win not even three weeks old, the Penguins are preparing for yet another busy offseason. Free agency opens Wednesday.
Shero started finger-flipping through his offseason playbook last week, discussing parameters of a new contract with winger Bill Guerin — one of eight potential unrestricted free agents to play at least one Final game with the Penguins.
Guerin was offered a one-year deal (salary unknown), and Shero is confident "he wants to come back."
"More likely (on) Monday we'll look to see if we can finalize something for Billy," Shero said.
Winger Ruslan Fedotenko is expected to receive an offer from the Penguins by Monday. He is seeking a multi-year deal, as is defenseman Rob Scuderi, who Shero expects to explore his free-agent options.
The Penguins also have not ruled out re-signing winger Petr Sykora, who appeared in only five playoff games after a 25-goal regular season.
Guerin, Fedotenko and Sykora are believed to be seeking no-movement clauses, which would prevent them from being traded without consent and negate the possibility of minor-league assignments.
With almost $49 million committed against the $56.8 million cap for next season, the Penguins are counting on veterans to accept less money and term to return and again chase the Cup.
One that got away
Some Penguins fans in Mt. Lebanon likely changed their allegiance yesterday after local prospect Patrick Wey was selected by the Washington Capitals in the fourth round as the 115th overall pick.
Wey, 18, is a 6-foot-2, 203-pound defenseman that scored seven goals and recorded 34 points to go with 75 penalty minutes in 58 games with Waterloo (Iowa) of the United States Hockey League.
"I really had no idea going in what was going to happen because everybody kept telling me, 'You never know how things are going to go,' " said Wey, who followed the draft on TV and via the Internet in the basement of his parents' home. "It wasn't what I expected. I thought I'd be, all, 'Yeah, I got drafted — whatever!' Man, it ended up being awesome, one of the better days of my life."
Wey, who attended Mt. Lebanon High School but played hockey for the traveling Pittsburgh Hornets before moving to Waterloo, was on the Penguins' radar at the draft. However, the Capitals vowed not to let him slip past them in the fourth round.
"There are no holes to his game," Capitals scouting director Ross Mahoney said.
Staff uncertainty
Assistant coach Tom Fitzgerald still has not decided if he will return in that capacity next season or resume his previous duties as Penguins director of player development.
Hired for a hockey operations position two years ago, Fitzgerald joined head coach Dan Bylsma's staff after the Penguins fired former coach Michel Therrien on Feb. 15.
"This is an all-in job, and he was completely all in — and if he's to come back in an assistant's role, his family and he have to make that decision; not me, not us," Bylsma said of Fitzgerald, who lives in the Boston area with his wife and young sons.
"Do we want him to come back? Yes. But that's completely his and his family's decision."
Fitzgerald said Friday he expects to reach a decision "relatively soon."
Looks good, except the Sykora resigning.
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Thanks to VICE™ for the sig. And avatar.
Any signing of Sykora is a mistake IMHO, but to have a no trade clause would simply be stupid.
Guerin is expected to make a decision in the next day or two.
Fed's may be a little longer, he may look at Free Agency offers first. I think there is a lot of interest there, and therefore more money somewhere else.
__________________ Penguins Fan living in Sabreland
Shero looks to ink Guerin and Fedotenko
Shero looks to ink Guerin and Fedotenko
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