Analyst Roasts Penguins Management For Their Irresponsable Off-Season

Mark Madden of TRIBLive made it very clear:

Their core isn't the problem. All three of Crosby, Malkin, and Letang are still putting up phenomenal performances game after game.

Despite these three being locked up at a bargain combined $20.9-million, the Penguins are floundering in the tough Eastern Conference.

Analyst Roasts Penguins Management

There is only one reason the Penguins are struggling - management. A flurry of bad contract signings and desperation trades have effectively ruined this team.

Note three off-season contract signings, Jeff Carter, Kasperi Kapanen, and Jan Rutta, costing over $9-million combined. These players aren't anything above replacement, and that cap flexibility would be worth a whole lot more than any of those three players.

Then, the Jeff Petry trade was an indisputable disaster. While Ryan Poehling still has some potential, Petry, and his $6.25-million cap-hit, has been terrible.

He makes more than Letang, and is already 35 years old (with term!). While his locker room presence is great, it's the on-ice play that matters more when you give up a guy like Mike Matheson.

Matheson wasn't amazing in Pittsburgh, but he was definitely a more dynamic contributor than Petry.

Ron Hextall needs to figure out the direction of this team soon, or they may just cloud out into mediocrity for the rest of three hall-of-fame careers.

Source: TRIBLive