Ron Hextall's Terrible Decision Making May Block Penguins From Signing Key Player

Zucker's previous contract allowed him to earn $5.5M a season. After a phenomenal season that consisted of 27 goals and 21 assists, Jason Zucker is set to become a free agent this summer. While it may be a no-brainer for most Penguins fans that Zucker should be re-signed, there is a chance that it doesn't happen.

While it is possible that Zucker could take on a lower contract in order to stay with the Penguins, it's likely that he will want more money this time around.

The Penguins will have almost $21M in cap space for the 2023-24 season. Re-signing a 31-year-old that may want at least $6M should not only not be a priority for the new GM, but is also something they cannot afford. They need to figure out their defense and goaltending situation, as it is unlikely that they re-sign Brian Dumoulin and Tristan Jarry.

They also need to rebuild their bottom six. Zucker likely isn't going to be a player that will help them out in the long run.

At one point during the season, Zucker scored 11 goals in 13 games.

The free agency period begins July 1.