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Off-Season Game Plan: Penguins
pens offseason plan per tsn

A terrific run to the Stanley Cup final was a real coming-out party for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Now the challenge is finding a way to keep at least a good portion of this team together for the future.
Off-Season Game Plan takes a look at one of the teams that, based simply on the number of free agents, figures to be the most active this summer.
At season's end, Sidney Crosby told the Canadian Press, "I think we're all optimistic Ray's going to do the best job he can at keeping everyone together. We had a lot of success. I'm sure he doesn't want to change too much, if he can."
Those last words -- "if he can" -- are perhaps the most important.
Sure, the Penguins would love to have Marian Hossa, Ryan Malone and Brooks Orpik back in the fold since all three were major contributors but, any realist would note, there just isn't that kind of room under the salary cap.
Not only that, but any decisions the Penguins make this summer are going to impact future financial flexibility and this is a team that has to worry about potential long-term deals for Marc-Andre Fleury, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal.
It's not like these fiscal pressures come as a surprise. When the Penguins accumulated so many high draft picks, the questions had already started about whether the Penguins could afford to keep them all together.
If not, can general manager Ray Shero find the right mix of replacements to keep the Penguins in the title mix?
That's the challenge this summer.


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