The NHL implemented the salary cap to force choices like this. Over the summer, the Pittsburgh Penguins re-signed Kris Letang to a massive eight-year, $58 million contract, according to CapGeek.com. They also signed free-agent defenseman Rob Scuderi to a four-year, $13.5 million contract.
If the roster remains intact as it is and the Penguins don't make any moves to clear up cap space, it seems highly unlikely that they'll be able to retain the services of Brooks Orpik.
Outside of the veteran blueliner, Pittburgh has 15 other free agents—both restricted and unrestricted—that they need to deal with. That includes players of various importance, ranging from Chuck Kobasew and Chris Conner to Tomas Vokoun and Matt Niskanen.
At the beginning of the 2013-14 NHL season, Orpik seemed indispensable for the Penguins. He was viewed as a top-four staple and arguably the best stay-at-home defenseman on the team. When Pittsburgh grabbed Scuderi for less than $4 million, it was hailed as a steal because the Penguins badly needed to round out their top-four.
Bringing the ex-Pen back gave them two rock-solid pairing ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Franklin Steele
Breaking Down Brooks Orpik’s Future with the Pittsburgh Penguins
December 19th, 2013 by Franklin Steele Leave a reply »
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