Even though the Pittsburgh Penguins repeatedly defied expectations this season by making the Stanley Cup Playoffs when most projected them to finish at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, it doesn’t lessen the sting of having their year ended by the in-state rival Philadelphia Flyers.
The Penguins managed to make life very uncomfortable for the Flyers, winning two straight games and coming within a goal of forcing a decisive Game 7 back in Pittsburgh after the Flyers had won the first three games of the series. However, those comeback dreams were thwarted thanks to an overtime goal from Cam York at Xfinity Mobile Arena, punching Philly’s ticket to the second round against the Carolina Hurricanes.
There will be lots of decisions for Penguins GM Kyle Dubas in the weeks and months ahead, but in the mind of one noted NHL Insider, there is a main candidate for the players who likely won’t be retained by Pittsburgh for next season.
Goaltender Stuart Skinner Likely Won’t Be Back With The Pittsburgh Penguins, According To David Pagnotta
According to a recent report from NHL Insider David Pagnotta, the Penguins aren’t expected to bring back goaltender Stuart Skinner, a pending unrestricted free agent, for next season.
This doesn’t necessarily come as a surprise, given Skinner’s struggles with consistency, the same kind of issues that plagued him during his time with the Edmonton Oilers. Despite having been between the pipes in each of the last two Stanley Cup Finals against the Florida Panthers with the Oilers, he was replaced at various points in their postseason run by backup Calvin Pickard.
Skinner was even replaced by Pickard in the Cup Final of last season before returning to the net for the decisive Game 6 back in Florida.
This year, Skinner was replaced by Arturs Silovs in goal for the Penguins following their Game 3 loss to the Flyers that put them on the brink of elimination.
During Skinner’s time with the Penguins in the regular season, he went 12-9-5 with a 2.99 goals-against average and a .895 save percentage, numbers that just aren’t going to get the job done.
During the three games he played in the postseason with Pittsburgh, Skinner went winless while posting a 3.08 goals-against average and a .873 save percentage.
The Penguins Have Major Decisions Ahead Of Them
Most of the chatter surrounding the Penguins is the status of future Hall of Fame forward Evgeni Malkin, one of the best players in team history but who is also a pending unrestricted free agent.
Malkin will turn 40 years of age this summer, and he’s not getting any younger. He also recently left the door open to potentially playing with another NHL team next season.
“I want to play in the NHL for sure, but, again, I know it’s not easy for Kyle [Dubas] and I know maybe he wants new blood here,” Malkin said on May 1. “And I understand that it’s a business… For me, I want to play one more year in the NHL. I’m not looking back to play in Russia. But if not this group, I hope some [NHL] team.”
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