A variety of Pittsburgh Penguins news items to report, courtesy Dave Molinari of the Post-Gazette:
Sidney Crosby
Pens GM Ray Shero can sign Crosby -- heading into the final season of a five-year, $43.5 million deal -- to an extension on July 1.
Shero told Molinari there’s no formal or informal deadline on getting a deal done with his captain (though there have already been crazy dollars and term thrown about.)
Jordan Staal
Few notes here:
-- Staal hasn’t expressed interest in leaving Pittsburgh after his deal expires in 2013.
-- Shero said that, like Crosby, there’s no deadline for signing Staal to an extension.
-- Many teams have inquired about Staal, but Shero replies to each with the same response: Pittsburgh hasn’t put him on the market and hopes to re-sign him.
-- Staal’s getting married on Friday. Huzzah!
Arron Asham/Steve Sullivan
Shero said both “have been good players for us,” and there are plans to discuss their futures with their agents in the coming weeks. Asham has already stated his desire to remain a Penguin.
Defensemen
Shero said he expects to trade a defenseman or two before next season. A quick glace at Pittsburgh’s cap structure reveals a lot of money tied up in Paul Martin ($5 million annually until 2015), Zbynek Michalek ($4 million annually until 2015) and Brooks Orpik ($3.75 million annually until 2014).
Those deals are compounded by two things. One, they all involve some type of no-trade/movement clause and two, they’re all more expensive than Kris Letang’s ($3.5 million annually until 2014.)
It seems likely that Martin, Michalek and/or Orpik are targets to be moved, though Shero declined to reveal if he’s asked anybody to waive a NTC or NMC.