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UFA of the Day: Matt Niskanen

Pittsburgh Penguins v New York Rangers - Game Six

Matt Niskanen

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Check PHT each weekday for the first four weeks of June for a new pending unrestricted free agent of the day. Today’s UFA of the Day is...

Matt Niskanen

There are plenty of teams interested in adding an offensively gifted right-handed shooting defenseman, but the pickings are already starting to thin.

Marek Zidlicky has re-signed with the New Jersey Devils while Dan Boyle might also sign before the unrestricted free agent period starts after the New York Islanders acquired his rights.

Both of those blueliners are 37 years old though (Boyle will turn 38 in July). If you want an offensively gifted defenseman still in the prime of his career, it looks like you’ll only have one option this summer: Niskanen.

There are reasons to be concerned about him. After recording 35 points in 2008-09, Niskanen regressed offensively and struggled for years to regain his footing. It was during this period that the Dallas Stars traded him to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

It wasn’t until this season that he really started to turn his career around as Niskanen finally broke out with 10 goals and 46 points in 81 games. Still, that all translates to him breaching the 30-point mark just twice in seven career seasons. With the market likely to go crazy for him given the lack of options, he will likely sign a massive long-term contract that will look very troubling if his 2013-14 success isn’t replicated.

That’s assuming of course that Niskanen makes it to the free agent period in the first place, which frankly seems like a safe bet. Although Niskanen hinted at the possibility of taking a hometown discount back in October, after his breakout season the Penguins have still likely been priced out of the market.

Pittsburgh already owes roughly $60 million in cap obligations to 14 players, per Cap Geek, so adding Niskanen on top of that would only further degrade its ability to assemble a team with some decent depth. Unless, of course, the Penguins decide to sign Niskanen and trade Kris Letang.

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