Penguins/NHL
Baby Pens Free Agency updates on Craig, Sterling, Potter & Wagner
Veteran forward Ryan Craig is said to be one of Jason Botterill’s (Assistant GM) top priorities this off-season.
As of today, no official talks are setup but Botterill has reached out to Craig’s camp, expressing an interest in resigning the 29 year old forward, sources say.
Craig is scheduled to meet with agent….
Craig Oster of Newport Sports next week to discuss his intentions for next season.
Craig, 29, was second on the Baby Pens with 48 points in 71 games. He led all Penguins forwards in the playoffs with 7 points.
An excellent leader, the Penguins are hopeful to keep Craig in the fold. The only thing that likely would hold back Craig from returning to the organization is if he decides he wants to pursue better opportunities at the NHL level.
Craig appeared in 6 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He has 32 goals and 63 points in 190 career NHL games.
Will Sterling Return?
Brett Sterling led the Baby Pens with 27 goals and 53 points this season and he’s another player the Penguins would like to retain but no talks have taken place with agent Allain Roy.
Sterling though has an interest in exploring his options, a source says. Sterling scored 3 goals in 7 NHL games, while collecting 5 points.
Several free agent defensemen for Baby Pens
The contracts for Corey Potter, Andrew Hutchinson, and Steve Wagner have expired.
With Simon Despres and Philip Samuelsson set to join the organization, all three defenseman won’t be resigned.
The top priority is likely to be Corey Potter who led the Baby Pens with 9 points in the playoffs and had 7 goals – 30 assists for 37 points in the regular season. Potter’s +25 rating was second among defenseman behind Robert Bortuzzo’s +28 rating.
With seven defensemen under contract at the NHL level, Potter would be smart to go elsewhere after a strong season if he has NHL aspirations.
Meanwhile, Ben Hankinson, the agent for Steve Wagner told me today that it’s too early to speculate on Steve’s future with the organization.
Wagner had 5 goals and 23 assists on the season, along with a +16 rating.
