5 Players Under the Microscope

LW Carl Hagelin

A $4 million cap hit for the next two seasons, Hagelin had a dismal offensive season in 2016-2017 with 6 goals and 22 points in 61 games and the dominant possession game from 2015-2016 wasn’t there.

Injuries then made him a non-factor for much of the playoffs where he was a healthy scratch for stretches of the playoffs before turning in a strong performance in the Penguins Stanley Cup clinching win in Game 6.

Hagelin is bad value at his contract because of the inconsistent offensive production that saw the Rangers trade him entering his peak years and then the Anaheim Ducks after just a couple months.

Where opinions differ on Hagelin is usually between coaches and upper management.

“Carl’s a replacement level player but coaches who have had him admit [hide] he’s one of those guys you think you can replace but when you don’t have him, you miss him in a big way,” an Eastern conference scout said of Hagelin.

Hagelin is widely popular with teammates, notably Sidney Crosby and sources say the Penguins coaching staff went to bat with him during organizational meetings as Pittsburgh weighed ‘sweetening a deal’ with Vegas to take Hagelin.

Pittsburgh coaches were strongly against it.

Hagelin survived the summer from Pittsburgh moving the cap hit and going with cheaper players to play his role but he enters the season with questions of where he’ll land in the lineup and whether he’ll last past the deadline.

Those young guys in the system are coming and are much cheaper.

If Pittsburgh gets the 2016 version of Hagelin, though, it will quiet any talk of him moving.

LW Conor Sheary

Sheary coming off a 53 point season at age 25 would seem to be a big part of the picture for the Penguins.

Instead he’s tops among Penguins under the microscope this season.

It wasn’t that Sheary only scored 2 goals in 22 playoff games, he was down right invisible some nights.

It’s a business of what have you for me lately.

With a $3 million a year contract, the expectation game has also changed. His production will no longer be looked at as a bonus.

With the Penguins very deep on wing, the other fact with Sheary is rival executives tab him as a potential trade chip for the Penguins to bolster their team in other areas.

“The start [hide] he gets is going to be very important,” an NHL source said of Sheary.

Pittsburgh did not actively shop Sheary during the middle of contract talks this summer but he was discussed with other clubs as Pittsburgh scoured the market for a young third line center.

To open the season, Penguin coaches are contemplating starting Sheary on the third line with Bryan Rust on the other wing.

Defenseman Derrick Pouliot

He’s backed against a wall with the depth chart on D and through the first four days of camp Pouliot has done little to change the narrative.

The body language during practices remains extremely poor but as Mike Sullivan said this week, what matters most in evaluating camp performances is what happens in the games.

Pouliot will dress for the preseason opener vs Buffalo and he’s not only showcasing himself to the Penguins but the rest of the league as he’s waiver eligible.

Center Jay McClement

When Jim Rutherford gave Jay McClement a PTO in August, the belief in the organization is that things set up as probable that McClement would come into camp and get a contract before opening night. While it’s very early still, there are more doubts creeping in.

“He looks old,” a team source said of the 34 year old. “It’s been a struggle To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! Then there’s To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

Defenseman Olli Maatta

What does the future hold for Olli Maatta as a Penguin?

Rival executives To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

An area to watch.

Some scuttlebutt among scouts is Pittsburgh contemplating To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!