Fansided

5 moves the Pittsburgh Penguins can make to get back to the playoffs

By Hunter Hodies

PITTSBURGH, PA - MAY 07: Members of the Pittsburgh Penguins acknowledge the crowd after a 2-1 overtime lose to the Washington Capitals in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG Paints Arena on May 7, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - MAY 07: Members of the Pittsburgh Penguins acknowledge the crowd after a 2-1 overtime lose to the Washington Capitals in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG Paints Arena on May 7, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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BOSTON, MA – DECEMBER 09: New York Islanders defenseman Calvin De Haan (44) skates during warm up before a game between the Boston Bruins and the New York Islanders on December 9, 2017, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, The Bruins defeated the Islanders 3-1. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA – DECEMBER 09: New York Islanders defenseman Calvin De Haan (44) skates during warm up before a game between the Boston Bruins and the New York Islanders on December 9, 2017, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, The Bruins defeated the Islanders 3-1. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

4. Get a depth defenseman

Most of the Penguins defense going into next season is set. Brian Dumoulin and Kris Letang will be on the first pairing. Then, they have Olli Maatta and Justin Schultz on the second pairing and then Jamie Oleksiak will likely be back next season after he showed a lot of improvement. The sixth spot, however, may have a competition. Matt Hunwick was a disaster last season and could be traded. Chad Ruhwedel had a good playoff run but he’s probably better suited as a seventh defenseman. He didn’t have any points but he made some great plays defensively and always seemed to be at the right place at the right time. Besides those two, they need to bring someone in who can push both of them and potentially be an upgrade.

There isn’t much on the free agent market for a defenseman, especially now that John Carlson has re-signed with the Capitals. An intriguing option could be Calvin de Haan, who likely won’t be returning to the Islanders. A team may give him a short-term deal to prove to them that he can stay healthy after he was banged up last season. He had 12 points in 33 games before he went down and during the 2016-2017 season, he played in all 82 games and had five goals and 25 points. Those numbers would be better than Ruhwedel’s and Hunwick’s, so it’ll be interesting to see if Jim Rutherford kicks the tires on him when free agency opens. Other than that, an upgrade may have to come via a trade.

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