5 NHL teams that should sign defenseman Dustin Byfuglien
By Mike Zawisza
Pittsburgh Penguins
It shouldn’t be a shocker to see the Penguins here. Basically any time there’s a big name circling around free agency or the trade market, the Penguins should and will be involved. In this case, it’s also just a solid fit.
The situation on the blueline in Pittsburgh hasn’t been a strength in recent years. Aside from the consistent excellence of Kris Letang and a breakout year from Harvard grad John Marino, the Penguins don’t boast a potent scoring defense.
Despite that, they have still managed to remain contenders in the Eastern Conference largely due to Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and a “next man up” attitude that head coach Mike Sullivan has instilled through the bottom of their lineup. The Penguins are at their best when they get out of the defensive end and start swarming in the offensive zone. Add in a one-man zone exit like Byfuglien, who is also quite effective along the wall from his time as a forward, and the league’s 10th highest scoring offense gets that much deadlier.
Even at his age, Byfuglien is at least as good, if not better, in his own end than guys like Erik Gudbranson and Jack Johnson. The cap situation would be tight for sure, but Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford is a cap wizard and wouldn’t hesitate to make a sizable move if it could bring yet another Stanley Cup to Pittsburgh.