Much as some people might want Penguins general manager Ron Hextall to live in two worlds, he can't. Nobody can.
It's either all in — try to win — or start building toward the future.
I don't have to tell you which road Hextall and the Penguins have taken. You don't sign a 37-year-old center (Jeff Carter) to a two-year deal unless you're still all in.
It's really their only choice, as long as Sidney Crosby's here. When you have that guy, you play to win until the wheels fall off. You keep that first-round pick in play Thursday night when the NHL draft opens. You continue to spend to the cap every year — and you sacrifice on term to retain a still-elite, 35-year-old defenseman.
The Penguins gave Kris Letang a six-year contract Thursday. To some, that might seem insane. To others (hand raised here), it seems perfectly sensible.
It actually seems like a huge win for the Penguins. They just signed a top-10 defenseman for the ridiculously low cap hit of $6.1 million per year ($36.6 million total).
Let's put this into perspective. Five defensemen topped Letang's career-best 68 points this past season, and their names are Roman Josi, Cale Makar, Victor Hedman, Adam Fox and John Carlson. Four of those guys have won a Norris Trophy. Yet, Letang's new cap hit ranks just 37th among NHL defensemen.
How is that not a massive steal?
Also, it saves the Penguins more than $1 million per season on Letang's previous deal and allows Hextall some flexibility to keep tailoring his roster. He wasn't going to come close to replacing Letang for $6 million per year, I can tell you that.
Who can really replace Letang under any circumstance? He plays half the game. He often controls the pace of the game. He is Crosby's all-time greatest collaborator, and he keeps himself in ridiculously elite physical condition.
If you're hung up on the six-year term, relax. The extra year or two is obviously what clinched the deal, and it's quite possible that by years five and six, the Penguins will be in severe decline, anyway, which might be exactly what they need in order to build back up again. (Hey, it worked to set up the Crosby and Lemieux eras.)
Who cares if you have an overpriced, 40-year-old defenseman when you're entering a tank phase directed toward the bottom of the league? It might even help you get there.
Meantime, I don't belong to the blow-it-up camp, the one that believes the Penguins are light years away from competing in the Eastern Conference. If they weren't forced into using their third-string goalie against the Rangers, they might have still been playing a few weeks ago.
The Penguins, despite an immeasurable disadvantage in goal, had the Rangers dead and buried before Jacob Trouba took out Crosby. The Rangers then played a seven-game series against Tampa Bay.
Why is it so crazy, then, to believe the Penguins could have competed with and possibly beaten the Lightning?
I'd like to see what this group — with some tailoring — could do with a healthy Tristan Jarry in goal.
Having said all that, I wouldn't have kept Letang at any price, and I wouldn't keep Evgeni Malkin at any price, either. If he's feeling disrespected by, say, a $6 million-per-year offer, he might want to consider that he has been the highest-paid player on the team — above Crosby — for many years and hasn't exactly been delivering a fair return in terms of games played.
It's time for Malkin to give back. I'm not sure I'd go much above $5 million per year. I won't say he is easily replaced, but it's easier to find a No. 2 center than it is a No. 1 defenseman.
In other words, jettisoning Malkin would not equate to sacrificing the "all-in" mentality. That mentality, whether you like it or not, continues to drive Hextall's decision-making.
He made a brilliant move on Letang, who might be the best bargain in the league next season.
