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Pair of Penguins Players Who Likely Won't Be Back Next Season
Photo credit: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
The Pittsburgh Penguins are expected to undergo more changes this summer, and there are a pair of players who are likely not coming back for next season.
Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas will be busy this summer not only working to try and get the most out of what remains in the careers of franchise icons Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, but also to make the moves necessary to get the club back to the postseason.
He's already made a major change in leadership, dismissing head coach Mike Sullivan after nearly 10 years on the job and replacing him with former New York Rangers assistant Dan Muse.
As far as the roster goes, there will be work done on it, and some of the players who ended this season with the Penguins may not be back for next season.
Michael DeRosa of The Hockey News has suggested that one of the first players who may not be back next season is pending UFA forward Matt Nieto.
It would not be particularly surprising if Matt Nieto's time with the Penguins comes to an end this summer. The pending unrestricted free agent dropped down the Penguins' depth chart this season and was notably waived and sent down to the AHL in February. With this, it seems quite possible that the Penguins will move on from the veteran forward this summer.
Nieto had a goal with 2 assists in 32 games.
The 2nd player DeRosa then suggests won't be back is Joona Koppanen, another pending UFA.
Joona Koppanen is another player who the Penguins could part ways with this summer. The 27-year-old forward is a pending unrestricted free agent, and there is just not enough room on the Penguins' roster for him to have a full-time spot in their bottom six.
In 20 games, he had a goal with an assist.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 9 | 143 ANSWERS Pair of Penguins Players Who Likely Won't Be Back Next Season Can the Penguins return to the playoffs next season? | ||
| Yes | 78 | 54.5 % |
| No | 65 | 45.5 % |
| List of polls | ||