Jim Rutherford is refocusing his center of attention.
The Pittsburgh Penguins general manager was able to avoid arbitration with restricted free agents Brian Dumoulin and Conor Sheary, as the latter signed a three-year, $9-million contract Sunday. Now, he'll look to fill a hole at center left open by the departures of Nick Bonino (free agency), Matt Cullen (possible retirement), and Oskar Sundqvist (trade).
CapFriendly reveals free-agent options are limited at this point in the summer, and the Penguins have only $3.28 million in available salary cap space heading into next season, meaning Rutherford will be working the phones and further exploring the trade market in the coming days.
Rutherford also said he's more comfortable trading for a third-line center now that Sheary and Dumoulin have avoided arbitration.
— Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) July 30, 2017
"There’s more talk going on now than there was a week or two ago," Rutherford added.
Pittsburgh's center depth is paltry at best following Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, with Carter Rowney slotted to play pivot in a limited role and Jake Guentzel clearly more suited as a scoring winger at this point.
The third-line center role has been filled by Jordan Staal, Brandon Sutter, and Bonino in recent years, leaving rather large skates to fill in Pittsburgh's quest for a third straight Stanley Cup win.
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