Here is something that Penguins fans need to think about. With Rob Scuderi looking to test the free agent marketplace and likely getting a very lucrative offer by doing so, the Penguins are a little light on the blue line in following the 2009-2010 season if he leaves with only Brooks Orpik and Alex Goligoski under contract beyond next season.

Sergei Gonchar and Mark Eaton will both be unrestricted free agents after the 09-10 season winds down and Kris Letang will be a restricted free agent. Ben Lovejoy is a restricted free agent this season leaving some major question marks about where the Penguins are on defense moving forward.

Time to think out loud here.

While the Penguins would love to resign Sergei Gonchar to an extension, his role with the club would look to diminish sizably starting even this season with Letang looking to take over the role of quarterback and Alex Goligoski looking to emerge. Any deal with Gonchar would likely be for two years at around $3 million just because the Penguins will need cap room to deal with future free agents. It could also be why the Penguins focused heavily on defense in this year’s entry draft selecting four blue liners with their seven picks with most forward positions locked up and several prominent forwards looking to move into the lineup.

The more I look at this, the more I have thought that if the Penguins focus on someone to sign it should be Scuderi over Fedotenko. But I just don’t know how likely that will be and how much exactly the Pens are willing to part with to keep the Scud Missile. The team gave Brooks Orpik $3.75 million a year and Scuderi was at least as productive as Orpik this season in his given roll.

With only $41.5 million committed to players in the year after next perhaps a Scuderi contract would be light in the first year and a little more back loaded. But then again, maybe they could do the same thing with Feds too. We will have to wait and see today.

Here are some options I guess:
Scuderi – 3 years @ $8.25 million (2, 3 & 3.25)
Fedotenko – 3 years @ $9.00 million (2.5, 3 & 3.5)

Just thinking out loud. Because that would put the Pens at about $54.86 this year and just $47.508 million for the 10-11 season with Kris Letang, and Matt Cooke needing contracts at the end of that year.