How do the Penguins get younger?

In October, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan objected to the phrasing of a question when asked if he has to go about his job differently when his roster is populated with so many “AHL guys.”

Sullivan called for a point of order before answering the query.

“They’re not AHL guys,” Sullivan insisted. “They’re Pittsburgh Penguins. That’s how we look at them. These guys are all good players.”

The Penguins might have to rely on more of those “not AHL guys” next season.

At least that’s what general manager Jim Rutherford suggested Tuesday during his end-of-season media availability via teleconference.

“This could be a year where we try to get younger but in a way that we feel that we can still win,” Rutherford said. “Bring that new, young energy in. We’re going to have to make some changes because of the cap. We’re not going to be re-signing all of our players. We’re not going to be able to even if we wanted to.”

As Rutherford alluded to, a call to get younger is oftentimes a different way of calling to get cheaper. Newer players, particularly those under entry-level contracts, tend to make only six figures, whereas more established players can have salary cap hits that involve two commas.

With the NHL’s salary cap remaining flat for the 2021-20 season at $81.5 million, the Penguins already have $61,100,175 committed — according to Cap Friendly — to players who finished the 2019-20 campaign on the NHL roster. That figure, obviously, does not include pending restricted free agents such as high-profile goaltenders Tristan Jarry and Matt Murray or reserve rookie forwards Anthony Angello and Sam Lafferty.

Getting younger — or cheaper — might not be so much of a choice as a requirement.

But how do the Penguins do that?

Internally, there isn’t an abundance of options.

For more than a decade, the Penguins have jettisoned high draft picks as well as many of their better prospects to other teams in the name of getting better in the immediate sense. From the 2007 trade deadline when they dealt defensive prospect Noah Welch to the Florida Panthers for 40-year-old forward Gary Roberts to this year’s deadline when they sent a third-round draft pick in 2021 to the San Jose Sharks for 40-year-old forward Patrick Marleau, the Penguins have been in “win now” mode when it comes to their future assets.

While that approach hasn’t been perfect — two second-rounders for a few months of sluggish defenseman Douglas Murray in 2013 was hardly a triumph — the overall results — three Stanley Cup crowns since 2009 — have justified “win now” sufficiently.

But what about now with the realities of the NHL’s stagnant finances brought on by the coronavirus pandemic?

The Penguins’ pool of prospects isn’t that deep. But it’s not barren.

The most prominent member of that group would be forward Sam Poulin, the team’s first-round pick in 2019. At this year’s trade deadline, Rutherford, who has dealt away five of his first-round draft picks since joining the Penguins, was approached with several offers for Poulin as well as forward Nathan Legare, the team’s third-round pick last year, but he never seriously entertained them.

“I think Poulin will take a good run at making the team next year,” Rutherford said in February. “Both of them are developed physically to be close to playing in the NHL. Poulin is having an exceptional year. Legare is having a good year. He can score. When we see those two guys, we’re pretty confident they’ll play in Pittsburgh. And the fact that we don’t have a big pool of prospects, we want to stay away from (potentially trading) them.”

Serving as captain of the Sherbrooke Phoenix in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Poulin, 19, appeared in 46 games and put up 77 points (32 goals, 45 assists).

Last month, the power forward was invited to attend the team’s training camp in advance of the NHL’s postseason tournament.

If Poulin is to make a serious run at an NHL roster spot next season, he might have to do it as a bottom-six forward, at least to start. While he can play either wing, Poulin has played primarily on the left side throughout his junior career. And with the Penguins’ port side well stocked for a few seasons with the likes of Jake Guentzel and Jason Zucker under contract for several seasons, Poulin might have to adapt to the starboard side if he’s to open the 2020-21 campaign in the NHL.

Just throwing him on the right wing and expecting him to mix in immediately with the likes of Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin while playing 18 minutes a game might be a bit much for a rookie. An apprenticeship of sorts on the third or fourth line could allow him to ease into life as a professional.

Legare, also 19, is more of a longshot to reach the NHL next season. He had a strong but not spectacular season as captain of Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the QMJHL. In 61 games, he had 71 points (35 goals, 36 assists).

His skating is his biggest area of concern, and it likely will lead him to another season in juniors. But as a right-handed shot, he always will get a serious look to make an NHL roster with a surplus of lefties.

While Poulin might be the Penguins’ top overall prospect, their most NHL-ready prospect is probably Pierre-Olivier Joseph. Part of the return on a trade that sent forward Phil Kessel to Arizona last offseason, Joseph overcame a bout with mononucleosis throughout October and November to develop into one of the top defensemen on the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

By the time the AHL season came to an end in mid-March, Joseph was manning the left side of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s top defensive pairing. In 52 AHL games, he had 17 points (three goals, 14 assists).

Where Joseph, 21, fits into the NHL roster is a matter of speculation. The Penguins’ top two defensive pairings appear to be set with Brian Dumoulin and Kris Letang as well as Marcus Pettersson and John Marino. The third pairing appears to be a likely spot to use the left-handed Joseph, but Jack Johnson, also a southpaw shooter, inhabits that pairing.

The team could find a way to trade Johnson — buying him out or sending him to the AHL would incur significant salary cap penalties — but it’s hard to imagine there being a voracious market for a 33-year-old defenseman with three years left on a contract containing a salary cap hit of $3.25 million and whose best days are in the rear-view mirror.

After Poulin, Legare and Joseph, the options drop off considerably.

Lafferty, 25, and Angello, 24, are legitimate candidates after they made their NHL debuts this past season, although their potential contributions probably are limited to bottom-six roles.

Lafferty was the better of that duo, appearing in 50 games during repeated recalls from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and scoring 13 points (six goals, seven assists). Capable of playing center or wing, Lafferty is probably best suited for the wing in the NHL. He is blessed with plenty of speed and isn’t afraid to get physical with his 6-foot-1, 195-pound frame.

Angello’s game is physicality given his 6-foot-5, 210-pound dimensions, but he also can skate for a big man. Improved footwork benefited him substantially in 2019-20 as he matched a career-high with 16 goals in only 48 AHL games. Those totals probably would have been higher had he not been recalled to the NHL a handful of occasions. Used strictly as a fourth-liner, he played in eight NHL games and scored a goal.

Beyond those players, there just aren’t realistic options to make the NHL roster, at least to start the 2020-21 campaign.

Forwards Jan Drozg, Kaspar Bjorkqvist, Filip Hallander, Drew O’Connor and Radim Zohorna as well as defensemen Niclas Almari, Cam Lee and Will Reilly have plenty of intrigue, but none is on the verge of reaching the NHL.

The Penguins could land a strong prospect with the No. 15 overall pick in what is expected to be a deep draft, but it is doubtful an NHL-ready player will slide down that far.

Future assets could be acquired via trade, especially if the team decides to deal away the rights to restricted free agents such as Jarry, Murray, forward Jared McCann or even a player under contract.

Regardless of the method, a youth movement is likely to take place with the Penguins this offseason.

“Jim and I have both always been big believers in a combination of youth with our veteran leadership,” Sullivan said on Wednesday. “An element of youth on a team is good for a team. Usually, guys are hungry and enthusiastic in trying to prove themselves and establishing themselves. That enthusiasm can become contagious.

“So when you look at the teams that we’ve had that have had success, we’ve had that combination of young and energy and enthusiasm combined with an elite core. That’s something that we talk about a lot as a hockey operations staff. We’ve certainly had success with that formula in the past. It’s something that Jim and I both agree is a good thing for a team.”

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