Penguins general manager Ron Hextall was not ambiguous about why he jettisoned Jared McCann and Brandon Tanev over the past handful of days.

He wanted salary cap space.

But he also acknowledged their departures — coupled with second-line center Evgeni Malkin being sidelined as he recovers from a right knee injury — creates some holes among his bottom-six forwards.

During a video conference Thursday, Hextall said the team would investigate an offseason trade or free agency to fill that void.

“We’re definitely going to look at it,” Hextall said. “But we also do feel like we have enough candidates in-house that we feel we certainly can fill a number of the spots.”

The Penguins got a peek at several of those candidates last season as their incumbent forwards were in and out of the lineup because of a multitude of injuries. They also have a handful of prospects who could be ready to step in.

Anthony Angello: One of the biggest players in the organization at 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds, Angello offers plenty of size but doesn’t present an overly physical game that management has professed a desire for. Still, he uses his dimensions effectively when it comes to puck battles on the boards and scrambles near the crease.

A defensively conscious player, Angello has produced consistently in the American Hockey League but has yet to transfer that success to the NHL.

Kasper Bjorkqvist: A second-round pick (No. 61 overall) in 2016, Bjorkqvist is a pending restricted free agent. While he did spend three seasons playing at Providence, including serving as captain during his junior season of 2018-19, he has only played 11 professional games in North America in two seasons as a professional thanks to a knee injury in 2019-20.

He offers plenty of skill and has a physical edge to his game. He just needs to put together a greater body of work.

Sam Lafferty: A player on the margins over the past two seasons, Lafferty enters the final year of his current contract with a marvelous opportunity to claim some regular playing time. A rambunctious checker, Lafferty can play center or wing, though he’s probably best-suited to be on the flanks.

While Lafferty is a quick skater, particularly in small areas, he has not produced nearly enough to be fully trusted with a regular spot in the lineup. Last season, he failed to collect a goal in 34 games.

Nathan Legare: One of the team’s top prospects, Legare had a dominant run in the Quebec Major Junior League’s postseason by leading the league in goals with 14. No longer eligible to play at the junior level, Legare will be entering the first year of his entry-level contract. It’s fair to wonder if he’s NHL ready, but Legare is very much part of the Penguins’ future.

Drew O’Connor: Signed out of Dartmouth as an undrafted free agent in March 2020, O’Connor was fast-tracked to the NHL last season as he was allowed to practice with the NHL roster in training camp. Despite that push, he was mostly inert in 10 NHL games, collecting one assist.

With Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, the power forward was far more productive, collecting 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) in 20 games. A little more seasoning in the AHL could go a long way toward his development.

Sam Poulin: The Penguins’ first-round pick (No. 21 overall) in 2019, Poulin is the team’s top prospect. A power forward, Poulin has a combination of scoring touch and defensive awareness that makes him a legit candidate to open the 2021-22 season in the NHL as he enters the first year of his entry-level contract.

Evan Rodrigues: A pending unrestricted free agent, Rodrigues is coming off a one-year contract at $700,000, the league minimum. The prospect of the Penguins re-signing him is hardly guaranteed, but he is valued by management for his ability to play all three forward positions.

The Penguins can find better options than Rodrigues, but they won’t find anyone more useful.

Radim Zohorna – Undrafted, the Czech-born Zohorna was signed to a one-year entry-level contract in April 2020. After adjusting pretty quickly to North America with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Zohorna was inserted into the NHL lineup when injuries hit in March and displayed a scoring touch as well as fleet skating ability uncommon for a man his size (6-7, 220 pounds).

While not particularly physical, his unique blend of size, skill and speed is very intriguing.

Follow the Penguins all season long.

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