On the market

A look at the Penguins pending free agents

Sergei Gonchar and Mike Cooke and are the Penguins' most notable free agents, but there are plenty of others who will be hearing from other teams across the league this summer. Here's a look at who will be testing the waters.

Chris Conner, RW – A capable contributor, Conner is nice to have around for depth during the long NHL season, but only if the price is right.

Matt Cooke, LW — Thirty-two in a few months, Cooke appears to be hitting his prime. He's averaged 14 goals a year in his two seasons with the Pens, has been top penalty-killer and came up with some big goals this past postseason. He takes too many stupid penalties, but his physical play makes him a key component of any team's checking line. Cooke may go the way of former Pens' defenseman Rob Scuderi, meaning that his excellent playoff production may make him too expensive.

Mark Eaton, D – Eaton is 33, but injury-filled seasons in '06-'07 and '07-'08 may have eased the physical toll on his body. His solid play the last two years makes him a good fit at the $2.5 million or so it should take to keep him in a Penguins' sweater.

Ruslan Fedotenko, LW – Fedotenko's scoring dropped off this season and his plus-minus rating fell a whopping 35 points to -17, by far the worst of his career. Usually a reliable playoff performer, Fedotenko was a healthy scratch more times than not this postseason and failed to register a point. He's likely fallen out of favor in Pittsburgh.

Sergei Gonchar, D – The 36-year-old alternate captain finally started to show his age this season, missing 20 games (he's missed 77 the last two seasons combined) and struggling defensively at times. Still, he remains one of the best offensive-defenseman in league history and, despite the critics, actually scored 12 points in 13 postseason games – just two fewer than the previous two Stanley Cup Finals runs and his best points-per-game total since 1996. It's hard to imagine Gonchar fitting under the salary cap unless he's willing to take a pay cut or a short deal in terms of years.

Bill Guerin, RW – Guerin will be 40 next season but was a consistent scorer yet again with 21 regular season goals and 9 points in 11 playoff games. His age has started to show—finally—and he may choose to hang up the skates after an illustrious 18-year NHL career. Bringing Guerin back for one more year would not be the worst thing the Penguins could do with the one or two million it would cost them.

Nick Johnson, RW – Steady scorer whose solid two-way play could get him a long look for a fourth-line spot in camp.

Jordan Leopold, D – Leopold's future with the Penguins may depend on what happens with Gonchar. A reliable player in his own zone whose ability to move the puck fits with Dan Bylesma's up-tempo system, it probably would not break the bank to bring Leopold back – although that money won't be available if Gonchar stays in town.

Ben Lovejoy, D – Another young blue line prospect seems ready to take a regular shift. At 26, it could be now or never, and with the glut of free agents among the team's defensemen he'll certainly be given a chance to step into the rotation.

Jay McKee, D – Having a veteran like McKee as a reserve blue-liner is a luxury the Pens may not be able to afford. His dependable, stay-at-home style is never out of place, and he may return if certain others do not.

Alexei Ponikarovsky, LW – The Penguins took a flier on a Ponikarovsky, a consistent 20-goal scorer who'd never come up big in his limited postseason career.(1 goal in 23 games with Toronto). That trend continued (1 goal in 11 playoff games with the Pens) and, worse, his scoring consistency in the regular season disappeared. Worse still, the Penguins had to part with top prospect Luca Caputi to get him. Color Pony gone.