Faceoff Factor

Roberts Or Recchi, Who To Keep?

Matt Bodenschatz | Pittsburgh Penguins

May 24, 11:46 PM | Hype this story!

Word on the street is that Pittsburgh Penguins General Manager Ray Shero has offered contracts to veteran forwards Mark Recchi and Gary Roberts.

That sounds great in principle, but is it really as glamorous as some might think?

Recchi is aging, and it shows. As the season progressed, his play regressed. The right wing is a serviceable player, but, at his age, he is better suited for limited minutes and occasional days off. In other words, he’s a third liner, at best.

Roberts, however, is a bit different. He seems to be like a fine wine. The older he gets, the more he adds to a team. But the issue at hand is not whether the left wing can play, but rather, will the Penguins have the depth to play him where he belongs: the third line.

Both of these grizzled veterans have had great games in recent months. Both have contributed on the ice in numerous ways. And, maybe more importantly, both have contributed off the ice in ways no youngster ever could.

But, with that said, would it be in the Penguins’ best interest to have a player in his late 30s and another in his early 40s on the same line?

The simple answer, quite honestly, is no.

Maybe even more importantly, if these two re-sign, will there be enough depth to fill the top two lines, and if not, will Head Coach Michel Therrien be tempted or forced to play one or both in an increased role?

History suggests that Therrien will do what is best for the team. When stepping in as replacement coach mid-season last year, he immediately took veteran John Leclair’s “A” and gave it to rookie Sidney Crosby; a move many thought never would happen. But Therrien only has so many options with a 23-man roster made up of 14 or, at most, 15 forwards.

The money it will take to keep Recchi and Roberts likely will exclude the Penguins from adding a top-liner, meaning help would have to come from within, and as is well documented, wing-depth on this club is not exactly stellar.

I believe Shero and the Penguins would be quite smart to sign one or the other, thus leaving money to shop for a young and relatively-cheap free agent forward, such as Scott Hartnell, to play on the top line with Crosby.

Roberts is the obvious choice to keep, as his playing style lends itself to a third-line role, his conditioning and off-ice routine are bound to rub off on the youngsters, and his constant physical play is something the Penguins don’t have much of.

But if for whatever reason Shero can’t seal the deal, Recchi would be a great fall-back plan, providing a bit of a scoring punch to a primarily-defensive third line.

It’s time for the Penguins to move forward and allow one of these two class-acts to do the same.