General manager Ray Shero and his staff have some huge decisions to make before the Feb. 26 trade deadline.

Should they try to make a high-impact move to upgrade their lineup -- maybe adding a quality goal-scorer, or a defenseman with a nasty edge -- so they can try to hang around the playoffs for a few rounds, or should they stick with the patient team-building plan that's been in place since Shero was hired in 2006?

If they opt to pursue a deal, what kind of salary-cap repercussions would it have and would it impede their ability to re-sign young talent like Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal and Marc-Andre Fleury?

What kind of assets should they be willing to part with for a player who likely would be no more than a rental -- much as Gary Roberts figured to be -- because he's eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer?

The suspicion here is that Shero will look to tweak his roster and perhaps reinforce his depth in a few spots, but not to pursue big-name players like Marian Hossa or Mats Sundin. Unless, of course, he could land one of those guys while surrendering nothing more than a sixth-round draft choice and the rights to a non-prospect cashing his checks in the ECHL, which isn't going to happen.

Once the deadline passes, Shero will have to assemble a new shopping list. To decide if he's interested in, say, a goalie who's become an overnight sensation at age 31. A defenseman who can provide badly needed toughness, or one who is highly effective but spends more time with the medical staff than his teammates. A handful of forwards who fill a variety of roles.

Basically, he must figure out which players eligible for unrestricted free agency July 1 he'd like to retain.

Shero does not have a policy against negotiating contracts during the season -- indeed, he is believed to have had some discussions with the agents for Ryan Malone and Georges Laraque -- but he does have one against publicly discussing his thoughts.

In all cases, money will be a significant -- possibly the most important -- factor. Players, in general, tend to go wherever the most lucrative offer comes from, and the Penguins aren't likely to offer more than what they perceive a player's value to be in order to retain him.

A look at the players who will be free to shop themselves around this summer, and where they appear to fit into the Penguins' plans:

Ty Conklin: If his stock continues to rise at its pace of the past month, it should surpass Berkshire Hathaway by the time Conklin goes on the open market. That's an enormous "if," of course, for a 31-year-old who has played more than 18 NHL games just once during his pro career. But there's nothing fluky about the success he has had since getting his first start Dec. 20 in Boston. His positioning is sound, his rebound-control strong. Whether an NHL team would view him as a No. 1 goalie remains to be seen, but he certainly has re-established his credentials as a solid No. 2. And, if he doesn't stumble, the Penguins might have no choice but to try to re-sign him and accept that Dany Sabourin will be paid an NHL salary to play for their farm team in Wilkes-Barre, assuming he can get through waivers.

Mark Eaton: He's an exceptional shot-blocker who has given the Penguins good defensive work when healthy. Trouble is, Eaton, who is recovering from season-ending knee surgery, will have played just 71 of a possible 164 regular-season games during his two seasons with the Penguins.

Adam Hall: He has been the defensively responsible, versatile forward the Penguins thought they were getting when he earned a contract at training camp. Hall will not have much leverage, though, because there is no shortage of blue-collar forwards.

Georges Laraque: Widely regarded as the NHL enforcer with the best all-around game, he had very limited impact after joining the Penguins at last year's trade deadline, and that didn't change during the early part of this season. In the past couple of months, however, he has become much more effective, fighting when he senses the need to send a message or alter the course of a game, and usually doing it with brutal efficiency. Re-signing him probably would be in the best interest of both sides.

Ryan Malone: Whether it's a contract drive or not, Malone has played the best, and most consistent, hockey of his career this season. He isn't an irreplaceable piece of the puzzle, but he's an important one, and it would be foolish for the Penguins to gamble that they could get an upgrade by replacing him with someone else's free agent.

Alain Nasreddine: The best argument for re-signing Nasreddine is the Penguins' limited supply of NHL-caliber defensemen. He is no more than a depth guy at this level, but it's important to have a few of those on the payroll to minimize the impact of injuries.

Brooks Orpik: He has fallen out of favor with the coaching staff at times -- generally for reasons that aren't apparent to many who aren't members of the staff -- but provides the only real physical presence on the blue line. With no one in the pipeline who can fill that role anytime soon, keeping him is logical.

Gary Roberts: After a poor start -- the result, at least in part, of a respiratory ailment made worse by his asthma -- Roberts finally was getting his game back in synch when his left leg was broken Dec. 29. He doesn't seem ready to retire, but it's a risk to assume a guy who turns 42 in May will be able to withstand the rigors of playing a physical game in the NHL indefinitely.

Jarkko Ruutu: Underutilized for much of his season-and-a-half here, Ruutu can be a good defensive forward as well as a quality agitator. If he is promised a larger role elsewhere, it seems like a long shot that he would stay, even though he has expressed a willingness to do so.