The Penguins do indeed have legitimate interest in bringing back former left wing Chris Kunitz, but anything they might do is contingent on creating additional salary-cap space, a source told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Sunday afternoon.
Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman said last week at the NHL Draft that he’s not interested in re-signing Kunitz, 38, although Yzerman said that Kunitz did not plan on retiring.
Kunitz produced 13 goals and 29 points in 82 games for the Lightning while skating mostly in a bottom-six role in 2017-18. His contract was worth $2 million, with another $1 million available via incentives.
Such a deal would be tough in Pittsburgh, where that’s pretty much all the cap space the Penguins have at the moment.
However, it’s possible that, with the right deal, the Penguins could clear some cap space to first add a depth defenseman, then potentially a bottom-six forward such as Kunitz.
The Penguins can meet with Kunitz starting Sunday because of the start of the free agency interview period; however, it’s hard to imagine there’s much to talk about given how familiar everyone in the organization is with Kunitz.
Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.
First Published: June 24, 2018, 5:17 p.m.
