Mark Madden's Hot Take: Bringing back Marc-Andre Fleury would transform the Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins will not rebuild. That will be evident when they extend the contracts of defenseman Kris Letang and center Evgeni Malkin this offseason barring squabbles over price.

The Penguins will not get appreciably bigger and tougher. The components aren’t available. Winger Jake Guentzel couldn’t be traded even-up for, say, a Tkachuk brother. No chance.

So, here’s what the Penguins should do.

Get goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury back from Vegas.

Sign a few older, bigger players to short-term contracts.

You have 2-3 more years before the Penguins implode. Make the most of them.

The Fleury conversation is cliched and beyond tired.

But the Penguins were legitimately close to getting Fleury from Vegas before this season. The Golden Knights reportedly reneged on a deal because ownership got dewy-eyed about Fleury’s importance to the franchise since its inception in 2017.

Fleury’s reward for that importance: being jerked around in the playoffs by coach Peter DeBoer after a regular season that saw Fleury named a Vezina Trophy (best goalie) finalist.

That’s happened for the last time.

Fleury’s performance never will convince DeBoer that he’s Vegas’ best goaltender. Fleury is certain to want out. The same loyalty that got Vegas ownership to squash that previous deal likely will get Fleury deposited where he wants.

Vegas would have to keep some of Fleury’s $7 million cap hit. The Penguins shouldn’t give more than a third-round pick for a 36-year-old goalie.

But the Penguins have to find a way. Fleury’s return could transform the team. Fleury has found a second wind late in his career.

This isn’t about sentiment, though Fleury would be a big boost to the locker room. He’d sell tickets and merchandise, too. (Get him to switch numbers.)

Look at the goalies in the Stanley Cup semifinals: Fleury and Robin Lehner, Carey Price, Semyon Varlamov, Andrei Vasilevskiy. All are standouts.

Now consider how Tristan Jarry played in the Penguins’ first-round loss to the New York Islanders and convince me he can take the Penguins to those heights. (Don’t bother. I won’t buy it.)

Jarry might feel hard done by if Fleury returns. Tough luck. Play better. More than ever, the Penguins are a “right now” team.

In light of that, getting older isn’t necessarily bad.

The easiest way for the Penguins to get bigger is by adding older players on short-term deals.

Winger Wayne Simmonds, 32, is 6-foot-2, 185 pounds and plays nasty. He had an injury-riddled season with Toronto, scoring seven goals in 38 games.

That makes Simmonds affordable.

He is an unrestricted free agent. So is defenseman Zdeno Chara.

Chara is 44, but he’s also 6-9. He can stand in one place and use his wingspan. You don’t have to be mobile to cross-check.

Winger Corey Perry (36) and center Eric Staal (36) are also UFAs. Perry is 6-3, Staal 6-4. Both have contributed to Montreal’s improbable playoff run. Anaheim center Ryan Getzlaf (36, 6-3) and Toronto winger Nick Foligno (33, 6-0) are available but probably too expensive.

The Penguins are choosing a direction where right now is all that matters. Worry about later, later.