Jared McCann didn’t score in his last 25 games this season. His last goal was Jan. 14, and the meter still is running. McCann was scratched for the third game of the Penguins’ four-game loss to Montreal in the Stanley Cup playoffs’ prelim round.
Six million bucks doesn’t buy what it used to.
Actually, the Penguins paid just shy of that to re-sign McCann, who would have been a restricted free agent: The average annual value of his two-year contract is $2.94 million.
McCann started last season well: He had 14 goals and 14 assists in his first 44 games, tacking on a plus-15 mark.
But the 24-year-old is twice cursed by inconsistency and versatility.
The former is why he has been on three teams in five NHL seasons. The latter gets McCann moved all over the depth chart — between center and wing, between the top six and bottom six.
Just because McCann can doesn’t mean he should. It might (or might not) help the team. It doesn’t help McCann.
Third-line center seems the most logical spot for McCann. To get the most out of McCann and to be fair to him, coach Mike Sullivan should put him there and leave him there.
But there might be a further twist: Don’t be surprised if McCann gets traded. Signing him makes that easier. A trade partner knows what it must pay and for how long, instead of getting McCann’s rights and facing the uncertainty of negotiating.
