Going to be so intriguing what the Pittsburgh Penguins end up doing in their search for a top-six winger.

They’ve kicked the tires on T.J. Oshie with the St. Louis Blues, Jeff Skinner with the Carolina Hurricanes, Patrick Sharp with the Chicago Blackhawks and Phil Kessel with the Toronto Maple Leafs, among others.

The question those teams have to ask Tuesday on the eve of free agency is: What if the Penguins go out and sign a winger Wednesday? That would essentially rule them out of the trade market. So if you’re St. Louis, Carolina, Chicago or Toronto, do you make your best offer today? Or do you see if the Penguins strike out in free agency and then have to come back to you with a bigger need?

Again, I’ve said this before, but this isn’t your normal offseason. With so many teams trying to move contracts, the overlap of trade talks with the opening of free agency is unlike any other year. There will be news dragging out all summer long.