"Sergei Gonchar is the Penguins' best defenseman, and would be again next season, too.

However, he shouldn't be a Penguin after July 1, and general manager Ray Shero should set a deadline of Friday to resolve Gonchar's future with the franchise he helped win the Stanley Cup in 2009.

The way of life in this salary-cap era NHL is for franchises to make difficult decisions. The situation with Gonchar is exactly that. He was one of the best players at his position over the time of his previous contract, an expert power-play quarterback and a quiet but respected leader for the Penguins.

However, Gonchar is 36. He has missed 77 games the past two regular seasons. All indications are that he desires a deal of at least three years and $5 million annually, and he has not publicly expressed a willingness to give the Penguins a so-called "hometown discount" in either reduced years or salary.

He is under no obligation to provide them a discount, either. One of seven Penguins slated to test the free-agent market on July 1, he holds the cards in negotiations - especially if his agent, JP Barry, believes a lucrative deal is forthcoming from another team.

Barry and Shero have been negotiating a potential new contract for Gonchar since the weekend. If a deal hasn't been reached by Round 1 of the NHL entry draft, Shero needs to move on and seek a trade."