With the interview window for soon-to-be unrestricted free agents officially open, the Penguins and defenseman Jack Johnson have talked, and there seems to be plenty of mutual interest in a potential deal, a source told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Tuesday.
Rules prohibit the two sides from exchanging salary figures at this point, but the optimism that exists seems to have pushed this move to the top of the list for the team and player.
As with anything the Penguins might do in free agency, however, salary-cap space is the biggest factor, and they would need to create a decent amount of it to fit Johnson.