Penguins general manager Ray Shero still has a handful of open spots on his NHL roster.

Filling one or two or more of those when the NHL's free-agent signing period begins at noon today is a very real possibility. Depending, of course, on who is available and what they cost.

But if Shero can't find guys he likes at prices he is willing to pay, he has some less obvious options. He can wait a few days or weeks and address his needs via trades or promote some of the young talent from the Penguins' minor league team in Wilkes-Barre.

Asked last night which of the team's prospects might be capable of competing for a job in the NHL this fall, Shero mentioned forwards Dustin Jeffrey, Luca Caputi, Paul Bissonnette and Nick Johnson, defensemen Ben Lovejoy, Brian Strait and Deryk Engelland and goalie John Curry.

He also did not rule out forward Janne Pesonen, even though he becomes an unrestricted free agent today.

"He's certainly an option, depending on what else is going to happen," Shero said. "He played for Dan [Bylsma at Wilkes-Barre], and sometimes that's half the battle for guys."

Obviously, not everyone Shero cited will be here for the 2009-10 opener, but promoting a few players is a low-cost alternative that could help the Penguins avoid a salary-cap crisis.

"Who knows?" Shero said. "There could be some decent opportunities for some of these guys that Dan coached."

The Penguins have $51,218,300 in cap space committed to 17 players certain to be on the NHL roster for the 2009-10 season, when the cap ceiling will be $56.8 million.

They are down one forward, one defenseman and one goalie from the standard 20-man complement, and most teams like to carry a couple of spare players, if possible.

Shero said "we will be right up against the cap" by the time the roster is fleshed out, although precisely how close they'll get "depends on how many guys we carry." Up to 23 players can be on an active roster. Those on injured-reserve count against the cap unless they qualify for a long-term exemption, as Sergei Gonchar did while recovering from shoulder surgery last season.

One detail worth noting, although it probably won't come into play for the Penguins: The NHL's collective bargaining agreement allows teams to be up to 10 percent over the cap ceiling between July 1 and the end of training camp, although they must be in full compliance after that.

Gonchar and fellow defenseman Kris Letang both have a year remaining on their contracts and will be approached about new deals this summer, but those talks are not on the front-burner.

It remains to be seen whether winger Ruslan Fedotenko or defenseman Rob Scuderi will be.

The Penguins would like to bring back both, but they will be able to begin exploring the free-agent market today. How Fedotenko will proceed is not clear, but Scuderi is expected to see what kind of offers he attracts, then give the Penguins an opportunity to make a counter-proposal.

"It's not that I don't want to come back or the Penguins don't want me to come back," Scuderi said. "I'll look at some offers, but it's hard not to keep Pittsburgh in your thoughts, considering the season we just had."

While it looks like something of a long shot that Scuderi will return, it is a lock that center Mike Zigomanis won't after fourth-line forward Craig Adams accepted a two-year, $1.1 million deal Monday.

"I think it's a fait accompli" that Zigomanis no longer is in the Penguins' plans, said his agent, Kurt Overhardt. Zigomanis, a faceoff specialist and solid defensive center who made $650,000 this season, will be an unrestricted free agent.

Shero is not married to the idea of using players from Wilkes-Barre to fill out the major league roster this fall, and plans to be more than an interested observer when free agency begins.

"We have lots of lists [ranking free agents by position and role]," he said.

That includes potential partners for No. 1 goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, although Curry remains a candidate for that job.

"If needed, we're willing to give a chance," said Shero, noting that Curry won't need to clear waivers in 2009-10. "We do like him. He has some upside."