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Now that things are settling in and the first-round playoff exit is in the past, many of this season’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins will look toward the future.

And there’s a chance several familiar faces won’t be back.

There are 14 unrestricted free agents on the roster that finished the 2016-17 season, along with seven players who are restricted free agents. Those under contract for next season include defensemen Ethan Prow and Lukas Bengtsson, forwards Teddy Blueger, Thomas Di Pauli, Troy Josephs, Zach Aston-Reese and Dominik Simon and goaltender Sean Maguire.

Everyone knows that Kostopoulos has yet to make up his mind about returning for another season, but here’s what a few of the other free agents think about the possibility of returning to the Pittsburgh organization:

Tom Sestito (33 games, 6-10-16, 121 PIMs; 13 games with Pittsburgh):

Sestito has spent the last two seasons bouncing between Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Pittsburgh. The 29-year-old has made no secret of his desire to return for a third year.

“As an older guy I don’t like waiting too long. Hopefully we can get something done here. They’ve been great to me. Hopefully it works out,” he said. “I’ve been to a lot of places. This is my favorite place to play, the way they handle your family. It’s just been great. It’s been a home.”

David Warsofsky (58 games, 16-31-47, plus-30; 7 games with Pittsburgh):

The 26-year-old defenseman set career highs in goals, points and plus-minus and also went 3-3-6 in five playoff games. While he’d like to come back, a bigger goal is to land in the NHL again.

“Anyone that’s ever played in this organization has nothing but good things to say about it. Whatever the future holds for me it’s a great place to play,” Warsofsky said.

Oskar Sundqvist (63 games, 20-26-46, plus-12; 10 games with Pittsburgh):

Sundqvist wrapped up his second pro season adding an offensive element to his already strong defensive game. The 23-year-old center is a restricted free agent and hopes to keep building on his offensive success.

“That was my goal — to be better in the offensive zone. I could’ve done a little bit more in the (playoffs) – one point in five games for me isn’t good enough. I needed to do more and unfortunately I didn’t,” Sundqvist said. “I think this year was a good step for me. Hopefully I can keep getting better in both zones.”

Jean-Sebastien Dea (73 games, 18-16-34, plus-13; 1 game with Pittsburgh):

Among the longest-tenured players in the team, Dea turned in his second straight season of more than 70 games and also got his first call to Pittsburgh late in the year. His point production was just two points shy of last season’s total, and he did register two goals in the postseason after going scoreless in 10 playoff games last year.

“Hopefully I’ll be back for a couple years here. See what happens. I’ll be happy to come back,” Dea said. “After three years I’m going in the right direction and really excited for the future.”

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Jean-Sebastien Dea is one of several free agents who would like to return to the Penguins this summer.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_copy_pens1-1.jpg.optimal.jpgJean-Sebastien Dea is one of several free agents who would like to return to the Penguins this summer. Aimee Dilger | Times Leader

By Tom Venesky

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Reach Tom Venesky at 570-991-6395 or on Twitter @TomVenesky