Penguins Deal Kessel to Arizona for Galchenyuk

The Phil Kessel saga finally ended yesterday, not so much with a bang as with a whimper. Performing an abrupt about-face from his recently stated position that the colorful winger would remain a Penguin, general manager Jim Rutherford dealt “Phil the Thrill” to Arizona for forward Alex Galchenyuk.

Fleshing out the deal, the Pens also sent minor-league defensemen Dane Birks and a fourth-round pick in the 2020 Entry Draft to the Coyotes while receiving puck-moving defense prospect Pierre-Olivier Joseph, a former first-round pick.

The parting for the most part seemed amiable.

“I had a great time there (Pittsburgh),” Kessel said. “The city and the fans were great to me. All the guys, I’m going to miss them. They’re great guys and a great group.”

Said Rutherford: “I can’t say enough good things about him, and I like him personally, but it was just time to make a change with him.”

The trade represents a homecoming of sorts for Kessel, who’ll be reunited with former Pens assistant and current Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet. The two enjoyed a good working relationship in the ‘Burgh, prompting Kessel to comment that Tocchet was “the best coach I ever played for.” It’ll be interesting to see how things work out over time, especially now that Tocchet is the head man.

The return for the six-time 30-goal man was comparatively light. However, given Kessel’s restrictive movement clause and the fact that Rutherford all-but-announced he was going to trade the fan favorite shortly after the Pens’ season ended no doubt limited JR’s options and made it difficult to secure equal value.

Still, Rutherford seemed pleased with his latest trade and newest acquisition.

“Changing the mix of our team was important at this point,” said the Hall-of-Fame GM. “I talked about our team being content with our success over the last few years, trying to bring new people in to be excited to be here. I talked to Alex just within the last 15 minutes. His excitement was just coming through the phone. He was very excited to be coming here.”

In many ways Galchenyuk is a lot like Kessel…talented and enigmatic…capable of breathing life into his team at one end of the ice and snuffing it out at the other (a minus-53 over his seven-year NHL career). Although not in No. 81’s class as a scorer, Galchenyuk does possess some pedigree, twice topping the 50-point plateau and twice reaching the 20-goal mark, including a career-best 30 tallies with Montreal in 2015-16. At 25 years of age…six years younger than Kessel…the speedy former third overall pick should just be entering his prime.

Here’s how The Hockey News describes him:

Assets: Has outstanding vision and creativity, and is adept at both playmaking and also scoring goals himself. Also owns pretty good size. Can make a major offensive impact in the NHL. Flaws: Has some consistency issues that he must overcome to maximize output. Must also prove his durability over time, and he needs more work without the puck (and on face-offs). Career Potential: Talented playmaker with upside.

Again, sounds a lot like the guy he’s replacing.

Although listed as a center, Galchenyuk can play left wing. Good thing, because his career faceoff numbers (45.5 percent) aren’t good. Possession-wise, he’s fair-to-middling (50.2 career Corsi). Don’t let the name fool you, he isn’t the long-awaited Russian-born winger for Malkin. He’s a Milwaukee native.

Production-wise, nearly half of the newcomer’s goals over the past two seasons (18 of 38) have come on the power play. So don’t expect an even-strength dynamo, especially given his defensive lapses.

Speaking of the power play, the black and gold will definitely miss Kessel’s playmaking, shot and creative flair. The Pens finished third, first and fifth respectively in power-play percentage over his final three seasons in the ‘Burgh. It’s wishful thinking to hope Galchenyuk will be as effective.

And whatever issues Kessel had with Mike Sullivan and the coaching staff, productivity most assuredly wasn’t one of ‘em. He tallied 110 goals and 303 points during his four-season stay in the Steel City. It’s doubtful the Pens would’ve won back-to-back Stanley Cups without him.

Again, Galchenyuk will have his work cut out for him.

The trade does clear some cap space for the Pens and provides some flexibility on the eve of the free-agent period. Galchenyuk’s in the final season of a three-year deal that pays him $4.9 million annually. Kessel has three years remaining on a deal that pays him $8 million annually, including the $6.8 million portion the Pens ponied up.