There was a great article on Pensburgh the other day proposing a possible trade for Anaheim goalie John Gibson. After consulting with a former Ducks blogger, the writer hypothesized that a package of Tristan Jarry, Marcus Pettersson and prospect Samuel Poulin might land the former Jennings Trophy winner and Pittsburgh native.
Anyway, it got me to thinking (always a dangerous proposition). Who might we acquire if we were looking to trade Jake Guentzel, who had a difficult stretch run and postseason and who some…most notably Mark Madden…have suggested as trade bait.
One guy popped into my head. New Jersey left wing Miles Wood.
Now before you shout me down, hear me out.
First off, I’m not suggesting they’re the same category of player. Jake has a 40-goal season on his resume and has averaged 33 goals per 82-game season over his career. In this day and age, that’s nothing to sneeze at. He’s smart, crafty, creative and blends beautifully with both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. With a cap hit of $6 million a year through the 2023-24 season, he’s a relative bargain.
And, at least early on, he was a postseason dynamo.
So why trade him?
It’s obvious to all the Pens were muscled around in their recent series with the Islanders. Jake was the poster child, absorbing eight hits in Game 1 and 16 over the series. Although not for a lack of heart, guts or effort, he had difficulty penetrating the prime scoring areas, where he scores the majority of his goals. In plain English, he took a beating.
So why Wood?
For starters, he’s cheaper than Guentzel ($2.75 AAV) and younger by a year (25). Bigger than Jake, too…6’2” 195 versus 5’11” 180. And faster, which should be music to coach Mike Sullivan’s ears.
Wood also plays long-pants hockey, to put it into Brian Burke-speak. Embracing a style similar to prized acquisition Jeff Carter, he uses his speed to consistently crash the net and scores the majority of his goals in the dirty areas. Although he doesn’t pile up a ton of hits, he’s aggressive and he’ll drop the gloves on occasion, a quality in short-supply on the “just play” Pens. In short…the Buffalo native would add some size, sand and a Hornqvist-esque element that’s missing from the current mix.
Although he’s admittedly no Guentzel, Wood is no stiff when it comes to scoring. He tallied a career-high 19 goals in 2017-18 and 17 this past season in 55 games (14 at even strength), including four against our Pens. A 25-goal pace over a full season. Which is about what I’d expect from him skating next to Sid.
Wood was particularly effective playing with Taylor Hall when the latter was in New Jersey. And this past season he served as an assistant captain for the Devils, so he brings some leadership qualities, too.
Again, is it an apples-to-apples swap? No. In fact, it would be very similar to the David Perron-for-Carl Hagelin trade back in 2016. Since that deal, Perron has far outstripped Hagelin, production-wise. But “Hags” added a missing element that helped us win back-to-back Cups.
A Wood-for-Guentzel trade would add some much-needed wiggle room, financially, for the cap-strapped Pens. I would expect to pry a draft pick or two and/or a decent prospect from the Devils as well.
Alright, I’ll duck and run for cover now.
United We Stand
During his post-season press conference, GM Ron Hextall made it clear that he likes our team and plans to pretty much keep it intact. Specifically our core group of Crosby, Malkin and Kris Letang.
In addition, Hextall offered his full support for the much-maligned Jarry.
He also expressed a desire to get bigger and more physical to be better able to compete in the postseason, while cautioning that those elements aren’t necessarily easy to find (hence above trade proposal).
Around the League
Boston and defending Cup champ Tampa Bay hold 2-1 series leads over the Islanders and Carolina, respectively.
Colorado has a 2-0 edge over Marc-Andre Fleury and Vegas. Having ousted heavily favored Toronto, Montreal holds a 1-0 lead over Winnipeg.
Hey all,
Evgeni Malkin was dealing with a more serious knee injury than anyone realized. He underwent knee surgery yesterday at UPMC Montefiore Hospital.
Geno’s expected to miss training camp. No time table has been set for his return.
Kind of puts his performance down the stretch and in the playoffs in a whole different light. Pretty gutsy of Geno to play on a bad wheel and still produce (five points in four playoff games).
Also might change the Pens thoughts on who to leave unprotected in the expansion draft…especially if they were thinking of dangling Carter.
Rick
Hey Rick,
It certainly does shine an interesting light on Geno, particularly since he had the best Points per Game average for the team during the Playoffs, while skating on a bum knee. What does that say about the rest of the team?
Sorry Rick, I still don’t protect Carter, the probabilities of Seattle drafting a 36 year old Center are relatively low. Chances are there will be a lot of younger quality Centers available, particularly from teams Cap strapped.
Rick
I’ve always liked Miles Wood. I’m not sure who the Pen’s will trade but honestly, I
could see several surprise moves going forward. It doesn’t take a genius to see
this team is not built to withstand a grueling playoff run to the Cup.
While watching the Bruins and Islanders last night I kept thinking about how the Pens could never hold up to the physical abuse that these teams were putting on each other. Sad, but it almost makes me relieved we didn’t make it to the 2nd Round.
Here are a few thoughts going forward:
1) I think Jarry will be fine but I believe we need an established Vet to
back him up. I also don’t think Hextall is against moving him.
2) I feel like McCann will be lost in the Expansion Draft. I’m hoping
we can somehow convince Seattle to take ZAR.
3) I’m not as down on our Defenseman although I think it’s imperative
that we add a thumper to the Backline. I feel like our forwards let
us down defensively. Sullivan encourages our Defenseman to pinch
but we lacked the support of our wingers and it led to ton’s of odd-man
breaks against the Islanders.
4) I know everyone is wanting our Core to remain intact but IMO Letang
has to go. I would also like to see Geno moved but my guess is he’ll
be with us through next season. We need a major shakeup or I’m afraid
where in for more of the same next season
5) Some quick takes: Marino had a rough year – I thought Matheson and
Ceci were really good – Pettersson is expendable in the right trade.
Out of our bottom six I would probably try to keep Tanev and Blueger.
Minus any trades, I would add Poulin, Legare, Zahorna, and Angello to
the mix. I do like Angello but I haven’t seen him take on the role as
protector and that bothers me a little. We need to at least have a couple
of players that will take up for a teammate.
Hopefully, this can be the start of some healthy conversation.
Hey Mike,
Great to hear from you, and I pretty much agree with all your points right down the line.
If we don’t pull a Jarry-for-Gibson swap, I agree about getting a veteran 1A guy. I actually like DeSmith a lot. I’m just not sure he can carry a starter’s workload if our top guy is injured for any length of time or pulls a Carter Hart.
Pittsburgh Hockey Now is floating the idea of protecting McCann and dangling Jeff Carter in the expansion draft. I’m not sure how I feel about that. I like McCann, but Carter really made us go and I LOVE the way he plays. North-south, shoot the puck, no BS. And Jared has yet to show anything in the postseason.
Agree 100 percent about getting a backline thumper (see my response to OTR below). I’m hoping to shed Pettersson. I just think we can do better in that slot…maybe P-O Joseph.
Also agree with your assessment of Angello. I like him, too. But there was an incident against Buffalo where Rasmus Ristolainen knocked him down and proceeded to cross-check him two or three times for good measure.
Ristolainen’s big and tough, but he’s not a good fighter. I thought that would’ve been a perfect spot for Angello to challenge him and maybe establish himself a little. Instead, he just kind of melted into the ice. In his defense, I do think Ristolainen drew a penalty on the play.
Still, I was surprised by Angello’s passivity.
For the record, Anthony had a number of fights with the Baby Pens and for the most part had his lunch handed to him.
Ironically, the one fight where he showed well…initially…was against Trent Frederic, a very tough kid. Angello got the jump and threw the first 10 punches of the fight in under-and-over fashion. But when Frederic finally got set he completely took over. So the jury’s still out on how well Angello handles himself.
Anyway…I ramble.
Rick
Rick
That’s the exact reason why I’m in favor of going outside the
organization to pick up someone that handles themselves
pretty well. Even the Islanders have a few players that will
step up when needed.
Keeping my fingers crossed that Hextall can make a few things
happen on the physicality side of things. If I had a vote I think
I would opt to let McCann go before Carter. Carter brings a lot
to the table and I’m afraid McCann has hit his ceiling.
On keeping the Core together. If it is to stay intact I think Hextall
& Sullivan has to sit down with both Malkin and Letang.
Letang’s minutes need to be reduced to 20 per game and Malkin
has to agree to spend the summer in Pittsburgh working out with
someone from the team.
Mike,
– If JR was still here, I would actually be against trading for physicality for fear that JR would over-pay. However, with Hextall, I am a little more comfortable. However, before I did anything in the way of a trade I would want to see if Sully is truly on board with the idea of getting more physical and then after I saw if there was anything I had that could do the job. I give every player a pass right now until Sully proves he is willing to give tough players ice time.
– Carter certainly was one of the few bright spots on the team during the stretch drive and playoffs. However, as I wrote above, leaving him unprotected is a very low risk move. Yes, I would rather have Carter than McCann, but that 7th spot could be used more wisely than protecting either,
– Letang’s minutes most definitely need to be managed.
Rick and Mike,
Could have been real long if I combined my thoughts to both posts at the same time.
– I wouldn’t mind a Jarry, McCann, Pettersson for Gibson and something (Maybe a pick) trade. As I wrote above, I fear Pens fans not giving Jarry a fighting chance here.
– Sorry, but leaving Carter is a very low risk gamble. There has got to be way younger veterans out there, players who won’t be at any risk of retiring before the puck drops. I am not sure what I think yet, but my knee jerk reaction among forwards is protect Guentzel, Crosby, Rust, Malkin, Kapanen, Tanev, and Blueger.
– As I wrote above, I am not sure if Angello shies from a fight for fear of losing or from fear of getting benched.
Hey Rick and Mike,
– As I said below, I like Woods, but I am not sure I trade within the Division.
– I am not down on Jarry. I do think he can still be a solid Goalie in the NHL. However, I am not so sure he will make here in the ‘burgh. At 26, he is still about 2 years from his prime and given some things I have heard, he may not hit his stride until then. Add to that, Pittsburgh fans are rather unforgiving, so he may get booed and mocked cheered for quite some time, making it hard for him to recover from his abysmal playoffs. Depending in the asking price, if Gibson is on the table, I would mind seeing that. Pettersson and Jarry could be the starting point but Legare and Poulin would not be on the table for me though; maybe McCann.
– I would try and trade McCann before the expansion draft if I could. I think he could be a good piece to build a trade around. I would rather not throw him away in the expansion draft. ZAR is RFA and unless the team sheds salary before the draft, I doubt he will be signed, so I am not sure if Seattle will try and draft him. And even if they can and do take him, taking him doesn’t help the Cap situation. I know you will not like it Mike but my hope is that Seattle will take either Matheson (I would rather protect POJ), Pettersson or Zuker to free up Cap space. But I have a feeling Blueger will be the Penguin lost.
– Mike I know you like to hold the forwards accountable for defensive lapses, but I would rather see forwards play forward and Defensemen play defense and each only helping the other out when needed. As I wrote below, Letang, and Matheson, are not Coffey, Murphy, Gonchar, Zubov, or even Carlyle. Letang may be up there with Bodger, Hatcher, and Zalapsky – his offense may be better than theirs but his defensive skills will be the deciding factor possibly dropping below those three. Matheson doesn’t even make it the Tarnstrom, Stackhouse, Faubert, level. No defensmen on this team should be given a license to thrill, at least not in the playoffs.
– The Core; as I wrote below, everyone in my eyes is trade able, Letang, Malkin, and even Crosby for the right price, and in Malkin’s and Crosby’s case they are willing to go. However, like you, I doubt they are going anywhere and quite frankly it doubt it would make a difference anyway so they might as well stay. But had I had my way Letang would have been gone several years back.
– Marino did have a tough year. Many people were hailing him as the next super star at the beginning of the season and tried tarring and feathering me when I suggested we wait and see before calling that trade a major win for JR. In the Kids defense, he was asked to try and pair with Matheson – no small feat – and then play left defense as a rightie. Also, he is still just a kid. Not arguing JR threw way to much money at an unproven asset but I could give him another shot.
– Not sure if Angello’s reticence to fight is his nature or his desire to get into the line-up after watching Sully sit any and everyone with sand.
The Other Rick
I agree to disagree regarding our forwards defensively. You need (5) guys competing as a single unit at both ends of the ice or it’s inevitable that you’re going to get burned. Theirs not a defensive unit in the NHL that can handle odd-man break after odd-man break. There were several instances where both Crosby and Malkin recovered back only to quit
on the play and cost us a goal. To me, this is one major difference between us and the Islanders. Also, I don’t agree with Matheson – I think
he showed very well this year especially when you consider the circumstances – He’s coming to a new team, missed (12) games, and
trying to adjust to Sullivan’s system is no easy task. I don’t like his
contract but I think to bash him defensively is nit-picking. It seems to
me that some are looking for a reason to be right. Everyone said he was
a turnover waiting to happen – well he ended up with 23 for the season
and a respectable plus 9.
As for Malkin’s surgery, he obviously was playing hurt but that wasn’t
the case at the beginning of the year. He did pick up (4) assists but
if my memory serves me correctly only (1) was a primary.
MIke,
I do agree with you Mike, a team needs to act as a unit, that is the definition of the term. However, every player on the team has a specific job to do. Forwards’ main job is attacking, defensmen’s main job is defending.
Just as you correctly noted many times, you don’t plug a top 6 plyer in bottom role, each requires a different skill set – the same holds true between Forwards and Defense.
When defensemen start thinking they are forwards and jumping up into a play, that is when you start having odd man breaks. It is not simply a question of giving up but a question of practicing a specific skill set.
Forwards need to spend the bulk of their practice attacking the opposing net, shooting, deking and other offensive skills. There is little time for them to practice skills like skating backwards and stick checking.
Conversely Defensmen need to practice those defensive skills, leaving them little time to practice offensive skills.
When forwards have to spend time in practice playing defense, you get what happened this season, Crosby finished the season 129th among forwards with more than 200 min of 5 on 5 TOI in points per 60 min – 129th.
Interestingly enough, Malkin finished much, much higher kn points per 60 minutes, 5 on 5 at 54th. Malkin did start the season slowly but all season he was driving his second line better than Crosby was driving the first line. Once Zucker was injured and McCann took Zucker’s place Malkin and his second line really opened up the gap between the two lines.
Furthermore, last season, Malkin led the entire league in Pnts/60, 5 on 5 when he was giving linemates such as Guentzel and Rust. Let me repeat that, last season Malkin led the entire league in Pnts/60, 5 on 5 – more than McDavid, more than Draisaitl, more than Matthews, more than McKinnon, more than anyone else with 200 or more minutes played. Over the last 3 seasons, Malkin comes in 5th only behind Kucherov, McDavid, Panarin, and Marchand. Crosby, well, he does finished in the top 20, but all the way down at 17th.
Now I am not looking to put Crosby down, just pointing out that Malkin still has been the more elite offensive force these past 3 seasons; an offensive force competing for the top spot, 5 on 5.
If you want to argue that Crosby has spend the bulk of his ice time trying to cover up for pathetic Defensive play, else he would right there with Malkin, I won’t argue with you as you would be supporting my contention that Forwards should drive the O and Defense should take the lead in defending.
Hey Rick,
Not going to knock you for thinking about trading Guentzel. As I have said many times, everyone is trade able in my book; depending on return. And I do hear you about Jake’s lack of post-season production. However, let’s look deeper.
1st, I am not all that sure I would want to trade Jake within the division.
2nd, if the team does get bigger, is Jake’s smaller frame as worrisome?
3rd, Jakes has always shown better chemistry with Geno, but rarely skates with him when Sid is healthy. Maybe it is time to reunite him with 71.
4th If Sully actually changes and gives legitimate chances to Legare, Poulin, Zahorna, Angello, and Bjorkqvist to make the team does the team need Miles Wood?
There are still a lot of moving parts right now; an expansion draft and what other teams are going to do to gird for it, Cap issues, what do we already have in the system to fill a heavy role – if allowed by the small coach, to name a few. I am not going to dismiss the idea out of hand, but would rather think about it a moment. So no need to duck,
Defense is still a worse problem than Guentzel or any other. Even at their best, Letang and Matheson are not Coffey and Murphy or Gonchar or Zubov. I would rather the forwards drive the offense than give carte blanche to rushing Defensemen who think they are forwards or the defunct position of rover. I don’t trust either’s (Letang or Matheson) decision making, and both need baby sitters in their own end.
Furthermore, the team needs a secretary of defense more than anything else. They need size on defense more than they do on offense.
Finally, they have no need to tie up $8 million in a 3rd pairing.
Hey Other Rick,
Interesting thoughts, as always. You make a good point about our young forwards. Why trade Guentzel if we can add some scoring/sand from within? I’m thinking specifically of Legare.
My attraction to Wood…in addition to his size, speed and aggression…is that he plays a straight-line game like Carter. Not as skilled and a bit more rough around the edges. But it would be nice to have two forwards playing that style.
And I do hear ya’ about our defense. Assuming we shed Pettersson, I’d like to add a banger in his place…someone to help out on the pk and knock some bodies off the front porch. Preferably a guy who can handle himself in a tussle as well.
I’d really like to re-sign Ceci if we can get him at a reasonable rate/term. But in all likelihood, someone’s going to overpay for him. If Ceci doesn’t come back, then I’d like to add a solid, all-around type in the Pulock-Pelech mold. (FYI…Ian Cole is slated to become a UFA.)
Of course, those guys don’t grow on trees…or come cheap.
Rick
Hey Rick,
Not going to repeat what I wrote above so will only say that I agree, as much as I would like to see Ceci stay, I doubt he will be in a Penguin Sweater in 2021-2022. If the team had made a better run, perhaps Ceci would have been amenable to a team friendly deal but at after the team’s 3rd straight debacle, I see him going for the $$$$, and I don’t blame him.