Penguins Deal Lafferty

In a minor deal, Penguins general manager Ron Hextall dealt utility forward Sam Lafferty to Chicago yesterday for forward Alexander Nylander. Evgeni Malkin’s imminent return appeared to be the catalyst. The Pens need to clear cap space to accommodate Geno. They’d apparently planned to send Lafferty to the Baby Pens to help rectify the situation, exposing the Hollidaysburg native to waivers in the process.

Personally, I liked Lafferty. A lot. I liked his speed and his grit, his willingness to throw a big hit and even drop the mitts to stand up for the team. After somewhat of a lost season in 2020-21 (no goals and six points in 34 games) I thought he showed improvement this year. When he played.

Ah…the rub. Mike Sullivan seemed to have little use for him. Yet another in a long list of aggressive players who wasn’t a “Sully guy.”

So what about Nylander? Based on scouting reports, a very talented kid. Fast, decent size (6’1” 192), good playmaking skills and shot to go with a high hockey IQ. Attributes befitting a former No. 8 overall pick.

Yet for some reason, Nylander hasn’t panned out. Following a pedestrian 10-goal campaign for Chicago in 2019-20, he missed the entire ’20-21 season due to meniscus surgery. Effort and intensity, or lack of, are rumored to be the culprits.

This year’s Mark Jankowski? Perhaps.

Nylander’s on the final year of an entry-level contract that pays him $874K at the NHL level. For now, he’s been assigned to the Baby Pens.

DiLemma

The Pens may have inadvertently exposed an Achilles heel while extending their winning streak.

Casey DeSmith’s play between the pipes has been, at best, spotty. After briefly righting himself, he’s back to his old, leaky ways, yielding eight goals on 43 shots over his last two appearances for a ghastly .814 save percentage.

With a heavy schedule looming on the horizon, it’s imperative the Pens receive solid goaltending from their backup.

In the short run, Hextall may want to elevate Louis Domingue, who went 21-5 in a reserve role with Tampa Bay in 2018-19. Longer term? Maybe look to pry Anton Khudobin, presently toiling for the Texas Stars of the AHL, away from Dallas. Only two seasons ago the 35-year-old Russian led the NHL with a .930 save percentage while backstopping the Stars to a berth in the Stanley Cup Final.

Alas, finances could mitigate against such a deal. Khudobin is under contract for this season and next with a cap hit of $3.3 million. Perhaps too rich for Hextall’s blood.