Penguins Update: Deadline May Not Go According to Plan

During a hilarious episode of the popular ‘70s sitcom Happy Days, Arthur Fonzarelli…aka “The Fonz”…had to admit he was wrong to nerdy friend Richie Cunningham. “I was wrrrr…wrrrr…” sputtered the king of cool, unable to get the words out.

I have no such issues. The other day I wrote a piece opining that the Penguins and GM Ron Hextall would stand pat at the fast-approaching trade deadline. Since then, it’s apparent through insider reports that GMRH is seeking to add a middle-six winger with a scoring touch and a rugged all-around defenseman.

Before I continue, I need to state that I have no connections, nor am I plugged into inside sources. I’m pretty much a fan, just like you. I’m parroting largely what’s been published on other sites, Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now in particular. He’s done a ton of leg-work on our trade deadline options. For the full lowdown, be sure to read a great article published by Dan yesterday titled, From J.T. Miller to Ben Chiarot, Penguins Trade Deadline Odds & Analysis.

According to Kingerski, the Pens were rumored to have “heavy” interest (pun intended) in Chariot, a hulking 6’3” 226-pound minutes munching defenseman who hits and blocks shots and plays a strong all-around game. Alas, he’s off the table. Florida acquired him from Montreal for prospect Ty Smilanic, a first-round pick in 2023 and a fourth-round pick (acquired from the Rangers) in 2023.

The black and gold was also tied to Seattle’s Calle Jarnkrok, a middle-six forward who plays a 200-foot game. He went to Calgary for second- and third-round picks in ’23 and a seventh rounder in ’24. Perhaps a steep price to pay for a player who topped out at 16 goals.

Both deals involved salary retention.

With the bar set relatively high, cost-wise, I wonder again how active we’ll be. Does this initial flurry alter Hextall’s thinking? After all, we don’t have a ton to offer in terms of assets and we have very little cap flexibility. Unless we’d be willing to part with…say…Kris Letang. But there’s no hint that such a blockbuster move has been even remotely considered. Nor does it seem to fit Hextall’s low-key style.

Which raises another question. Should we be active? Although we’ve acquitted ourselves remarkably well against the league’s top teams, a testament to the players and Mike Sullivan and his staff, as constructed I see us being a notch below the NHL elite.

With favorable matchups, we might win a round…maybe two. However, as it stands right now, I think Carolina, Florida, Calgary and maybe Colorado would beat us in a seven-game set. Perhaps the Rangers, too. They just acquired speedy, thorn-in-side forward Frank Vatrano from the Panthers for the aforementioned fourth-round pick.

Back to our options. If we’re looking to upgrade our defense, perhaps Buffalo’s Robert Hagg (pictured above) fits the bill. Not much offensively, but he’s got some size (6’2” 204), employs a physical style (a career high 258 hits in ’18-19) and he played for Hextall in Philly. Kind of Marcus Pettersson on steroids.

Hagg’s cap hit is an affordable $1.6 million, although he’s slated to become a UFA this summer.

As a sleeper candidate, I saw former Pen Jamie Oleksiak mentioned as well. “The Big Rig” is presently in the first season of a five-year contract with the Kraken at a reasonable cap hit of $4.6 million. Comparable to Pettersson’s.

Speaking of Marcus, he was rumored to be one of two Pens defensemen in play (John Marino being the other) in a possible swap to Vancouver for scoring help, a potential deal that apparently has gone the way of the dodo. Don’t know if they’re still on the block or not. Or if Hextall might be dangling slump-riddled winger Kasperi Kapanen as trade bait.

Among possible forwards of interest mentioned by Kingerski. Montreal’s scrappy Artturi Lehkonen, Max Domi of Columbus, the Jets’ Andrew Copp and Marcus Johansson and Penguin-killer Jordan Eberle of Seattle. Of that bunch, Lehkonen ($2.3 million AAV), ex-Capital Johansson ($1.5 million) and Copp ($3.2 million) are the most affordable. All three are on expiring contracts, as is Domi.

Eberle, the priciest at $5.5 million, is under contract for two more seasons.

Someone also floated the Flyers’ Travis Konecny as a trade option. The feisty 25-year-old forward was reputed to be a favorite of Hextall’s during his stay in Philly, and he’s tallied 24 goals on three separate occasions during his six seasons in the NHL. Konecny has three years left on a deal that pays him $5.5 million per.