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.
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Hey Rick,
First, I hate to start a dispute here, you know how non-confrontational I am but uh, despite our recent, decent, but brief 2 game W streak against Playoff bound teams, our Penguins record is still below 500 against probable post-season teams.
And we have only managed to beat Carolina's back-up once out of three tries.
You mention NYR picked up Vitrano. Have you seen Vitrano's splits, he has 10 points in 13 GP against our Pens and is a +7. If he develops any chemistry with NYR, that will just make NYR that more daunting.
This team is in all probability a one and done team again.
It is well past time to give up the ghost and sell off assets while they are still under contract.
As for Travis , that is what Zucker ($5.5 mil)gets and he is on IR. Hextall will need to get real creative to fit him in under the cap. I get the idea, Konecny pick up the scoring slack but clearing Cap space for this year with the cost of the trade itself, seriously, I don't see the team making that deal.
In short, I want the team to be sellers first and foremost.
If they are still on some kind of mind altering substance then at least stand pat.
If they try and buy, they stand to lose in most deals, particularly seeing what Chariot et al are costing.
Hi Rick, Great writing ...
What we have is a reality check once again my friend. The Pens do NOT have the assets to compete with the other TOP NHL teams to secure the caliber of talent we need to be successful in 2022. We delude ourselves to think with out taking the time to see other teams players,farm team and first and second round prospects to fully realize that the Cupboard is bare in Pittsburgh.
We expect that some how Jimmy Rutherford will be stupid enough to trade JT Miller for Marcus Pettersson and Jason Zucker or K.Kapanen. BTW Vancouver has quietly crept back into the Play off discussion as they have played very well since Jimmy Rutherford has shown up.They may be buyers and not sellers before this week is done.
Look at Colorado.They are not finished trading and they have real assets to work with. At least 6 first round players or prospects they can draw from. The New York Rangers,Boston Bruins, LA Kings,Carolina, even Toronto and others can out bid us easily.As President Brian Burke has repeated several times.
This situation has been coming for a very long time and this has not just happened in the past 12 months.It is not fair to blame our current General Manager for the MESS he inherited.
One big forward and one 30 year old d man making 3 million a year will not fix this team problems Rick as we said before..
My biggest fear is we lose in the first round in 5 games, Letang walks, Rust gets signed to a 7 million dollar, 6 year contract, Malkin walks and we are left holding the bag. Plus Tristan Jarry needs a new contract next season after for 7 million and we are left with nothing. This the gut check time my friend. Take no prisoners.
Cheers
Jim
Hello Jim.
Very astute comments, my friend. Particularly the part about Hextall being in an extremely difficult situation. How do you improve a team with virtually no cap space or spare assets to peddle. Not to mention the looming contract situations with Malkin, Letang and Rust, as you so aptly noted.
Talk about being caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place...
Cheers, as you say up north ... :)
Rick
Rick
I keep scratching my head when everyone brings up cap space and assets. Neither of those
restrict us from acquiring a player or two if it improves the team moving forward. You just
have to have the b_lls to pull the trigger. Ron Hextall made the statement a week or so ago
that even Wayne Gretzky was traded.
In a deal involving five players, Phil Esposito and Carol Vadnais of the Boston Bruins went to the Rangers in exchange for Brad Park, Jean Ratelle and a minor league player, Joe Zanussi. It happens the Oilers traded Messier to the
Rangers after Messier was on five Stanley Cup winning teams.
Why can't we trade Letang and or Malkin?? Letang has already made it clear he won't give the Pen's a
team discount. Time to bring Malkin in and see what type of number he's looking for. You can't allow
either of these two players to cripple your future plans to rebuild. I'm also a firm believer if we move them
and get the right pieces in return we may have a better shot in the playoffs then we currently do.
A very wise man once told me theirs Loyalty then theirs stupid Loyalty. GO PENS
Hey Mike and Other Rick,
I hear what you're saying. But the trades you guys are talking about occurred before the salary cap era. I think there was a lot more flexibility to do things back in the day.
Regarding a Letang trade...I don't think it's as simple as all that. He's got a modified no-trade clause and a no-movement clause. So obviously he'd have to agree on the trading partner. Then it's a matter of working out the return. Established player(s)? Picks and/or prospects or a combination?
Keep in mind, if we trade Letang and don't get a player...specifically a defenseman...somewhat in the same stratosphere, it pretty much blows any chance of us doing anything in the postseason out of the water.
I understand the idea of getting something for him before he walks. But there are so many things to consider here. Again, I don't envy Hextall.
Rick
PS--Mike, I remember that big Rangers-Bruins trade back in the day. At the time, the consensus was that the Rangers won that deal. After all, Esposito was a five-time NHL scoring champ coming off a 61-goal season. But while Espo's numbers dipped, Ratelle and Park were really good for the Bruins for a long time. They helped lead Boston to consecutive Stanley Cup Finals appearances.
Hey Rick,
Re Letang: Unlike Crosby and Malkin, Letang does not have a full NTC. He has to submit a list of 18 teams to which he can be traded - 18 is more than half the league. Obviously, that does limit the GM to some extent, but not really all that much. Also, all the reports are saying that our RHD is not going to budge on his contract demands, so he obviously has to be willing to move on. If he is willing to dig his heels in on a contract, he is willing to move on from Pgh. He will not be all that hard to move. The price has to be right but he can be traded.
Also, trading Letang now frees up Cap space, so there is no need to worry about Cap issues.
Finally, you have to give to get. This team is not deep enough to make any trades, really and still make a Cup run. What you say about Letang can be said about every single player that can get the team any return. And that same logic says this team is not deep enough for a serious playoff run. The NHL playoffs is a war. There is going to be attrition. Injuries happen. Start knocking out a player here, a player there and the wheels fall off this cart.
Maybe had Sullivan been willing to give some of the kids in WBS (O'Connor, Zohorna, Puusenin, Angello) NHL TOI, instead of giving roster spots to oxygen thieves like Simon and ZAR, one or 2 of them may be ready for NHL playoffs but Sullivan refuses to prepare HIS team properly. HIS team is based on his friendships and loyalties to marginal players not in developing anyone.
That s why I say give up the Ghost and sell at the dead line to set the table for next season. Malkin has already said he would take a team friendly and you still have Crosby. Trade Letang and Rust, throw in E-Rod and a couple of others. Grab some draft picks and prospects, free up some $$$ and try and pluck a real NHL level player during the summer FA market and now you will have a far better chance at a Cup than you do now.
This team is fragile and unidimensional.
Hey Mike,
The great thing about trading Letang, particularly since it appears he is irreconcilable to a team friendly deal in the offseason is that he frees up Cap Space immediately. The Pens traded Recchi and Coffey for Tocchet, Wregget and Kjell Samuelsson and went on to win the Cup. Why not trade Letang and Rust, neither of whom it appears the team will be able to resign anyway in the offseason.
Hey Jim,
Spot on!
Apparently, Fla already out bid us for Chariot - your point is already manifesting itself.
As for Burke and Hextall, I don't blame them for the past, that was all JR and Sullivan doing, tearing this team down, to rebuild in Sullivan's smurf image.
However, I will blame them if they go out and over pay for mediocre talent in the vain hopes of a delusional Cup run.