I figured the All-Star break would be a perfect time to see how the ex-Penguins are faring around the league. Stats include games played through February 1.
Giving the narrative a different twist, I thought I’d focus on the players who’ve left the ‘Burgh since Ron Hextall took over as GM.
Jared McCann of Seattle leads the pack with a whopping 23 goals and 35 points. Needless to say, sending Jared to Toronto for Filip Hallander rather than protecting him in the 2021 expansion draft ain’t looking too good at this stage.
Signed for $2 million over the summer by the Avalanche, versatile Evan Rodrigues has tallied 11 goals and 26 points while displaying good chemistry with Sidney Crosby’s Nova Scotia pal Nathan MacKinnon. Letting E-Rod walk in favor of signing Kasperi Kapanen? Ugh.
Next on the list of ex-Hexy’s? The Kraken’s Brandon Tanev has 24 points to go with a sterling plus-23. With 11 goals and 22 points, gamer Frederick Gaudreau continues to be remarkably productive for Bill Guerin’s Wild. A bargain at $1.2 million per.
Speaking of Billy G, I wonder what our Penguins would look like (and who’d be coaching) if things had worked out differently and he was our GM…
Miss “Turbo” and Freddy.
Rounding out the list of forwards, Sam Lafferty (17 points) has resurrected his career in an energy role with the Blackhawks. The player Sam was traded for, Alex Nylander, has yet to suit up for the Pens despite posting solid numbers in the AHL. Zach Aston-Reese has resumed his role as a defensive specialist, albeit north of the border with the Maple Leafs.
Mark Jankowski has likewise hooked on in a defensive role in Nashville. Waiver wire casualty Radim Zohorna’s failed to register a point in eight games with the Flames.
Among the recently departed defensemen? John Marino (plus-11) was enjoying a strong start for the Devils until he was felled by an upper-body injury on December 20. Likewise, speedy Mike Matheson’s missed a considerable chunk of time with a lower-body injury, throwing a wrench into his debut with the Canadiens.
As for his old black-and-gold partner? Cody Ceci’s offensive numbers have shrunk (a lone goal and seven points), but he’s been sound as a pound defensively for the Oilers.
Although he isn’t an ex-Hexy, it should be noted that former goaltending prospect Filip Gustavsson is emerging as a strong 1A in Minny.
| SCORING | |||||||||
| Player | Team | Pos | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | +/- | |
| Jared McCann | SEA | C | 46 | 23 | 12 | 35 | 8 | 7 | |
| David Perron | DET | LW | 48 | 14 | 16 | 30 | 30 | 2 | |
| Conor Sheary | WSH | LW | 53 | 12 | 18 | 30 | 18 | 5 | |
| Daniel Sprong | SEA | RW | 42 | 15 | 14 | 29 | 10 | 11 | |
| Evan Rodrigues | COL | C | 37 | 11 | 15 | 26 | 16 | 5 | |
| Jordan Staal | CAR | C | 50 | 14 | 11 | 25 | 16 | 8 | |
| Stefan Noesen | CAR | RW | 48 | 9 | 16 | 25 | 19 | 9 | |
| Brandon Tanev | SEA | LW | 49 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 25 | 23 | |
| Justin Schultz | SEA | D | 42 | 5 | 19 | 24 | 28 | 7 | |
| * Calen Addison | MIN | D | 47 | 3 | 21 | 24 | 18 | -15 | |
| Frederick Gaudreau | MIN | C | 48 | 11 | 11 | 22 | 6 | 9 | |
| Nick Bjugstad | ARI | C | 50 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 22 | 7 | |
| Phil Kessel | VEG | RW | 51 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 20 | -10 | |
| Oskar Sundqvist | DET | C | 39 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 20 | -7 | |
| Nick Bonino | SJS | C | 48 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 14 | -5 | |
| Sam Lafferty | CHI | LW/C | 42 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 24 | -6 | |
| Olli Maatta | DET | D | 44 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 8 | 4 | |
| Ian Cole | TBL | D | 45 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 43 | 12 | |
| Derick Brassard | OTT | C | 40 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 20 | 1 | |
| Jamie Oleksiak | SEA | D | 42 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 34 | 4 | |
| Erik Gudbranson | CBJ | D | 50 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 40 | -20 | |
| John Marino | NJD | D | 32 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 11 | |
| Mike Matheson | MTL | D | 17 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 21 | -1 | |
| Zach Aston-Reese | TOR | RW | 49 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 19 | -5 | |
| Mark Jankowski | NSH | C | 24 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 5 | |
| Cody Ceci | EDM | D | 50 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 16 | 11 | |
| Scott Harrington | SJS | D | 20 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 6 | -4 | |
| Ryan Reaves | NYR-MIN | RW | 41 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 24 | -4 | |
| Tanner Pearson | VAN | LW | 14 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 21 | -9 | |
| Jack Johnson | CHI | D | 48 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 14 | -20 | |
| Jayson Megna | COL-ANA | C | 37 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 6 | -11 | |
| Derek Grant | ANA | C | 15 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | -6 | |
| Alex Goligoski | MIN | D | 19 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| Patric Hornqvist | FLA | RW | 22 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 13 | -4 | |
| Robert Bortuzzo | STL | D | 31 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 25 | 2 | |
| Marc-Andre Fleury | MIN | G | 31 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| * Filip Gustavsson | MIN | G | 19 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| * Jake Muzzin | TOR | D | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| Alex Galchenyuk | COL | C | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -3 | |
| Thomas Greiss | STL | G | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Matt Murray | TOR | G | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Riley Sheahan | BUF | C | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -2 | |
| Radim Zohorna | CGY | LW | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | |
| GOALTENDING | |||||||||
| Player | Team | GP | GA | SH | GAA | SV% | QS% | W-L-OT | |
| * Filip Gustavsson | MIN | 19 | 42 | 1 | 2.26 | .922 | .722 | 11-7-1 | |
| Matt Murray | TOR | 19 | 50 | 1 | 2.73 | .911 | .579 | 11-5-2 | |
| Marc-Andre Fleury | MIN | 31 | 85 | 1 | 2.87 | .905 | .567 | 16-10-3 | |
| Thomas Greiss | STL | 15 | 45 | 1 | 3.29 | .906 | .417 | 5-7-0 | |
| Italics—Draft pick or free agent who began his NHL career with the Penguins | |||||||||
| Asterisk—Draft pick who didn’t appear in a regular season or postseason game for the Penguins | |||||||||
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