Let’s Make a Deal: Penguins Swing Two

Well, I almost got my wish. The other day I suggested that Penguins GM Ron Hextall acquire a forward from Nashville and he did. Just not the one I’d remotely hoped for.

With his trade options shrinking by the minute, GMRH swung two deals Wednesday night.

How I wish he hadn’t. Handed a gift reprieve when the Blues miraculously claimed Kasperi Kapanen and his $3.2 cap hit, Hextall turned around and flushed our good fortune down the loo.

Forgive me if what follows is a bit disjointed. I’m still trying to wrap my brain around it. Kind of like trying to wake up from a nightmare. Here goes…

In his first trade, Hextall sent center and pending UFA Teddy Blueger to Vegas in exchange for defenseman Peter DiLiberatore and a third-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.

In his second…and hopefully this isn’t his impact trade…he acquired center Mikael Granlund from Nashville for a second-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. Forgive me if I sound crestfallen. Maybe flabbergasted is more like it.

How many breakaways did the guy muff against us on Tuesday night?

Okay, I’ll try to be objective. A former first-round pick of Minnesota back in 2010, Granlund has shown some scoring pedigree, albeit in the distant past, topping out at 26 goals and 69 points in 2016-17. However, since arriving in the Music City in a deadline trade for Kevin Fiala in 2019, his output has fallen off. He did tally a highly respectable 64 points last season, although only 11 were goals.

The native of Oulu, Finland seems to be trending in the same general direction this season with nine goals and 36 points in 58 games (and a Preds worst minus-16). Obviously, more of a playmaker at this stage of his career than a goal scorer.

Granlund just turned 31, stands 5’10” and weights 185 pounds. He won’t shy away from contact, but won’t cause any scrums, either. (He garnered Lady Byng consideration with the Wild.)

He isn’t very good in the faceoff circle, in fact this season he’s been downright awful (43.3 percent). And lest you think we’ve acquired a metrics darling…uh uh. According to Patrick Bacon at Top Down Hockey, his advanced stats are horrific. (Projected WAR of 4%…50 is breakeven.)

Makes me long for…well…Blueger and Brock McGinn, who was assigned to the Baby Pens to save some coin.

To sum up. We’ve gained some skill and versatility (Granlund can also play left wing…kind of a rich-man’s Evan Rodrigues). We’ve lost a chunk of grit…not that we had a helluva lot to begin with. And two pretty good defensive players and penalty killers, although Granlund is reputed to be capable on the pk. And we’re smaller and more benign, as if that was even possible.

Perhaps I’m reading into things. But I can’t help but see Mike Sullivan’s fingers in this pie, along with Hextall’s need to placate him by feeding our finicky coach the type of players he prefers.

Did I mention Granlund’s under contract for two more seasons at a cap hit of $5 million?

I’ve really wanted to give Hextall the benefit of the doubt. After all, there is something to be said for his patient, measured approach. But this latest bobble reminds me of the 2021 Expansion Draft, when we bled off Jared McCann and Brandon Tanev and gained Filip Hallander. The team became worse, not better.

Although we didn’t know it then, an unfortunate harbinger of things to come.

Maybe Granlund will make me eat my words and help us nail down a playoff spot. We can always hope.

But to my eye, we’ve gotten worse with these trades…not better.