Categories: PenguinPoop

A Penguins Trade For One More Run On The Cheap-ish
Over the last few days, fans and some in the sports media have been calling for a trade to spark the Penguins—a move to bolster their defense or bring in a quality second-line center. I laughed this off at first because, to me, they don’t realize the situation the Penguins are in, or at the very least, they are deluding themselves. It’s clear that Kyle Dubas has been shopping in the bargain bin, likely because he believes, as I do, that this team’s Stanley Cup window has closed—or at least won’t reopen without some serious investments that the Penguins just don’t have.
However, as I kept thinking it over, I began to wonder: with the core of Crosby, Malkin, and Letang still going strong, would it be possible to make a modest investment to improve the team’s chances this season without mortgaging the future? Or at the very least not too much of it? The Penguins have a few promising prospects and draft picks to work with, so what if they made a move that doesn’t sacrifice too much but gives this core one more serious shot?
As I always do in these situations, I put myself in Kyle Dubas’s shoes and started scouring teams. What was I looking for? Well, for one, Sullivan isn’t getting fired, so I’d look for players who fit Mike Sullivan’s system—two-way players who can skate well, bring speed, and have some scoring ability, while also being relatively young to stay in line with the teams goals. They don’t necessarily need to be star players. After scouring potential trade options, I landed on a familiar partner: the San Jose Sharks.
The trade I came up with wouldn’t be a blockbuster in terms of name value, but in terms of size, it’d be decent.
To the San Jose Sharks: Kevin Hayes, Ryan Graves, Matt Grzelcyk, Valtteri Puustinen, Samuel Poulin, 2025 3rd Round Pick (MIN), 2026 2nd Round Pick (STL)
To the Pittsburgh Penguins: Fabian Zetterlund, Alexander Wennberg, Mario Ferraro, Henry Thrun
Of course, fans on both sides might object—Sharks fans could argue they’re not getting enough, while Pens fans may feel it’s too much to give up in terms of picks and prospects like Puustinen and Poulin. But for a team seeking to make a smaller-scale upgrade, while Sharks still get picks and some young talent to play, this deal makes sense. Now of course in a real deal, Sharks might want more prospects or a different one, this is hypothetical offer of course. I’m no general manager, so take it all with a grain of salt.
Player Breakdown:
Fabian Zetterlund: A 25-year-old winger with a wicked shot, could be a great fit on Crosby’s line. He scored 24 goals and 20 assists in the 2023-24 season and has room to grow. Though the Sharks might have reasons to keep him, Zetterlund may also be more suited to a team in “win-now” mode like Pittsburgh. Adding Zetterlund justifies including a 3rd-round pick and Samuel Poulin in the trade—Poulin would likely get the NHL playing time he needs with the Sharks.
Alexander Wennberg: Faster then Kevin Hayes! And that’s all that matters! Jokes aside, Wennberg brings versatility, speed, and a responsible two-way game that suits Sullivan’s system well. He could slot in as a solid third-line center or shift to the wing if necessary. His playmaking ability and solid defense would improve the overall depth of the Penguins’ roster. Wennberg would also secure the third-line center role.
Mario Ferraro and Henry Thrun: Ferraro is a rugged, defensive-minded blueliner who’d pair well with Erik Karlsson—similar to how Marcus Pettersson plays alongside Letang. Since Ferraro and Karlsson have prior experience together, they’d be a natural fit. With Ferraro being only 26, he could stay with the Penguins well into his thirties, providing long-term value on the blue line for the Penguins. Meanwhile, Thrun, at 23, is a promising young defenseman with strong puck-moving abilities and great vision—attributes Sullivan values highly in his defensemen.
This is why the deal includes the 2nd-round pick and Puustinen. I know we all love Puustinen, but he has value and would get more minutes and be better suited in San Jose.
Another attribute to this trade, is that David Quinn, has coached these players so there is some nice familiarity there.
Now, this is all speculative. I don’t know what the Sharks would want in return—maybe the price would be too high, or maybe the Penguins could only swing for two of these players. In that scenario, Zetterlund and Ferraro would be the players to go for.
This group should make the Penguins faster, more defensive, and possibly give increased scoring. It also makes the Penguins younger, though not exactly “rookie” young as if we sold guys off and called up a bunch of players. This creates a younger, faster team with players who are already contributing at the NHL level, but still have room to grow—all without sacrificing too much of the future.
You’re telling the core, that you can’t sacrifice too much in the organizations current situation, but while this core continues to perform, you’re willing to do something. That’s respect and class in my opinion, you toe the line carefully. A very, very difficult thing to do.
The Penguins got some good young assets last year, and they would still have picks after letting these two go. You gave up only part of your future to improve the team in what could be a significant way. It gives the core a chance to compete while sticking to the idea of getting younger with Zetterlund (25), Ferraro (26), and Thrun (23).
Bonus: Lars Eller:

I mulled over an Eller trade. You could keep him for his current contributions, but you could also trade him to a contender while his value is still high to get a younger depth player and a decent pick.

  • To Buffalo: McLeod or Krebs and a mid/late pick. Buffalo might not be a contender, but they’re trying to make the playoffs, and they might be interested in a veteran like Eller to give them some leadership and help to push for the playoffs.
  • To Nashville: Ozzy Wiesblatt and a mid/late pick. Nashville makes more sense—they’ve got cap room, and Eller is a Nashville-type player. Doesn’t have to be, Ozzy Wiesblatt, they may view his value higher.

  • To Colorado: Parker Kelly and a mid/late pick. Eller has played for Colorado before, and they’re dealing with several injuries. Parker Kelly would be a great addition, as he’s 25, an excellent penalty killer, and a solid fourth-line player. This trade would yet again make the team younger and faster and bring in a player with qualities Sullivan likes. The Problem: Cap. The trade might need a third team to facilitate, and at that point, I’m not sure if it’s worth it.

That’s what I’ve got. This seems reasonable to me, and like I said, my spider sense is tingling. Kyle Dubas is up to something. It may not look exactly like this, but perhaps something in the same ballpark, though maybe on a smaller scale.
Only time will tell.
Caleb Di'Natale

View Comments

  • Hey Caleb,

    Sorry to be so ridiculously late to the party. I really like your thinking here. Zetterland and Ferraro would be excellent adds while reinforcing our desire to get younger.

    Not as sold on Wennberg, although I understand your logic. Don't profess to know much about Thrun. Just glancing at his stats, he doesn't appear to be very physical, which would be a concern to me. But Sully does love his puck movers.

    Don't know how anxious the Sharks would be to deal some promising kids for our not-so-golden oldies and flotsam, but I like your creativity and out-of-the-box thinking.

    It would be nice, not to mention beneficial to the team, if Dubas was as open to being creative.

    Rick

    PS--Sounds like our boy Puljujarvi is playing tonight against the Isles ... :) I know Sully's trying different combinations, but sitting a guy who's on a 40-point pace for a season doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

  • Hey Caleb,

    To date our Penguins have 5 Ws, none of which came against a team with a winning record. The combined record of the teams the black and gold has beat is 21-31-6 for 48 out of a possible 116 points or a 0.414 Pts%; hardly numbers to get excited about.

    Having written that, I do think under the right coach using the right players in the organization, this team could make the playoffs as a bubble team and potentially even get to the conference finals.

    As an example of this Coach bungles his job, I give you his latest line shake up. The Captain Sidney Crosby was virtually invisible for the first 10 games of the season while Malkin was flying - just like last season. Rather than trying to find a way to get Crosby moving while keeping Geno on a roll, Sullivan disrupted the 2nd line to bolster the 1st. And just like last season when Sully broke up the 2nd line to get the first moving again, he destroyed the 2nd line. Before Sully's hack job with the lines the team had scored 32 G in 11 GP, since the line changes the team has 1 OTG, 1 ENG, and only 3 non OTG or ENG in 2 GP. They have gone from almost 3 G/GP earned to barely 1.5 G/GP earned + 1 charity G/GP.

    Yes, I know Sully isn't going anywhere. He could have lost all 246 GP from the start of this season through the end of his contract and still get an extension. Therefore, I submit that any trades or other attempts to improve this team are simply studies in futility. The players are only a minor annoyance, they aren't the problem. Any trades would be throwing good money after bad.

    Also, if you look at the standings, San Jose is below the Pens in the standings, so if the players you want off the sharks are so good, why are they below us in the standings. Granted, the players you are sending to the west coast do not represent much of a loss (all though the 2nd round pick could be what hurts the team. Dubas has a track record of screwing up all his picks except the 2nd, that is the only round he seems to get right). And I also understand that there could be a synergy effect. However, unless there is a change behind the bench anything else is shuffling the deck, not improvement.

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Caleb Di'Natale
Tags: Evgeni MalkinKyle DubasMike SullivanNational Hockey LeagueNHL SpeculationNHL tradesPenguins NewsPenguins speculationpenguins tradePittsburgh PenguinsSidney Crosby
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