I thought I’d take a break from the relentlessly grim news surrounding our skidding Penguins and offer some lighter fare. Hence, my first Ex-Penguins Update of the young season. Stats include games played up through October 30.
Seattle’s Jared McCann leads the expatriates with 14 points (5+9). Trading the speedy winger with the sizzling shot for nondescript Filip Hållander (take a bow, Ron Hextall) may well be the greatest blunder by a Pens exec since Craig Patrick swapped super Swede Markus Naslund for Alek Stojanov back in 1996.
However, the player who really jumps off the page? Sharks center Mikael Granlund. (Yes, that Mikael Granlund.) “Granny’s” tallied five goals and 13 points in 11 games. This on the heels of a 60-point season in ’23-24.
Granted, he’s the Sharks’ No. 1 center, a role he wouldn’t be filling if he were still in the ‘Burgh. But raise your hand if you’d gladly undo the Erik Karlsson deal and take Granlund and Jan Rutta back in exchange for EK65.
I’ve got both hands raised.
Elsewhere, old friend Jake Guentzel is settling nicely into his new digs in Tampa Bay with four goals and 11 points. Rugged winger Stefan Noesen, who I would’ve targeted as a free-agent last summer, is scoring at nearly a point-per-game clip for the Devils.
Injury-riddled Tanner (the Missing) Pearson appears to be resurrecting his career in Vegas. With seven points, feisty Jason Zucker (pictured) is off to a decent start with the Sabres. Man, do I miss his fire and spunk. So do our Pens.
Our erstwhile “Grind Line” of Zach Aston-Reese (CBJ), Teddy Blueger (Canucks) and Brock McGinn (Ducks) are plying their respective greasy trades, albeit with different teams. Reilly Smith is off to an okay start in the Big Apple.
Raise your hand again if you’d gladly swap out some of our current defensemen for Ian Cole (Utah), Brian Dumoulin (Ducks) and/or Jamie Oleksiak (Kraken). Guys who actually know how to defend.
A special call-out to Sidney Crosby pal Jack Johnson. Four years after being bought out by the Pens and a Stanley Cup ring later, the 37-year-old blueliner continues to roll along like Old Man River with the Blue Jackets.
| SCORING | ||||||||
| Player | Team | Pos | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | +/- |
| McCann | SEA | LW | 10 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 2 | 7 |
| Granlund | SJS | C | 11 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 8 | -5 |
| Noesen | NJD | RW | 13 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 5 | -2 |
| Guentzel | TBL | LW | 11 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 2 | 8 |
| Matheson | MTL | D | 10 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 23 | -1 |
| Pearson | VEG | LW | 11 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Zucker | BUF | LW | 10 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 16 | 1 |
| Smith | NYR | RW | 9 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 3 |
| Blueger | VAN | C | 9 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 1 |
| Cole | UTA | D | 11 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 16 | 0 |
| Heinen | VAN | LW | 9 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Oleksiak | SEA | D | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Poehling | PHI | C | 10 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 1 |
| Aston-Reese | CBJ | LW | 9 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Gaudreau | MIN | C | 9 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Kulikov | FLA | D | 11 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| McGinn | ANA | LW | 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Rodrigues | FLA | C | 11 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | -9 |
| Sprong | VAN | RW | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | -3 |
| Tanev | SEA | LW | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -3 |
| Dumoulin | ANA | D | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Gustavsson | MIN | G | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Kapanen | STL | RW | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -3 |
| Staal | CAR | C | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Ceci | SJS | D | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | -6 |
| Jankowski | NSH | C | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -2 |
| Johnson | CBJ | D | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Joseph | STL | D | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -4 |
| Ludvig | COL | D | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Petry | DET | D | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Rutta | SJS | D | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | -1 |
| Bjugstad | UTA | C | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -1 |
| Bortuzzo | UTA | D | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | -4 |
| DeSmith | DAL | G | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Fleury | MIN | G | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Gudbranson | CBJ | D | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Harkins | ANA | C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lafferty | BUF | C | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | -1 |
| Määttä | DET-UTA | D | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Perron | OTT | LW | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -4 |
| Reaves | TOR | RW | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | -3 |
| Ruhwedel | NYR | D | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Sheary | TBL | LW | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -2 |
| Sundqvist | STL | C | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 |
| GOALTENDING | ||||||||
| Player | Team | Pos | GP | GA | SH | GAA | SV% | W-L-OT |
| DeSmith | DAL | G | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1.69 | .936 | 2-1-0 |
| Gustavsson | MIN | G | 6 | 13 | 0 | 2.17 | .922 | 4-1-1 |
| Fleury | MIN | G | 3 | 9 | 0 | 2.93 | .899 | 2-0-1 |
| Italics indicates a Penguins draft pick or a free agent who began his career with the Penguins. | ||||||||
