Ex-Penguins Update: Halloween Special

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.