Heading into Day 2 of the Entry Draft, the Penguins pulled off a swap of defensemen with the Sabres.
Shuffling off to Buffalo are Conor Timmins, acquired at the trade deadline, and pigeon-holed (or undervalued) prospect Isaac Belliveau.
Coming the Pens’ way is 30-year-old, third-pairing hard-noser Connor Clifton and the 39th overall pick, which Kyle Dubas promptly used to select hulking shutdown defender Peyton Kettles from Swift Current of the WHL. A prospect Other Rick deemed desirable in his draft preview.
All of the defensemen involved, save for Belliveau, are right shots.
I confess, I like this trade. A lot. Not so much because I didn’t like Timmins, an RFA to be. I thought he did a nice job for us under trying circumstances (often paired on his off-side with Erik Karlsson).
Rather, I really like Clifton and have long been an admirer. Although undersized at 5’11” 195, he’s edgy and plays a big man’s game, as three straight seasons of 200-plus hits and over 100 blocked shots will attest. While obviously not a heavyweight, the former Bruins mainstay is a tough cookie who’s had his share of scraps. As demonstrated in this punch-up with Ducks hit-man Radko Gudas, Connor won’t hesitate to come to a teammate’s aid
Only 17, Kettles already measures in at 6’5” 190 pounds with a pterodactyl-like wingspan. He excels at using his frame to take away time and space.
An enthusiastic two thumbs up for Dubas on this one.
As the old saying goes, good things come to those who hustle. And our GM’s hustling.
Tretheway on the Way
While I’m at it, the Pens snagged Charlie Tretheway, yet another right-shot defenseman with the 73rd overall pick.
According to reports, the 6’1” 200-pounder and member of the U.S. National Development Team is a blunt-force trauma waiting to happen.
This from Elite Prospects.
Trethewey brings explosive mobility, shooting, and physicality. He matches fast attackers off the rush, then flattens them with a big hit. His head is on a swivel defensively, and he constantly plays inside contact around his net, getting underneath sticks, and pushing opponents out of his goaltender’s sightline.
Although not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison, landing Tretheway takes a little of the sting out of passing on Kashawn Aitcheson last night.
Dubas’s work is beginning to remind me of the early 2000s, when Craig Patrick made a concerted effort to draft for compete and physicality.
Needless to say, I love it!
