One of former GM Jim Rutherford’s notable strengths during his black-and-gold tenure was his ability to correct his mistakes.
If he made a bobble, it generally didn’t take him too long to square things up.
A case in point, scoring winger David Perron. After notching nine goals in his first 16 games in the ‘Burgh, Perron turned stone cold and pretty much stayed iced over throughout the remainder of his 82 games with the Pens.
Burning the midnight oil, GMJR parlayed the snakebitten Perron into speedy, puck-hunting forward Carl Hagelin, a deal that crystalized his team’s attacking style and helped propel the Pens to back-to-back Cups.
Ditto firing professorial coach Mike Johnston early in the 2015-16 season and replacing him with fiery Mike Sullivan.
I see the same quality in our present POHO/GM Kyle Dubas. He seems to possess a Midas touch when it comes to cleaning up mistakes, not all of his doing, while turning shine into Shinola.
His Erik Karlsson for a bunch-of-guys-we-no-longer-wanted blockbuster in the summer of 2023 was an absolute masterpiece of GMing. So, for that matter, was last season’s shedding of Tristan Jarry and faded prospect Sam Poulin for two solid players (Brett Kulak and Stuart Skinner) and a second-round pick. To say nothing of the Egor Chinakhov for journeyman Danton Heinen and two picks heist.
I still marvel every time I stop to consider those trades.
Again, masterful.
Heck, just about every move Dubas has made since the 2025 trade deadline has improved the team. Some, like the aforementioned trades, have reaped significant dividends. Others, such as the Ilya Solovyov and Elmer Söderblom deals moved the needle in smaller increments. Still, nearly all have added value.
Too, Dubas seems to have a knack for knowing when to say when on prospects who aren’t cutting it, 2023 third-round pick Emil Pieniniemi the latest example. Before that, Poulin, Isaac Belliveau and Valtteri Puustinen.
Nurse Coming This Way?
I profess, I didn’t put a ton of stock into initial reports that Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse might be interested in joining the Pens…and vice versa. His rather onerous cap hit and term for one ($9.25 million through the ’29-30 season). His age (31) along with a dip in output and effectiveness this past season for another.
Yet rumors persist that a deal will, indeed, get done. This from David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period:
“Pittsburgh may be No.1 on Darnell Nurse’s list of five teams he would waive for, and the Penguins and Oilers have been discussing a potential trade. Edmonton GM Stan Bowman is not going to rush into a move, but some believe we’ll see a trade around the NHL Draft.”
Shawn Sinclair of NHL Trade Rumors took it a step further, suggesting the Pens and Oilers are working on “a significant trade” involving the rangy blueliner.
“Dubas loves Nurse’s game,” he wrote “and the two have known each other for a very long time, dating back to Sault Ste. Marie.”
Sinclair then suggested that long-time Pens mainstay Bryan Rust may be part of the package going the other way.
Yikes.
At age 34, I know “Trusty Rusty” ain’t gettin’ any younger. Eventually, his gritty, hustling style is going to catch up with him. But dealing the seven-time 20-goal scorer for Nurse would blow a canyon-sized hole through our top six forwards, one I doubt we’d be able to effectively fill.
Unless we receive one of the Oilers’ promising young forwards such as Vasily Podkolzin, Matthew Savoie or Isaac Howard as part of the return package, I’d still pass on Nurse.
Which, given my track record for predictions, probably means it’s a done deal.
Welcome Back Ronny Franchise
I was very pleased to see the Pens welcome Hall-of-Famer Ron Francis back to the fold. “Ronny Franchise” rejoined the team on June 19 as a Special Advisor, Hockey Operations.
Following an exemplary 23-season NHL career, including seven-plus seasons and two Stanley Cups with the Pens, Francis entered into management with the Hurricanes, assuming the GM reins from Rutherford in 2014.
Most recently, he served as the first GM of the Kraken and was the architect of the club that derailed the defending Cup champ Avs in the ’23 playoffs. Last season he was bumped upstairs to make way for former Pens exec Jason Botterill.
In case you were wondering, Francis, too, hails from Sault Ste. Marie.
More important, just a first-class guy, through and through.
I’d rather see the Pens go after Harley. Dallas will have trouble signing Robertson and keeping Harley as they have cap space issues.
About Nurse
At $9.5 Mil for four more years, our Penguins do not NEED Nurse. He does represent an upgrade over pretty much everyone on the left side of our defense, but he is only worth about $6 – $6.5 mil. Therefore, I don’t get the trade chatter, particularly where some of the alleged experts show their limited knowledge – not only does some of this read like a done deal, but that Edmonton can dictate terms, as if the Penguins need to be suitors.
As I have written before, there are scenarios where I would not mind a Nurse trade but everything I have read, reads like a serious loss for the Pens.
Our Penguins do have tons of Cap space, so they could absorb that idiotic contract, but Dubas must make Edmonton pay for their years of short-sightedness. For me Edmonton must take back some bad contracts in exchange (Graves and Girard) and either eat some of Nurse’s contract or pay us at least a 2nd round pick. I would also start by asking for the above plus a prospect as well.
I don’t take on bad contracts without proper compensation.
Interesting Rick,
Speaking of trades, how would you rate a trade that saves $1.66 mil but costs you at a minimum of 3 TGF/Season, a Goalie with a Sv% of 0.905, and Pnts% of 0.689. and a 1st and 2nd round pick? Would you call that a win?
Hey Other Rick,
Without knowing more specifics (who/what/when), I’d say it’s not a very good trade.
Rick
After doing a little digging, I see you’re referring to the Karlsson trade.
For context, Casey DeSmith is a solid No. 2, but no more. We also shed a washed-up Jeff Petry, injury-prone Jan Rutta (now playing in Europe) and a very good player, Mikael Granlund, who wasn’t a good fit.
I do that trade any day of the week, and twice on Sunday. Granted, Karlsson’s first two seasons here weren’t anything special (thank you, Mike Sullivan), although his production was still solid. But last season EK showed why he won three Norris Trophies.
Rick
Yes, I was referring to the Karlsson trade. And I find it interesting that you would flip-flop when you figured out to whom I was referring – that you would not remain objective. The is a reason why good teachers do not look at the name of the student at the top of a test paper when they grade a test, so they do not allow biases to affect the grading
Now that the cat is out of the bag (you know that I am talking about Karlsson), considering how Karlsson’s game buoyed back up, what would Petry, Rutta, and Granlund look like under Muse – or how bad would Karlsson still look had Dubas not orchestrated NYR into taking Sullivan off our hands.
The Karlsson trade was not really a win, you said it yourself.
I find it equally as interesting that you felt it it necessary to withhold/shade the particulars in order to make your point.
You made it seem like the goalie with “the .905 SV% and .689 PTS%” was some front-line starter, not a backup who can’t carry more than a 25-30 game workload.
I also prefaced my initial response with “without knowing more specifics,” which turned out to be acquiring a Norris Trophy defenseman for what amounted to a bunch of baggage, which of course you conveniently withheld to support your case.
Context and particulars mean a great deal.
I absolutely defy you to claim that Karlsson wasn’t brilliant this past season. The fact that he was named team MVP, an award generally the sole possession of Sidney Crosby, speaks volumes about his impact.
Rick
Are you angry Rick because I got you to acknowledge that it was not a brilliant trade? It appears so. otherwise you wouldn’t “interesting that you felt it it necessary to withhold/shade the particulars in order to make your point”, you would simply acknowledge the truth of removing names from the top of the paper so as to objectively evaluate the test like any good teacher would do.
As for the Goalie Dubas gave away, last season, the first season the team made it back to the playoffs after a several year absence, 2 of which were with Karlsson on the team (but under Sullivan – who time is showing was more than likely the only real problem). Silovs played the most games at 39, DeSmith has played as many as 38 in a season, so what is the problem? Again, is it anger because you were the one who said that the trade was a loss.
As for the “bunch of baggage” away from Sullivan, Granlund has averaged 21 G and 45 A in an 82 GP schedule while Karlsson has averaged 13 G and 47 A in and 82 GP schedule – so you coloring them “baggage” is inaccurate and really inappropriate.
Context and particulars is really your way of saying you are angry because you were shown just how biased you are and how wrong saying that the trade was brilliant is.
As for Karlsson being brilliant last season, he was good, but not brilliant. If he was brilliant he would have been int he Norris trophy discussion, but he wasn’t. Had Malkin not been injured and only played 56 Games and not had Penguins coaches strip him of wingers regularly as they always do, he would have been the team MVP (at least in terms of on-ice performance, anti-Malkin sediment may have blurred vision like Karlsson love is blurring some now).
Sentiment not sediment
Let me add that I would rather be going into this season with DeSmith sharing the net, bringing Blomqvist and Murashov into the NHL than Skinner, Jarry, or Silovs.
And last season was only 1 of 3 seasons for Karlsson and that is why Granlund, a player you called baggage, has put up better numbers over the past three seasons – Granlund has consistently been playing and not playing well below what was expected of him when the bank was cleared for him.
Hey Other Rick,
Granlund has certainly re-established himself as a good player since leaving the ‘Burgh, as you noted. However, at the time of the Karlsson trade, he had two seasons left on a contract that paid $5 million per. Which, in the flat-cap era and given his struggles after arriving at the trade deadline (1 goal, 5 points in 21 games), indeed had people viewing him, or at least his contract, as baggage.
It’s just as easy to forget that Karlsson was coming off a season for the ages (25 goals and 101 points). The last time a defenseman had tallied 100 points was Brian Leetch some 31 seasons earlier (’91-92).
Maybe Granlund would’ve found a niche here if given a fair chance. If I’m not mistaken, he was going through some difficult personal circumstances which likely contributed to his uninspired production.
However, Dubas had an opportunity to acquire a defenseman who was and is a very rare breed. One who can absolutely dictate and control the flow of the game from the back-end and did so when Sid and Geno missed significant chunks of time in the second half. Including an astounding 12-game stretch with 7 goals and 19 points, and 11 goals and 33 points over a 28-game span.
He simply took over a lot of those games, and at a critical time for the team to boot.
Good player that he is, Granlund doesn’t have that kind of impact. Few players do.
We’ll have to agree to disagree on this one.
Rick
You can certainly disagree with me Rick it is your right.
However, your comment was “an absolute masterpiece of GMing. “. Your original comment did not limit the use of the term “an absolute masterpiece” to what the GM was thinking at the time but inclusive of 20/20 hindsight. Therefore, what anyone may have been thinking at the time is irrelevant to how the trade is viewed now.
Also, harken back to three years ago when I warned that the trade was not going to be the super boon that everyone hallucinated. And that 28 GP 33 Pnt run to which you refer only represents between 11% – 12% of Karlsson’s time with the team. Furthermore, Karlsson’s one time ability to dominate only comes in fits and spurts now, just like Crosby and Malkin. Mind you, I do not mean to say he is a bum, he still represents the best Defenseman on this ridiculously depleted and continually ignored by the GM position.
In the end, the trade is as I saw it, a loss. The team saved only $1.67 mil in cap over the time the “bunch of baggage” was under contract.
As for Granlund, he was good enough to help his teams to two play-off runs, scoring 10 G and 10 A and a -5 in 30 GP in those two playoff years while Karlsson has only managed 1 play-off year and 1 G and 2 A and a -4 in 6 GP. While Karlson is only scoring 1 G every 6 GP, Granlund is scoring 1 G in every 3 GP – twice as fast. While if Karlsson’s +/- were projected to 30 GP like Granlund, it would be -20. No matter how you slice it, Granlund has not been equal to Karlsson but superior, at least over these last three seasons.
Perhaps Karlsson can still try and make the trade a wash but for now – as you, yourself noted, “I’d say it’s not a very good trade.”
Again, I disagree with your assertion that Karlsson was only effective for one out of his three seasons. He totaled 37 goals and 138 assists, good for 175 points. Just under an average of 60 points per season. He scored 11 goals and over 50 points in each of his first two seasons.
To Dan Muse’s credit he removed whatever restraining bolts were put into place by Sullivan and had the good sense to let Karlsson be Karlsson, with excellent results.
Oh, I did neglect to mention that the Karlsson trade was a 3-way deal involving two other GMs. A masterpiece of GMing indeed, considering all the moving parts and considerations, even if you don’t agree.
Rick
Getting Ron Francis, Ulf Samuelsson, and Grant Jennings for John Cullen, Zarley Zalapsky. and Jeff Parker was a Masterpiece trade. Getting Phil Kessel Tyler Biggs, the draft pick that became Kasper Bjorkqvist, and Tim Erixon for Scott Harrington, Nick Spaling, Kasperi Kappanen, a 1st round Pick (Sam Steel) and a 3rd round pick (James Greenway) all the while getting Toronto to keep a hefty part of Kessel’s salary was a Master Stroke of Genius. Getting anything, let alone Trevor Daley for Rob Scuderi was a phenomenal win.
In all of those situations, the Penguins won Stanley Cups and the players the team got in return out performed the players they gave up.
In the Karlsson deal, the team fell hard for two years and almost muffed it again last season with Karlsson being extremely invisible during the playoffs, when the team needed him the most. Our Pens were within a hairs breath from getting swept by the Flyers because he was ineffective.
As for the first 2 seasons in Pgh, Karlsson was a -20, he was not good under Sullivan.
I don’t care how many teams were involved if the team didn’t materially improve, the trade was a bust. The Pens not only didn’t win a Cup, nor has Karlsson out performed Granlund. Moreover, as I just mentioned the team took a significant step backwards for two seasons, flirting with best odds for the best odds for the number one pick over all at one point.
This is America, you have the right to believe what you want, you have a right to chose players over team, but no matter how you slice it, as you yourself noted, when I hid the name power from your sight, the Penguins lost that trade.
Dubas fumbled hard, he didn’t identify the main problem to the team and it had nothing to do with the players or a need for Karlsson, all he really needed to do was dump Sullivan.