Today is a mailbag kind of day. The trade deadline is fastly approaching and a number of people had related questions. Let’s get things started:
I personally have tempered expectations with the upcoming deadline. The number one reason is the lack of attractive futures the Penguins have to deal. Sure, the Penguins have a 2022 first round pick, but more and more teams aren’t as enticed by a pick later in the first round like they used to be.
If I’m the Penguins I am looking for scoring depth. While I think the depth players shooting will regress favorably a little bit from what it has been recently I also see the Penguins have a greater than 50% chance of playing the Rangers and Igor Shesterkin in round one. I want all the scoring help I can get.
I do think the Penguins can make some noise in the playoffs. It won’t be easy as there are many quality teams in the Eastern Conference to navigate through. That said, the Penguins have a greater chance of making a run than I thought they would have at the beginning of the year. The goaltending from Jarry being one of the key factors so far this season.
You don’t have to be a prospect expert to go on hockeydb and see how much offense a player is creating in the lower levels. It obviously doesn’t replace scouting, but I think it does provide a great starting point. Players who cannot create offense at the lower levels do not have as much of a chance of being NHL players, whether or not they are a “defensive” player. If you’re not creating time and space for yourself or others in the lower levels you’re going to have a bad time in the NHL.
I don’t see a lot of help down in WB/S right now Valtteri Puustinen has 34 points in 52 games. He is their leading scorer. You’d like to see something closer to a point per game as a forward. Pierre-Olivier Joseph is creating some offense from the back end. He has 28 points in 40 games which isn’t too bad. I think Joseph leads the way as a potential player to play NHL minutes. We’ve already seen him a little bit. I imagine he’ll get a bigger look, perhaps not this year, but next year and beyond.
Alex Nylander is a wild card. He was flat out atrocious when he was on the Rochester Americans. He was playing on the 4th line and was frequently a healthy scratch. Not exactly what you want when you draft a player #8 overall. Nylander’s WB/S sample is small with 24 games. He has 16 points. He is currently out with a non-Covid illness. He got drafted #8 overall for a reason. There is physical talent. We’ll see if he wants to take another run at being an NHL player. It is now or never for him.
I’m not sure if Brock Boeser is overrated per se, but relative to the acquisition cost and the new contract I think he will be overrated for what the Penguins can budget.
Certainly not a bad player.
The other issue is what was brought up earlier. The Penguins don’t have much to give. I think the Canucks are more interesting for trade discussions because of the Rutherford connection. The only way one of these hypothetical trades with Vancouver happen (Boeser, Garland, Miller) is if Rutherford overvalues one of the Penguins rostered players he had a hand in signing or acquiring. I don’t like the odds. Although, the odds are higher in peddling off a mid-tier contract on Rutherford than perhaps any other GM in the league as it pertains to the Penguins directly.
I’m not a big fan of Kasperi Kapanen. I think he’s a streaky rush shooter. If Jason Zucker is legitimately healthy he is a more well-rounded player. I think Zucker was playing good hockey this year with bad luck. He is a contract the team will probably like to get out of in the offseason. For now, he can be a part of the depth scoring the team needs to improve. I would bet on him not having the luck stay where it has been to this point this year. Kapanen has clearly burned some bridges. Mike Sullivan consistently demotes him and Brian Burke came out in a Josh Yohe article and directly stated Kapanen hasn’t been great and needs to make more plays.
Mike Sullivan is a huge reason why the Penguins have had the success they’ve had since his hire, but specifically this year. There have been a lot of injuries and missing parts. He does a great job with his systems and his buy in. One of his blind spots is his unwillingness to get creative with his line combos. He is pretty stubborn. I would be totally fine seeing what you are proposing. The issue is the same as it ever was. Sidney Crosby’s line has a very low probability of being broken up. I’ll believe it when I see it.
Given the Penguins lack of assets and a need for scoring depth I don’t think they will chase another goalie. Casey DeSmith has been awful for much of the season. The recent sample is showing signs of improvement.
Given the uncertainty of goaltenders in general, and specifically backups, it is no sure thing the assets you spend on a goaltender would actually see an improvement. I think if DeSmith is competent the next two weeks they stay put with what they have and hopefully give Jarry more rest as we head towards the playoffs.
Ron Hextall is certainly different than Jim Rutherford. They are opposites. He inherited a pretty crumby situation. It is hard to argue with the results. Jeff Carter was a huge trade to get the center depth back where it needs to be. While I certainly didn’t advocate for Tristan Jarry in the summer, Hextall did. His gamble has paid off to this point. It seems like he has the intent to sign both Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang to new contracts. He brought Even Rodrigues back. He got out of Brandon Tanev’s contract. These are all good choices. The Jared McCann trade remains baffling, especially when you look at the depth scoring, but it is what it is. Overall, his approach has yielded positive results.
Penguins host the Florida Panthers tomorrow night.
Thanks for reading!
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