Sizing Up the NHL Trade Board and Potential Penguins Fits
The NHL Draft is just over one week away, but the NHL trade chatter is still adding names, not yet zeroing in on teams that would be a great fit or can pay the asking price. Nor does it appear teams are getting close to making deals despite the impending gathering. The league also seems caught at a crossroads between this year’s slight $1 million increase in salary cap space and the following years of spiking cap space.
Lurking about is Kyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
It’s too soon to tell if Dubas will take big swings this summer, but there are some good fits for the Penguins if he does. However, one major obstacle is the Penguins’ lack of depth; Dubas probably gets one, maybe two big swings on the NHL trade market before the Penguins are out of realistically tradeable options.
NHL Trade Rumors and Potential Fits:
Connor Hellebuyck: Proceed with caution
The Penguins need a goalie, and Hellebuyck fits the bill as a No. 1 guy who can be trusted. The downside is Hellebuyck said no to being part of a rebuild in Winnipeg. Presumably, the Penguins would need to prove their long-term viability to Hellebuyck, or he would be nothing more than an expensive rental.
Winnipeg cannot ask for the same price tag as Juuse Saros (two first-rounders and more) because of the expiring contract, but a first-rounder plus more seems in order.
Can the Penguins afford that? Yes, but not really, unless they get his name on a new contract.
Noah Hanafin: Interesting
The Calgary Flames are rumored to have put Hanafin on the NHL trade block. The all-around left-handed defenseman can play more than 20 minutes per night. He’s a smooth skater and puck mover but not great in any one area.
Hanafin is not a physical, stay-home defenseman, so he wouldn’t be a Brian Dumoulin replacement. He’s more of a second-pair defenseman, which might create problems balancing the blue line. A Hanafin-Jeff Petry pairing would be a pair of all-around d-men.
He does have size at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, and he scored 38 points (7-31-38) this season, so he has a little offense in his game. Hanafin is entering the final year of a six-year contract that pays $4.95 million annually, and Calgary is making changes to clean house after a disappointing slump to miss the playoffs (sound familiar?).
Would Calgary want a defenseman in return? A Penguins trade makes the most sense if the Calgary Flames are interested in one of the Penguins’ defensemen or veteran forwards as part of a hockey swap.
Mark Scheifele: Hmmm
Sportsnet’s Ken Weibe tabbed the Penguins as a sleeper in the potential Scheifele sweepstakes. At first blush, it only makes sense if Evgeni Malkin or Scheifele moves to the wing. Scheifele has all the tools but has been part of that disappointing Winnipeg environment.
He has a good shot, as evidenced by 42 goals this season. He can play between the dots because of his 6-foot-3, 207-pound frame. However, he also takes shifts that are too long, leading to chances against, and he isn’t always good without the puck.
Another positive attribute is his AAV. He makes only $6.125 million for one more season before he becomes a free agent next summer. Scheifele would probably balk at being a third-line center. It’s a nice idea, but one that doesn’t work in the current construct (though I’ve wondered about moving Malkin to the wing to prolong his career and improve his health while simultaneously providing more opportunities to unleash that powerful shot).
Travis Konecny: Yes, please
The Philadelphia Flyers are undergoing a major overhaul. It’s not quite a fire sale, but the result may be the same. New GM Daniel Briere has reportedly made Travis Konecny available.
The 26-year-old winger can play both sides and has boundless energy and a bit of sandpaper to go with his 31 goals this season. He’s only 5-foot-10, 175 pounds, but he plays bigger. Konecny’s cap hit is only $4.5 million for the next two seasons, making him affordable, too.
A deal would be predicated on Philadelphia accepting at least one NHL player in return because the Penguins don’t have the prospects to overwhelm others in the bidding process. Konecny would be an ideal replacement for Jason Zucker and cost less, to boot.
Perhaps the market was set when former GM Jim Rutherford paid a 16th overall pick for Kasperi Kapanen, but Konecny has much better stats than Kananen had at the time, so the 14th pick might be the cost, plus a little more. The Penguins would do well to push for a hockey trade involving NHL players instead.
If Dubas went hard on this one, he’d get no criticism here.
Scott Laughton: Very good fit
The Penguins need a legitimate third-line center. Scott Laughton, also of those hated Philadelphia Flyers, is a hard-nosed player. He is usually a winger but can play center.
Laughton was the type of player the Penguins needed to acquire at the NHL trade deadline. Feisty and good on the penalty kill, he also has some offense to give. The Penguins hockey ops would have to determine his viability as a 3C, but he also fits on the left wing.
This season, Laughton had 18 goals and 43 points in 78 games. He has three years remaining on a contract with a $3 million AAV.
Because he will not cost a first-round pick, there’s room to work here. However, will longtime Flyers Keith Jones (the new president of hockey operations) and Briere ask for a premium to deal with a rival?
John Gibson: Great fit, but…
Playing on a hockey team interested in the result will be the best thing for Gibson. His statistics place him well below Saros and Hellebuyck, but his talent puts him in their class. The Anaheim Ducks have thus far rebuffed his trade demands made over multiple seasons.
Anaheim holds the key here. If they ask for a fair price, which would be a prospect/high pick, and an NHL player, Dubas should go after it. If they hold a high price to keep Gibson, such as multiple first-round picks plus more, then it’s an easy no-sale for the soon-to-be 30-year-old goalie.
Categorized: NHL Trade Rumors Penguins Penguins Trade Talk
“Hanafin is not a physical, stay-home defenseman, so he wouldn’t be a Brian Dumoulin replacement.”
Got news for you…Dumoulin and “physical” don’t belong together in the same sentence. If that’s Dubas’ idea of physical, we are in for a very long season.
I would not get excited about drastic changes they can’t get physical and fast anytime soon stabilize the goaltenders and get help with younger players on the bottom six don’t sign any UFAS see what’s out there see if a trade will work with the deadweight in the lineup before buyouts.
Agree Sam, Dumolin was a 6’4 200 sissy. If you ever met him, he looks in person like 170 lbs. He could be 6’4, I’m 6’3 and he’s a little taller than me. I question some of the Roster sizes if you meet them. They have no grit on that team. Very small. Getting older.
Why not Connor Murphy
None of those guys except Helbuck and Gibson excite me for the right kind of trade for me there’s a lot better dmen and forwards not mentioned here!
This is not nearly as difficult as some have made it out to be, people . . .
In: Gibson/Samsonov/Korpisalo, Bunting, Wood/Ritchie, Gudas/Schenn.
Out: Jarry, Granlund, Carter, Heinen, Rust, Dumoulin/Petry
Maybe, maybe not: Zucker
#JustDubyDoIt
Can we get Teddy back?
#JustDontDoIt
And ZAR
Those are what I call NHL players. You must be a long time Western Pa resident that probably played a lot of football.
Did you mean NFL players?
I call it Operation Size & Sandpaper.
You really don’t think it will be difficult to acquire those players you mentioned? 🤣 Also, unless carter decides to retire, they are stuck with him.
Acquiring will certainly be more difficult than losing. Heinen and Dumo are easy. So are Jarry and Zucker. You can’t lose Carter because of the 35+ and Rust (for some unknown reason, and is an underrated blunder IMO) has a full NMC.
I’d add Jones/Rantta/Andersen/Brossoit as goalie options.
I think Gibson and Bunting will be too expensive either via trade or AAV.
I agree, I would find a place Rust would accept a trade too and move him. Terrible contract.
NHL players get NTCs because…wait for it…they don’t want to be traded…one player who wanted to be traded and asked his team to trade him actually invoked his NTC and nixed the trade…can’t rrcall his name but it was Ottawa to Edmonton…
In: Tristan Jarry and Rust.
Out: Pens fans who are scared that Jarry will succeed here. Go ahead and deny it just like every other fan has but it ain’t nothing now with Pens Fans.
The Pens need to restructure their blueline. They need to move two defenders, Petterson and Petry. Petterson is very good, but not what the Pens need. They need a couple of shutdown defenders that can pay the penalty kill. The Pens should get a very good return on Petterson, plus freeing up another $4M to pay someone like Graves. I like Hanifin; I don’t like the cost of getting him. Graves will be overpriced but nowhere near Severson, who is righthanded and has more offensive. Petry is fine, but we need to move the cap hit and bring in another… Read more »
Then who’s playing Top Pairing Minutes with Letang? Mind you that you can’t say anybody cause much like Wingers for Sid and Geno not everybody fits. What really irks me is people like you Dean are just looking to trade a Good D-Man for what exactly: Two bags of crap?
They spent last off-season trying to move Petterson without any takers. So, 1 really solid season makes him untouchable? I would def listen to offers. You can replace him. I would def check in on Graves.
Graves is not better than Petterson and I know that many Hockey Minds with more knowledge than every single commenter on this site put together will tell you that.
14th pick and something else reasonable for Connor Hellebuyck, or Gibson. They will not draft anyone with more immediate impact. And their biggest need is a goalie.
Would Petry or Ruutta + 2nd get it done for Hanifin? Or add Poulin if Hanifin signs an extension?
Gibson would be ideal but would probably cost the most at least the way the Ducks have played it so far. I’d say offer the 1st rounder and take on the entire salary and see if they bite.
Laughton and Konecny would be ok but only at the right cost. Can’t let Jones and Briere fleece them for marginal talent.
The Pens are not getting either guy cheap and further more why would Philly even make an in division trade let alone with a team they hate with a passion.
True but they also don’t need to overpay, either.
You have to do a Three team trade to get a deal done with Philly.
Dan
Two things – we don’t want or need any more players under 6’0 190. Also,
we need playoff type players. Someone in the Pen’s organization has to
have a heart to heart with Sullivan “Dubas” and let him know speed without
size and toughness won’t get it and it’s time for Sullivan to abandon his
current system. Sullivan ran every physical player we had with size and
toughness out of town.
I would pass on both goalies, CH would be better off going to the Devils or Sabres as they are much closer to a cup contender than the Pens. There are cheaper options to trade for like Velmeka or Knight. Would pass on Gibson, to pricey for a goalie trending downward. I like the 3 forwards mentioned. MS might be a 50 goal scorer on this team.