Penguins Opportunity; Better RFAs & Salary Dumps Highlight Trade Boards

Kevin Hayes and Cody Glass were castoffs in a moment of tight salary caps and high hopes. Both became Pittsburgh Penguins when their teams included additional draft capital to figuratively grease Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas’s palm and finish the trade.

The benefits of those trades are debatable, though Glass provided solid defensive help to a team that treated defending like raw broccoli at a candy store, and garnered a pair of third-round picks; one given by Nashville for the Penguins to acquire him and one from the New Jersey Devils, who acquired Glass at the trade deadline.

However, the rising salary cap this summer and the Penguins’ more clearly defined intentions put the team on a different course. Dubas would be in error in discussing salary dumps and young players who are not likely to provide much help.

As the national outlets such as The Athletic pump out the NHL trade bait lists and big trade boards, the commonalities and reports begin to show a path forward in which Dubas can use the same strategies as last summer, but acquire much greater talent.

RFAs

Appearing on almost all of the trade boards is Buffalo Sabres restricted free agent JJ Peterka. It became a terribly kept secret this season that Dubas had more than a passing interest in at least one of Buffalo’s young players. Peterka is a sniping left-winger with a wicked shot who marked 27 goals and 68 points this season.

However, like many players in Buffalo, he’s becoming disillusioned with the perennial failure. Since Buffalo has been stuck in second gear, another reset is unlikely, meaning GM Kevyn Adams will necessarily want NHL talent in return.

The Penguins could do that.

Peterka is just the first of the young players whose availability presents opportunities for the Penguins to transition to the next era quickly.

Marco Rossi is a player whose name has popped up numerous times in trade rumors, but the Athletic’s big board solidified it. Rossi is available, and it’s about money. Minnesota doesn’t want to pay Rossi as a second-line center despite his 60-point performance this season, and so the 5-foot-9 center is available.

Factor Dubas’s stated desire to deepen the organization at center and defense, and Rossi is a prime target.

The third RFA is a defenseman whom former Penguins coach Mike Sullivan might love … or not: K’Andre Miller, whose career has gone a little sideways with the New York Rangers. Despite all of the physical tools and several years of experience, Miller found himself the target of criticism and consternation.

On the most recent Forever Blueshirts podcast with Rangers beat writer Jim Cerny, with this scribe as a special guest, Cerny had genuine and negative assessments on Miller’s game and future with the club. His inability to reach his highest potential has sparked a little bit of frustration.

Will Sullivan’s arrival help or hurt? In fact, could Sullivan have more weight in the player personnel process and decide that Miller isn’t the right fit?

Miller, 25, is an RFA, and the Rangers are already tight to the salary cap. The Penguins might appear to have assets that Rangers GM Chris Drury would value, including a couple of young defensemen and the Rangers’ own first-round pick in either 2025 or 2026. Multiple reports indicate the Rangers are testing Miller’s value on the market.

The last on the list is big right-handed defenseman Logan Mailloux. The 2021 first-round pick has done nothing to cause concern or lower his value, but the Montreal Canadiens have an embarrassment of riches regarding their blue line prospects. It’s not that someone has to go, but that someone could go. Mailloux is a tough righty who plays with an edge.

He scored two goals in seven NHL games this season.

Since Penguins right-side D-man Erik Karlsson also appears on many of the NHL trade boards, the Penguins could have an opening and be players for his services. Montreal has needs on their forwards group (and no, Sidney Crosby isn’t available).

Adding Mailloux and re-signing Conor Timmins would give the Penguins some right-side jam and net-front clearing.

Salary Dumps

Jean-Gabriel Pageau has not lived up to expectations after signing a long-term deal with the New York Islanders carrying a $5 million salary cap hit. Pageau has one more season remaining on the deal.

No player starts the journey on the NHL trade block as a salary dump but those who end up there do so because their teams had no takers. New Islanders GM Mathieu Darche wants to retool on the fly, so moving on from the 32-year-old center would be a good move. The Penguins could use a third-line center with a little bit of offense; Pageau had 42 points (14-28-42) in 79 games this season.

Chris Kreider. His name has appeared in trade chatter for a year since he exorcised his No-Trade clause to squash a deal last summer. Krieder was one of several Rangers to have poor 24-25 seasons and registered only 30 points, but 22 goals, 68 games this season.

A little background nugget, Kreider and Sullivan did not get along when Sullivan was a Rangers assistant coach under John Tortorella, so the Rangers have extra incentive to move him along now. However, Kreider has two more years on a contract that carries a $6.5 million hit.

Perhaps Dubas could package a salary he doesn’t want to carry and profit handsomely, while adding a player who can be a speedy power forward.