Penguins Wrap: Blockbuster Trade; Front Office Moves; No Laine

Over the past week, the Pittsburgh Penguins made a blockbuster move (no, not that one) and a minor player move. They also made several personnel moves — not on the roster, but on the managerial and operations side. And they stood by while another trade of interest went down.

With just a week left in August, training camp will soon be ramping up. Will Penguins captain and megastar Sidney Crosby have a contract extension signed before then? We don’t know.

But a few final moves could be on the horizon, and tweaked philosophies could come into play. PHN looked at a few of those things.

We do know interest in the 2024-25 season is on the rise. Catch up with all the news and analysis from the week that was. Click on the links.

Saturday: After two straight years of missing the playoffs, the Penguins again will be trying to build toward not only making the postseason, but also making some waves once they get there. Opinions on how that could happen are plenty, but here’s a case for one needed element — some snark and snarl.

Sunday: Edmonton is over the salary cap and looking for answers. Could the Penguins profit by getting a deal to bring in a defenseman who would be a good fit, Brett Kulak?

Monday: Just in time to hit the ground running for the season, the Penguins announced a bunch of moves in the front office and throughout the organization. A couple promotions, a few hires and featured names such as Jason Spezza and Amanda Kessell, plus an analytics guru and potentially a new liaison to the ownership group. It was quite a roster of changes.

With the offseason winding down quickly, it’s a good time for a refresher on what has transpired since the Penguins went their separate ways for the summer. Here’s a rundown of all the moves and changes.

Everyone knew Patrik Laine wanted out of Columbus and was on the trade block. A lot of folks thought he could be a good fit with the Penguins. However, the Blue Jackets instead shipped Laine to Montreal.

Tuesday: So why weren’t the Penguins more involved in trying to land Laine? It wasn’t a salary cap issue, which could have been overcome. The simple truth seems to be that there apparently wasn’t enough interest.

Wednesday: Mike Sullivan will be moonlighting as Team USA coach. We knew that. Now he has added two guys he has close ties to as assistants on his staff for the Four Nations Face-Off, David Quinn and John Tortorella.

A prominent prospect ranking was released. Despite the growth in the Penguins’ pipeline, or at least the perception that is the case, none of the team’s prospects made the top 50.

Thursday: The blockbuster. The Penguins and Winnipeg Jets swapped top prospects and former first-round picks in a one-for-one trade. Say goodbye to Brayden Yager and hello to Rutger McGroarty.

Following the big trade, the Penguins wasted no time in signing McGroarty to an entry-level contract.

People will be watching Yager vs. McGroarty for years to come after the big trade. But you don’t have to wait for the instant analysis of the deal.

In a more minor move, the Penguins signed a big Russian player to a professional tryout contract for training camp. The defense corps got a little more crowded with the addition of Nikolai Knyzhov.

Friday: Although it’s early, a lot of folks think the Penguins won the trade with the Jets. They also thought Winnipeg was forced to trade McGroarty because he refused to sign over a disagreement on his path to the NHL. That narrative got some pushback from Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff.