Penguins Trade Buzz: Dubas, Staff ‘Heavily Scouting’ Montreal Canadiens

The Pittsburgh Penguins have seven wins in 23 games, and the Penguins trade buzz is beginning. Things are not going well, and the team is sinking further into the very same abyss that general manager Kyle Dubas hoped to avoid by not gutting the team to begin a full-scale rebuild. The Penguins had another embarrassing loss Saturday night when they were eventually run out of their own building, 6-1, against the Utah Hockey Club.

The Penguins are just 7-12-4 this season.

However, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that Penguins GM Kyle Dubas and staff have been heavily scouting the Montreal Canadiens.

“What I can tell you is that teams that have struggled or are not quite where they thought they’d be, I’d certainly put Montreal in that group, and the Pittsburgh Penguins are even lower down the chain, but in that category, (Montreal) is having a lot of conversations. It makes sense that you’d see a connection there,” said Dreger on the national Canadian sports network Friday.

Montreal GM Kent Hughes is in a different spot than the Dubas’s Penguins. Montreal has already undergone the tear-down portion of their rebuild and has a cadre of young players, but their record is indicative of a young team struggling to come of age. They will also have an overflowing roster when Patrick Laine returns from knee surgery.

Read More: Penguins Report Card: Team Quits, Someone ‘Do Something’

Laine began skating with the team last week, albeit in a non-contact jersey. Sportsnets’ Elliotte Friedman reported on Saturday that there isn’t a target date for Laine to rejoin practice in full capacity, but it is on the horizon.

Enter the Penguins.

“Kyle Dubas and company, the scouts of the Penguins, have been heavily scouting the Montreal Canadiens. Pittsburgh has some interesting pieces up front, and if you’re the Canadiens, you see certain needs, and there have to be long-term benefits,” said Dreger. “If (Montreal) doesn’t see the long-term benefits of a player and Pittsburgh has an interest in that player, maybe you take back an expiring contract.”

The Penguins have several expiring contracts, including defenseman Marcus Pettersson, who is expected to produce a solid return if he is dealt. Also, forward Drew O’Connor, whose production has elevated since coach Mike Sullivan moved him to center, hasn’t scored a goal since Oct. 18, a span of 17 games.

Cody Glass, Anthony Beauvillier, Matt Nieto, and Jesse Puljujarvi are the other forwards on expiring contracts. Matt Grzelcyk and Ryan Shea are the defensemen whose deals expire after the season.

Montreal currently has over $7 million in salary cap space, but according to Puckpedia.com, the team projects to be $2.2 million over the cap when they activate Laine and Harvey Rafael-Pinard from LTIR.

Read More (Montreal Hockey Now): Potential Impact of Patrik Laine’s Return to the Lineup

The Canadiens would need to clear more than $1.3 million in salary, presuming they could re-assign a minimum-salary player to the AHL.

Dubas has plainly stated the Penguins are looking to add young players and prospects to the organization. In August, the team acquired the Winnipeg Jets’ top prospect, Rutger McGroarty, in exchange for their top prospect, Brayden Yager. McGroarty was believed to be more NHL-ready and a better player but has been mired in the AHL after a few games in the NHL at the beginning of the season.

“I think there’s a reason to connect Montreal and Pittsburgh. There’s nothing close. There’s nothing imminent,” said Dreger. “But the fact that the Canadiens are getting healthy, maybe the time to strike with Pittsburgh, or someone else will be there soon.”

Possible Penguins Trade Targets

Canadiens defenseman Justin Barron is a 23-year-old right-handed defenseman who has played only nine games this season, scoring one goal with a minus-5 rating while averaging nearly 16 minutes of ice time.

Others have surpassed the promising young defenseman in the Canadiens lineup. Barron served as a healthy scratch twice last week and was not in the lineup Monday when Dubas scouted Montreal. He makes $1.15 million per season through next year.

Also, Jayden Struble, 23, is playing his off-side in the Canadiens lineup. The lefty D-man has been playing on the right side. Struble’s cap hit is only $867,500, and he is an RFA after the season.

One interesting name to watch is Kirby Dach. The talented, large forward has not lit up the scoreboard since missing most of last season following October knee surgery.

Dach is the type of former prospect the Penguins could be looking for. He was the third overall selection in the 2019 Draft, but in three seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks and the previous two with Montreal, the 6-foot-4, 217-pound forward hasn’t scored more than 38 points.

He skates well, and his size and skill make him a tantalizing project. However, injuries, including a broken wrist and knee surgery last season, have dampened his development at the NHL level. Dach began the season as Montreal’s second-line center but is currently slotted as their top-line RW. However, he has only eight points, including one goal this season, and is a team-worst minus-15.