Penguins Wrap: Trades? Check; Wins? Not So Much; What’s Their Direction?

It was a busy week for the Pittsburgh Penguins. They made some moves — though no whoppers — before Friday afternoon’s NHL trade deadline. In fact, a few moves they didn’t make were probably bigger news. Yes, Rickard Rakell, Erik Karlsson and Matt Grzelcyk remained with the Penguins.

The deadline meant a press conference with Penguins president of hockey operations/general manager Kyle Dubas, and we all got to hear his vision for the organization, which includes as quick a retool as possible so that the team’s older core players might get another shot at a lengthy playoff run. Also, Dubas has assembled a couple cupboards full of assets in draft picks and salary cap space, and so has now reached a turning point in his mission.

In the meantime, the Penguins picked up a point in a home game and then headed west with the weight of the looming trade deadline in tow. That produced two losses, one of them hours after the trade deadline.

The team also was essentially forced to make an interesting move with its goaltenders.

The extensive coverage on Friday’s deadline day is a testament to the coverage you can expect from PHN. But go ahead and catch up on all the news and analysis from the past week. Click the links.

Sunday: The Penguins got a point, but they lost for the sixth time in seven games, this one in overtime against the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs.

The locker room had a few issues at the forefront after the overtime loss. Among them, Erik Karlsson talked about his status and the trade deadline, and rookie goaltender Joel Blomqvist continued to struggle in his latest shot at the NHL. Read about that and more from the Penguins room.

One name that produced perhaps some awkward feelings with the trade deadline approaching was one of those core players. What it all meant to Kris Letang.

Monday: PHN’s Dave Molinari is a pro’s pro. And maybe even a prophet. He put forth an interesting idea regarding the Penguins’ goaltenders. Read his column.

And there is was. Just hours after Molinari proposed it, the Penguins sent Blomqvist back to the AHL and recalled a guy many didn’t think we would see again, Tristan Jarry. Read about the goalie news.

There were other moves, too. Defenseman P.O Joseph is injured, and the Penguins signed a prospect defenseman. Read the Penguins news briefs.

Philip Tomasino has shown some spark, but he still has areas to address. Defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok seemed to be on deck. And there were concerns about the goaltending. It’s all in the Penguins insight.

Tuesday: Coach Mike Sullivan (mostly) addressed the move with Blomqvist, and talked about Kolyachonok’s status. It’s in the report from the Penguins skate.

This is just how things are going for the Penguins. They played a strong game, but they could not convert on several good scoring chances and fell at Colorado.

The loss against the Avalanche pointed to a deficiency with the Penguins. Even when they play well, they don’t have the roster needed to produce enough on offense. Read the Penguins grades.

Wednesday: The Penguins not only had to deal with the angst of the trade deadline Friday, but also had to prepare to play a game that night. That should not have to be the case, according to Dave Molinari.

With the season spiraling and the trade deadline quickly approaching, it was a good time to take stock of some issues involving the Penguins. Read about problems on defense, why home is where the heart is for the core three, and other things in 5 Penguins thoughts.

The Penguins took a chance on Jesse Puljujarvi after a promising career was delayed by a tough injury. It just didn’t work. See where he landed.

Vincent Desharnais was an interesting addition, a big, physical defenseman. But just a little over a month after he joined the Penguins, they traded him.

The Desharnais move was fairly minor. The Penguins followed that less than an hour later with a more significant trade, moving Michael Bunting and acquiring Tommy Novak and Luke Shenn. Read the news and analysis.

In something of a preview for what he would say at his press conference just after the trade deadline, Penguins president of hockey operations/general manager Kyle Dubas talked about the first two trades of the week, saying the team was positioned well.

Thursday: Even though there were reasons to think veteran defenseman Luke Shenn would be a good fit with the Penguins, there was immediate speculation that the team might quickly flip him.

It was the eve of the trade deadline, and the Penguins still had a practice to focus on. That doesn’t mean they weren’t on edge. Plus, there was talk of the two newly acquired players. It’s in the practice report.

Another rite of trade deadline eve. You can use hindsight to see how PHN fared as it made its predictions.

Newly acquired center Tommy Novak was having a down season in Nashville. There were some interesting comments about him from Predators GM Barry Trotz.

Friday: And so it began. The Penguins opened trade deadline day by making a trade within the Metropolitan Division, acquiring a draft pick for forward Anthony Beauvillier.

Some of the insiders were right. The Penguins did not keep Luke Shenn. They picked up a couple draft picks by flipping him to Winnipeg.

Next up, the Penguins again made a deal inside the Metropolitan Division. The key was sending pending unrestricted free agent Cody Glass to New Jersey for a draft pick and two forwards.

Just before the deadline, the Penguins made one more move, acquiring two players from Toronto.

Dubas met with reporters a couple hours after the deadline and outlined his thought process and where things stand. He made it clear the organization was turning a corner in its plan to execute a revamp.

Defenseman Ryan Shea has gone from being a frequent healthy scratch to getting time in the top four. In a move that wasn’t a trade, the Penguins gave Shea a contract extension.

With players coming and going, and the Penguins out west, the team made an emergency recall in defenseman Jack St. Ivany.

After all the emotion of the trade deadline, the Penguins still had to play. They could not muster a goal, fell to 1-6-1 since the 4 Nations Face-Off break and lost at Vegas.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the Penguins showed outward signs of frustration following their loss to the Golden Knights, and goalie Alex Nedeljkovic was once again vocal about things. Read the Penguins grades.

Saturday: Dubas acknowledged that there was a lot of interest in a couple of his players leading up to the trade deadline. He explained why he held onto Rickard Rakell and Matt Grzelcyk.

The Penguins wrapped up a few stressful days in Vegas with a workout before flying to Minnesota. One of the topics of the day was newly acquired defenseman Conor Timmins. Read the practice report.