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Sidney Crosby Undergoes Wrist Surgery

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The Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby has undergone arthroscopic wrist surgery, the team announced today. The star forward has been given an expected recovery period of three-to-four weeks.

Though this is obviously not major surgery, it does suggest that Crosby was playing through injury in the team’s qualification round matchup against the Montreal Canadiens. Josh Yohe of The Athletic reports that the organization does not believe this will set Crosby back significantly, given the distant state date of the 2020-21 season.

Crosby, 33, is coming off his 15th consecutive season scoring at least a point per game. In November he underwent sports hernia surgery and missed two months of the regular season.

Senators Could Make Sense As A Landing Spot For One Of Pittsburgh's Goalies

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  • While the Senators appear to have their goalie tandem intact for next season already with Anders Nilsson and Marcus Hogberg, Postmedia’s Don Brennan argues that Ottawa GM Pierre Dorion should be inquiring about the availability of Pittsburgh’s goaltenders. Penguins GM Jim Rutherford mentioned earlier this week that he has had interest in both Matt Murray and Tristan Jarry and suggested one will likely have to be moved.  While Ottawa has amassed a lot of prospect depth between the pipes (including former Pittsburgh prospect Filip Gustavsson), they don’t have anyone that necessarily projects to be a starter and either of Murray or Jarry would represent an upgrade.

Pittsburgh Penguins Extend Chad Ruhwedel

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed Chad Ruhwedel to a one-year extension, keeping him under contract through the 2021-22 season. Ruhwedel’s current deal carries a cap hit of just $700K for next season, but the new extension will pay him the increased minimum of $750K. Penguins GM Jim Rutherford released a statement on the signing:

Chad is a reliable, depth defenseman who is a great teammate. He keeps himself in great shape and is always game-ready, which is important for a player in his role and the success of our team.

Ruhwedel, 30, has been in-and-out of the Penguins lineup for the last four seasons, acting as the seventh defenseman in most cases. He played 41 games in 2019-20, recording six points and averaging just under 15 minutes a game. Through 170 career NHL games, the undrafted college signing has 25 points.

More important than his regular season success though, and hinted at by Rutherford in his release, is how Ruhwedel has stepped into the lineup for the Penguins at important times. He played six games in the Penguins 2017 playoff run that ultimately ended in a Stanley Cup, and 12 the year after. That reliability is exactly what you want out of a seventh defenseman and is something that Rutherford and the Penguins coaching staff has come to expect.

He will now be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2022.

Penguins Receiving Trade Interest In Their Goaltenders

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It appears as if Pittsburgh isn’t wasting any time with their offseason planning.  They acquired winger Kasperi Kapanen from Toronto earlier today and it appears as if they’re making some progress on another trade front as well.  GM Jim Rutherford told Josh Yohe of The Athletic (subscription required) that there has been interest in both Tristan Jarry and Matt Murray and that “there’s a very, very good chance that we’re going to have to move one of them”.

Rutherford clarified that discussions aren’t in the final stages by any stretch but that he has a good understanding of what type of return could be available.

Both netminders are slated to become restricted free agents this offseason and have salary arbitration eligibility.  With more than $72MM committed in payroll for next season already to only 17 players, it’s difficult to see a scenario where they can keep both goalies in the fold without making a move to free up some salary.  Considering that would essentially the opposite of what they did today, that doesn’t seem too likely to happen.

Murray is likely to be the higher-priced goaltender of the two considering he comes with a $3.75MM qualifying offer and is only a year away from UFA eligibility.  However, the 26-year-old isn’t coming off the best of seasons as he had a 20-11-5 record with a .899 SV% and a 2.87 GAA in 38 regular season starts and while Murray opened up their Qualifying Round series against Montreal as the starter, he wasn’t between the pipes at its completion.  That certainly won’t help his market value.  On the other hand, he has a good overall track record in the playoffs with a pair of Stanley Cup titles and would represent an upgrade for some teams looking for goalie help.

As for Jarry, this was his first full season in the NHL after breaking camp as the backup.  He didn’t stay in that role for too long though as he got off to a great start to his year, earning an All-Star Game nod in the process.  Overall, he posted a 20-12-1 record to go along with a .921 SV and a 2.43 GAA in 33 games during the regular season.  His qualifying offer will be much cheaper, checking in at just $735K although he stands to earn much more than that.  On the other hand, his still limited NHL track record could limit the number of suitors that would be willing to part with a sizable return.

The trade market for goaltenders could be an interesting one over the coming months as the number of starting netminders available on the unrestricted free agent market is rather limited with Jacob Markstrom, Braden Holtby, Robin Lehner, and Corey Crawford being the only ones fitting the bill.  Accordingly, trading for a younger (and potentially cheaper) option could be more palatable to teams that are looking to structure their rosters to fit a flat $81.5MM Upper Limit for next season.

From that standpoint, it would seem that Pittsburgh is in good shape to make a move with a pair of marketable goalies.  Goaltenders haven’t yielded significant returns in recent years but with a number of teams likely looking for improvements, this appears to be a good time to try to move one which should have Rutherford well-positioned to get a notable return.

More On The Kasperi Kapanen Trade

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The instant reaction from many fans and media members upon hearing the news this morning that the Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins had completed a trade revolving around Kasperi Kapanen was not exactly one of shock. The two teams had both made it clear that changes needed to come after qualification-round exits, though this may have been a little sooner than even most people expected. Kapanen was sent to Pittsburgh for a package that included the Penguins first-round pick this season and prospect Filip Hallander, a deal that earned Toronto GM Kyle Dubas plenty of praise online.

Now that the dust has settled a bit, it’s easy to see why this deal can be regarded as a positive for Toronto. The team is basically recouping an asset that had been lost while gaining some cap flexibility and an interesting prospect to boot. According to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, the Maple Leafs had been working the phones hard to try and get a first-round pick for this year—something they’d given away last summer in order to get Patrick Marleau’s contract off the books. LeBrun reports that Dubas and the Maple Leafs front office had spoken with the New Jersey Devils, Nashville Predators, Anaheim Ducks, Minnesota Wild, Chicago Blackhawks and Carolina Hurricanes about Kapanen, trying to get a first-round pick from almost all of them.

The Maple Leafs now sit with the 15th overall pick in a draft that is expected to be deep with NHL talent, especially at the center ice position. That’s a spot where the Toronto pipeline is thin, despite having two bonafide stars in the middle on the NHL roster. Beyond Auston Matthews, John Tavares and Alexander Kerfoot, who currently slots into the third-line center role, there aren’t any obvious choices in the organization that could play top-nine minutes. The team used a mix of Frederik Gauthier, Jason Spezza and Pierre Engvall in the middle during the season but none are exceptional options at this point in their respective careers.

Pittsburgh meanwhile, is going for it once again with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin another year older. In the press release announcing the trade, Penguins GM Jim Rutherford specifically said that Kapanen could improve the team’s top-six, something that he repeated when speaking to Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

We’ll have to see how it goes in camp and what (coach Mike Sullivan) decides. (Bryan) Rust and Kapanen are top-six guys. It will be a matter of what works for everybody. Kapanen could go with Malkin. Or Rust could go with Malkin and the other guy with Sid. We’ll see how it plays out.

Rutherford explained that he “wasn’t going to wait” when he learned that Kapanen was available and thinks the speedy forward can be in Pittsburgh “for a long time.” Of note, Kapanen is under contract for two more seasons but will still be a restricted free agent at the end of 2021-22, able to be re-signed to a longer deal.

As for Hallander, the prospect that has Maple Leafs fans excited? Rutherford admitted that the Penguins liked him but didn’t project he could have the same kind of top-six impact. That’s obviously the key to the deal for Pittsburgh as they look to directly surround Crosby and Malkin with talent and push for another Stanley Cup.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Toronto Maple Leafs Trade Kasperi Kapanen

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are sending Kasperi Kapanen back to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the organization that drafted him. As Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported a few weeks ago, the teams eliminated from postseason contention can already complete trades without waiting on the playoffs to finish. The Maple Leafs will send Kapanen, Jesper Lindgren and Pontus Aberg to Pittsburgh, while receiving the Penguins’ 2020 first-round pick (15th overall), Evan Rodrigues, Filip Hallander and David Warsofsky.

It wasn’t so long ago that Kapanen was a budding young first-round pick in the Penguins organization. Selected 22nd overall in 2014, he was actually Pittsburgh GM Jim Rutherford’s first draft pick with the organization after coming over from the Carolina Hurricanes. Rutherford knew the name well, given Kapanen’s father Sami played for both Hartford and Carolina under the executive. The younger Finn was traded just a year later when the Penguins acquired Phil Kessel from the Maple Leafs, where he has blossomed into a strong middle-six winger.

Kapanen’s best attribute is his speed, which he uses routinely on the penalty kill to create shorthanded chances for himself and his teammates. Over the last two seasons, he’s totaled 33 goals and 80 points in 157 games but hasn’t quite been able to develop into the top-line player that some imagined when he was dominating the minor leagues.

For the Maple Leafs, this deal is all about balancing their roster. The team has so much salary tied up in their forward group, they needed to move some of it out in order to address the defense. In the meantime though, they’ll restock their prospect capital with a first-round pick (remember, the Maple Leafs didn’t have one this year because of the Patrick Marleau trade) and Hallander, who was one of the Penguins’ top prospects. The 20-year old center has played the last two seasons in the SHL, recording 35 points in 72 games.

While the Maple Leafs say goodbye to Kapanen’s $3.2MM cap hit, the Penguins will gladly welcome it into the mix for the next few seasons. The 24-year old is under contract through the 2021-22 campaign and will still only be a restricted free agent at the expiry of his current deal. His speed and goal-scoring ability will give the team a dimension they have had success with in the past with players like Carl Hagelin, but also gives them some more youth to build around.

As for the rest of the deal, Aberg and Warsofsky both spent the year in the minor leagues and are unlikely to have huge impacts on their new teams. The former is a restricted free agent and coming off a $700K cap hit, while the latter is signed for that amount through 2020-21. Rodrigues perhaps brings the most intrigue, but appears destined to go unqualified this fall. His current cap hit of $2M means the Maple Leafs would have to extend him the same amount in a qualifying offer to retain his rights, something that doesn’t seem justified after he recorded just 6 goals and 10 points in 45 games this season.

Snapshots: Colorado, Gaudreau, Bjorkqvist

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The Colorado Avalanche will be without both Philipp Grubauer and Erik Johnson for the next while, as head coach Jared Bednar told reporters including Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet that the pair would be out “indefinitely.” Luckily they have Pavel Francouz to step into the net and takeover, as he did so many times this season. The 30-year old undrafted goaltender put up a .923 save percentage in 34 appearances for the Avalanche this season, his first full year in the NHL.

On defense, it will be Kevin Connauton inserted into Johnson’s spot. The veteran NHL defenseman has plenty of experience in the regular season, but hasn’t seen a playoff game since 2014. You can bet the Avalanche won’t be leaning as heavily on Connauton as they did on Johnson, who had been averaging over 19 minutes this postseason.

  • When the Calgary Flames collapsed and allowed seven straight goals to the Dallas Stars in an elimination game, many fans called for the team to be blown up. Johnny Gaudreau was the target of much of the frustration, with Eric Francis of Sportsnet even calling him a “likely trade candidate” after he struggled to produce any even-strength offense in the playoffs once again. For what it’s worth, Gaudreau told reporters today including Wes Gilbertson of Postmedia that he loves playing in Calgary and wants to spend the rest of his career with the Flames. He even directly addressed the rumors that have always swirled about his desire to return to the east coast (Gaudreau is from New Jersey and attended Boston College), saying he is “really comfortable” in Calgary, a place that is “special” to him and his family.
  • Kasper Bjorkqvist has played just six games at the minor league level, but he won’t be playing another for a while. The Pittsburgh Penguins prospect been loaned to KooKoo in Finland’s Liiga for the 2020-21 season. Bjorkqvist, a 2016 second-round pick, played three years at Providence College before signing his entry-level deal in 2019. He played just six games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins before injuring his knee and requiring surgery, ending his 2019-20 season.

Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Josh Maniscalco

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have added another undrafted college free agent to their program, signing Josh Maniscalco to a three-year entry-level contract. Maniscalco played just two years at Arizona State University and will forego his junior and senior seasons in order to turn pro. Penguins GM Jim Rutherford released a short statement on the deal:

Josh is a solid puck-moving, offensive defenseman. He jumps into the rush and plays a style that is complementary to our group. We think highly of his character and are happy to add Josh to the organization.

Like they have so many times before, the Penguins hope to turn an undrafted talent into a depth player for the organization that can provide an inexpensive contribution. Names like Conor Sheary, Zach Aston-Reese and Adam Johnson have all turned into NHL players for the club despite not being drafted.

Unlike those forwards however, Maniscalco comes to the Penguins as a high-flying defenseman that put up 32 points in 36 games this season. The 6’2″ right-hander could potentially challenge for a role on the club next season if they make sweeping changes, or be a call-up option over the next few years.

Offseason Keys: Pittsburgh Penguins

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As teams are eliminated from the Qualifying Round, it means that the offseason has arrived for several more squads.  Having covered the teams that weren’t a part of the NHL’s return, we shift our focus to the ones that have been ousted.  Next up is a look at Pittsburgh.

For the better part of the season, the Penguins looked to be a legitimate contender.  Augmented by the addition of Jason Zucker, things appeared to be looking up for them.  However, a slump just before the pandemic hit forced them out of the seeding round robin and into the Qualifying Round where they were upset by Montreal in four games.  All of a sudden, there are questions abound and GM Jim Rutherford has promised changes.  Here’s what Pittsburgh should be looking to do this offseason.

Shake Up The Forward Core

On paper, there aren’t many teams that have as strong of a forward group as Pittsburgh does.  Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin remain a strong core down the middle while Jake Guentzel is a year removed from a 76-point season and was on pace to beat that before being injured this season.  Zucker is a capable top-six forward while Bryan Rust was tied for 50th in scoring league-wide.  Veterans Patric Hornqvist and Nick Bjugstad had tough years but have been impact players in the past.  That’s enough firepower to be a contender but they have come up short the last couple of postseasons.

Rutherford tried to shake things up last year by moving Phil Kessel to Arizona and then ultimately tried to replace him with Zucker before the trade deadline, a player he had been targeting last summer.  Evidently, that wasn’t enough to move the needle.

With Rutherford saying changes were going to be made (and it’s reasonable to assume he wasn’t just talking about the three assistant coaches who won’t be returning), it seems like he’s intending to make another notable swap.  The question becomes who moves though.  The list of those that Pittsburgh would be willing to move that would bring back a notable return is rather small.  On top of that, Rob Rossi and Josh Yohe of The Athletic report (subscription required) that the team is looking to shed some payroll and start next season in the low-to-mid $70MM range.  At a time where many teams will be looking to do the same, finding new homes for some of their underachieving core players is going to be even more difficult.

Rutherford hasn’t been shy about changing things up in the past and he’ll certainly be trying to do so again.  However, he may find more difficulty trying to do so this time around.

Make A Goalie Choice

With Tristan Jarry establishing himself as a capable NHL goaltender (just months after it was believed he was available in trade talks), Pittsburgh actually had a pretty strong tandem between him and Matt Murray and they were in the bottom ten in goals allowed during the regular season.   However, both are eligible for restricted free agency with arbitration eligibility.  Even if they don’t clear out salary this offseason, it’s hard to envision them keeping both around when they already have more than $68MM in commitments to just 15 players for next season.  But who do they keep?

Murray got the nod in their series against Montreal but was eventually replaced.  That’s similar to the regular season where he was the starter before Jarry started cutting into his playing time.  With a save percentage of just .899, he shouldn’t be in line for too much of a raise on his $3.75MM qualifying offer.  Worth monitoring here is that he’s a year away from UFA eligibility so it’s possible that Murray opts to take a one-year deal (with or without arbitration).  While that would set him up to hit the open market, it would certainly negatively affect any possible trade value so it seems unlikely that Pittsburgh would let it come to that.

As for Jarry, he wound up being a huge bargain for them this season with a cap hit that was $25K below the league minimum.  It’s safe to say that he’ll be in line for a significant raise but a lack of an NHL track record (just 62 career regular season games) will limit his earnings ceiling.  Accordingly, a short-term deal would make sense but he’s only two years away from UFA eligibility himself.  Presumably, that means a one-year deal could be on the table but if not, a deal that buys an extra year or two of team control would likely be the way they’d prefer to go if they’re confident that he can be their starter moving forward.

If Rutherford has an eye on keeping both beyond next season, the expansion draft for the Kraken could help push him in the other direction.  Both Murray and Jarry would be eligible for selection and Pittsburgh could only protect one.  Losing one for nothing isn’t an ideal scenario, even if it mirrors what happened with Vegas just three years ago.

It’s shaping up to be an intriguing offseason on the goalie front with it appearing as if there will likely be some activity on the trade front at that position.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Penguins involved at some point.

Add Defensive Upgrades

Quietly, Pittsburgh has added a pair of capable young defenders in recent years that has their back end in better shape than it projected to be not long ago as John Marino and Marcus Pettersson have both filled important roles quickly.  However, the back end of their blueline has been an area of concern and is something that needs to be addressed.

Justin Schultz had a tough year and it seems like he’s unlikely to return, especially with Rutherford publicly criticizing him following their loss to Montreal.  Jack Johnson has a long list of detractors but the GM isn’t one of them.  Even without the public vote of confidence, his contract which has three more years at $3.25MM makes it likely he’s sticking around.  Meanwhile, Chad Ruhwedel and Juuso Riikola both held their own at times but are best served being in depth or reserve roles.  In the system, Pierre-Olivier Joseph has some upside but isn’t ready for NHL duty just yet.

That means that at the very least, one defensive addition is needed.  In an ideal world, a top-four option that could push one of their youngsters onto Johnson’s pairing to help balance things out would be a good pickup but there aren’t many of those available.  Instead, they may have to settle for trying to find a steadying presence for the third pairing and follow that up with an extra depth option or two as it’s hard to see them signing two new third pairing players and pushing Johnson into the reserve role.  Their ability (or lack thereof) to clear out a high-priced veteran up front will likely ultimately decide which route they wind up taking here.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Johnson, Boudreau, Hall

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The Pittsburgh Penguins were upset by the Montreal Canadiens in the qualification round, meaning they didn’t qualify for the regular 16-team Stanley Cup playoffs. That’s the first time since 2006, meaning it was easy to understand why GM Jim Rutherford wants to make some changes. What might be less easy to understand is Rutherford’s continued defense of Jack Johnson, which continued today in a piece by Josh Yohe of The Athletic.

Here’s my summary of this situation. Maybe Jack Johnson isn’t as good as I think he is. Maybe. But he’s not as bad as all of the anti-Jack Johnson people think he is. I’ll tell you what he is: He’s a solid, third-pairing defenseman if he’s playing with the right guy. He’s a player that I happen to really like and I think he’s a better player than a lot of people want to give him credit for.

Johnson has never had strong analytics behind his play, but through the first part of his career, produced consistent offensive numbers in bigger minutes. Rutherford and the Penguins signed him to a five-year, $16.25MM deal in 2018 that still has three seasons remaining. If changes are coming, it doesn’t currently look like Johnson is one, though Rutherford has been known to reconsider early-offseason comments before.

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have an assistant coach opening beside Sheldon Keefe after Paul McFarland returned to the OHL to take over head coaching and GM duties of the Kingston Frontenacs. Speculation immediately went to former Maple Leafs player Bruce Boudreau, who is looking for work after being fired by the Minnesota Wild this season. Boudreau has long been a candidate to join the Maple Leafs given his ties to and support of the organization, and now James Mirtle of The Athletic reports that the team asked Minnesota for permission to speak with him over the last few months. Boudreau, understandably, is looking for another head coaching opportunity before considering an assistant job, but is “intrigued by the idea” according to Mirtle.
  • The Arizona Coyotes were outscored 14-2 by the Colorado Avalanche in their final two games of the postseason and now have plenty of work to do this offseason. Not only do they have Steve Sullivan quickly taking the reins as GM after the departure of John Chayka, but have a huge decision to make on the future of Taylor Hall. The 28-year-old forward is a pending free agent, and Craig Button of TSN doesn’t believe the Coyotes should even entertain re-signing him. Button explains that the Coyotes don’t have the supporting cast to justify signing Hall to an expensive, long-term contract—though he then suggests that Hall should be looking for a one-year deal with a contender to rebuild his value.

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