Penguins Rumors

Deadline Primer: Pittsburgh Penguins

February 16, 2018 at 3:49 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 5 Comments

With the trade deadline fast approaching, we will be taking a closer look at the situation for each team. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs? Next up is a look at the Pittsburgh Penguins

Two years, two Stanley Cups for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are looking to take home a third consecutive championship in 2018. The Sidney Crosby-led team has a group of superstars in their prime who have turned around some early season struggles to push themselves into contention once again. Now, with just over a week before the deadline, GM Jim Rutherford is expected to make one of his customary acquisitions to help give the Penguins an extra playoff push.

Record

33-22-4, second in Atlantic Division

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$927K full-season cap hit, 0/3 retained salary transactions, 45/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Draft Picks

2018: PIT 1st, PIT 2nd, VAN 4th, PIT 5th, DET 5th, PIT 6th, PIT 7th
2019: PIT 1st, PIT 2nd, PIT 3rd, PIT/MIN 4th*, PIT 5th, PIT 7th

*Dallas will receive the earlier of the two picks

Trade Chips

To use a baseball term, the Penguins for the last few years have been an example of a stars and scrubs roster, except have quickly turned those scrubs into useful players. Undrafted forward Conor Sheary, third-round picks like Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust, and late-round castoffs like Nick Bonino and Carl Hagelin have all played important roles in the Stanley Cup victories.

Now they’re trying to make it happen once again with players like Dominik Simon and Zach Aston-Reese. That continuous development and promotion has left the prospect cupboard fairly bare for the Penguins in terms of potential impact players, save for one name: Daniel Sprong.

Sprong has been involved in nearly every speculative trade scenario for some time, as the first-round pick continues to bide his time in the AHL. An impressive offensive talent, he could still be used as a legitimate piece to acquire an impact player at the deadline.

Beyond Sprong, the Penguins are left with a good pipeline of goaltending options but the team has already come out to say they’d rather not move any of them. Despite Matt Murray’s early career success, Rutherford knows that his team is just a quick injury away from relying on Tristan Jarry throughout the playoffs.

On the NHL roster, Ian Cole has garnered his fair share of trade speculation after reportedly clashing with head coach Mike Sullivan, but looks unlikely to move now that he’s reclaimed his role. Matt Hunwick on the other hand could be the piece used to create some cap flexibility, as his three-year, $7.75MM contract doesn’t look good less than a year in.

Team Needs

1) Fourth-Line Center: For much of the season, talk surrounding the Penguins involved their search for a third-line center to push Riley Sheahan down and strengthen their group in the middle. Instead, now it seems as though the team is confident in Sheahan to fill that role and is looking for an even less impactful player. Mark Letestu has been linked to the team, and would certainly be a relatively cheap option for them at the deadline.

2) Scoring Help: Even though the Penguins have three players who can each drive a line in Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel, the team has been circling around some scoring help all season long. Whether that appears in the form of a big acquisition like Evander Kane or Rick Nash, or is limited to a bottom-six addition like Benoit Pouliot or Thomas Vanek is still unclear. To do anything at the deadline, Rutherford will have to move some salary out, and the bigger the prize, the tougher it becomes to fit them in.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Penguins Have Contacted Senators About Brassard, Pageau

February 15, 2018 at 6:45 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 5 Comments

The Penguins have expressed an interest in Senators centers Derick Brassard and Jean-Gabriel Pageau, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. However, the scribe notes that Ottawa isn’t likely to deal either player and it was reported earlier this week that the asking price for Brassard was quite steep – a first-round pick, a top prospect, plus another piece. The ask on Pageau is obviously lower but with two years at $3.1MM per season left on his deal, it might be a challenge for Pittsburgh to fit that into their salary structure. It’s well known that the Pens are still looking to add help down the middle but they will likely have to look elsewhere for that assistance.

Penguins, Flames Complete Minor League Trade

February 14, 2018 at 2:39 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Calgary Flames have completed a minor league trade, with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton forward Colin Smith heading to Stockton in exchange for Joseph Cramarossa. Both players are on AHL contracts this season, though do come with some NHL experience.

Smith, 24, was selected in the seventh round by the Colorado Avalanche, and despite some huge totals in junior hockey has had trouble progressing through the minor league ranks. Though at times he’s shown an offensive capability in the AHL, he was given just a single NHL game in Colorado before bouncing around the last few seasons. The undersized forward has 18 points in 35 games for WBS this year.

Cramarossa, 25, comes with quite a bit more NHL experience. He suited up for 49 games with the Anaheim Ducks last season, before being claimed off waivers by the Canucks and getting into another 10 games. A third-round pick in 2011, he’s known for his high-energy game and ability to engage physically.

Ian Cole Trade Speculation Cooling Off

February 13, 2018 at 1:13 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 4 Comments

It wasn’t so long ago that Ian Cole seemed as good as gone from the Pittsburgh Penguins, with speculation that he could be dealt at any minute thanks to friction with head coach Mike Sullivan and a lack of role on the team. Now, according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Cole doesn’t seem as likely to move.

Mackey writes in his latest 20 Penguins Thoughts column that he’s heard Cole is likely to stay in Pittsburgh through the deadline now, and it’s easy to see why. The 28-year old defenseman has shown the very best of himself lately, recording six points in his last ten games while helping the Penguins go 7-2-1 during that time. The club is closing the gap on the Metropolitan-leading Washington Capitals, and Cole is a huge part of their defensive effort.

Obviously, none of this guarantees he’ll be with the Penguins come March 1st. Cole remains a pending unrestricted free agent, who would be welcomed into several contending dressing rooms if he was made available. Tagged with just a $2.1MM cap hit this season, the defenseman would be the perfect acquisition for many playoff-bound teams.

That’s true though for his current team, who haven’t been able to rely on Matt Hunwick after signing him to a three-year deal last offseason, and still have a relative unknown in Jamie Oleksiak even with his strong performance through 22 games. Cole is playoff tested, suiting up for all 49 games the Penguins have played over their back-to-back Stanley Cup runs, and provides a stable presence to the bottom pairing.

Penguins, Sharks Showing Interest In Tomas Plekanec

February 11, 2018 at 5:50 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 2 Comments

The Penguins and Sharks have expressed an interest in Canadiens center Tomas Plekanec, Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reports (video link).

The 35-year-old has struggled offensively this season with just 20 points (5-15-20) in 55 games but is having a career year at the faceoff dot (51.9% success rate) and has been deployed in key defensive situations which is the type of role that buying teams would likely intend to use him in.

Pittsburgh’s desire to improve their third line center position has been well-known throughout the season, even with their earlier acquisition of Riley Sheahan. Acquiring Plekanec would allow them to move the former Red Wing down to the fourth line while giving them someone to use against the top opposition forwards. However, the Pens have very limited cap room at the moment – less than $1MM in full-season salary per CapFriendly which will present a challenge for GM Jim Rutherford.

As for the Sharks, they are without Joe Thornton for the foreseeable future so they have an opening to fill down the middle. Kypreos notes that there is some question as to whether he will be able to return in time to play meaningful games down the stretch. Accordingly, it’s not surprising to see San Jose have some interest in adding another center and unlike Pittsburgh, they have more than enough cap room to bring someone in.

Plekanec, who we profiled as a trade candidate last month, is in the final season of a two-year, $12MM contract and the Canadiens will likely need to retain a significant portion of that to help facilitate a move if they decide to move him.

However, it’s not a guarantee that he will be traded. In the same segment, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman noted that Montreal may very well try to re-sign Plekanec who has only played for the Canadiens in his 14-year career.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Trade Candidate: Thomas Vanek

February 11, 2018 at 4:53 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

With the trade deadline approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that have a good chance to be dealt by February 26th.

New coach, new expectations, but in the end, the Vancouver Canucks don’t look that much different. Vancouver finds themselves in seventh place in the Pacific Division, once again not competing for a playoff spot. The Canucks had higher expectations this year when they decided to add some veteran depth to the team in hopes it might spark their young core to play at a higher level. The team does have hope as they have a large amount of talented young prospects that aren’t too far away from joining the team over the next few years, but they must answer the question if they want to move out veteran scorer Thomas Vanek.

Contract

Vanek is currently finishing up the one-year contract he signed this offseason with Vancouver at $2MM. He will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

2017-18

At age 34, many teams believed that Vanek’s game may have passed him by and many of those teams chose to look elsewhere this offseason. He wasn’t signed until Sept. 1 by Vancouver, but he continues to prove that he can score in this league. He currently has 16 goals in 56 games and has impressed management to the point that they are considering re-signing him to an extension.

While Vanek has been fortunate enough to play on a line with rookie sensation Brock Boeser, the veteran has shown he can still score clutch goals and set up his teammates as well. He is quite versatile and is capable of playing anywhere in the lineup if needed. His lack of speed, however, doesn’t help him.

Season Stats

55 GP, 15 goals, 22 assists, 37 points, -15 rating, 24 PIM, 102 shots, 13:59 ATOI, 44.7 CF%

Potential Suitors

Vanek could have a number of suitors, because of the fact that he won’t be very costly. The Detroit Red Wings, who traded away Vanek at the trade deadline a year ago, only received an average prospect and a third-round pick from the Florida Panthers. So, many teams that are short on salary cap space and picks may find Vanek to be an interesting option, ranging from the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Nashville Predators.

One possibility could be the Boston Bruins, who are desperate for depth on the wings. Vanek might be a good fit to join the Bruins second or even third line and provide even more offense during a playoff run. His penalty killing skills might also be helpful for Boston as well.

Likelihood Of A Trade

It’s more of a 50-50 proposition. The team could easily find a take for Vanek, but will the Canucks get true value for him? Perhaps if the team can get a second-rounder for Vanek, then it might be worth it, but at the same time, there are rumors that Daniel Sedin and his brother Henrik Sedin are considering returning for another year next season. The question then is, should they keep Vanek around for another year.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Odds Increasing That Ian Cole Remains With Pittsburgh Past The Trade Deadline

February 10, 2018 at 8:36 am CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Earlier in the season, it looked like a foregone conclusion that the Penguins would be dealing defenseman Ian Cole but Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette suggests that this may not be the case now. Cole has worked his way back into the lineup which lessens Pittsburgh’s desire to move him and they may simply want to hold on to him for depth purposes as well. It still seems that there’s a good chance Cole will leave as a free agent in July, however, as Mackey notes that there is some friction between the blueliner and head coach Mike Sullivan.

Injury Notes: Hutchinson, McCabe, Kuhnhackl

February 8, 2018 at 2:05 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

Even though Connor Hellebuyck has been a revelation this season for the Winnipeg Jets, the goaltending position as a whole has been anything but solid. Steve Mason, brought in to battle for the starting job has suffered multiple concussions, and now his replacement Michael Hutchinson is in the same boat.

Hutchinson suffered the concussion in the pre-game skate on Tuesday according to Paul Friesen of the Winnipeg Sun, and will be out indefinitely while Eric Comrie comes up to fill the role. Hutchinson is one of the more interesting goaltenders to watch over the next few months, as he heads towards unrestricted free agency.

In Buffalo, the Sabres’ season hasn’t gone according to plan. Expected to take a step forward with a healthy Jack Eichel and improved defense, the team is once again at the very bottom of the Eastern Conference. Now, Jake McCabe will be out for at least three weeks after undergoing surgery on his thumb. While there isn’t a ton left to play for this season in Buffalo, new head coach Phil Housley will use it to try and create some building blocks for the club going forward. With McCabe only signed for one more season after 2017-18, his role is far from certain.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have surged up to second in the Metropolitan Division, but will have to play without one of their most physical forwards for a while. Josh Yohe of The Athletic reports that Tom Kuhnhackl is out for multiple weeks after suffering an injury early in the game against the Vegas Golden Knights. Kuhnhackl is also a key penalty killer on the Penguins, a role that will have to be filled by someone else for the time being.

Pittsburgh Penguins Third-Line Center Search Cooling Off

February 6, 2018 at 2:43 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 4 Comments

The Pittsburgh Penguins and GM Jim Rutherford made no attempt to hide the fact that they were after a third-line center early in the season. Rutherford admitted several times that he had certain candidates in mind, and eventually went out and added Riley Sheahan from the Detroit Red Wings. Sheahan wasn’t the “impact” player that Rutherford had spoken about, but he was at least a temporary fit for the team as they figured out what to do next.

Many still believe the Penguins will add that third-line player at the trade deadline, bumping Sheahan down a spot and away from Phil Kessel’s unit. Adding more skill would certainly be beneficial, or at least it seemed so before a recent surge in Sheahan’s production—four assists in five games. Now, as Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes in his latest 20 Penguins Thoughts, they may not add a third-line center after all, instead making a smaller deal to strengthen the position.

Mackey suggests that Sheahan’s comfort level with Kessel has improved lately, and he points to Matt Cullen as the obvious answer to slide into the lineup. Cullen, who signed in Minnesota last offseason, is Mackey’s pick to “be a Penguin by February 26, maybe sooner.”

Cullen is on a one-year deal with the Wild worth as much as $1.7MM depending on performance bonuses tied to playoff success, and obviously has a great number of ties to the Penguins organization after winning back to back Stanley Cups with them the previous two years. Though his minutes have decreased even further this season, he could still offer the same dependable presence on the fourth line.

The Penguins certainly don’t have the cap space presently that would facilitate a larger move. With just under $2MM of deadline cap space (as per CapFriendly) a move for an impact player would likely require salary heading the other way. While there are obvious options for that—defenseman Ian Cole being one of them—removing players in the middle of a second-half run isn’t ideal. The Penguins have climbed to within four points of the Metropolitan-leading Washington Capitals, and have their eyes set on the playoffs once again. Whether that will be with a new exciting player skating on the third line, or a more experienced familiar face is still to be seen.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Plekanec, Talbot

February 5, 2018 at 6:01 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 4 Comments

Evgeni Malkin took home the top honors among the NHL’s Three Stars of the Week, after scoring six goals and eight points in just three games. Malkin is turning it on at the right time for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who now find themselves in a Metropolitan playoff spot for the time being.

Amazingly, goaltender Harri Sateri garnered the second star of the week after stopping 88 of 93 shots in his three starts. For the Florida Panthers, who’ve dealt with injuries to Roberto Luongo and James Reimer all season, Sateri’s emergence has been a welcome sight. Not so is the third star, Reilly Smith, who the Panthers sent to the Vegas Golden Knights in the offseason only to see him come into his own offensively. Smith had five points in four games last week and needs just ten more to match his career-high of 51. The 26-year old is a whopping +25 on the season, trailing only teammate William Karlsson (+28) and Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara (+27) for the league lead.

In Montreal, Tomas Plekanec remains one of the interesting players to watch for the Canadiens as he heads towards unrestricted free agency at the end of the year. In a frustrated column for Sportsnet, Eric Engels writes that Canadiens’ GM Marc Bergevin should be shown the door if he doesn’t trade Plekanec for something at the upcoming deadline. Engels doesn’t totally disagree with the idea of bringing Plekanec back next season, but posits that the team absolutely has to get an asset out of his expiring deal this year. Vegas, Tampa Bay, Columbus, and San Jose are all examined as potential landing spots for the 35-year old center, who has seen his offensive production fall off a cliff in recent years. Plekanec has also been linked to the Pittsburgh Penguins as an ideal fit for their third line.

One veteran center with a more certain future than Plekanec is 11-year NHL veteran Max Talbot, who is now playing overseas with the KHL’s Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. Talbot isn’t making an NHL comeback, but he isn’t retiring either. Talbot has earned a one-year extension from Lokomotiv, the KHL announced today. Talbot has served as an alternate captain for Yaroslavl for two years now and had the best offensive season of his career – NHL or otherwise – last season and has shown no sign of slowing down. While the reliable two-way forward won’t be suiting up for Team Canada at the Olympics, he remains one of the best North American skaters not playing in the NHL and Lokomotiv was wise to retain the services of their experienced import.

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