I'm not a Penguins fan but I'm very intrigued by what they'll do with Dubas and the yet to be named GM. Looking at his Leafs tenure, I think it is safe to say that draft picks and undesirable contracts WILL be moved as much as possible. I tried to reflect that in my moves. I mostly looked to address the following:
1.) The bottom 6/depth scoring. The focus here was speed, skill (for a bottom 6 player), and cost. I don't think they need to get "bigger" as much as more versatile.
2.) Goaltending. I don't know if you can soley blame the previous tandem, but it also was not working. Letting Jarry walk and trading DeSmith lets the Penguins get creative.
I'll briefly touch on why I chose each acquisition:
Hellebuyck: Probably the best goalie available at the moment, and still in his prime. Can be that game stealer goalie that hasn't been in Pittsburgh since the Murray peak. Price is a bit steep, but if he can be Vezina caliber, you take that.
Kampf: One thing with Dubas is that he's pretty loyal to guys he likes and values. Kampf was arguably his best (under the radar) signing in Toronto, and is a solid defensive and smart bottom 6 guy. He gets a bit of a raise, but he's only 28!
Acciari: Very similar to the reasoning behind Kampf. Tireless energy and hustle, and I think in a situation like Pittsburgh he may score a little more too.
Gavrikov: He may get more than the amount I signed him for (I tried to leave some buffer cap room for increases in some contracts). However, I think he's a good minute eating D-man that can take some of the load off the rest of the top 4, while letting the 3rd pair be a bit more protected. Very good defensively, and has a little bit of offense that peeks out at times.
Bertuzzi: This one is probably the one I'm least married to, but I think he'd be a good Zucker replacement. He can make the space for Malkin and Rakell, while not being a slouch offensively either. However, I could be swayed to see why he may not be the best fit.
Varlamov: I was of two minds about the backup, but acquiring Hellebuyck means that the backup will likely not be playing more than 25% of games barring injury. Still, Varlamov is entering the Brian Elliott phase of his career, where he was a solid starter for a while who now is more of a tandem/backup. I think he's unlikely to get anything near what his old contract was, and 2 million for a chance to go for a cup with Crosby and Malkin with a solid goalie partner could be tempting. Has the ability to step in if Helle needs a break or goes down.
Olofsson: Now this one may be more of a pipe dream as Dallas could keep him around. However, Olofsson feels like a very Dubas-esque target to me, similar to Kampf. Bottom 6/call up guy from another team who can be given a larger role/more minutes. Olofsson had a good showing in limited playoff action as well, and is another hard worker and has the potential to maybe move up the lineup a bit in times of injury.
Hathaway: Has the snarl of an Acciari with the ability to pot around 10 goals in the bottom 6. Nothing flashy but good solid depth that isn't just pure enforcer/truculence.
Kerfoot: I again think of Dubas being resistent to moving Kerfoot in Toronto, and think he could be a landing spot here on a "prove it" deal. Kefoot is pretty quick, and he can play all 3 forward positions if needed which will be crucial for depth.
Addison: I admit that I'm not exactly sure what kind of return Minnesota wants, but if I was Dubas I'd get on the phone and get Addison before another team does. Part of Pittsburgh's issues last year was blue line depth and blue line scoring. Giving POJ a full time role could help, and adding Addison to the blue line's depth to rotate in and/or sub for injuries/rest could help with that. He's still young too, and PIttsburgh isn't exactly a stranger to bringing back old players/prospects.
Moves that didn't happen/left open ended:
Carter: I didn't trade Carter because I honestly don't believe there's many scenarios he'd approve a trade. He was previously threatening retirement if moved out of LA, but was convinced by a prior relationship with Hextall and a chance at a cup. No way in hell is he going to waive to go to pretty much anywhere that would take him (i.e, a contender probably won't take him and he won't go to a rebuilder). If you really need/want the Carter cap space, they either buy him out or wait til the TDL to pressure him, similar to Backes with Boston.
Veteran top 6 defenseman/other depth: I could see the 3rd pairing being possibly weak. I wouldn't discount the Penguins adding a top 6 guy (maybe even keeping Rutta? But he felt unnecessary to me) maybe on a PTO at camp. Possibly a 13th forward as well. There are also options in the AHL, but I didn't want to go more overkill.
Always appreciate feedback and constructive criticism. Very interested in the goalie tandem's reception especially.
Its really hard to gauge a return for a goalie trade, but Hellebuyck is a Vezina-caliber goalie coming off a pretty good year. With the Penguins figuring out an extension with him as part of the deal, the heftier price makes sense. There may need to be someone else apart from O'Connor (or in place of) but I think 1st + Poulin + that other piece is a good template.
Yes I know Addison was sent to MIN in the Zucker trade. But I think this is a good opportunity for the Penguins to buy low on someone with some upside, and to increase their depth scoring from the blue line.
MIN
2025 3rd round pick (PIT)
Additional Details:
Not sure exactly what sort of return MIN would be wanting with Addison on the outs. I did a draft pick, but if there's a position that would be desired, please let me know.
The deal on the table from the Hawks is a swap of 1st's - #14 for #19 - w/ Granny to the Hawks. Some other team might take him for a 3rd and 4th. Hawks won't.
I like the direction here but still think the bottom 6 is really lacking in offensive ability still. I did one of these last week and had them buying Carter out and going after someone like Ross Colton's RFA rights with their 2024 2nd. Buy Carter out, do that deal with Tampa (theoretically they'll take the asset that they can then use to flip for someone else who is cheaper either this summer or at the deadline), sign Colton to something like 4x3.5.
The deal on the table from the Hawks is a swap of 1st's - #14 for #19 - w/ Granny to the Hawks. Some other team might take him for a 3rd and 4th. Hawks won't.
The deal on the table from the Hawks is a swap of 1st's - #14 for #19 - w/ Granny to the Hawks. Some other team might take him for a 3rd and 4th. Hawks won't.
PIT would still have to add at least a future 2nd, it's 2 years at 5mil... 5 spot move up is not worth taking that dump...
McDavid, Connor
$250,000)
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