TL;DR Kings have said they won't commit to a rebuild. I've swapped some pieces with them in response. Canes get an elite winger to help push them to greater heights. Jarry is trade bait for the trade deadline.
TEAM OVERVIEW BEFORE MOVES:
Pittsburgh is a team that still has some pieces in place to add another Cup during the Crosby era, but is quickly running out of time to do so. They also have several cap concerns and Rutherford has openly admitted the team needs a shake-up. The moves that I will be making will be based off this mentality and I will place great emphasis on not only a player's production, but their hunger as well. This means that certain players who may not be the most skilled (but are still decent) will be sticking around. The best example of this I can give is Bryan Rust. He's a player full of heart and it shows. He blocks shots and dives to bat the puck out of the zone while manning the penalty kill. Not many others do that, so that shows his desire to win is unmatched, even after winning twice already. With that said, onto the changes.
There have been many rumors surrounding who may stay and who may not, including some big name players like Kessel and a solid defenseman in Olli Maatta. Unfortunately, they'll have to find new homes. The city of Pittsburgh appreciates everything they have done for the last few seasons, but their time has sadly come to an end. Also on my chopping block is Nick Bjugstad, who is a good player in his own right, but carries a cap hit that doesn't quite work out for a team this strapped for cash. Bjugstad will be able to be a solid middle 6 forward for another team though, so his stay in Pittsburgh will be brief in my shake up. Tristian Jarry will also likely be out the door, though that is not his fault. Jarry seems to be developing into a solid NHL goaltender, but with Murray and DeSmith, he's buried on the depth chart. Since he'll be eligible for waivers, he'll be moved, which is really best for both parties, as Pittsburgh gets some value in return to help them now, while Jarry gets the chance to further his development and prove his worth in the NHL. Simon is also a player I may ship out. He has great analytics and a fantastic cap hit, but he is too similar a player to Aston-Reese and Rust, so I feel his role of a two-way forward is already being fulfilled.
EXPLANATION OF TRADES:
My first move involves Bjugstad and Alex Iafallo of the Los Angeles Kings. Iafallo is slated to be an RFA this summer and looks to be a good middle 6 player. LA has stated they are not committing to a rebuild so they will try to make moves to be a contender once again. Their team is built around size, but they should try to bring in big players that are also good skaters and Bjugstad fits the bill perfectly and has term on his contract. Iafallo also helps Pittsburgh save some cap space. LA doesn't have any big pending free agents this year, so they can afford to pay a bit more in their effort to stop their own Cup window from closing shut. Iafallo will be expected to perform in a top 9 role with Pittsburgh, while Bjugstad could either slot as a center behind Kopitar or as a winger. Personally, I think he's better on the wing, but that will likely depend on where Jeff Carter plays. I think Bjugstad likely has more trade value, so I'll add in a mid round pick, which may help Pittsburgh's dire prospect situation a bit. I may be paying LA another visit after a few more moves. Next up, is the big trade involving Kessel. He'll only waive his NMC for a contender, so I'm only looking at good teams with had decent playoff runs. Carolina looks like a good option, as they could use an elite winger and a right handed shot to go along side of their young core with Teravainen, Svechnikov and Aho. Aho is the only player they have that will get a substantial raise this year, though they will have to re-sign Mrazek and McElhinney assuming he doesn't retire. However, with nearly 30 mil in cap space this summer, they can afford to make the move. They have a deep defense group. so I'd be looking to take one of those guys. I'm going to go for Pesce, as he quietly had 30 points and provides an upgrade over Gudbranson. Pesce is also fairly young and has term on his deal. Carolina still has 3 good right handed defensemen (Faulk, Hamilton, van Riemsdyk), and they can call up Jake Bean or Haydn Fleury for Pesce's roster spot. Kessel definitely has more value than Pesce, so the Canes are going to have to send more. I like Brock McGinn as a versatile depth player who can play both wings and penalty killer, so I'll add him to the trade. I'll send a direct replacement to them in Dominik Simon and some picks to even out the value some and replenish Pittsburgh's woeful prospect pool. Acquiring Pesce means that Gudbranson is expendable. Ottawa had one of the worst defenses in the league and has ample cap space, so they seem to be the perfect team to pay to take that cap hit. Pageau seems to not be in their plans for their rebuild and could do better in a new environment. I'll give them a mid-rounder to sweeten the deal. Pageau will be expected to play in the bottom 6 in a two-way role while using his speed. Basically, I'm hoping to make him the next Bonino, and if that doesn't work out, his contract is set to expire at the end of the year and he can be replaced, either through another trade, free agency, or promotion from within (probably Hallander). I also have a clear hole at RW in the top 6 now with Kessel gone, so I'm revisiting LA. Much like the Hagelin-Pearson deal from last year, we'll be exchanging some pieces with some upside who struggled a bit this past season, but are still young enough to bounce back into the higher caliber players they had been. LA will be receiving Olli Maatta, a 2-time Stanley Cup champion who can play 2nd pair minutes and has some term on his deal who is also only 24. LA could use some good left handed defensemen to go alongside of Doughty and Martinez. Maatta can be that guy. Meanwhile, Toffoli can go the other way. He is a bit older, 27, but he still has some good years ahead of him, and can be a direct replacement for Kessel. He won't produce as many points, but he'll likely give up fewer goals in the process. Toffoli is capable of recording 50 points a year and is solid defensively and playing along side of Crosby or Malkin can help him reach those numbers again. He can play both LW and RW as well which is a bonus. The main downside is the fact that Toffoli's contract only has one season left, but that is a risk I am willing to take, and I'm sure LA would also be willing to risk a comeback year from a young Stanley Cup winning defenseman with term. At this point, I have a few options. I still have some value in Jarry that I can give up. I also could use a depth forward and maybe another guy to slot in the top 6 forward group. The defense seems set with Ruhwedel and Riikola acting as the 7th and 8th defensemen. I'll get some depth from free agency in the form of Valtteri Filppula, who will replace Cullen. Filppula is a good face-off man, has decent speed, is great defensively, and can move up in the lineup when players get injured. He also provides some insurance as a known commodity if Pageau shows he is not ready for the third line role. I can also pick up Brandon Pirri, who will provide some depth on the wings and would likely split time with Aston-Reese. Looking back at Jarry, with the team now in place, I can use him to pick up another 3rd goalie who won't be claimed off waivers and/or some picks/prospects. Jarry should be ready for a backup role at this point and has the potential to become a low-mid tier starter, though I can also hold onto him and use him as a trading chip at the deadline. After some debating, I'll go with the latter option. I'm going to add a few minor league options, mostly on defense for depth, as there are few defensive prospects capable of playing in the AHL in the system at the moment.
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