Quoting: Hullsy09
You can pick anyone you’d like, there are no rules here
*THERE'S NO RULES* - hopefully you get the reference or this is awkward. So below are some options that I think would have been better. I think we could have afforded all of these options based on cap hit and/or assets given up.
1) Bertuzzi goes for a 1st and a 4th - half retained. He's also a UFA. So better player, lower cap hit, and you can let him walk in the offseason if need be.
2) Chychrun goes for a 1st, 2nd and 2nd. Could have easily added Bjugstad for a 3rd or 4th. Improve the 3C and get a top pair Dman for this year and 2 more.
3) Rangers get Patrick Kane for 2.5mil for a 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Better player, and cheaper. Also UFA at end of the season so can let him walk.
4) Islanders get Engvall for a 3rd. This one really bothers me. Perfect fit for what the Pens need at 3C. Only making 2.5mil. And a UFA at the end of the season.
5) Vegas gets Barbashev for a prospect in the QMJHL. I don't think he's really any better than Granlund, but he's only making 2.25mil and is a pending UFA
6) Winnipeg gets Niederreiter from the exact same team for the same round pick. Better contract - and in my opinion better player that would be a bigger help to the team
7) TOR got ROR for basically a 1st, 2nd, 4th. He fits exactly what the Pens needed
8) Possible Tarasenko depending on his NTC
9) Maybe most importantly, do nothing. If Granlund is your only move, this team isn't goig to be competitive. So why waste the cap space and assets to get him?
I'm sure there's more that I'm missing but I'll stick with that for now