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Trade Deadline Primer: Pittsburgh Penguins

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The trade deadline looms and is now less than two weeks away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Being one of the game’s most recent dynasties, and housing one of the greatest players in NHL history, expectations are always high for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Not reaching the Conference Finals since their Stanley Cup victory in 2017, the Penguins are looking to squeeze out the last few seasons of their generational talents such as captain Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang. Dealing with the ramifications of contending for so long, the Penguins no longer have the pipeline of young players they can bring into the lineup. Surviving mostly on the supplementation of college signings, the Penguins have only drafted in the first round three times in the last decade.

With a tight cap situation, and a lack of young assets to dangle, GM Ron Hextall will have quite a lot of work to do in the coming days in Pittsburgh. Serving at the helm since 2021, many of Hextall’s trades have come with mixed reviews. Acquiring players such as Jeff Carter, Jeff Petry, and Rickard Rakell, many of these trades were well received at the onset. However, through injuries or simply underperformance, these players have not been the game-changers that the Penguins may have expected them to be. As things currently sit, the Penguins sit in fifth place in the Metropolitan Division, barely hanging on to the last wild card spot in the East. As their playoff hopes are hanging by a thread, and several holes to fill in the lineup, the Penguins will have some hard decisions to make over the next few days.

Record

29-21-9, 5th in Metropolitan

Deadline Status

Conservative Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$1.9MM in full-season cap space today,  $2.1MM at the deadline, 0/3 retention slots used, 44/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2023: PIT 1st, PIT 2nd, NJ 3rd, PIT 5th, PIT 6th, PIT 7th, FLA 7th, TOR 7th

2024: PIT 1st, PIT 2nd, PIT 3rd, PIT 4th, PIT 5th, PIT 6th, PIT 7th

Trade Chips

Taking a page out of their rival, the Washington Capitals, the Penguins should look to deal expiring contracts and any player that is not performing to their cap hit. Although trading underperforming veterans such as Carter and Brock McGinn could prove to be difficult even at their relatively modest cap hits, these are the players that the Penguins must look to move from their roster. Former Penguin Kasperi Kapanen was in a similar situation to these two. In the first year of a 2-year, $6.4MM contract, Kapanen wasn’t able to put it together in Pittsburgh once again this season. After being put on waivers, the St.Louis Blues claimed the forward, absorbing the rest of the contract. Although they didn’t receive anything in return, removing a player that isn’t producing in line with his contract is exactly what this team needs at the moment.

Because their cap hits are relatively modest compared to other underperforming stars, Jeff Carter and Brock McGinn shouldn’t need a world-changing offer to move. A former top-line center for the Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings, Carter was acquired from the Kings during the trade deadline of 2021. Already having Crosby and Malkin in the mix, Carter was acquired at the time to provide depth in the Penguins’ bottom six. However, only scoring 21 points this season paired with a dismal -11 +/-, Carter just isn’t living up to the 2-year, $6.25MM contract he signed prior to this year. Being a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Kings, there could be a team willing to acquire Carter as well as his salary to mentor some of their young centers of the future.

Additionally, since it doesn’t appear that they are going to run to the Cup Final, the Penguins should be looking to move any player not named Tristan Jarry set to hit unrestricted free agency. After several down years, Jason Zucker has had a revitalization of sorts. Scoring 16 goals and 18 assists in 55 games, he has shown this season that he can still be a top-six forward in the NHL. Interestingly enough, after not throwing over 100 hits in any season prior to this one, Zucker has already racked up more than 150. Being able to score goals and throw the body are invaluable to many teams for the playoffs, and the Penguins should net a decent return for the forward if they sell.

Other Potential Trade Chips: F Teddy Blueger, F Danton Heinen, F Josh Archibald, D Brian Dumoulin

Team Needs

1)  Top-2 Defenseman: Already a franchise legend, Kris Letang has still been tasked with leading the Penguins from the back end. After acquiring defenseman Jeff Petry from the Montreal Canadiens over the summer, the Penguins were hoping to take some of the stress off of Letang’s shoulders. Unfortunately, even after the addition of Petry, and the signing of Jan Rutta, the Penguins’ defense has continued to look lackluster. The goaltending tandem of Casey DeSmith and Jarry has allowed the Penguins to maintain a respectable 3.20 GA/G over the course of this year, however; the team is also 29th in shots allowed, giving up a total of 2007.

Although Erik Karlsson is a name that many fans would like to see donning the Penguins black-and-gold, his age and contract should be a major hindrance to the Penguins’ brass. Scoring 77 points already this year, Karlsson is still -2 +/-, showing that he is not the complete defenseman that the Penguins need at the moment. A much better alternative resides in Arizona. On a similarly situated team as Karlsson, Jakob Chychrun could be a perfect fit for the Penguins. Only 24, and signed to a relatively low $4.6MM over the next three seasons, Chychrun could benefit tremendously from being paired with Petry or Letang, and also benefit from being on the same power play as Crosby and Malkin.

2) Youth Movement: According to EliteProspects, the Penguins are the second oldest team this season with an average age of 29.9. As their franchise icons grow older, the Penguins must look to fill this team with the next generation. There is a lot of value to be had in draft capital, however; the Penguins should be putting an emphasis on acquiring young players instead of draft picks this trade deadline. Fortunately for the Penguins, Crosby still has the Midas touch. Any player the coaching staff puts around him instantaneously becomes better. Instead of stockpiling picks for players just exiting the college or junior levels, the Penguins should instead look to acquire players that are just on the verge of cracking the NHL. The league is designed in a way that it is hard to make the moves necessary to win three Stanley Cups in a decade and still be sustainable, but if the Penguins are able to re-tool and acquire young players this deadline, they might still have an open window with Crosby on their roster.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Buffalo Sabres Acquire Riley Stillman

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The Buffalo Sabres have added a little bit of defensive depth, acquiring Riley Stillman from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for prospect Josh Bloom. The move comes at a particularly important time as the Sabres’ top defenseman, Rasmus Dahlin, is out day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.

That’s not to say that Stillman, 24, will be able to replace what Dahlin brings to the Sabres, of course, but it does make compensating for his absence a little easier. This is the second time Stillman has been traded this season, with the first being when he was sent to Vancouver by the Chicago Blackhawks for Jason Dickinson.

In his 32 games in Vancouver, Stillman averaged just over 16 minutes of ice time, registering five points. He contributed to their penalty kill and should be able to add some muscle and defensive depth to the Sabres’ blueline.

He’s under contract through next season at a $1.35MM cap hit and will be a restricted free agent after that point. Should he impress in a Sabres uniform, the team will have the option to keep him around for the foreseeable future.

While he won’t be the difference between the Sabres making or missing the playoffs this season, the team has played well enough to stay in the mix for a Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. It’s unknown whether this deal is all Sabres GM Kevyn Adams has planned for this deadline, but at the very least he’s rewarded his players with a competent defensive reinforcement that has some team control to boot.

For the Canucks, this move is part of the team shifting their focus towards the future, ever so slightly. They exchange a decent if relatively inconsequential defender for an intriguing prospect who has been on an upward trend.

Bloom, 19, is a six-foot-two winger who plays for the North Bay Battalion in the OHL. He’s scored 19 goals and 42 points in 40 games for North Bay this year and is regarded as a well-rounded, intelligent player who could have an NHL future.

While this trade might hurt the Canucks’ defensive ranks in the short term, it’s hard to argue with the team exchanging a defender like Stillman for a prospect like Bloom. If the Canucks intend to be serious about re-tooling and building for the future, these are the sorts of deals the front office should be making. It’s a reasonable exchange of present assets for future value on each side, and it’s a trade that fits the current goals of both franchises quite well.

Vancouver Canucks Activate Thatcher Demko

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The Vancouver Canucks have their goaltender back. After nearly three months, Thatcher Demko has been activated from injured reserve. Arturs Silovs, who was up in his absence, has been reassigned to the AHL.

It hasn’t been a good season for the Canucks, but things might not have been so bad had Demko not been injured 15 games into the year. The 27-year-old goaltender was struggling but has shown in the past an ability to carry poor performances from his teammates and turn them into wins. Last season, he appeared in 64 games and, with largely the same defensive group, posted a .914 save percentage.

That earned him a seventh-place Vezina finish and expectations that Demko would become one of the best goaltenders in the league. His five-year, $25MM contract certainly was paying him to be a reliable starter, and for the Canucks to go anywhere, they needed him to lead the way.

Now, after a brutal season that has seen captain Bo Horvat dealt away, head coach Bruce Boudreau fired, and the Canucks win just 23 of 59 games, Demko’s return is too little, too late. He now must face the very real possibility of a trade, if the team decides that the “major surgery” president Jim Rutherford referenced includes the goaltending position.

Getting back on the ice is the only way forward for Demko, regardless of where his future takes him. There’s still reason to believe he can be the goaltender he was through the first few years of his career, and a healthy stretch run would go far in building his confidence back up. The Canucks are back in action tonight against the Dallas Stars, where Demko is a game-time decision.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Hutchinson, Kaut

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The NHL has announced the Three Stars of the Week ending on February 26th. For the third time this season, Oilers captain Connor McDavid receives the first star honors, while goalies Linus Ullmark and John Gibson finished second and third, respectively. McDavid continues on pace toward one of the most incredible individual seasons in recent memory. McDavid put up six goals and five assists leading the Oilers to two wins in three games over the week. Predominantly known for his incredible playmaking and powerplay work, McDavid was also able to register two shorthanded points on the week, showing why he is one of only a few players who can play at an elite level in any situation.

Following behind, Ullmark similarly continued on an elite individual season, winning two games while collecting a 1.00 GAA with a .966 SV%. Aside from the phenomenal goaltending stats, Ullmark also scored the first-ever goalie goal in Bruins franchise history. As he put the game against the Canucks out of reach, Ullmark became the most recent goalie to score in the NHL since Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators scored during the 2019-20 NHL season.

Rounding out the list, Gibson finally sparked a moment of joy for Ducks’ fans this season. Not having much to get excited about, Gibson was able to rattle off a couple of 51-save performances, as well as leading the league in saves for the week with 143. Although this season has not gone well for the Ducks, earning a third star of the week is a tremendous victory for Gibson in his own right, as he becomes the second Ducks player to receive the honor this year.

  • After being recalled on an emergency loan and sent back down a few days later, the Vegas Golden Knights have once again recalled goaltender Michael Hutchinson from the minor leagues. Serving in the backup role on the Winnipeg Jets for many seasons at the beginning of his career, Hutchinson has become somewhat of a journeyman goaltender in the NHL. Having only played 10 games since the start of the 2020-21 season, it will be hard to say if this will be an extended call-up or another short stay in the NHL for the netminder. As starting goaltender Logan Thompson heals, and as cap space becomes increasingly more important toward the trade deadline, the Knights may have to play some musical chairs behind the crease for the time being.
  • Since being acquired by the Sharks in January, Martin Kaut has spent much of his month in the minor leagues, until being called up on February 20th. Scoring one goal in three games, the Sharks have decided to return Kaut to the minors. The Sharks are expected to move some more players off the roster in the coming days, so it is very likely that Kaut will see time in the NHL more this season. Noted upon his arrival in San Jose, Kaut is good friends with Sharks’ forward Tomas Hertl, as the two are known to do offseason training together.

Nashville Predators Reassign Kevin Gravel

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The Nashville Predators have loaned Kevin Gravel back to the AHL after he cleared waivers on the weekend. He’ll be joined there by newcomer Isaac Ratcliffe, who was also assigned to the Milwaukee Admirals after being acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers last night.

Gravel, 30, has played in 14 games for the Predators this season, most recently suiting up last night for all of 12 shifts. The coaching staff has never shown much trust in the rangy defender, but he still represents some valuable depth as a player with over 120 games of NHL experience.

With the Predators returning home for a game tomorrow night and Cal Foote coming in to give the team another option on defense, Gravel—who was up under emergency conditions—was no longer needed. Foote’s arrival gave them eight defensemen, though that may not last long, given the rumors swirling around Dante Fabbro and Mattias Ekholm.

If Nashville does move multiple defensemen before Friday’s deadline, Gravel will likely be right back up to help fill in down the stretch. The veteran is in the first season of a two-year deal he signed last summer.

Columbus Blue Jackets Activate Carson Meyer, Yegor Chinakhov

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have activated Carson Meyer and Yegor Chinakhov from injured reserve, immediately sending them both down to the minor leagues. The pair have each missed at least 20 games and will need some time in the AHL before any further action with the Blue Jackets.

Chianakhov, 22, last played on December 19, lasting just one shift before going down to a serious ankle injury. The young forward had recorded 13 points in his first 30 games and had recently been moved up the lineup to receive more ice time. Now, with the months-long setback behind him, he’ll try to get back on track and re-establish himself as an NHL talent going into next season.

Meyer, meanwhile, last played on January 10 and was already getting only a handful of shifts per game. The 25-year-old forward failed to record a single point in his 13 games with Columbus this season, but is an excellent piece for the Cleveland Monsters. While he might get another chance with the Blue Jackets, his activation will be a big boost for an AHL club struggling to stay relevant in the Calder Cup chase.

Incredibly, the Blue Jackets still have five players on injured reserve even with the two activations. It has been a catastrophic season for the club that expected to challenge for the playoffs after signing Johnny Gaudreau last summer. It should be noted that activating and sending Chinakhov and Meyer down does open up some extra cap room for Columbus, who are currently operating in the LTIR relief created by Zach Werenski’s season-ending injury. If they wanted to add at the deadline, these moves only help.

Injury Notes: Konecny, Raymond, Hall

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It’s been a week since Travis Konecny went down to an upper-body injury, and the Philadelphia Flyers still haven’t released an official timeline for his return. Today, head coach John Tortorella gave reports at least a bit of an update, explaining to Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic that Konecny would be out for an extended period.

As much as Tortorella and the rest of the Flyers don’t want to admit it, removing Konecny from the lineup may actually be a good thing. The 25-year-old is the team’s best offensive (and perhaps all-around) player, with 27 goals and 54 points in 52 games this season. His absence has been evident over the last few games, including a 5-2 loss to the bottom-dwelling Montreal Canadiens and a 7-0 thrashing at the hands of the rival New Jersey Devils. As the Flyers drop toward the bottom of the standings, they rise closer to the top of the draft lottery odds.

  • Lucas Raymond has been activated from injured reserve by the Detroit Red Wings, with Jordan Oesterle taking his place to clear the roster space. The young Raymond returns to a surging Red Wings group within three points of an Eastern Conference wildcard position with a home-and-home on tap with the Ottawa Senators, starting this evening. Soon to turn 21, Raymond has 15 goals and 33 points in 50 games this season.
  • Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe reports that Taylor Hall has left the Boston Bruins traveling party and returned for evaluation and treatment of a lower-body injury. He’ll miss at least the next two games, meaning they’ll need someone else to take his spot in the lineup. Hall was already playing fewer minutes of late, receiving fewer than 14 in each of his last three games.

Toronto Maple Leafs Acquire Jake McCabe, Sam Lafferty

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are loading up. After their big move earlier this month, they’ve pulled off another significant trade, acquiring Jake McCabe and Sam Lafferty from the Chicago Blackhawks. In return, the Maple Leafs will send a top-ten protected 2025 first-round pick, a 2026 second-round pick, Joey Anderson, and prospect Pavel Gogolev.

Chicago is retaining 50% of McCabe’s contract, and sending two conditional fifth-round selections to Toronto. If the 2025 first-round selection is in the top ten, Chicago will get Toronto’s 2026 first-round pick instead. CapFriendly reports that the 2024 fifth-round pick that is going to Toronto will be the lowest pick in that round the Blackhawks own at the time of the draft.

The biggest part of this deal for Toronto is the salary retention, as McCabe is not a typical rental. With two more years on his contract, the Maple Leafs will get a discounted defenseman for several playoff runs. His deal carries a cap hit of $4MM, meaning McCabe will cost Toronto just $2MM per season through 2024-25, the same amount as Justin Holl, who is currently scheduled for unrestricted free agency this summer.

McCabe, 29, has been rather productive for the Blackhawks this season, registering 20 points in 55 games—a pace that has him on track to blow past his previous career-high of 22 points. It’s not his offensive ability the Maple Leafs were targeting, though. McCabe instantly becomes the team’s most physical defender, and should help the penalty kill with his long reach, strength in front of the net, and willingness to block shots.

Lafferty is not just a throw-in, either. The 27-year-old forward is having a career year with Chicago, scoring ten goals and 21 points in 51 games. He too, is a physical upgrade for the Maple Leafs, giving them a pretty significant depth chart for the bottom six. With Lafferty and Noel Acciari now in place, the team has added two right-handed faceoff options that can be used on the penalty kill and in the defensive zone to go with their stable of left-shot centers.

It’s a pretty impressive haul for Toronto over the last few weeks, especially when considering they didn’t give up a single roster player. But there is real risk in moving so many draft picks when your group has zero playoff success to show for it to this point. Even McCabe, who seems like he would excel in the postseason, has never actually played in a playoff game nearly a decade into his NHL career.

If the Maple Leafs are bounced again, some painful years could be ahead. But for now, general manager Kyle Dubas is willing to put it on the line and give this group the best chance possible.

One thing to note is that with the addition of McCabe and Lafferty, the Maple Leafs no longer have the cap space to activate goaltender Matt Murray from long-term injured reserve. That was expected to happen in the next few days, meaning either another player will be shipped out, or some other transaction will be made to clear cap.

Snapshots: Alexandrov, Barkov, Avalanche

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The St. Louis Blues have recalled forward Nikita Alexandrov from the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds, the team announced in a press release Monday.

Alexandrov, 22, has suited up in 20 games with St. Louis this season, scoring three goals and adding two assists in his first NHL action. He has also recorded 23 points in 29 AHL games with Springfield. With the Blues making the transition to younger, less-proven players, Alexandrov could be given a chance to stick with the team for the remainder of the season.

Alexandrov has one more season remaining on his entry-level contract and will look to solidify his standing in St. Louis moving forward.

  • The Colorado Avalanche announced the recalls of Brad Hunt, Jonas Johansson, and Ben Meyers from the Colorado Eagles of the AHL. All three have been shuffled to and from Denver all season, as the Avs have tinkered with their lineup all year due to injuries. The Avs have made multiple recalls of goaltenders from the AHL in recent days, in addition to adding Keith Kinkaid from the Boston Bruins. Hunt has six points in 31 games for the Avs this season, Meyers has one goal in 31 games and Johansson has played in one game for Colorado this season.
  • The Florida Panthers will be without two forwards for miss Tuesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, as captain Aleksander Barkov and Sam Bennett have been ruled out for the game by head coach Paul Maurice, the team announced via Twitter. The injuries are not expected to be long-term, as they are both likely to return this weekend. Barkov has 50 points in 49 games this season, while Bennett has 35 points in 56 games.

Trade Deadline Primer: Arizona Coyotes

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The trade deadline looms and is now less than a week away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Arizona Coyotes.

After a disastrous-by-design campaign that saw the Arizona Coyotes finish 25-50-7, the only expectation entering this year was to be in contention for the No. 1 overall pick. But just like last season when Arizona failed to fail enough, landing the No. 3 overall pick, the Coyotes find themselves toward the back of the line again this season, although maybe not as far back as they would prefer.

The Coyotes’ improved record has been the result of some unexpectedly strong play, including a 10-game point streak once the calendar flipped to 2023. With multiple players sitting on the trade block, the Coyotes are poised to add more young players and draft selections as March 3 approaches.

Record

20-29-9, 7th in the Central

Deadline status

Seller

Deadline Cap space

70,653,619MM, 1/3 retention slots used, 44/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.

Upcoming draft picks

2023: ARI 1st, ARI 2nd, WAS 3rd, ARI 3rd, ARI 4th, ARI 5th, VGK 5th, ARI 6th,

2024: ARI 1st, ARI 2nd, FLA 2nd, MTL 2nd, ARI 3rd, COL 3rd, EDM 3rd, ARI 4th, SJS 4th, ARI 5th, ARI 6th, ARI 7th, BOS 7th

Trade chips

The Coyotes are in a strong position of being able to utilize both players on their roster and their abundance of cap space to make deals for futures. Taking on inflated contracts from other teams in exchange for draft picks is something Arizona has done in recent years and they could take on a rather sizable contract for a high draft pick as teams get pinched by their cap situations. The Coyotes are willing to take on a player, knowing they won’t suit up for the franchise. That willingness has allowed them to take advantage of teams in salary cap crunches in exchange for draft picks.

Jakob Chychrun has had his name in trade talks for over a year. Due to the term on his deal, the Coyotes have held onto him, awaiting the right offer. With two years remaining on his contract at a cap hit of 4.6MM, Chychrun could be counted on to provide quality two-way play for the foreseeable future for a contending team. He is only two years removed from potting 18 goals in 56 games, but has just 14 in the past 83 games.

A contender would offer more talent to be on the receiving end of Chychrun’s breakout passes, and his offensive output could see an uptick once he is dealt. An interesting player, Chychrun’s value on a new team could depend on who else is on that team’s blue line. He could serve as a No. 1 option for a club looking to add depth at the very top of their blue line, or he could be a dangerous secondary option.

The beneficiary of an abundance of ice time in Arizona, Shayne Gostisbehere was acquired for essentially nothing from the Philadelphia Flyers a few seasons ago. He posted 51 points (14G, 37A) in 82 games last season, his highest output since 65 points with the Flyers in 2017-18. He has 29 points in 50 games this season and will be a UFA this summer.

Assuming his play doesn’t level off with a change of scenery, Gostisbehere will provide a spark as a puck-moving, offensive-minded rearguard to any team with Cup aspirations. He is the classic deadline rental type of player who could see his free agent prospects rise with a strong showing on a team making a deep playoff run.

Another player likely to be moved at some point is forward Nick Schmaltz. Schmaltz has term left on his deal, meaning the Coyotes could hold onto him into the summer or ask a higher price for at the deadline. With a cap hit of 5.8MM for three more seasons, an acquiring team could pencil him in for a few more years as a top-six option at forward.

Schmaltz had his strongest offensive performance last season, with 23 goals and 36 assists for 59 points in 63 games. With 39 points in 43 games, Schmaltz has elevated his play to point-per-game status.

The Coyotes should be looking to unload anything that isn’t bolted down as they rebuild their organization from the ground up. Moving even fringe pieces for draft picks or young players will only add to the Coyotes’ coffers.

Other potential trade chips: Nick Bjugstad, Travis Boyd, Christian Fischer, Zack Kassian

Team Needs

The short answer here is the Coyotes need anything and everything. The more high draft picks and young players the Coyotes can gather, the more likely they will find their way out of the wilderness of rebuilding.

With three first-round picks made by the Coyotes last year and a chance to add additional picks in the first three rounds this year, the Coyotes will end up making more draft selections than most teams would in just a two-year span, as well as holding four picks in the top two rounds in 2024.

The Coyotes are aiming to have a competitive team by the time their new arena opens, which is set to be voted on by the City of Tempe, Arizona, on May 16. The new arena is not a guarantee, but Arizona could potentially have a team driven by a talented young core by that point.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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