Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman published today’s rendition of ’32 Thoughts’ in the written medium. One of the noteworthy items is that the Pittsburgh Penguins are getting interest from around the league in forward Drew O’Connor.
O’Connor is seemingly an ideal trade candidate for the Penguins this season. He’s on a relatively cheap expiring contract with a $925K salary. His offensive production is down this season with three goals and nine points in 27 games but he can play up-and-down the lineup at all three forward positions.
The Colorado Avalanche seems like a perfect landing spot for O’Connor should Pittsburgh trade him. It’s tough to find a team dealing with more injuries this season and O’Connor’s versatility and low cost should make for a decent transition. Colorado doesn’t have much draft capital to work with so the Penguins may have to scout heavily into the Avalanche’s minor league systems.
Other notes from tonight:
- It’ll be a short year of development for Tij Iginla. The WHL’s Kelowna Rockets announced Iginla has undergone successful hip surgery but will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 WHL season. Iginla has already skated in 21 games for the Rockets this season scoring 14 goals and 32 points with a +18 rating. Still, the Utah Hockey Club can’t be pleased that the organization’s first-ever draft pick will go most of the season without playing.
- The Montreal Canadiens announced that defenseman Kaiden Guhle wouldn’t play tonight due to illness shortly before the team’s matchup against the Nashville Predators. Justin Barron who’s scored one goal in 12 games for Montreal this season is filling in for Guhle on the blue line. Barron has two shots, one blocked shot, and one hit through 10 minutes in tonight’s game against Nashville.
- Per a team release from the Los Angeles Kings, Andre Lee has been papered down to the AHL’s Ontario Reign. The move is strictly to capture more salary cap space for a Kings organization with limited space. Los Angeles doesn’t play against until Saturday when they take on the Minnesota Wild and the expectation is that Lee will re-join the team for that contest.
DOC could fetch a high second or a 2nd and a 3rd. Beauvillier should be able to net a similar return.
Pettersson and Rust could net late first round picks.
Pens should be willing (eager, actually) to take 2027 and 2028 picks, which would be appealing to many of the buying teams.
Even if we climb back up in the standings, we should trade these players and take our chances with younger players or Monahan type salary dumps.
The Pens will be a pile of aimless feathers until they dump Dubas, And, Are not owned by a corporation.
Sorry 66 but I think your wish list is set too high. DOC has the most value of the group currently. And that’s at a 3rd liner. Rust has seriously declined the past couple seasons and Marcus is a left shot which declines his value. Maybe at the deadline they get what you are hoping for. But not now. Monahan had 1st line pedigree before he was dealt. Calgary sold low and Montreal sold high. Would say Monahan has greater value now than 2 of those 3 combined.
DOC has more value than Rust or Pettersson? No. His value is because he’s cheap and versatile.
Rust is declining the past couple seasons? Rust WAS a solid middle six wing for most of his career UNTIL the past couple seasons when he became a near point a game top 6 winger who just set his career high in goals last season.
Past few years:
55 games/56 points
56/42
60/58
81/46
62/56
At $5 M AAV? That’s a first plus package. Something like…Hoglander, a first and another pick. He’s literally what every soft skill team needs. Gritty, gamer, two rings. Plays on the PK, even. Leafs, Oilers, Canucks, Rangers, etc. etc. should all be in on him.
Pettersson is the rental every contender needs. Cheap for a top 6, too.
And, yes, these are deadline deals. Almost every team is in contention (mediocrity). We’ve been awful (or worse) this year and yet…if we beat NYR tonight, we are in a playoff spot. There will be few sellers. Pens need to be sellers even if in contention. Just become shufflers.
Regarding Monahan, what he was before or after is irrelevant to my point about what the Pens should do…when CGY traded him they wanted so rid of him they attached a first to him. Pens need to roll the dice on reclamation project/salary dumps to build assets.
It’s 5 aav but over like 5 more years at ages 32-37 for a player with a long injury history who is roughly a PPG with the greatest playmaker of this generation. I don’t think there’s much positive value.
Maybe a 3 way deal with the kraken.
Gourde 50% to wild
Rust + 2nd from wild to kraken
Treinin +1st, 3rd, 5th and 6th from wild to pens.
Wild clear long term cap(and add 3c who can play up and down), kraken pick up some longer term stuff and scoring for a rental. Pens get their first and stuff but have to take on bad contract albeit with some upside.
Not quite, but he is signed for a year longer than I thought, so that does dip his value a bit.
3 more years left which takes him to 35. Still very manageable for a contender.
He has speed, can snipe, play the boards, play PP and PK, brings winning intangibles…all of those teams I mentioned and then some need a guy (guys actually) like Rust. Not many will be available.