Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

Third line center search: Edmonton

August 19, 2017, 11:36 AM ET [91 Comments]
Ryan Wilson
Pittsburgh Penguins Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Hey who wants to fire up that third line center trade talk again? Yeah, we're all pretty burnt out on it, but there may be a new contestant entering the ring. Remember, a big trick to being a good general manager is to find that bad ones and pester them. Peter Chiarelli loves giving away good forward talent below value. They might be gearing up to get rid of yet another first overall pick




David Staple points out the cap crunch the team is facing with the Milan Lucic contract looming large as the team tries to navigate their salary structure with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The Lucic contract isn't movable so something has to give. I don't believe that Draisaitl will stay on McDavid's line. I think he will eventually be the centerpiece of the second line. They also have Ryan Strome, Jussi Jokinen, and Mark Letestu as center options. I don't believe with the current personnel that they view Ryan Nugent-Hopkins as a good value in a third line center role. They might not think it is good value, but for a team like Pittsburgh it could work.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins makes a healthy 6M per year which seems like a lot for a third line center on the surface, but in my opinion it is worth spending when it results in three legit scoring lines. If you look back at all five of Pittsburgh's Stanley Cup titles it was always forward driven. They've had individual defenseman who were really good, but the overall defense groupings have been meh. Pittsburgh is structured to overpower teams with offense, not defense and they also have the kind of goaltender you can afford to get in track meets.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is only 24 years old and is signed for another four years. Unlike the Matt Duchene situation they would be receiving a player at a 6M price point that won't be due a new raise after two years. I also don't believe it would cost nearly as much to acquire. This is from Staple's piece

The Taylor Hall trade? The Oilers didn’t sell low. Hall’s value was still high (certainly higher than it is now) when Chiarelli moved him. The Oilers got a fair return in Adam Larsson, who filled a major ugly void on the blue line


That is the mindset in Edmonton. They traded a high end piece for a depth player. It makes the idea of an Olli Maatta based trade at least in the realm of possibility for Nugent-Hopkins. It saves Edmonton two million for a player that is locked up for a long time. They will buy into the Stanley Cup pedigree. They traded Taylor Hall for a non-descript defensemen. I think they'd do something like that again from a value standpoint. One issue with this idea is that the Oilers have Oskar Klefbom, Kris Russell, and Darnell Nurse all allocated to left defense positions at the current moment. Their right side is pretty blah after Adam Larsson. I'd lead with that offer and see where the conversation goes because I think this is a player that will eventually be traded below his actual worth.

Is Ryan Nugent-Hopkins worth 6M though? I think it is likely



Those numbers are on bad Oilers teams. Remember Justin Schultz was the worst defenseman in the NHL until he wasn't. He was a product of his environment. I see no reason why the same won't be true for Nugent-Hopkins. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins isn't a Nail Yakupov situation where he is flirting with bust territory. He has done an alright job in a pretty crumby situation. For his career he has a 1.72 points per 60 at even-strength. A majority of that time was spent as the team's number one center facing the toughest competition on a bottom feeding team. That wouldn't be his role in Pittsburgh.

Can the 6M price tag work? The team currently has a shade over 3M in cap space. If they were able to move 4M out it would be a non-issue. In my suggestion it would be Olli Maatta. Then you still have the Hornqvist/Hagelin combo at 4M where you could feasibly shed another 4M if you really had to.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is a legit top six center that could slot in on the Penguins third line to maintain the team's excellent offensive power. They can make the money work and they have a defenseman they could move that would likely get Edmonton's interest.

Nugent-Hopkins age is a big bonus here. You would literally be getting his prime years. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are not getting any younger. It would be really nice to have a younger center option with skill to help with their eventual age regression. The player makes sense for both long and short term.

I'd certainly give a call to the Oilers given their recent track record with trading away former #1 overall picks. I like the idea of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins more than the Matt Duchene one because of age, term, and what I think the cost to acquire will be.

Just some food for thought in this long dragged out third line center search.



Thanks for reading!
Join the Discussion: » 91 Comments » Post New Comment
More from Ryan Wilson
» Penguins earn victory on Jake night
» A salute to Jake Guentzel
» Sid puts on show as Avs dig out of hole
» A dud in Dallas
» My thoughts on Dubas' thoughts