Trade deadline is on Monday and if Jim Rutherford is going to make another move it is going to happen in the very near future. He has stated for a while that his intention was to add another player or two to help assist in the club’s quest of a third straight championship. There have been names thrown out for the past few weeks so I’m going to go over the pros and cons of each of these rumored targets.
Derick Brassard
Pros: Offensive minded center that would get to play behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin while still getting to play with capable wingers. It’s a perfect situation for a player like Brassard He’s a crafty player and has good vision. In Ottawa his possession is just slightly above 50% and relative to his teammates he is +4.93%.
Cons: Cost to acquire. This won’t be an easy trade to make. Yes, the Senators are in a full blown sellers mode, but they are selling because the owner is a cheapskate. Brassard’s 5.0M cap hit is something that the Penguins would have to make room for which would take some doing. At a minimum they’ll have to find a taker for Matt Hunwick’s contract in a separate deal. Also, the Senators aren’t going to likely be the kind of team to eat some of the salary. Again, they are moving Brassard because Melnyk is a cheapskate. Then there is the cost to acquire. The rumor is they want at least a first round pick, a prospect and then some. That could mean somebody like Daniel Sprong, but the Penguins don’t have a ton of cheap valuable futures and might not be a good fit for frugal Senators.
Michael Grabner
Pros: Very fast skater and has had a knack for scoring goals the past two seasons. His goal scoring is at 5v5 because he does not get power play time. Is able to play on the penalty kill where his speed would be an asset. His cap hit of 1.65M is a great number for a team that doesn’t have a ton of space.
Cons: The goal scoring is being fueled by a ridiculous shooting percentage of 19.1. He also leads the league in empty net goals with seven so that 25 goal total takes a bit of a hit when you factor that in. He only has six assists on the year so playmaking isn’t exactly his thing. I’m always weary of players whose goals and assists look more like a Cy Young candidate's win loss record. Possession wise he stinks this year. The Rangers aren’t great in this department, but he’s -1.99% compared to his teammates. The cost to acquire is going to be as bloated as his shooting percentage. The rumored ask is a first round pick. To put it bluntly Grabner is the type of player you try and acquire in the offseason, not one you overpay for at the deadline.
Matt Cullen
This is a rumor that has been around all year. I don’t see anything to gain by reacquiring Cullen at this stage. It appears age has finally gotten the better of him.
Pros: Dad memes. Locker room guy.
Cons: On-ice play
Mark Letestu
Pros: Better than Carter Rowney
Cons: Carter Rowney isn’t the standard. One of Letestu’s strengths is being on the power play and that isn’t going to be an option on this Penguins team. There is no need to give up assets for a player that isn’t going to move the needle
Derek Ryan
Pros: Better than Carter Rowney. Unlike Letestu Ryan has a positive contribution on the possession front. His shot attempt percentage is 56.57 and while he does play on the league’s top possession team his relative possession is 3.19%. His xGF% is 59.14(!) which is pretty great. Cost to acquire shouldn’t be all that much and his cap hit is doable at 1.45M. This is a decent risk reward idea.
Cons: Is it fool’s gold? Ryan is 31 years old and his 131 games in the NHL have all come in his 29, 30, and 31 year old seasons. There really isn’t a huge sample size to draw from as far as NHL competition goes.
Tomas Plekanec
Pros: Positive possession player despite being in a defensive role. Still has playmaking ability. Could comfortably free up Crosby and Malkin from defensive zone starts. Montreal isn’t bleeding money like Ottawa so it isn’t out of the question for the Canadiens to eat some of his salary.
Cons: The Canadiens would have to eat some salary for this to work so if they aren’t open to doing it then I can’t see anything happening here. Logically speaking the Canadiens would want futures it just depends on what those are because as stated above the Penguins aren’t rich in futures at this point in time. Also, Plekanec may never hit the trade block because both sides may want to play the year out and reconvene in the offseason for another contract extension.
Benoit Pouliot
Pros: Has a history of being a quality possession player with decent offensive numbers. His cap hit is only 1.16M. Cost to acquire will be negligible. Couldn’t be worse than Tom Kuhnhackl.
Cons: He appears to have hit a wall in 2016-17 season that he hasn’t recovered from. Some of that could be aging curves (31 years old) and some of it could be the fact he’s been on Edmonton and Buffalo.
Thanks for reading!
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