People on Twitter are saying that it might be hard to move Eller/Smith because they have term.

I don’t get it. I thought the return for rentals are low because they are just a rental and people with term are also low because they have term? Everyone is on damage control for our inability to get back assets.

Yep, A 3.5 million dollar contract completely handcuffed the team, closed the window. No team can overcome 3 million in wasted cap

Says more about the team and the coach than it does the player and the GM
- RoloTahmasee

When he was overplayed and the flat cap era started, yes that $3.25M significantly handcuffed the team while Malkin and Letang were still making $9.5M and $7.25M.

Please list the trades GMJR made that "handcuffed the team"

Kessel for Galchenyuk and POJ (soon to be washed Kessel)
Galchenyuk/Addison for Zucker (Addison is a BUST)
Hornqvist for Matheson (Horny had 1 good start to a season then was washed up)
Hagelin for Pearson, Pearson for Gudbranson, then dumped Guddy on Anaheim)
3rd Round Pick for Marino
Matta for Kahun, Kahun for Rodriguez/Sheary
Matt Murray for a 2nd
Sprong for Petterson

Brassard Trade? - He turned Brassard into McCann

Kapanen for #15 overall - Thats about it. Is that the one that "handcuffed the team"?
- RoloTahmasee

Thats about it?

Here's all 50 trades graded by the Athletic....and this is of no mention of bad signings...as you can see he started off the first few seasons great and then fizzled in the last few....

With Rutherford at 50 trades in Pittsburgh, The Athletic has endeavored to evaluate each of his deals and assign it a grade.
________________________________________


Season 1 (June 6, 2014-July 30, 2015)
Penguins acquire Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling from Predators for James Neal (June 27, 2014)
One of the most important deals in franchise history and a trade that was positive for both teams. The Penguins needed substance in the worst way and, in Hornqvist, they received one of the most substantive players in franchise history.
Grade: A+
Penguins acquire Rob Klinkhammer and a 2016 fifth-round pick from Coyotes for Philip Samuelsson (Dec. 5, 2014)
The son of Ulf just wasn’t an NHL player. Neither was Klinkhammer, but at least the Penguins got a draft pick out of an inconsequential move.
Grade: B
Penguins acquire David Perron from Oilers for Rob Klinkhammer and a 2015 first-round pick (Jan. 2, 2015)
On paper, the trade made sense. It didn’t pan out for the Penguins, but at least they were later able to flip Perron for a player who would become crucial in their Stanley Cup run.
Grade: C

Penguins acquire Maxim Lapierre from Blues for Marcel Goc (Jan. 27, 2015)
This was not a good trade. For either team. Not much to say about this one, but it didn’t really disrupt anything.
Grade: C
Penguins acquire Daniel Winnik from Maple Leafs for Zach Sill, a 2015 fourth-round pick and a 2016 second-round pick (Feb. 26, 2015)
Now that’s a bad trade. Losing Sill wasn’t a problem, but giving up two draft picks — especially that second-rounder — for Winnik was a huge mistake. Never fit in with the Penguins and wasn’t well-liked in the locker room.
Grade: F
Penguins acquire Ben Lovejoy from Ducks for Simon Despres (March 2, 2015)
At the time, Rutherford was torched for this move. But it was a really good one. Lovejoy helped the Penguins win the Stanley Cup with excellent work in 2016, while Despres never amounted into much at the NHL level.
Grade: A-
Penguins acquire Ian Cole from Blues for Robert Bortuzzo and a 2015 seventh-round pick (March 2, 2015)
Great trade for both teams, though Cole is a better player than Bortuzzo. Cole played a big role in helping the Penguins win the Stanley Cup twice, while Bortuzzo’s style meshed well with the Blues.
Grade: A
________________________________________
GMJR trade grades
GRADE
NUMBER

A 13
B 8
C 17
D 7
F 5
Season 2 (July 1, 2015-June 30, 2016)
Penguins acquire Phil Kessel, Tim Erixon, Tyler Biggs and a conditional 2016 second-round pick from Maple Leafs for Kasperi Kapanen, Scott Harrington, Nick Spaling, a conditional 2016 first-round pick and a 2016 third-round pick (July 1, 2015)
Phil Kessel is a Stanley Cup champion. Twice. He was the Penguins’ most consistent forward for the 2016 Cup club and ranks with Paul Coffey, Ron Francis and Rick Tocchet as the most impactful players ever traded for by a Pittsburgh GM.
Grade: A+
Penguins acquire Nick Bonino, Adam Clendening and a 2016 second-round pick from Canucks for Brandon Sutter and a conditional 2016 third-round pick (July 28, 2015)
Bonino became a cult hero for his 2016 postseason heroics. He did the impossible: render Jordan Staal forgettable and himself irreplaceable.
Grade: A

Penguins acquire Trevor Daley from Blackhawks for Rob Scuderi (Dec. 14, 2015)
The best Christmas gifts are ones that keep giving. Daley became an unexpected rock for the Penguins’ much-maligned and often-injured defense corps over a couple of Cup runs.
Grade: A
Penguins acquire Carl Hagelin from Ducks for David Peron and Adam Clendening (Jan. 16, 2016)
Couldn’t have the HBK Line without Hagelin. His speed, tenacity and defensive awareness were invaluable to the back-to-back Cup clubs. Also, his flow gave Kris Letang’s hair a run for its money.
Grade: A
Penguins acquire Justin Schultz from Oilers for a 2016 third-round pick (Feb. 27, 2016)
The last of seven consecutive stellar trades that turned Rutherford into a Hockey Hall of Fame builder. Schultz was an afterthought who turned into a staple and was at his best when Penguins won nine consecutive playoff series.
Grade: A+
Penguins acquire James Melindy, Dan O’Donoghue and Dustin Jeffrey from Coyotes for Matia Marcantuoni (Feb. 29, 2016)
Meh. They’re not all going to be big hits. This one neither helped nor harmed.
Grade: C
Penguins acquire Matthias Plachta and a conditional 2017 seventh-round pick from Coyotes for Sergei Plotnikov (Feb. 29, 2016)
Remember Gary Cherone fronting Van Halen for three years? This was one of those “oh yeah, that happened” trades.
Grade: C
Penguins acquire a 2016 third-round pick from Devils for Beau Bennett (June 25, 2016)
Swapping a veteran player whose promise had been betrayed by injuries for a prospect whose promise would be betrayed by injuries was, well, fitting.
Grade: D
________________________________________
GMJR trades by draft picks
CATEGORY
IN
OUT

1st round 0 6
2nd round 3 4
3rd round 3 6
4th round 4 8
5th round 4 0
6th round 0 2
7th round 2 2

Season 3 (July 1, 2016-June 30, 2017)
Penguins acquire a 2017 fifth-round pick from Senators for Mike Condon (Nov. 2, 2016)
It feels like Condon was around for longer than one appearance, but that was all the Penguins needed from him. He was a waiver-wire pickup and injury fill-in that Rutherford turned into Jan Drozg, a maybe-someday-AHL call-up. Not bad.
Grade: B
Penguins acquire Ron Hainsey from Hurricanes for a 2017 second-round pick and Danny Kristo (Feb. 23, 2017)
That second Cup was a result of goaltending and timely goal-scoring, but someone needed to play top-pair minutes. Hainsey turned out to be that guy. To worry about what the pick turned into (uhh, Morgan Geekie was available) would be to miss the point. Flags fly forever.
Grade: A

Penguins acquire Frank Corrado from Maple Leafs for Eric Fehr, Steven Oleksy and a 2017 fourth-round pick (March 1, 2017)
The Penguins no longer had much use for Fehr, who was making $2 million, so they threw in a pick to clear his contract and got a semi-interesting player, in Corrado, who never amounted to much. A perfectly functional move.
Grade: B-
Penguins acquire Mark Streit from Lightning for a 2018 fourth-round pick (March 1, 2017)
Streit was a once-great player at the end of the line who was a perfectly fine break-in-case-of-emergency option at a fungible cost. Bonus points for laundering him through Tampa Bay, who’d just acquired him from the Flyers.
Grade: B+
Penguins send a 2020 second-round pick to Vegas for expansion draft considerations (June 21, 2017)
This move was to ensure that the Golden Knights would take Marc-Andre Fleury in the expansion draft. It’s easy to say that one didn’t work out for Rutherford, since the Matt Murray era has not gone according to plan. But the draft format and the salary cap didn’t leave him any other choice. A bad move that he had to make.
Grade: D
Penguins acquire Ryan Reaves and a 2017 second-round pick from Blues for Oskar Sundqvist and a 2017 first-round pick (June 23, 2017)
The shame of this trade wasn’t so much in the details but rather in Mike Sullivan’s refusal to use Reaves. That said, the Penguins still gave up far too much.
Grade: D

Season 4 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018)
Penguins acquire Andrey Pedan and a 2018 fourth-round pick from Canucks for Derrick Pouliot (Oct. 3, 2017)
This was as good as Rutherford was going to do for Pouliot, who was among the biggest mistakes of the Ray Shero regime. A colossal bust, Pouliot is a minus-35 in 202 NHL games and has scored only eight goals.
Grade: C
Penguins acquire Riley Sheahan and a 2018 fifth-round pick from Red Wings for Scott Wilson and a 2018 third-round pick (Oct. 21, 2017)
Wilson was nothing special, but he was still built for the postseason more than Sheahan. Third-round picks come in handy, too.
Grade: C-
Penguins acquire Jamie Oleksiak from Stars for a 2018 fourth-round pick (Dec. 19, 2017)
Oleksiak is a solid NHL defenseman. Nothing special, but he’s fine. This was very good value.
Grade: B

Penguins acquire Michael Leighton and a 2019 fourth-round pick from Coyotes for Josh Archibald, Sean Maquire and a 2019 sixth-round pick (Dec. 19, 2017)
Bad trade. It was partially executed to open cap space for Oleksiak, but the Penguins could use Archibald. Fast, young and capable, he has scored 12 goals as a fourth-liner in each of the past two seasons.
Grade: D
Penguins acquire Derick Brassard, Vincent Dunn and a 2018 third-round pick from Senators for Ian Cole, Filip Gustavsson, a 2018 first-round pick and a 2019 third-round pick (Feb. 23, 2018)
This trade was the beginning of the end for the Penguins’ mini-dynasty. Brassard was a fraud; Cole should still be in Pittsburgh, and Gustavsson was a very good prospect. A damaging trade.
Grade: F
Penguins acquire Tobias Lindberg from Golden Knights for Ryan Reaves and a 2018 fourth-round pick (Feb. 23, 2018)
This trade had to be executed for the Brassard trade to go through because of the salary cap. It was just a bad day for the franchise. Reaves was brought in to protect the stars. And he could play, too. He was given away for nothing.
Grade: F
Penguins acquire Greg McKegg from Hurricanes for Josh Jooris (Feb. 26, 2018)
Not a relevant move in either franchise’s history.
Grade: C
Penguins acquire a fourth-round pick from Sabres for Conor Sheary and Matt Hunwick (June 27, 2018)
This was a good trade because it cleared cap space. This isn’t an article grading free agent signings, but rather, trades. This one got the job done because Sheary was overpaid and Hunwick was a poor signing.
Grade: B
________________________________________
GMJR trades by season
SEASON
TRADES

2014-15 7
2015-16 8
2016-17 6
2017-18 8
2018-19 11
2019-20 10

Season 5 (July 1, 2018-June 30, 2019)
Penguins acquire Tanner Pearson from Kings for Carl Hagelin (Nov. 14, 2018)
Overreacting to an early-season funk is a bad way to enter trade talks. At his worst, and despite being in the final season of his contract, Hagelin was a superior fit for Penguins than was Pearson.
Grade: F
Penguins acquire Marcus Pettersson from Ducks for Daniel Sprong (Dec. 3, 2018)
Seeing as so many end up traded, the draft picks the Penguins have kept under Rutherford tend to be overvalued. Including by other organizations, which helps explain how Rutherford transformed a skilled-but-flawed forward into a defenseman ready to become a top-four staple.
Grade: A
Penguins acquire Macoy Erkamps and Ben Sexton from Senators for Tobias Lindberg and Stefan Elliott (Dec. 5, 2018)
A deal as forgettable as the Penguins’ “X Generation” campaign. Wait, that’s not fair; “X Generation” had its moments.
Grade: C
Penguins acquire Joseph Blandisi from Ducks for Derek Grant (Jan. 17, 2019)
The cap, and the Penguins’ proximity to it, often make necessary trades that otherwise wouldn’t need to happen. But there are also times when it’s seemed Rutherford has made a deal because he was bored. This was one of those times.
Grade: C
Penguins acquire 2019 fourth-round pick from Stars for Jamie Oleksiak (Jan. 28, 2019)
Thus ended one of the stranger stints for a player with the Penguins. Though, this move was needed to set up something bigger.
Grade: B
Penguins acquire Jared McCann and Nick Bjugstad from Panthers for Derick Brassard, Riley Shehan, a 2014 fourth-round pick and 2019 second- and fourth-round picks (Feb. 1, 2019)
Rutherford gave up so much for Brassard. To surrender a lot to rid the Penguins of Brassard was a tough pill to swallow. McCann potentially not panning out in Pittsburgh — a possibility that must be considered after his finish to this past season — changed this grade from what it would have been a year ago.
Grade: D
Penguins acquire Blake Siebenaler from Blue Jackets for a conditional 2019 seventh-round pick (Feb. 11, 2019)
Sure, why not? Wait … what now?
Grade: C
Penguins acquire Chris Wideman from Panthers for Chris Jean-Sebastien Dea (Feb. 25, 2019)
GMs run organizations, not just NHL teams. This trade improved the Penguins’ organizational depth. That counts.
Grade: C+
Penguins acquire Erik Gudbranson from Canucks for Tanner Pearson (Feb. 25, 2019)
It’s raining. There’s a hole. You’re in it up to your chest. Stop digging.
Grade: D

Penguins acquire Dominik Kahun and a 2019 fifth-round pick from Blackhawks for Olli Maatta (June 15, 2019)
Full disclosure: this grade is for the return Rutherford landed for a championship-tested warrior that had value despite his injury history — not for what became of that return. Still don’t understand the jettisoning of Kahun this past season.
Grade: B
Penguins acquire Alex Galchenyuk, Pierre-Olivier Joseph from Coyotes for Phil Kessel, Dane Birks and a 2021 fourth-round pick (June 29, 2019)
Kessel had all the power regarding his parting with the Penguins. Joseph became a top prospect straight away. Galchenyuk eventually begat Jason Zucker, whom Rutherford wanted for Kessel all along.
Grade: A-
________________________________________
GMJR trades by assets
CATEGORY
IN
OUT

Forwards 36 37
Defensemen 21 17
Goalies 1 3
Draft picks 15 28

Season 6 (July 1, 2019-current)
Penguins acquire John Marino from Oilers for a 2021 conditional sixth-round pick (July 26, 2019)
To make this move a success, all Marino would’ve had to do was show up. He’s done more than that. Much, much more.
Grade: A+
Penguins acquire Andreas Martinson and a 2021 seventh-round pick from Ducks for Erik Gudbranson (Oct. 25, 2019)
This is a solid example of finding a way to cut bait on a bad contract. How did Gudbranson show up in the first place? Hey, look over there!
Grade: C
Penguins acquire Graham Knott from Blackhawks for Joseph Cramarossa (Nov. 20, 2019)
Knott was a 2015 second-round pick, so taking a flyer on him in exchange from Cramarossa, a pure AHL player, was fine. It didn’t work out (Knott had zero points in 11 WB/S games) but the logic was sound.
Grade: C+
Penguins acquire Kevin Roy from Panthers for Ryan Haggerty (Dec. 17, 2019)
Roy is a UFA who had 10 AHL goals after the trade. A marginally more useful organizational forward than Haggerty.
Grade: C+
Penguins acquire John Nyberg from Stars for Oula Palve (Jan. 17, 2020)
Both of these guys signed contracts in Sweden. There’s no point in trying to formulate an opinion here.
Grade: C

Dont be so sure of that. He doesnt seem to be competing too hard this year. Maybe he is just the type of guy that wants to go and enjoy playing out his contract in the sunshine of Arizona? I think that would be better than being in Pittsburgh where you are going to be a media whipping boy and still not going to be competing for a cup.
- MacPatty

Graves absolutely quit on this team and Sullivan in particular.

He won't be that hard to move over the summer. We will in all probability have to retain salary. He does have some value at $2.25M as a third pair with experience.

Graves absolutely quit on this team and Sullivan in particular.

He won't be that hard to move over the summer. We will in all probability have to retain salary. He does have some value at $2.25M as a third pair with experience.
- Thunderbolt

To much term to be retaining IMO

Thats about it?

Here's all 50 trades graded by the Athletic....and this is of no mention of bad signings...as you can see he started off the first few seasons great and then fizzled in the last few....

With Rutherford at 50 trades in Pittsburgh, The Athletic has endeavored to evaluate each of his deals and assign it a grade.
________________________________________


Season 1 (June 6, 2014-July 30, 2015)
Penguins acquire Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling from Predators for James Neal (June 27, 2014)
One of the most important deals in franchise history and a trade that was positive for both teams. The Penguins needed substance in the worst way and, in Hornqvist, they received one of the most substantive players in franchise history.
Grade: A+
Penguins acquire Rob Klinkhammer and a 2016 fifth-round pick from Coyotes for Philip Samuelsson (Dec. 5, 2014)
The son of Ulf just wasn’t an NHL player. Neither was Klinkhammer, but at least the Penguins got a draft pick out of an inconsequential move.
Grade: B
Penguins acquire David Perron from Oilers for Rob Klinkhammer and a 2015 first-round pick (Jan. 2, 2015)
On paper, the trade made sense. It didn’t pan out for the Penguins, but at least they were later able to flip Perron for a player who would become crucial in their Stanley Cup run.
Grade: C

Penguins acquire Maxim Lapierre from Blues for Marcel Goc (Jan. 27, 2015)
This was not a good trade. For either team. Not much to say about this one, but it didn’t really disrupt anything.
Grade: C
Penguins acquire Daniel Winnik from Maple Leafs for Zach Sill, a 2015 fourth-round pick and a 2016 second-round pick (Feb. 26, 2015)
Now that’s a bad trade. Losing Sill wasn’t a problem, but giving up two draft picks — especially that second-rounder — for Winnik was a huge mistake. Never fit in with the Penguins and wasn’t well-liked in the locker room.
Grade: F
Penguins acquire Ben Lovejoy from Ducks for Simon Despres (March 2, 2015)
At the time, Rutherford was torched for this move. But it was a really good one. Lovejoy helped the Penguins win the Stanley Cup with excellent work in 2016, while Despres never amounted into much at the NHL level.
Grade: A-
Penguins acquire Ian Cole from Blues for Robert Bortuzzo and a 2015 seventh-round pick (March 2, 2015)
Great trade for both teams, though Cole is a better player than Bortuzzo. Cole played a big role in helping the Penguins win the Stanley Cup twice, while Bortuzzo’s style meshed well with the Blues.
Grade: A
________________________________________
GMJR trade grades
GRADE
NUMBER

A 13
B 8
C 17
D 7
F 5
Season 2 (July 1, 2015-June 30, 2016)
Penguins acquire Phil Kessel, Tim Erixon, Tyler Biggs and a conditional 2016 second-round pick from Maple Leafs for Kasperi Kapanen, Scott Harrington, Nick Spaling, a conditional 2016 first-round pick and a 2016 third-round pick (July 1, 2015)
Phil Kessel is a Stanley Cup champion. Twice. He was the Penguins’ most consistent forward for the 2016 Cup club and ranks with Paul Coffey, Ron Francis and Rick Tocchet as the most impactful players ever traded for by a Pittsburgh GM.
Grade: A+
Penguins acquire Nick Bonino, Adam Clendening and a 2016 second-round pick from Canucks for Brandon Sutter and a conditional 2016 third-round pick (July 28, 2015)
Bonino became a cult hero for his 2016 postseason heroics. He did the impossible: render Jordan Staal forgettable and himself irreplaceable.
Grade: A

Penguins acquire Trevor Daley from Blackhawks for Rob Scuderi (Dec. 14, 2015)
The best Christmas gifts are ones that keep giving. Daley became an unexpected rock for the Penguins’ much-maligned and often-injured defense corps over a couple of Cup runs.
Grade: A
Penguins acquire Carl Hagelin from Ducks for David Peron and Adam Clendening (Jan. 16, 2016)
Couldn’t have the HBK Line without Hagelin. His speed, tenacity and defensive awareness were invaluable to the back-to-back Cup clubs. Also, his flow gave Kris Letang’s hair a run for its money.
Grade: A
Penguins acquire Justin Schultz from Oilers for a 2016 third-round pick (Feb. 27, 2016)
The last of seven consecutive stellar trades that turned Rutherford into a Hockey Hall of Fame builder. Schultz was an afterthought who turned into a staple and was at his best when Penguins won nine consecutive playoff series.
Grade: A+
Penguins acquire James Melindy, Dan O’Donoghue and Dustin Jeffrey from Coyotes for Matia Marcantuoni (Feb. 29, 2016)
Meh. They’re not all going to be big hits. This one neither helped nor harmed.
Grade: C
Penguins acquire Matthias Plachta and a conditional 2017 seventh-round pick from Coyotes for Sergei Plotnikov (Feb. 29, 2016)
Remember Gary Cherone fronting Van Halen for three years? This was one of those “oh yeah, that happened” trades.
Grade: C
Penguins acquire a 2016 third-round pick from Devils for Beau Bennett (June 25, 2016)
Swapping a veteran player whose promise had been betrayed by injuries for a prospect whose promise would be betrayed by injuries was, well, fitting.
Grade: D
________________________________________
GMJR trades by draft picks
CATEGORY
IN
OUT

1st round 0 6
2nd round 3 4
3rd round 3 6
4th round 4 8
5th round 4 0
6th round 0 2
7th round 2 2
Season 3 (July 1, 2016-June 30, 2017)
Penguins acquire a 2017 fifth-round pick from Senators for Mike Condon (Nov. 2, 2016)
It feels like Condon was around for longer than one appearance, but that was all the Penguins needed from him. He was a waiver-wire pickup and injury fill-in that Rutherford turned into Jan Drozg, a maybe-someday-AHL call-up. Not bad.
Grade: B
Penguins acquire Ron Hainsey from Hurricanes for a 2017 second-round pick and Danny Kristo (Feb. 23, 2017)
That second Cup was a result of goaltending and timely goal-scoring, but someone needed to play top-pair minutes. Hainsey turned out to be that guy. To worry about what the pick turned into (uhh, Morgan Geekie was available) would be to miss the point. Flags fly forever.
Grade: A

Penguins acquire Frank Corrado from Maple Leafs for Eric Fehr, Steven Oleksy and a 2017 fourth-round pick (March 1, 2017)
The Penguins no longer had much use for Fehr, who was making $2 million, so they threw in a pick to clear his contract and got a semi-interesting player, in Corrado, who never amounted to much. A perfectly functional move.
Grade: B-
Penguins acquire Mark Streit from Lightning for a 2018 fourth-round pick (March 1, 2017)
Streit was a once-great player at the end of the line who was a perfectly fine break-in-case-of-emergency option at a fungible cost. Bonus points for laundering him through Tampa Bay, who’d just acquired him from the Flyers.
Grade: B+
Penguins send a 2020 second-round pick to Vegas for expansion draft considerations (June 21, 2017)
This move was to ensure that the Golden Knights would take Marc-Andre Fleury in the expansion draft. It’s easy to say that one didn’t work out for Rutherford, since the Matt Murray era has not gone according to plan. But the draft format and the salary cap didn’t leave him any other choice. A bad move that he had to make.
Grade: D
Penguins acquire Ryan Reaves and a 2017 second-round pick from Blues for Oskar Sundqvist and a 2017 first-round pick (June 23, 2017)
The shame of this trade wasn’t so much in the details but rather in Mike Sullivan’s refusal to use Reaves. That said, the Penguins still gave up far too much.
Grade: D



Season 4 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018)
Penguins acquire Andrey Pedan and a 2018 fourth-round pick from Canucks for Derrick Pouliot (Oct. 3, 2017)
This was as good as Rutherford was going to do for Pouliot, who was among the biggest mistakes of the Ray Shero regime. A colossal bust, Pouliot is a minus-35 in 202 NHL games and has scored only eight goals.
Grade: C
Penguins acquire Riley Sheahan and a 2018 fifth-round pick from Red Wings for Scott Wilson and a 2018 third-round pick (Oct. 21, 2017)
Wilson was nothing special, but he was still built for the postseason more than Sheahan. Third-round picks come in handy, too.
Grade: C-
Penguins acquire Jamie Oleksiak from Stars for a 2018 fourth-round pick (Dec. 19, 2017)
Oleksiak is a solid NHL defenseman. Nothing special, but he’s fine. This was very good value.
Grade: B
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Penguins acquire Michael Leighton and a 2019 fourth-round pick from Coyotes for Josh Archibald, Sean Maquire and a 2019 sixth-round pick (Dec. 19, 2017)
Bad trade. It was partially executed to open cap space for Oleksiak, but the Penguins could use Archibald. Fast, young and capable, he has scored 12 goals as a fourth-liner in each of the past two seasons.
Grade: D
Penguins acquire Derick Brassard, Vincent Dunn and a 2018 third-round pick from Senators for Ian Cole, Filip Gustavsson, a 2018 first-round pick and a 2019 third-round pick (Feb. 23, 2018)
This trade was the beginning of the end for the Penguins’ mini-dynasty. Brassard was a fraud; Cole should still be in Pittsburgh, and Gustavsson was a very good prospect. A damaging trade.
Grade: F
Penguins acquire Tobias Lindberg from Golden Knights for Ryan Reaves and a 2018 fourth-round pick (Feb. 23, 2018)
This trade had to be executed for the Brassard trade to go through because of the salary cap. It was just a bad day for the franchise. Reaves was brought in to protect the stars. And he could play, too. He was given away for nothing.
Grade: F
Penguins acquire Greg McKegg from Hurricanes for Josh Jooris (Feb. 26, 2018)
Not a relevant move in either franchise’s history.
Grade: C
Penguins acquire a fourth-round pick from Sabres for Conor Sheary and Matt Hunwick (June 27, 2018)
This was a good trade because it cleared cap space. This isn’t an article grading free agent signings, but rather, trades. This one got the job done because Sheary was overpaid and Hunwick was a poor signing.
Grade: B
________________________________________
GMJR trades by season
SEASON
TRADES

2014-15 7
2015-16 8
2016-17 6
2017-18 8
2018-19 11
2019-20 10
Season 5 (July 1, 2018-June 30, 2019)
Penguins acquire Tanner Pearson from Kings for Carl Hagelin (Nov. 14, 2018)
Overreacting to an early-season funk is a bad way to enter trade talks. At his worst, and despite being in the final season of his contract, Hagelin was a superior fit for Penguins than was Pearson.
Grade: F
Penguins acquire Marcus Pettersson from Ducks for Daniel Sprong (Dec. 3, 2018)
Seeing as so many end up traded, the draft picks the Penguins have kept under Rutherford tend to be overvalued. Including by other organizations, which helps explain how Rutherford transformed a skilled-but-flawed forward into a defenseman ready to become a top-four staple.
Grade: A
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Penguins acquire Macoy Erkamps and Ben Sexton from Senators for Tobias Lindberg and Stefan Elliott (Dec. 5, 2018)
A deal as forgettable as the Penguins’ “X Generation” campaign. Wait, that’s not fair; “X Generation” had its moments.
Grade: C
Penguins acquire Joseph Blandisi from Ducks for Derek Grant (Jan. 17, 2019)
The cap, and the Penguins’ proximity to it, often make necessary trades that otherwise wouldn’t need to happen. But there are also times when it’s seemed Rutherford has made a deal because he was bored. This was one of those times.
Grade: C
Penguins acquire 2019 fourth-round pick from Stars for Jamie Oleksiak (Jan. 28, 2019)
Thus ended one of the stranger stints for a player with the Penguins. Though, this move was needed to set up something bigger.
Grade: B
Penguins acquire Jared McCann and Nick Bjugstad from Panthers for Derick Brassard, Riley Shehan, a 2014 fourth-round pick and 2019 second- and fourth-round picks (Feb. 1, 2019)
Rutherford gave up so much for Brassard. To surrender a lot to rid the Penguins of Brassard was a tough pill to swallow. McCann potentially not panning out in Pittsburgh — a possibility that must be considered after his finish to this past season — changed this grade from what it would have been a year ago.
Grade: D
Penguins acquire Blake Siebenaler from Blue Jackets for a conditional 2019 seventh-round pick (Feb. 11, 2019)
Sure, why not? Wait … what now?
Grade: C
Penguins acquire Chris Wideman from Panthers for Chris Jean-Sebastien Dea (Feb. 25, 2019)
GMs run organizations, not just NHL teams. This trade improved the Penguins’ organizational depth. That counts.
Grade: C+
Penguins acquire Erik Gudbranson from Canucks for Tanner Pearson (Feb. 25, 2019)
It’s raining. There’s a hole. You’re in it up to your chest. Stop digging.
Grade: D
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Penguins acquire Dominik Kahun and a 2019 fifth-round pick from Blackhawks for Olli Maatta (June 15, 2019)
Full disclosure: this grade is for the return Rutherford landed for a championship-tested warrior that had value despite his injury history — not for what became of that return. Still don’t understand the jettisoning of Kahun this past season.
Grade: B
Penguins acquire Alex Galchenyuk, Pierre-Olivier Joseph from Coyotes for Phil Kessel, Dane Birks and a 2021 fourth-round pick (June 29, 2019)
Kessel had all the power regarding his parting with the Penguins. Joseph became a top prospect straight away. Galchenyuk eventually begat Jason Zucker, whom Rutherford wanted for Kessel all along.
Grade: A-
________________________________________
GMJR trades by assets
CATEGORY
IN
OUT

Forwards 36 37
Defensemen 21 17
Goalies 1 3
Draft picks 15 28
Season 6 (July 1, 2019-current)
Penguins acquire John Marino from Oilers for a 2021 conditional sixth-round pick (July 26, 2019)
To make this move a success, all Marino would’ve had to do was show up. He’s done more than that. Much, much more.
Grade: A+
Penguins acquire Andreas Martinson and a 2021 seventh-round pick from Ducks for Erik Gudbranson (Oct. 25, 2019)
This is a solid example of finding a way to cut bait on a bad contract. How did Gudbranson show up in the first place? Hey, look over there!
Grade: C
Penguins acquire Graham Knott from Blackhawks for Joseph Cramarossa (Nov. 20, 2019)
Knott was a 2015 second-round pick, so taking a flyer on him in exchange from Cramarossa, a pure AHL player, was fine. It didn’t work out (Knott had zero points in 11 WB/S games) but the logic was sound.
Grade: C+
Penguins acquire Kevin Roy from Panthers for Ryan Haggerty (Dec. 17, 2019)
Roy is a UFA who had 10 AHL goals after the trade. A marginally more useful organizational forward than Haggerty.
Grade: C+
Penguins acquire John Nyberg from Stars for Oula Palve (Jan. 17, 2020)
Both of these guys signed contracts in Sweden. There’s no point in trying to formulate an opinion here.
Grade: C
- MattStrat

You can't possibly criticise trades that are pre back2back cups

I'm seeking to find out which trades apparently HANDCUFFED the team, so much so that we are in the predicament we are in now and the end of the Crosby/Malkin era was wasted

Anyone else shocked by how much they couldn’t care about bunting?

Yep, A 3.5 million dollar contract completely handcuffed the team, closed the window. No team can overcome 3 million in wasted cap

Says more about the team and the coach than it does the player and the GM

(EDIT - Currently pulling down a regular shift on a Cup Winner/Top Contender)
- RoloTahmasee

What closed the window was the shift in roster building. The team had a blueprint laid out with the 15-16 team, looked at it and said "let's do the exact opposite." And that has even continued through Hextall and current management. They won that cup with a team that had 4 lines that could threaten to score at any moment. This season they went into the season trying to build a bottom 6 that could play defense, with no offensive pulse.

GMJR tried to get tougher/harder to play.
Hextall was brought in to burn it out, and made fringe NHL trades.
Dubas first offseason was a disaster of a roster building exercise outside of EK/Eller.

GMJR didn't single handedly close the window, but the roster construction since losing to WSH year after year as certainly attributed to it.

People on Twitter are saying that it might be hard to move Eller/Smith because they have term.

I don’t get it. I thought the return for rentals are low because they are just a rental and people with term are also low because they have term? Everyone is on damage control for our inability to get back assets.
- Brownsoldier

Contenders don't want to commit to multiple years when pressed near the cap.

Ruh to the rangers for a 4th in 2027

aaand Goodbye Chad Ruh for a 2027 4th round pick, really?? Did I f'n read that right

What closed the window was the shift in roster building. The team had a blueprint laid out with the 15-16 team, looked at it and said "let's do the exact opposite." And that has even continued through Hextall and current management. They won that cup with a team that had 4 lines that could threaten to score at any moment. This season they went into the season trying to build a bottom 6 that could play defense, with no offensive pulse.

GMJR tried to get tougher/harder to play.
Hextall was brought in to burn it out, and made fringe NHL trades.
Dubas first offseason was a disaster of a roster building exercise outside of EK/Eller.

GMJR didn't single handedly close the window, but the roster construction since losing to WSH year after year as certainly attributed to it.
- j.boyd919

I'll give you the Reeves acquisition as a bad move from a construction standpoint, but again, GMJR saw the mistake and moved him out. He cost us Klim Kostin and perrenial 4th liner Oskar Sundqvist

The other trades don't suggest we were trading speed/skill for toughness

And Sully never embraced young speedy players anyways post 2017

It's also impossible to criticise Free Agent signings when "We could have had player X instead of player Y"

It's pretty widely noted that Pit isn't a destination for high potential Free Agents looking to build value on a cheap deal

Ruh to the rangers for a 4th
- Thorny87

A 2027 4th round pick might I add lol

Thats about it?

Here's all 50 trades graded by the Athletic....and this is of no mention of bad signings...as you can see he started off the first few seasons great and then fizzled in the last few....

With Rutherford at 50 trades in Pittsburgh, The Athletic has endeavored to evaluate each of his deals and assign it a grade.
________________________________________


Season 1 (June 6, 2014-July 30, 2015)
Penguins acquire Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling from Predators for James Neal (June 27, 2014)
One of the most important deals in franchise history and a trade that was positive for both teams. The Penguins needed substance in the worst way and, in Hornqvist, they received one of the most substantive players in franchise history.
Grade: A+
Penguins acquire Rob Klinkhammer and a 2016 fifth-round pick from Coyotes for Philip Samuelsson (Dec. 5, 2014)
The son of Ulf just wasn’t an NHL player. Neither was Klinkhammer, but at least the Penguins got a draft pick out of an inconsequential move.
Grade: B
Penguins acquire David Perron from Oilers for Rob Klinkhammer and a 2015 first-round pick (Jan. 2, 2015)
On paper, the trade made sense. It didn’t pan out for the Penguins, but at least they were later able to flip Perron for a player who would become crucial in their Stanley Cup run.
Grade: C

Penguins acquire Maxim Lapierre from Blues for Marcel Goc (Jan. 27, 2015)
This was not a good trade. For either team. Not much to say about this one, but it didn’t really disrupt anything.
Grade: C
Penguins acquire Daniel Winnik from Maple Leafs for Zach Sill, a 2015 fourth-round pick and a 2016 second-round pick (Feb. 26, 2015)
Now that’s a bad trade. Losing Sill wasn’t a problem, but giving up two draft picks — especially that second-rounder — for Winnik was a huge mistake. Never fit in with the Penguins and wasn’t well-liked in the locker room.
Grade: F
Penguins acquire Ben Lovejoy from Ducks for Simon Despres (March 2, 2015)
At the time, Rutherford was torched for this move. But it was a really good one. Lovejoy helped the Penguins win the Stanley Cup with excellent work in 2016, while Despres never amounted into much at the NHL level.
Grade: A-
Penguins acquire Ian Cole from Blues for Robert Bortuzzo and a 2015 seventh-round pick (March 2, 2015)
Great trade for both teams, though Cole is a better player than Bortuzzo. Cole played a big role in helping the Penguins win the Stanley Cup twice, while Bortuzzo’s style meshed well with the Blues.
Grade: A
________________________________________
GMJR trade grades
GRADE
NUMBER

A 13
B 8
C 17
D 7
F 5
Season 2 (July 1, 2015-June 30, 2016)
Penguins acquire Phil Kessel, Tim Erixon, Tyler Biggs and a conditional 2016 second-round pick from Maple Leafs for Kasperi Kapanen, Scott Harrington, Nick Spaling, a conditional 2016 first-round pick and a 2016 third-round pick (July 1, 2015)
Phil Kessel is a Stanley Cup champion. Twice. He was the Penguins’ most consistent forward for the 2016 Cup club and ranks with Paul Coffey, Ron Francis and Rick Tocchet as the most impactful players ever traded for by a Pittsburgh GM.
Grade: A+
Penguins acquire Nick Bonino, Adam Clendening and a 2016 second-round pick from Canucks for Brandon Sutter and a conditional 2016 third-round pick (July 28, 2015)
Bonino became a cult hero for his 2016 postseason heroics. He did the impossible: render Jordan Staal forgettable and himself irreplaceable.
Grade: A

Penguins acquire Trevor Daley from Blackhawks for Rob Scuderi (Dec. 14, 2015)
The best Christmas gifts are ones that keep giving. Daley became an unexpected rock for the Penguins’ much-maligned and often-injured defense corps over a couple of Cup runs.
Grade: A
Penguins acquire Carl Hagelin from Ducks for David Peron and Adam Clendening (Jan. 16, 2016)
Couldn’t have the HBK Line without Hagelin. His speed, tenacity and defensive awareness were invaluable to the back-to-back Cup clubs. Also, his flow gave Kris Letang’s hair a run for its money.
Grade: A
Penguins acquire Justin Schultz from Oilers for a 2016 third-round pick (Feb. 27, 2016)
The last of seven consecutive stellar trades that turned Rutherford into a Hockey Hall of Fame builder. Schultz was an afterthought who turned into a staple and was at his best when Penguins won nine consecutive playoff series.
Grade: A+
Penguins acquire James Melindy, Dan O’Donoghue and Dustin Jeffrey from Coyotes for Matia Marcantuoni (Feb. 29, 2016)
Meh. They’re not all going to be big hits. This one neither helped nor harmed.
Grade: C
Penguins acquire Matthias Plachta and a conditional 2017 seventh-round pick from Coyotes for Sergei Plotnikov (Feb. 29, 2016)
Remember Gary Cherone fronting Van Halen for three years? This was one of those “oh yeah, that happened” trades.
Grade: C
Penguins acquire a 2016 third-round pick from Devils for Beau Bennett (June 25, 2016)
Swapping a veteran player whose promise had been betrayed by injuries for a prospect whose promise would be betrayed by injuries was, well, fitting.
Grade: D
________________________________________
GMJR trades by draft picks
CATEGORY
IN
OUT

1st round 0 6
2nd round 3 4
3rd round 3 6
4th round 4 8
5th round 4 0
6th round 0 2
7th round 2 2

Season 3 (July 1, 2016-June 30, 2017)
Penguins acquire a 2017 fifth-round pick from Senators for Mike Condon (Nov. 2, 2016)
It feels like Condon was around for longer than one appearance, but that was all the Penguins needed from him. He was a waiver-wire pickup and injury fill-in that Rutherford turned into Jan Drozg, a maybe-someday-AHL call-up. Not bad.
Grade: B
Penguins acquire Ron Hainsey from Hurricanes for a 2017 second-round pick and Danny Kristo (Feb. 23, 2017)
That second Cup was a result of goaltending and timely goal-scoring, but someone needed to play top-pair minutes. Hainsey turned out to be that guy. To worry about what the pick turned into (uhh, Morgan Geekie was available) would be to miss the point. Flags fly forever.
Grade: A

Penguins acquire Frank Corrado from Maple Leafs for Eric Fehr, Steven Oleksy and a 2017 fourth-round pick (March 1, 2017)
The Penguins no longer had much use for Fehr, who was making $2 million, so they threw in a pick to clear his contract and got a semi-interesting player, in Corrado, who never amounted to much. A perfectly functional move.
Grade: B-
Penguins acquire Mark Streit from Lightning for a 2018 fourth-round pick (March 1, 2017)
Streit was a once-great player at the end of the line who was a perfectly fine break-in-case-of-emergency option at a fungible cost. Bonus points for laundering him through Tampa Bay, who’d just acquired him from the Flyers.
Grade: B+
Penguins send a 2020 second-round pick to Vegas for expansion draft considerations (June 21, 2017)
This move was to ensure that the Golden Knights would take Marc-Andre Fleury in the expansion draft. It’s easy to say that one didn’t work out for Rutherford, since the Matt Murray era has not gone according to plan. But the draft format and the salary cap didn’t leave him any other choice. A bad move that he had to make.
Grade: D
Penguins acquire Ryan Reaves and a 2017 second-round pick from Blues for Oskar Sundqvist and a 2017 first-round pick (June 23, 2017)
The shame of this trade wasn’t so much in the details but rather in Mike Sullivan’s refusal to use Reaves. That said, the Penguins still gave up far too much.
Grade: D

Season 4 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018)
Penguins acquire Andrey Pedan and a 2018 fourth-round pick from Canucks for Derrick Pouliot (Oct. 3, 2017)
This was as good as Rutherford was going to do for Pouliot, who was among the biggest mistakes of the Ray Shero regime. A colossal bust, Pouliot is a minus-35 in 202 NHL games and has scored only eight goals.
Grade: C
Penguins acquire Riley Sheahan and a 2018 fifth-round pick from Red Wings for Scott Wilson and a 2018 third-round pick (Oct. 21, 2017)
Wilson was nothing special, but he was still built for the postseason more than Sheahan. Third-round picks come in handy, too.
Grade: C-
Penguins acquire Jamie Oleksiak from Stars for a 2018 fourth-round pick (Dec. 19, 2017)
Oleksiak is a solid NHL defenseman. Nothing special, but he’s fine. This was very good value.
Grade: B

Penguins acquire Michael Leighton and a 2019 fourth-round pick from Coyotes for Josh Archibald, Sean Maquire and a 2019 sixth-round pick (Dec. 19, 2017)
Bad trade. It was partially executed to open cap space for Oleksiak, but the Penguins could use Archibald. Fast, young and capable, he has scored 12 goals as a fourth-liner in each of the past two seasons.
Grade: D
Penguins acquire Derick Brassard, Vincent Dunn and a 2018 third-round pick from Senators for Ian Cole, Filip Gustavsson, a 2018 first-round pick and a 2019 third-round pick (Feb. 23, 2018)
This trade was the beginning of the end for the Penguins’ mini-dynasty. Brassard was a fraud; Cole should still be in Pittsburgh, and Gustavsson was a very good prospect. A damaging trade.
Grade: F
Penguins acquire Tobias Lindberg from Golden Knights for Ryan Reaves and a 2018 fourth-round pick (Feb. 23, 2018)
This trade had to be executed for the Brassard trade to go through because of the salary cap. It was just a bad day for the franchise. Reaves was brought in to protect the stars. And he could play, too. He was given away for nothing.
Grade: F
Penguins acquire Greg McKegg from Hurricanes for Josh Jooris (Feb. 26, 2018)
Not a relevant move in either franchise’s history.
Grade: C
Penguins acquire a fourth-round pick from Sabres for Conor Sheary and Matt Hunwick (June 27, 2018)
This was a good trade because it cleared cap space. This isn’t an article grading free agent signings, but rather, trades. This one got the job done because Sheary was overpaid and Hunwick was a poor signing.
Grade: B
________________________________________
GMJR trades by season
SEASON
TRADES

2014-15 7
2015-16 8
2016-17 6
2017-18 8
2018-19 11
2019-20 10

Season 5 (July 1, 2018-June 30, 2019)
Penguins acquire Tanner Pearson from Kings for Carl Hagelin (Nov. 14, 2018)
Overreacting to an early-season funk is a bad way to enter trade talks. At his worst, and despite being in the final season of his contract, Hagelin was a superior fit for Penguins than was Pearson.
Grade: F
Penguins acquire Marcus Pettersson from Ducks for Daniel Sprong (Dec. 3, 2018)
Seeing as so many end up traded, the draft picks the Penguins have kept under Rutherford tend to be overvalued. Including by other organizations, which helps explain how Rutherford transformed a skilled-but-flawed forward into a defenseman ready to become a top-four staple.
Grade: A
Penguins acquire Macoy Erkamps and Ben Sexton from Senators for Tobias Lindberg and Stefan Elliott (Dec. 5, 2018)
A deal as forgettable as the Penguins’ “X Generation” campaign. Wait, that’s not fair; “X Generation” had its moments.
Grade: C
Penguins acquire Joseph Blandisi from Ducks for Derek Grant (Jan. 17, 2019)
The cap, and the Penguins’ proximity to it, often make necessary trades that otherwise wouldn’t need to happen. But there are also times when it’s seemed Rutherford has made a deal because he was bored. This was one of those times.
Grade: C
Penguins acquire 2019 fourth-round pick from Stars for Jamie Oleksiak (Jan. 28, 2019)
Thus ended one of the stranger stints for a player with the Penguins. Though, this move was needed to set up something bigger.
Grade: B
Penguins acquire Jared McCann and Nick Bjugstad from Panthers for Derick Brassard, Riley Shehan, a 2014 fourth-round pick and 2019 second- and fourth-round picks (Feb. 1, 2019)
Rutherford gave up so much for Brassard. To surrender a lot to rid the Penguins of Brassard was a tough pill to swallow. McCann potentially not panning out in Pittsburgh — a possibility that must be considered after his finish to this past season — changed this grade from what it would have been a year ago.
Grade: D
Penguins acquire Blake Siebenaler from Blue Jackets for a conditional 2019 seventh-round pick (Feb. 11, 2019)
Sure, why not? Wait … what now?
Grade: C
Penguins acquire Chris Wideman from Panthers for Chris Jean-Sebastien Dea (Feb. 25, 2019)
GMs run organizations, not just NHL teams. This trade improved the Penguins’ organizational depth. That counts.
Grade: C+
Penguins acquire Erik Gudbranson from Canucks for Tanner Pearson (Feb. 25, 2019)
It’s raining. There’s a hole. You’re in it up to your chest. Stop digging.
Grade: D

Penguins acquire Dominik Kahun and a 2019 fifth-round pick from Blackhawks for Olli Maatta (June 15, 2019)
Full disclosure: this grade is for the return Rutherford landed for a championship-tested warrior that had value despite his injury history — not for what became of that return. Still don’t understand the jettisoning of Kahun this past season.
Grade: B
Penguins acquire Alex Galchenyuk, Pierre-Olivier Joseph from Coyotes for Phil Kessel, Dane Birks and a 2021 fourth-round pick (June 29, 2019)
Kessel had all the power regarding his parting with the Penguins. Joseph became a top prospect straight away. Galchenyuk eventually begat Jason Zucker, whom Rutherford wanted for Kessel all along.
Grade: A-
________________________________________
GMJR trades by assets
CATEGORY
IN
OUT

Forwards 36 37
Defensemen 21 17
Goalies 1 3
Draft picks 15 28

Season 6 (July 1, 2019-current)
Penguins acquire John Marino from Oilers for a 2021 conditional sixth-round pick (July 26, 2019)
To make this move a success, all Marino would’ve had to do was show up. He’s done more than that. Much, much more.
Grade: A+
Penguins acquire Andreas Martinson and a 2021 seventh-round pick from Ducks for Erik Gudbranson (Oct. 25, 2019)
This is a solid example of finding a way to cut bait on a bad contract. How did Gudbranson show up in the first place? Hey, look over there!
Grade: C
Penguins acquire Graham Knott from Blackhawks for Joseph Cramarossa (Nov. 20, 2019)
Knott was a 2015 second-round pick, so taking a flyer on him in exchange from Cramarossa, a pure AHL player, was fine. It didn’t work out (Knott had zero points in 11 WB/S games) but the logic was sound.
Grade: C+
Penguins acquire Kevin Roy from Panthers for Ryan Haggerty (Dec. 17, 2019)
Roy is a UFA who had 10 AHL goals after the trade. A marginally more useful organizational forward than Haggerty.
Grade: C+
Penguins acquire John Nyberg from Stars for Oula Palve (Jan. 17, 2020)
Both of these guys signed contracts in Sweden. There’s no point in trying to formulate an opinion here.
Grade: C
- MattStrat

I ain’t reading all that, but I’m happy for you… or sorry it happened.

A 2027 4th round pick might I add lol
- j.boyd919

Just saw lol

I ain’t reading all that, but I’m happy for you… or sorry it happened.
- Victoro311

Ruh to the rangers for a 4th in 2027
- Thorny87

Honestly not bad

A 2027 4th round pick might I add lol
- j.boyd919

I just re-read that after I posted it. an asset for a pick that may or may not see the ice for 7 years wow.

To much term to be retaining IMO
- MattStrat

Very possible, it depends on how bad the coaching staff wants rid of him. Yes, the coaching staff. They have to tell Dubas we just aren't going to play him. Then Dubas either trades him or buries him in WBS. Burying him in WBS saves $1M or so in cap space. I can see that happening. Again, this is on the coaching staff at the moment.

Graves absolutely quit on this team and Sullivan in particular.

He won't be that hard to move over the summer. We will in all probability have to retain salary. He does have some value at $2.25M as a third pair with experience.
- Thunderbolt

We aren't retaining on a guy with 5 years left on his contract that our GM just signed.

Contenders don't want to commit to multiple years when pressed near the cap.
- j.boyd919

Evgeny Kuz.has a year left at 3.7ish that seemed be just fine. But 2.5 for Eller is insane?

I just re-read that after I posted it. an asset for a pick that may or may not see the ice for 7 years wow.
- Reverend Killtaker

Perfect timing for when we get our next set of generational talents lol

Ruh to the rangers for a 4th in 2027
- Thorny87

Sullivan went with him..

I'll give you the Reeves acquisition as a bad move from a construction standpoint, but again, GMJR saw the mistake and moved him out. He cost us Klim Kostin and perrenial 4th liner Oskar Sundqvist

The other trades don't suggest we were trading speed/skill for toughness

And Sully never embraced young speedy players anyways post 2017

It's also impossible to criticise Free Agent signings when "We could have had player X instead of player Y"

It's pretty widely noted that Pit isn't a destination for high potential Free Agents looking to build value on a cheap deal
- RoloTahmasee

Not speaking about JUST GMJR, but I think he started it.

Less about players acquired, and more about overall roster construction.

Oleksiak, Jack Johsnon, Ryan Reaves, Scevier, Petry, there were definitely moves that shifted the landscape of the roster construction.

I don't absolve Sully from the issues either. He seemed to shift his desired players as well.

Perfect timing for when we get our next set of generational talents lol
- 668710

I mean, the fact that its surprisingly not a conditional 2027 pick is a win for Dubas I guess.