The other day Josh Yohe of The Athletic got some quotes from Jim Rutherford about the trade deadline.
Spoke with GMJR today. He wants a forward and spoke openly about what he’s willing to give up and how serious he is about winning this season. Read about it here: https://t.co/ycJpoi2klJ
— Josh Yohe (@JoshYohe_PGH) January 27, 2020
Nothing ground breaking, but it confirms what many have thought. He is looking for a winger and not so much a defenseman. He is open to a rental because they are trying to win now
“I’m open to all options,… he said. “I’m OK with a rental if that’s what’s there. Sometimes it’s actually better if a guy is an unrestricted free agent at summer. My main thing is finding a player who is the proper fit. I don’t care as much about how many years we’ll have him for. Sure, you consider that. But I want to win right now, this season. The goal is to win now. We have identified guys out there who we think can help us.…
One of those players is Jason Zucker of the Minnesota Wild. This rumor isn’t going to die, folks. What does a trade look like for him? Craig Custance of The Athletic had an interesting article called “who says no…. The concept is to take trade suggestions and ask NHL executives their thoughts about them and which team would say no. The Penguins and Zucker made the list
Okay, I'm a sucker for 'Who Says No' trade ideas.
— Craig Custance (@CraigCustance) January 23, 2020
So I want to do a variation of a mailbag and get about ten trade deadline 'Who Says No' deals from you guys and then present them to execs to see what they say. Reply here if you have a good one. ðŸ‘
Minnesota sends Jason Zucker to Pittsburgh for Nick Bjugstad, a 2020 first-round pick and Casey DeSmith – @Jordan16Falkner It almost seems like an inevitability that Zucker ends up in Pittsburgh, doesn’t it? You know GM Jim Rutherford likes him. He makes a ton of sense for the Penguins. If I’m Bill Guerin, I’m less interested in Bjugstad and more in another young asset to restock the system in Minnesota. Exec: “Minnesota says no. If they want to trade Zucker, they can get a first for him without eating Bjugstad’s cap hit.…
The Penguins shouldn’t have any reservations about giving up a first round pick for Zucker who is under contract for a few more years at 5.5M. I wouldn’t blame Bill Guerin for not wanting Bjugstad and his 4.1M cap hit next year. He isn’t going to move the needle for the team to be competitive. The Penguins have a ton of cap space right now because of the Gudbranson trade and the LTIR from Jake Guentzel. They don’t have to shed Bjugstad to get a Zucker deal done.
Bjugstad can be moved somewhere else for a draft pick. There has to be a taker somewhere in the league. The question is what young asset will Guerin want? He certainly knows the ones Rutherford favors and the ones the Penguins think are tracking well. I know people are gaga over Nathan Legare and Sam Poulin and the latter is currently on a hot streak
Ridiculous.
— Taylor Haase (@TaylorHaasePGH) January 29, 2020
Samuel Poulin has 13 (8 goals, 5 assists) points over his last 3 games for @PhoenixSherbroo.
Here are the highlights: https://t.co/V0ZOWfDeWL
I understand the excitement when people see these numbers. For me I’m always hesitant with the QMJHL. Guys like Jean-Sebastian Dea finished 11th overall in scoring with 85 points in 65 games his 18 year old season. Daniel Sprong had 88 points in 68 games his 18 year old season in the QMJHL. Max Talbot at 18 years old was fifth overall with 104 points in 69 games back in 2002-03. Remember Angelo Esposito? He had 69 points in 56 games.
Poulin is tracking a bit better than Nathan Legare right now. Poulin has 56 points in 34 games. Legare has 49 points in 44 games. They are both in their 18 year old season. When you comb through the history of QMJHL leading scorers you will see some very familiar names. A lot of times it isn’t enough to be a point per game player in their 18 year old season. The more prominent players are closer to two points per game. Poulin obviously coming closer to that than Legare right now. I am not speaking in absolutes, but probability. There are certainly exceptions.
With players like Jason Zucker you have a known commodity and the Penguins should be open to moving a prospect in the right deal. By no means are Poulin and Legare untouchable prospects. If they were they’d already be on the NHL roster in all likelihood.
Jim Rutherford said the goal is to win now. Some prospects might be on their way out and that is OK.
I’ll leave you with one of the funnier entries from Craig’s “who says no… piece
9. San Jose sends Martin Jones to Vegas for a sack of pucks – @pjfoss Maybe if that sack of pucks also includes a horrible contract that balances out Jones’. Exec: “Vegas says no. Maybe San Jose could afford to just go buy some pucks if they hadn’t given Jones all that money.…
Thanks for reading!