Follow me on twitter
The Penguins used to enter into any contest with a dynamic that no other team in the league could match, the best trio of centers in hockey. It might be about that time to revisit that approach and Ryan Kesler could be the guy to make it happen.
Lately there has been trade buzz surrounding the Canucks and Ryan Kesler being dealt. The Canucks are in a weird gray area where they are either going to load up and make one final kick at the can, or start to sell off pieces and start their rebuild a tad early. What they do with Ryan Kesler will most likely be the defining decision the organization makes in regards to the direction of the franchise.
Why would the Penguins be interested?
Because Ryan Kesler is exactly what they lost in Jordan Staal. Jordan Staal wanted to Pittsburgh to go play with his older brother; there was nothing the Penguins could have done about that.
Kesler and Staal are both high level defensive centers. Staal was nominated for a Selke Trophy and Kesler actually won the award in 2011.
Offensively they are both very similar as well.
That right handed shot the Penguins have been missing on the left side of the power play? Kesler has got it covered.
Top PK minutes? Kesler has got it covered.
Mike Colligan of The Hockey Writers has recently penned an excellent piece about the Penguins getting back to the 3 center model of year’s past. Mike is amongst the best in the business covering the Penguins, you can find his article
here .
One of the points addressed was how the Penguins would fit Kesler into their salary structure. Mr. Colligan explains that here:
My best estimate — with Sutter and Brooks Orpik moving out and Matt Niskanen being retained — puts Shero with around $5 million in flexible spending to apply to an upgrade to the forward group next year. $5 million won’t get the Penguins another Crosby, but it still leaves the door open for some pretty significant names at the center ice position
Kesler’s cap hit? Exactly 5M.
Crosby and Malkin are only going to be in their prime once, with the cap rising and the time running out in the next few years it seems right to go back to the formula that brought them their ultimate success.
Crosby, Malkin, and Staal only delivered one Cup, but they also only played 24 out of 164 regular season games (15%) together in 2011 and 2012. In the games where all three made an appearance, the Penguins scored an average of 4.05 goals per night. In other games, they only averaged 2.87 goals.
This would not be a rental situation; Kesler would be under contract for another two years.
Ryan Kesler’s hand injury makes things murky as far as him being moved before the trade deadline this year, but it should be something on Ray Shero’s mind, if not now, then definitely in the offseason.
A side note to mention with any potential Ryan Kesler trade is the fact that he is American. This in no way shape or form affects the on ice product, but the Penguins have been void of a high caliber American forward on the team for quite some time. Kevin Stevens and Joe Mullen come to mind but it has been a while. It’s not a big deal at all, but that would be a nice side perk to the deal.
Any potential trade for Kesler would more than likely involve Brandon Sutter going the other way. Sutter has shown he is very good defensively but he is not able to carry a line in Pittsburgh. The three center approach the Penguins used to employ had 3 guys who could/can carry a line. Quality centermen are hard to find, serviceable wingers are much easier to find.
What else could the Penguins put into a deal? Players like Simon Despres, Derek Pouliot, Beau Bennett, Scott Harrington, Brian Dumoulin and their 1st round pick would be the most likely targets Vancouver would ask about. Other than that the cupboard is pretty bare for the Penguins. Derek Pouliot would be the most attractive piece the Penguins could offer.
Olli Maatta being a sure thing for years to come allows Ray Shero to do what he does best, trade a young defenseman for an impact forward. It would be a classic Ray Shero special.
I believe the Penguins should aggressively pursue obtaining the services of Ryan Kesler. The Penguins never wanted to part with Jordan Staal. They now have the potential of getting exactly what they lost in Staal with Kesler.
The more I think about it the more I love the idea; I hope Ray Shero agrees as well.
What do you think?
Thanks for reading!
Follow me on twitter
Pittsburgh Penguins Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»