After years of dealing away young talent for expensive and often over-hyped rentals, the front office decided to approach this year more conservatively. With limited cap space and attractive assets, Pittsburgh may not have had much of a choice, but it is a good choice nonetheless.
Mortgaging the future for the “win now” mentality has backfired on the Penguins in the past. Trading for Jarome Iginla, Douglas Murray and Brenden Morrow proved to stagnate the building and development of fresh young talent.
Pittsburgh has not had enormous luck with deadline deals as far as a player’s production transitioning from one team to the other. It was refreshing to see no hasty moves made and that no major picks or prospects were lost.
Each trade made was dealt for the purpose of depth and insurance. General manager Jim Rutherford appeared content with the current product featured on ice and made no major splashes leading up to the final moments of the NHL trade deadline.
With that said, lets breakdown each trade and see what it means for the Penguins and their hopes of reaching the playoffs.
Justin Schultz acquired from the Edmonton Oilers for 2016 3rd round draft pick
This move has already had its fair share of love and hate. On one side, Schultz is a young 25-year-old defender who has an impressive shot from the point along with good skate and puck handling skills.
Because of the new fast paced offensive strategy implemented by coach Mike Sullivan, Rutherford has tried add players that best fit in this style of play. The trade for Carl Hagelin, for example, has been a good acquisition that, thus far, has worked out in favor of the Penguins.
Add in the fact that Schultz will be working hands on with Sergei Gonchar, the young defensemen has a good supporting cast to help propel him to the level he was once expected to play at.
Matthias Plactha, 2016 7th round draft pick & 2017 conditional draft acquired from the Arizona Coyotes for Sergei Plotnikov
This trade should come as no surprise with many reports suggesting Pittsburgh was aggressively trying to shop Plotnikov after expressing interest to go back to the KHL. The Penguins, in turn, received a player who will more than likely be an extra body for the Wilkes Barre/Scranton AHL team.
This also comes at a time where Pittsburgh announced Conor Sheary was reassigned to their AHL affiliate. The left-shooting Plachta tallied only 7 points in 46 games while playing for the Springfield Falcons.
However, the young 24-year-old forward has had somewhat more success when playing for his home country Germany, and in other tournaments. This trade will help add more offensive players to a Wilkes Barre/Scranton team who’s offense has all but fallen apart.
Dustin Jeffery acquired from the Arizona Coyotes for Matia Marcantuoni
Jeffery, who was drafted in 2007 by Pittsburgh, was also acquired today in a minor league deal with Arizona. Just as the last, it is expected this move was made in the hopes to re-energize the Baby Penguins and add depth to the NHL team.
Considering so many Wilkes Barre/Scranton players have made their way up to the NHL, Rutherford had a clear priority of beefing up the AHL team and make them more competitive. He led his former AHL team in points with 46, 13 goals, 33 assists. Jeffery was also selected as an AHL All-Star.
Thus far Jeffery has two points in seven games played in the NHL. The 28-year-old center had his best season as a Penguin in the 2010-11 season when he scored seven times and assisted on five others.
Final Word
Due to the lack of bolstering the offensive lines, the Penguins have bet their chips on players like Bryan Rust, Scott Wilson, Tom Kuhnackl, Nick Bonino, and Sheary. Because of the lack of assets to pull of a major trade Rutherford decided to act conservatively.
Initial reactions may be to question the lack of moves performed, but in hindsight, Pittsburgh did no sell any major pros, prospects, or draft picks that could inhibit long-term success.
Although being mentioned in some late talks for big players, the front office was not willing to move major pieces for rental players. This approach puts more confidence in the team already assembled, but also added cheap pieces that can help elsewhere.
