Pittsburgh Penguins Trade Grades: Assessing Each Transaction in 2014-15

By Mike Necciai |

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Jan 27, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins left wing David Perron (39) and right wing Patric Hornqvist (right) celebrate a goal by center Brandon Sutter (16) against the Winnipeg Jets during the third period at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Penguins won 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Jim Rutherford was clear and concise last fall when he said that the Pittsburgh Penguins taking the ice on opening night would not be the team we see in the playoffs. Changes would be made, and the team would be adjusted to fill needs throughout the season. You have to give him credit, he was true to his word.

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Not only did the Pens see a ton of changes last summer, it seemed like Rutherford was bringing in a new face monthly in the second half of the season. While his moves weren’t all blockbusters like we’ve seen in the past with Ray Shero, he certainly changed the faces of this franchise throughout his first year as General Manager.

The real question, though, is how effective was he with his acquisitions? He traded away multiple draft picks, two of which were included in a deal for Daniel Winnik who may be a rental if the Pittsburgh Penguins don’t re-sign him. Of course, he also traded away Simon Despres for Ben Lovejoy of the Anaheim Ducks.

Let’s visit each deal in more depth.

Grade: B

Jim Rutherford started his Pittsburgh Penguins tenure with a bang by trading away former 40-goal scorer James Neal. While changes were expected, trading Neal came as a shock to a lot of Pens fans.

There was a lot of doubt in the infancy of this swap. For a team that struggled to find offense outside of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, why trade away your most prolific scorer? Neal is arguably one of the better snipers in the league when put in the right situation, which he proved playing alongside Geno.

That was until we got a glimpse of what Patric Horqvist would bring to this team. The doubters quickly changed their tune, myself included, and many look at Hornqvist as a pivotal piece of this roster at this point.

I graded this trade a B due to Nick Spaling being included. Mainly because of the $2.2 million he fetched as a restricted free agent. He added forward depth and played well defensively, but he isn’t a $2.2 million player. I personally would have preferred a draft pick.

Grade: D

Rob Klinkhammer was a very underwhelming acquisition for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Yes, he played pretty solid defensively. He even chipped in a couple points. But, I can’t understand why Rutherford saw this as a necessary move when the Pens have players in the AHL that could fill a depth role just as well as Klinkhammer.

Also, the conditional pick that was included was dependent on whether Samuelsson played at least 40 games with the Coyotes. He ended up playing in 4.

I understand that Klinkhammer was packaged with a first-round pick for David Perron, so he was useful in some aspect. But, I have a hard time believing that Klinkhammer was a staple in that deal. It likely happens whether he’s involved or not.

In this case, Rutherford essentially gave the Coyotes a decent young defensive prospect.

Grade: A

Despite his lackluster performance down the stretch, David Perron is an outstanding player. He’s a rare talent that will prove to fit perfectly with either Crosby or Malkin.

There’s a lot of concern over the fact that Rutherford traded another first-round pick in this deal, which the Pens have done all too often. But, Perron isn’t a rental. And, a former co-writer that I worked with put it best when he said that Perron is basically what the Oilers hope this first-round pick turns into.

It’s very possible that in this crazy turn of events Rutherford may have replaced Neal with another very capable scorer, and still has Hornqvist to pair him with. I imagine a line consisting of Perron, Crosby, and Hornqvist will be quite impressive long-term. He can also flank Evgeni Malkin and be very successful.

Perron, like Neal before him, will get better with time and experience on this team.

Grade: Incomplete

This deal isn’t really worth spending a lot of time on. Marcel Goc was a ghost offensively but boasted solid possession numbers and face-off ability. Maxim Lapierre was invisible on the scoresheet as well, but didn’t provide the sound defensive game that Goc did.

However, Lapierre played well in the playoffs, so there’s something to be said about that. He didn’t score, but he ensured the New York Rangers knew when he was on the ice and he killed penalties better than any other Penguin in that series.

There’s little need to analyze this any further. I’ll stick with an incomplete as this trade was pretty much a wash in terms of talent and production.

Grade: C-

It was clear that Daniel Winnik was a major focal point for the Pittsburgh Penguins as they neared the trade deadline. And, I was fairly happy with what Winnik offered throughout the remainder of the regular season. He was exactly what I expected in a sound defensive forward.

Winnik fell victim to the same thing as many other Penguins and he was launched into roles that he isn’t suited for. Injuries forced him into the top-six and he simply couldn’t hang with the high-end talent up top. He isn’t built to play alongside Sidney Crosby.

While I’m not as disappointed in Winnik as most Pens fans, I will admit that he had a horrid playoff series. But, the reason I only graded this a C- is due to once again mortgaging the future for what is likely a rental. I like Daniel Winnik. Though, I’d like him a lot more if he didn’t cost us two draft picks, one of which being a second-round selection next summer.

Grade: F-

F- is a thing, right? In this case, it should be.

I did my best to buy-in when Jim Rutherford spoke highly of Ben Lovejoy after this acquisition. Statements such as, “he’s a completely different player than his last run with Pittsburgh”, and “we’re adding experience for a long playoff run” were spewed from members of the organization and media alike.

But, what it boils down to is that Simon Despres played important minutes on a team that lost in game seven of the Western Conference Final. Not only did he play important minutes, but he played very well.

Lovejoy, on the other hand, looked lost in the playoffs having to play more significant minutes. Where was the benefit of “experience”?

I’m not one of the folks that claim Simon Despres is a game changer and would have boosted the Pittsburgh Penguins through the first round. I simply believe that we gave up a very good, young defenseman in exchange for a bottom-pairing, average defenseman on the downside of his career.

This isn’t all on Rutherford either. The pro scouts for the Pittsburgh Penguins deserve some accountability here. This could go down as one of the five worst trades in Pens history. Ok, maybe that’s a little harsh. Or, maybe not?

Grade: A+

Acquiring Ian Cole at the trade deadline in exchange for Robert Bortuzzo seems like highway robbery. I understand that Bortuzzo fits St. Louis’ physical style better than Cole, but there’s simply no comparison in skill.

Cole has been impressive. He had some bumps in the road and hasn’t been perfect, but who is? I love his willingness to fire the puck as he has a great shot, he’s a very good skater, and he’s a fairly large body. In a way, he’s a good replacement for Simon Despres.

Of course, “almost” is a big part of that tweet, but it’s true. Cole has been that good for this team and I’m looking forward to seeing him in an increased role next season. It’s very possible that if the defensive corps stands pat, he’ll be part of the top-4. Considering the following quote from Mike Johnston in Josh Yohe’s Friday Insider at DKonPittsburghSports.Com. The Pens are excited too.

“Man,” Johnston said. “This guy Ian Cole, he’s a good player. I didn’t realize we were getting that good of a player.”

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