When the 2014-15 season concluded, it was clear that major changes were needed for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Jim Rutherford and staff laid out a plan and set out to do the impossible. In this case, the impossible was adding yet another superstar to the Pens for the next seven years, despite salary cap concerns that have plagued Pittsburgh.
Fast forward a bit and Phil Kessel is a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Most Penguin fans will remember the following tweet and the mixed emotions that accompanied it on July 1, 2015.
Kessel to Pitt in multi player deal. Done
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) July 1, 2015
The reason for mixed emotions? Well, the fear that Pittsburgh gave up too much. The Pens are a team that doesn’t have stocked shelves full of future NHL contributors in their prospect ranks. That section of this organization looks closer to a Walmart toy section in the hours following a Black Friday sale. Chaotic, a bit confusing and basically empty.
The consensus was that the Pittsburgh Penguins, much to the dismay of their fan base, had traded either Derrick Pouliot or Olli Maatta. But, once details of the trade began to trickle through the ranks, it was Kasperi Kapanen that moved on. And, while that fact has been celebrated in Pittsburgh all summer, not because of ill feelings toward Kapanen but rather the shock that Pouliot and Maatta remained, should Pens’ fans really be all that happy with who Rutherford and staff protected?
If I’m Jim Rutherford, I’m looking at the fact that Toronto pushed for Pouliot and thinking, maybe I made the wrong choice? Pouliot trained with Gary Roberts this summer and was reportedly in the best shape of his short NHL career. However, that didn’t show throughout any of the hockey we saw him play. He looked lethargic and uninterested from the time the Pens began their summer prospect camp. Maybe he didn’t feel a need to be involved in the prospect camp and rookie tournament, as some have reported but things sure didn’t improve once preseason action started.
Should the Pittsburgh Penguins Have Kept Kapanen?
Kapanen didn’t light the world on fire this preseason, as he recorded one assist throughout three games and 40:23 time-on-ice. But, you can only gauge so much from exhibition play. Remember, he did burst on the scene with Wilkes-Barre Scranton last spring and play really well throughout their playoff run.
There are a few things to consider here, the first being that once you get past the depth of their NHL offensive lineup, the Pens have very little in the organization to look forward to up front. Of course, at this point, the same could be said for defense as well but they aren’t quite as thin there.
Second, even if Kapanen was a Pittsburgh Penguin, he wouldn’t have made this team out of camp if he performed similarly to how he did in Toronto. He would likely be in Wilkes-Barre just like Pouliot at the moment.
The most defining piece of this question for me is the fact that Pittsburgh could have both Daniel Sprong and Kapanen to count on at the NHL level over the next two seasons. Which means that they’d be in a position to groom replacements for the likes of Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis from within. With Pouliot, there’s a pretty big logjam at defense among youth battling to make their way into the lineup.
My vote, based on the needs of this team, is that I would change things and deal Pouliot if I had the means to do so. I’m curious what you think. Vote below.
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