Pittsburgh Penguins: Top 5 players to target via trade in 2020
Two things stick out with this possible trade. For starters, Nick Bjugstad cannot seem to stay healthy. Which team in there right mind will want a third-line center that always is catching the injury bug? Additionally, he just hasn’t been that good since coming over from Florida back in February of 2019. If he does get traded, they will need, at a minimum, a solid left-winger.
For everything wrong, there typically is something right. For Bjugstad, it’s his size and his handedness. He’s the tallest guy on the Penguins roster and their only right-handed center. That size and uniqueness about him will open suitors, but where? Home for him is Minnesota, and they just happen to need more depth at the center position.
Don’t worry; you won’t find anywhere in this trade conversation the idea of Alex Galchenyuk coming back to Pittsburgh. What you will find, however, is a size for size comparison. On the second line, the Wild have a 6-foot 6-inch winger with upside in defensive prowess. The 23-year-old Jordan Greenway is currently on the Wild’s most defensive line, and he has a way with passing.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Top 5 players to target via trade in 2020
Greenway won’t blow you away with his offense tactics, but neither has Bjugstad. What you mostly get out of Jordan Greenway besides defense is enforcement. His eight goals and 20 assists aren’t your average 2nd line numbers, but he has time and time again finished the right results. The Penguins have potential on the blue line, but a defending forward could be just the ticket.
The only question mark that comes with Greenway is that he is slated to be an RFA this offseason. He is currently making just over $900,000 a year, but with a new contract in mind, he will undoubtedly be looking for more. Moneywise, this trade would just about even out both sides making it a smart move for the Penguins. They could also take the newly acquired winger and sign him longterm.
The saga between Justin Schultz and the Pittsburgh Penguins has reached its tipping point. If you think that’s intense, just ask a group of Penguins fans what should happen to Schultz. It’s a bit like dropping a stink bomb in a room and walking away. The truth is, Justin Schultz is no longer the defender he once was, but that doesn’t make him invaluable.
As previously mentioned, this post isn’t intended to start rumors, but they’re out there. It is rumored that the Detriot Red Wings are interested, but also a team like the Toronto Maple Leafs should be involved in Schultz’s services and for a good reason. Schultz, however, is too right to just give up for a few draft picks. No, the Pens will need some real compensation back.
Starting with the Red Wings, their defense is atrocious. The need for a solid defender there should be the first order of business. If a defender like Schultz will be a top priority, then the Penguins should look to get Anthony Mantha back in return. Mantha contributed 38 points last season and is projected to be on the Wings top two lines. It’s a long shot, but worth a chance.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Top 5 players to target via trade in 2020
As much as the Penguins probably need to sell him, they just can’t let him go. With that in mind, if the Mantha trade falls through, or isn’t as productive, look elsewhere. That elsewhere is in Toronto. The Leafs have what the Pens need, offense, and loads of it. I think you already know where I’m going with this one, but its time to bring back a Penguin that never really got going.
That player is Kasperi Kapanen, K Kap racked up 36 points before the March layoff and was well on his way to reaching his career-high. He was part of the original trade bait to get Phil Kessel over Pittsburgh, and now he could be the main dish in a trade brining him back to Pittsburgh. Mantha would be our first choice, but if the Pens can’t get that going, bring the Kapanen family home.
Why not just save the best for last, right? So far, we’ve discussed two different trades that could bring three players to the Penguins, but this one; well, this trade would be the talk of the entire NHL. Matt Murray is a Stanley Cup-winning goaltender with the resume to boot. Currently, Carolina, Colorado, Edmonton, Buffalo, Chicago, and Detroit are interested.
Most likely, you wouldn’t want to trade your top netminder to someone from within the division. That knocks out Carolina and Buffalo. Edmonton and Chicago don’t have enough talent to suffice a return offer worth looking at. So, that leaves Detriot and the Avs. Both need a starting keeper worth starting, and both have the firepower to make it a thriving trade for both parties.
The Penguins will need a left-winger if McCann moves to the center, and the Av’s have an Andre Burakovsky. In his first year with the Avs, he racked up 45 points, his league-best so far. Burakovsky was initially drafted and played for the Pens rivals, Washington, but don’t let that deter you from adding him. The only snag is that this is his first year in Colorado.
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Pittsburgh Penguins: Top 5 players to target via trade in 2020
On the other end of the coin, Murray could be courted by the Detriot Red Wings to help sure up their last line of defense. This is the second trade that has brought up the Red Wings; imagine a mega-deal selling Schultz and Murray to Detriot? If that trade were to work itself out, Anthony Mantha would need to be a part of it still, but what else would the Wings need to give up?
How about a starter for a starter? Except, the Penguins don’t need a starter to come in a play night after night (if Jarry plays to his potential). Jonathan Bernier took over as the Red Wings top keeper this year, and if Murray were on the way, he wouldn’t need to stay. Bernier and Mantha and a draft pick would be the perfect and necessary compensation for this mega-deal to work.
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From flash to enforcement. Speed, to a homecoming. Annoying to blockbuster, the Penguins have plenty of thoughts and moves to fathom this offseason. Once the dust settles and the offseason is over, let’s hope that Rutherford and Co have made the right calls to progress the Pens. However, these moves and players involved could undoubtedly help as well.