Yesterday I was planning on posting a column about the moves that I could see the Penguins and General Manager Jim Rutherford making this summer. In that article was a section about Penguins Right Winger Phil Kessel, and how he should not be moved prior to this season. The column was almost finished, then the news of a possible trade package involving Kessel hit the internet, scrapping almost everything that was said in that column.
In an article by The Athletic’s Josh Yohe, Kessel’s name appeared in a possible trade package between the Pens and the Minnesota Wild. The reported deal would send Kessel and Penguins defenseman Jack Johnson to the Wild in exchange for a pair of NHL experienced forwards in Victor Rask and Jason Zucker. In order for this to happen Kessel would also have to waive his no trade clause, as Minnesota is not currently on his 8 team “Yes list”.
Hypothetically, if this deal were to be done, Pittsburgh would also unload one of the most heavily criticized contracts in recent Penguins history. Jack Johnson still has 4 years left on his contract with a $3.25M cap hit in each season. However, the move would only create about $550,000 in cap space for the Penguins as Zucker and Rask carry $5.5M and $4M cap hits respectively.
Back on locker room cleanout day GMJR promised “major changes” for the Penguins following a disappointing 4 game sweep at the hands of the New York Islanders, and this could be just the start. Kessel’s production dipped last season as he totalled 82 points in 82 games, including 36 Power Play points (led the team). His point production was down from the career high 92 that he finished with in 2017-18, but still ranks as tied for his second best total in his career.
While Zucker has been a 20 goal scorer for the last three seasons for Minnesota, including a 33 goal season in 2017-18, he has only eclipsed the 50 point plateau once in his eight year NHL career. It’s understandable that the Penguins want to shake things up, but losing Kessel would also result in losing a constant 20 goal/70 point scorer. Zucker is a fantastic player, but he won’t be able to account for those missing points.
An argument can be made that the emergence of Jake Guentzel as a premiere goal scorer, 40 goals in 2018-19, could help fill the void that trading Kessel would leave in the goal department. However, there are better moves to be made to shake up the Penguins roster that wouldn’t result in losing Kessel’s point production and power play acumen.
While Kessel might not waive his No Trade Clause, another top paid Penguins winger might. Patric Hornqvist, similar to Kessel, saw a dip in offensive production last season, as well as a notable lack of his usual ability to irritate opponents. A trade involving Hornqvist would send a strong message to the locker room without losing the offensive numbers that Kessel can bring to the table. Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta’s name has been tossed around as a potential trade piece this offseason, which would free up over $4M in cap space, allowing for some cap flexibility.
As it appears GM Jim Rutherford has made up his mind and Kessel will be shipped out before October. Rutherford stated that a Kessel trade is a matter of “when” and not “if”. Whether or not that is the right move to be made, remains to be seen. However one thing is certain, if Kessel is moved out of Pittsburgh there will be more major moves ahead in the coming months for the Pittsburgh Penguins. We’ve learned two things from this, the Pens will look very different come game one of the season,and I need to write and edit my pieces faster.
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