(1) Which rumors are true? Which rumors are made up?
I get very skeptical of anything I hear in the month leading up to the trade deadline.
Front offices use the media as pawns to manipulate the trade market. Agents do the same to push their clients towards ideal destinations.
If you read about Player X heading to Team Y this week, stop and think about why that information is leaking out to the public in the first place. Someone had to share it. Why?
I came across a great book a few years ago called ‘Behind the Moves‘. Author Jason Farris interviewed every living General Manager who had taken a team to the Stanley Cup Final.
Somehow, Farris got the GM’s to open up and offer candid insights into themselves and their peers. Jim Rutherford was profiled (he won the Cup with Carolina in 2006) and this quote from him seems particularly relevant:
“I’m a pretty private guy, pretty confidential. If you went back over the years, you wouldn’t read very many times, if any, that Carolina is trading a certain player or Carolina is doing this or that. Usually, when we do something, it’s just done and it is a surprise.”
Yes, we live in a different media world now. Yes, the Pittsburgh Penguins are definitely under a brighter spotlight than the Carolina Hurricanes. Jim Rutherford isn’t going to change his ways at age 66 though.
I could take the next 700 words to detail why Jordan Staal doesn’t fit in Pittsburgh anymore on the ice, off the ice, or from a salary cap perspective. But after reflecting on the quote above, the fact that Staal’s name is so openly on the table says plenty.
(2) Is Pascal Dupuis the Penguins’ trade deadline add?
It’s not going to be easy for Rutherford to add a defenseman AND a forward without moving out significant salary.
Despite his recent curveball that top 9 forward is the priority, I still think it has to be defense.
The Penguins aren’t prepared to handle the size and physicality of the New York Rangers or Washington Capitals, their likely early-round opponents. That said, there doesn’t seem to be an easy fix on the trade market this year either.
If Rutherford keeps his focus on defense and the Penguins can find a way to escape the first two playoff rounds, Pascal Dupuis could add the extra offensive boost they’re looking for.
It’s far too early to speculate whether Dupuis will be ready to return this season — or ever — but his timetable of at least six months puts his potential return in mid-May. There’s no salary cap or roster limit in the playoffs meaning the Penguins could activate Dupuis whenever he’s ready.
(3) What about Curtis Glencross?
I wrote about Calgary’s Curtis Glencross as a deadline fit back in 2011 under the Shero-Bylsma regime.
At age 32, Glencross is probably looking for the final contract of his career in the offseason and knows that his current goal total of 8 won’t get him big money and long term.
Glencross wants out and supplied the Flames with a list of teams. The Penguins have reportedly inquired.
He’d be an affordable add for Pittsburgh at a $2.5 million cap hit but I’m not sure there’s mutual interest between both sides, as Glencross controls his future through a no-trade clause.
Glencross’ wife is expecting a child in April and a landing spot on the West coast probably makes more sense.
(4) Who else are the Penguins eying?
Pittsburgh scouts were reportedly spotted at a number of games this weekend:
- Philadelphia vs. Nashville
- Phoenix vs. Tampa Bay
- New Jersey vs. Carolina
- New Jersey vs. Vancouver
- Toronto vs. Carolina
I’m not sure why the Penguins were scouting the first game. Phoenix, New Jersey, Carolina, and Toronto all make sense.
A few readers have asked me about Carolina’s Jiri Tlusty recently. He carries a $2.95 million cap hit and scored at a 39-goal pace in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season. That year he lined up with Eric Staal and Alex Semin (after spending two subpar seasons on Brandon Sutter’s line).
I’ve always liked Tlusty. He doesn’t play a physically strong game at all but he’s creative and does really well with talented linemates.
Rutherford said this to the Tribune Review last week:
“We’re getting into the period where names are going to surface and teams are going to get serious. If it’s a guy who’s capable of scoring a big goal, I would like to get that guy because if Sid and Geno get shut down, we need to be able to win games with our third and fourth lines.”
Here’s what Rutherford had to say when he traded for Tlusty back in 2009:
“We’re going through a stretch now where we’re a low-scoring team. You can have all the bigger, physical guys that you want, but if you can’t score enough goals it’s not going to do you any good. In this case, I’m dealing with trying to put a player (Tlusty) in our lineup by the start of next season that’s going to be able to help produce points.”
Rutherford has focused so much on getting players who can attack the net that his top two lines are out of balance.
Chris Kunitz and Patric Hornqvist are great net-front players and shouldn’t be asked to play differently. Blake Comeau is trying to become more of a perimeter sniper but is effective when he’s below the below the goal line and around the net too.
I think Comeau is best suited as a scoring threat on a strong third line, addressing the issue Rutherford mentioned above.
Adding Tlusty on Malkin’s right wing seems like a logical fit to me.
*This article also appeared on The Pensblog*