Like clockwork, the Pittsburgh Penguins find themselves approaching the trade deadline with a contending squad who could benefit from some minor upgrades, and general manager Jim Rutherford is making it known he is, once again, ready to deal.
The veteran manager has been no stranger to rolling the dice in years past, having swung deals to bring in the likes of Phil Kessel, David Perron, Derick Brassard, Nick Bjugstad and Alex Galchenyuk over the years. Not to mention lower-key deals that wound up instrumental in brining success to Pittsburgh, like the ones that netted Patric Hornqvist, Nick Bonino, Carl Hagelin, and Jared McCann.
There’s no denying the trade market is where Rutherford does his best work, retooling the group around Pittsburgh’s all-star core to find the right mix of young blood and veteran savvy to spur a deep run.
Rutherford’s club has seemed in need of no help for much of the season, thriving even despite an absurd number of injuries, including those to their core stars. But with the extended absence of one of their top snipers in Jake Guentzel, the front office finds itself moved to act.
“There is no replacing Jake Guentzel,” Rutherford told The Athletic’s Josh Yohe recently. But the young winger’s shoulder injury leaves a hole in the top six that the team would prefer to shore up.
“If the right one is out there, then yes, that’s what we’re looking at,” Rutherford told Yohe. “I’m not sure if I’d feel that way if Jake were healthy. But Jake’s not healthy. Ideally I’d like to give us more depth and more options in the top six. Can we do that, in terms of the right style of player and the right cost? That’s the ultimate question, but we are looking into it.”
New York Rangers winger Chris Kreider appears to be the premier winger on the block at the moment, with Brandon Saad, Kasperi Kapanen, Jason Zucker, Mikael Granlund among the other names rumoured to be out there.
For what it’s worth, Rutherford doesn’t appear to be too picky in regards to things like contract length — in fact, a rental option may be preferred.
“I’m open to all options. I’m OK with a rental if that’s what’s there. Sometimes it’s actually better if a guy is an unrestricted free agent at summer,” Rutherford said. “My main thing is finding a player who is the proper fit. I don’t care as much about how many years we’ll have him for. Sure, you consider that. But I want to win right now, this season. The goal is to win now. We have identified guys out there who we think can help us.”
When it comes to that proper fit, taking into account how a winger might look alongside Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin is the biggest factor, especially with the impending acquisition likely to slot into a top-six role during a high-stakes stretch of the campaig.
“It’s an extremely big factor for us. You have to understand that different teams use different styles of play,” Rutherford told Yohe. “Some players are going to be successful with certain teams, some more than others. It’s always going to be something that I consider when I go out and get someone. That’s a big part of what we’re looking for.
“It’s very easy to put a list of players together that you think are available, or even guys that you know are available. Anybody can put together that kind of a list. But do they fit with Sid and Geno? And do they fit in with how we play? Do they fit in with our style? Those are the big questions for me, and there are players out there we believe can help us.”
The Penguins GM also made it clear he doesn’t feel pressured to trade for a defenceman with top-pair stalwart Brian Dumoulin nearing a return. And when a potential deal does present itself, he won’t be opposed to once again dealing a first-round pick, if that’s what’s required to help his club win now.
“Nobody ever wants to trade it. But the thing is, I want to win this spring,” he said. “I want to win right now. That’s just the way it is. So if I have to trade it, I will consider it.”
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