Sunday Overreactions: Penguins should be buyers to give Crosby another playoff run

The Pittsburgh Penguins weren’t supposed to be here.  

Not in the playoff race more than halfway through the season, and they certainly weren’t expected to be sitting in second in the Metropolitan Division in late January. But that’s the power of Sidney Crosby. He can drag you where he wants to go, and Crosby has been steadfast that even though the team might have a rebuild on its mind, he has other plans. He’s been unwavering in his drive to compete for another Cup, and suddenly the Penguins are full of optimism in a very wide-open Eastern Conference. 

In what was expected to be a retooling year, Kyle Dubas is in an interesting spot leading up to the trade deadline. Does he stay the course and continue to accumulate prospects and picks? Or will he consider adding to try to help the Pens secure a playoff spot? The second option has to be tempting. Any time you have Crosby on the roster playing at a high level, you don’t want to waste it, and if the Penguins get in, nobody would envy a first-round matchup against one of the game's all-time greatest players. 

Penguins are in a position to add at the deadline 

As much as Crosby deserves at least one more post-season run with the Pens, it would be counterproductive to simply trade assets in order to get their franchise cornerstone back in the playoffs. That said, there’s a case to be made that Pittsburgh should add because they’re a good team and might be able to make some noise this spring. The Pens have the conference’s fourth-best goal differential at plus-16, they have the sixth-most points in the East, and they’ve been one of the best teams in the NHL since Christmas.  

Plus, as good as Crosby has been this year (on pace for another 90-point season), the supporting cast is contributing, too. The Pens have six players with double-digit goals, and that includes Anthony Mantha, Justin Brazeau and Connor Dewar. Not to mention Tommy Novak and Rickard Rakell, who have nine. Pittsburgh also has the league’s fourth-best power play at 27.4 per cent, and they rank in the top 10 in both goals for and goals against per game. Add in the fact that Stuart Skinner has been great for them with a .926 save percentage this month and five wins, and there is reason to believe the Penguins would be a tough out in the playoffs if they get there. 

Overreaction? – No 

There are a few really good teams in the East, but you could argue that the three best in the NHL are over in the West. That leaves the Eastern Conference really up for grabs, and when you consider the possibility that the Florida Panthers may even miss the playoffs, things could really open up.

Pittsburgh could use some assistance on the blue line and another middle-six forward to help them with their playoff push. Players like Ryan Shea and Jack St. Ivany have really stepped up on the back end, but ideally, you’d like a little more insurance and experience if you plan on playing post-season hockey. The Pens wouldn’t want to give up a first-round pick, and maybe they don’t land a big fish, though they do have eight second-round picks and seven third-round selections over the next four drafts. They could easily spare one of those to add a quality piece without damaging their rebuild in the process.  

This could be Evgeni Malkin’s final year in Pittsburgh, and who knows how many elite Crosby seasons you’ll have left at your disposal, so not to at least reward your team with an upgrade would be a mistake. At one point, there was a lot of pondering around whether Crosby would ask for a trade with the direction the team was going, but wondering if you should be a buyer at the deadline because you’ve exceeded expectations is a much better conversation to have.  

Maple Leafs should bring in Dougie Hamilton 

Should they buy or should they sell? That’s the question surrounding the Toronto Maple Leafs at the moment. What once looked like a lost season has been salvaged for now, as the Leafs are still clinging to playoff hopes after getting back in the race, but how do you add with limited assets to trade? Enter Dougie Hamilton, who the New Jersey Devils seem intent on shipping out of town for a minimal return just to get rid of his $9 million salary.

Toronto probably wouldn’t have to give up a ton to get Hamilton, but the real challenge is fitting him under the cap. If Chris Tanev can’t return this season, it would make things easier, as the Leafs could use his cap space and a bit of maneuvering to squeeze Hamilton in, especially if the Devils could even retain a small amount on the deal. It could be a potential middle ground for Toronto, in the sense that they’d be buying low on a player with some offensive upside, and it wouldn’t cost them that much.  

Overreaction? – No 

Hamilton would fill two immediate needs for the Maple Leafs. To start, he’d be an instant boost to the right side of their defence, and would allow Oliver Ekman-Larsson to shift back to his strong side. Toronto recently just dealt with injury scares to both Ekman-Larsson and Brandon Carlo, and with Tanev already sidelined, the more depth the Leafs have on the right side, the better. They simply can’t afford another injury right now. Troy Stecher has been a revelation off the waiver wire, but how many minutes can he realistically play before wearing down? Hamilton could take on a good chunk of those minutes, balancing out the blue line and helping the Leafs stay in the playoff race.  

Secondly, Hamilton is a proven power-play quarterback, an area where Toronto has struggled this season. They’ve had a hard time replacing Mitch Marner in the role, and Hamilton would give them a shooting presence from the point, something they’re lacking with Morgan Rielly. Speaking of Rielly, with Hamilton in the fold, the Leafs could choose to have a serious conversation with their longtime defenceman about moving on in the summer. 

There’s been more bad than good with Rielly’s game this year, and the soon-to-be 32-year-old likely isn’t going to get better in his own end as he approaches his mid-thirties. Rielly still has four years remaining on his contract after this one at $7.5 million, while Hamilton has only two more following 2025-26. If they can convince Rielly to waive his no-move clause for a fresh start with Hamilton as a replacement, they’d have more flexibility and wouldn’t be tied to a big deal long-term.  

There’s certainly some risk with adding Hamilton, but given the likely minimal cost and possible high reward, the pros should outweigh the cons for the Leafs to roll the dice.  

If Brayden Point can’t play, Team Canada should add Zach Hyman as a replacement 

Injuries are starting to add up heading into the Olympics. Jackson LaCombe replaced Seth Jones this week for Team USA, and it was announced that Jonas Brodin and Leo Carlsson will miss the festivities for Sweden as well. Canada is holding their breath as far as Brayden Point is concerned, but that isn’t stopping people from naming potential replacements. One name that is gaining steam is Zach Hyman, who missed the first chunk of the year recovering from injury and has suddenly turned it on. He’s already up to 20 goals in 34 games and has undeniable chemistry with Connor McDavid. There’s definitely an argument to be made that Hyman should get the first call if Point isn’t able to go.  

Overreaction? – Yes 

Hyman would be a fine choice, but I’m not sure he’s the most versatile. He’d likely be playing a very specific role next to McDavid, and just about anybody on Canada’s forward group could slot in there. Point is a centre and could be used as a top-six winger as well, that’s why players like Connor Bedard, Wyatt Johnston or Mark Scheifele might be better replacements. 

I’d personally go with Scheifele if it were up to me, as only McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Macklin Celebrini have more points among Canadian skaters than the Jets forward. Scheifele’s versatility and ability to play up and down the lineup could be key for Canada, and he gives them another right-shot faceoff option should they need it. If they ultimately do need to replace Point, it’s a good problem to have with all the talent Canada has at its disposal, but Scheifele would be my first call.  

Kings should trade for Artemi Panarin 

We know there will be no shortage of suitors now that the New York Rangers have made it known they will make Artemi Panarin available at the deadline, and the Los Angeles Kings should be at the front of the line. The Kings have fallen out of a playoff spot and are being passed by Anaheim and San Jose in the Pacific, while Seattle is nipping at their heels. Utah is now also clear of Los Angeles in the wild-card race.

This is a team that’s now lost in the first round four straight years to the Edmonton Oilers and appears to be getting further away from overcoming that obstacle. They have a veteran team that needs to compete right now, and adding Panarin would instantly be a game-changer in making the playoffs and would better equip them to finally get past Edmonton.  

Overreaction? – No 

The Kings have lost six of their past nine games, and it’s their offence that’s been letting them down. Los Angeles has scored two goals or fewer five times over this stretch, and they now rank 30^th in goals for per game and 32^nd in power-play percentage. Panarin would definitely help both causes and could give them the dynamic player that so many of their Pacific counterparts have. Macklin Celebrini, Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel and others have the ability to take over a game, which is something the Kings have been missing.

There were rumblings the Kings would’ve been very interested in Mitch Marner should he have hit the open market last summer, and Panarin could give them that elite winger they were searching for to help them combat the high-octane Oilers. It’s going to take a significant package to get him, but Panarin is a difference-maker that could be worth it for the Kings, especially if they can extend him.  

John Gibson deserves to be in the Vezina conversation 

The Detroit Red Wings have been one of the biggest surprise teams this season, finally taking a massive step forward and looking like a lock to end their lengthy playoff drought. Much of the credit has to go to their young core that is finally coming together, but let’s not discount how important John Gibson’s arrival has been to the Wings, too.

Detroit finally has a reliable starter they can lean on, and few goalies have been hotter than Gibson of late. The 32-year-old owns a .937 save percentage in January and has won his past eight starts and 17 of his last 19 overall. Gibson’s 20 wins put him third in the entire NHL. The veteran has played so well of late that he’s even starting to get mentioned in the Vezina conversation.  

Overreaction? – Yes 

There could be a little recency bias going on here with Gibson. The Red Wings netminder has been dominant of late, but while his numbers over this entire season have been good, they fall just short of great. For instance, outside of wins, Gibson really isn’t among the league’s best in many other categories. His .906 save percentage puts him at 19th, he ranks 14^th in goals saved above expected, and Gibson is middle of the pack when it comes to high-danger save percentage. 

The likes of Ilya Sorokin, Logan Thompson, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Spencer Knight and Scott Wedgewood all have better cases than Gibson right now for the Vezina. There’s still plenty of time left, and that isn’t to say Gibson can’t put himself in the conversation for the award come the end of the season, but at the moment, he still has some ground to make up in the Vezina race.