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In whole, seven bonafide NHL gamers modified groups. Three draft picks have been shuffled round. And a small sum of money was retained by the Penguins and Canadiens. With so many transferring components, it’s no shock that the commerce took so lengthy to finish.
Time at hand out some grades.
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
Grade: A-
One factor is for sure: the Penguins received’t be boring.
Including Karlsson – the reigning Norris Trophy winner – is one more instance of the mould Pittsburgh is making an attempt to forge: a group that assaults in waves, led by pace from the backend. Penguins defensive stalwart Kris Letang can skate. New addition Ryan Graves can as properly. And now Pittsburgh has Karlsson to additional speed up a group that had turn into (maybe unsurprisingly) stagnant through the 2022-23 season.
What I discover most attention-grabbing is that the commerce is actually a do-over for the Penguins group. After only one season in Pittsburgh, defenseman Jeff Petry will get boomeranged to Montreal – the identical group he performed for from 2015 till 2022. Blueliner Jan Rutta lasted one yr. And the commerce for ahead Mikael Granlund on the 2023 commerce deadline – a powerful failure that value the Penguins a second-round choose within the 2023 NHL Draft – is now cleaned.
All three gamers got here to Pittsburgh underneath the watch of former GM Ron Hextall. And given the franchise’s failure to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it’s straightforward to know why Dubas determined to maneuver on from previous transgressions.
Including Karlsson might sound redundant for a group that already employs the right-handed, offensive-minded Letang. And there’s some reality to that: defending is an actual concern for each. Particularly Karlsson. Pittsburgh wasn’t adequate defensively through the 2022-23 season and including Karlsson to the lineup is a pause for concern.
However what primarily occurred is Dubas changed Petry with Karlsson. Final season there was a 70-point distinction between the defenders. Karlsson had 101 factors: 27 of which have been on the powerplay. Petry had 31 factors and solely 9 got here with the person benefit. The numbers converse for themselves, and Karlsson – who is nearly three years youthful than Petry – is a greater skater.
I additionally assume Dubas is making an attempt to guard the Penguins from damage. Letang has been sidelined for a good portion of his profession, and at 36 years previous, it’s onerous to think about that development enhancing. And to me, the Penguins merely aren’t the identical with out him.
Karlsson alleviates the offensive vacuum when Letang is out of the lineup. And regardless of having damage issues throughout his first 4 seasons with San Jose, Karlsson performed the total 82-game schedule in 2022-23 for the fourth time in his 14-year NHL profession.
Pittsburgh additionally acquired Rem Pitlick from Montreal. The 26-year-old ahead spent half of the 2022-23 season with the AHL’s Laval Rocket, however he’s proven properly on the NHL degree beforehand. The previous Minnesota Golden Gopher had 26 factors in 46 video games for the Canadiens through the 2021-22 marketing campaign. He’s one other intriguing depth piece for Dubas: Pitlick can play all three ahead positions.
And within the ‘noteworthy however unsurprising’ class: Pittsburgh moved goaltender Casey DeSmith to Montreal. After a disappointing 2022-23 season, I didn’t count on DeSmith to return with the Penguins regardless of having one yr remaining on his $1.8M AAV contract. Transferring the veteran goaltender not solely opened cap area, it additionally paved the way in which for newly-signed netminder Alex Nedeljkovic to jumpstart his NHL profession.
In a single commerce, Dubas primarily managed to clear $3M in cap area and purchase a 100-point, right-handed defender (Karlsson) in alternate for a primary and second-round draft choose. To get a participant of his caliber, it’s the price of doing enterprise. And the Penguins nonetheless have a first-round choice in two of the subsequent three NHL Drafts.
SAN JOSE SHARKS
Grade: C
The Sharks not solely acquired a first-round draft choose from the Penguins, however the Bay Space group additionally acquired high quality roster gamers. Mike Hoffman, Mikael Granlund, and Jan Rutta will all go well with up in teal for the 2023-24 season.
Ultimately, San Jose GM Mike Grier did not obtain the a number of first-round draft picks he was in search of in return for Karlsson. However the deal is finished. A burden has been lifted. Karlsson was accomplished with the Sharks. And Grier solely needed to retain $1.5M in cap area by the 2026-27 season: a lot lower than was initially anticipated in any deal for Karlsson.
The commerce wasn’t a house run by any stretch, however given the stagnant nature of the NHL’s wage cap, the meager return for Karlsson was enough. Particularly contemplating how little wage was retained, which supplies Grier flexibility down the street. Which helps if the Sharks’ rebuild begins to maneuver forward of schedule.
San Jose now has 4 draft picks within the first two rounds of the 2024 NHL Draft. And the Sharks acquired three gamers that ought to assist the group be respectable on the ice. Even higher: none of them are on long-term contracts. Hoffman might be UFA after the 2023-24 season, whereas Granlund and Rutta are up for brand new offers in 2025.
The underside line is that San Jose waited so lengthy to maneuver Karlsson that the franchise needed to rip off the band-aid finally. With simply over a month earlier than coaching camp opened, the Sharks wanted to get their home so as. However I can’t assist however marvel if Grier set the bar too excessive in preliminary commerce talks and left belongings on the desk.
MONTREAL CANADIENS
Grade: B
Since Kent Hughes took over as GM in January of 2022, Montreal has accomplished an unimaginable job of dumpster diving. The Canadiens have offered off items, retooled on the fly, and amassed a stockpile of draft picks alongside the way in which.
The Habs’ prospect pool is deep, particularly on the blueline. And it’s gorgeous to assume the franchise isn’t accomplished rebuilding but. Montreal has 27 picks within the subsequent three NHL Drafts; 4 of that are within the first spherical. 5 extra are within the second spherical.
By serving to facilitate the Karlsson deal, Montreal acquired a 2025 second-round choose from Pittsburgh. And to me, it’s the largest haul of the commerce. Whether or not the Canadiens use the choose or resolve to maneuver it will definitely, a second-rounder is extraordinarily useful.
Hughes additionally managed to clear Mike Hoffman’s $4.5Msalary off the books, whereas including Petry again into the combination. To me, the transfer was born of necessity. After the Canadiens traded defenseman Joel Edmundson to the Washington Capitals on July 1, 2023, there was a obtrusive want for a veteran presence on the blue line. Particularly contemplating how unpopular Edmundson’s commerce was throughout the locker room.
I’m curious to see the place DeSmith lands. Montreal now has three NHL netminders. Jake Allen has two years left at $3.85 million, and Samuel Montembeault took an enormous step ahead through the 2022-23 season when he performed 40 video games and posted a .901 save share behind a youthful Canadiens lineup.
After which there’s goaltender Cayden Primeau. Regardless of a profession .871 save share in 21 NHL appearances and a .909 save share in 123 AHL video games, the American-born netminder is on a one-way NHL contract by 2024-25.
Goaltending depth was an issue for Montreal final season when Allen missed time as a consequence of damage. DeSmith offers insurance coverage. Perhaps extra. However I can’t assist however marvel if Montreal would think about transferring Allen. He could be a great 1B or No.2 netminder for a Stanley Cup contender.
Because it stands, Montreal has 4 goalies on one-way NHL contracts for the 2023-24 season. Taking DeSmith from Pittsburgh could have been a requisite within the Karlsson deal, nevertheless it created a logjam within the crease. Perhaps Montreal finally ends up flipping DeSmith: one thing has to offer.
Montreal improved on the ice and on the draft desk with this commerce. However the Habs nonetheless have some work to do with a purpose to finalize their roster for the 2022-23 season.
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