Penguins Trade Deadline: Buyers and Sellers?

[Michael74]

Agree, but there's no reason to retain on Rakell when he will already be viewed as a fantastic value. For arguments sakes, sure, if they could turn a 1st + A-level prospect into 3 1sts + A-level prospect, sure go for the retention, but it's hard to imagine a scenario where the Penguins retaining would make sense for either side. I don't see a team throwing in a ton more value just because Pittsburgh retains 2.5M.

EXACTLY! You use that slot on EK as there'd undoubtedly be a bigger retention number than with Rakell, thus maximizing your return.

Retaining on RR wouldn't likely move the needle to the degree it would with EK.

I just see no reason at all to retain on Rakell. He is more than worthy of his contract and with the cap exploding next season, no need to retain unless the offer is crazy.
Also, I believe we only have 1 retention spot available to use this year. I'd rather he be moved at the deadline as I think you would get a much better return from a GM wanting him for the playoffs. You lose that urgency in the off season. Use that retention spot on Karlsson at the deadline.

Yes, we only have one retention spot left, and it should most certainly go for EK. IF things fall the right way we could garner several good pieces for the future if we play this deadline right. MG most certainly will be gone, but if one of RR or EK is moved at a premium (as it is a sellers market) that would be a great way to go into the off season, well, the next few off seasons actually.

Best.. best.. best scenario..

Trade off Rakell for a haul. Trade Karlsson, get acquire a few nice pieces by retaining some; preferably guys that are 1-2 years from the NHL. Trade Grz and Beau for mid round picks. Don't resign Nieto and don't fill the roster with empty sweater veterans.

Fill out the roster with WBS players and look to part with even more vets (coughAcciaricough).

Draft well. It's not a crap shoot if you've got scouts that are worth their salt. Draft for high ceiling players, not players that will max out on fourth line duty.

Don't bother with UFAs, unless there's an absolute steal to be had. Flip late picks for a young player like Tomassino if the opportunity arises.

Out with the old, in with the new and stop buying old! Predicting sucking for half a dozen years before the team is back in the saddle.

I could not agree more! This is precisely the blue print by which the Pens should follow. We have to draft and develop well, thats' the ball game right there!

[lemieuxReturns]

Can we sprinkle in some UFA one-year prove it contracts to sell off at the deadline next season for more draft assets? Next years draft is supposed to be good.

[EndO FanEra]

EXACTLY! You use that slot on EK as there'd undoubtedly be a bigger retention number than with Rakell, thus maximizing your return.

Retaining on RR wouldn't likely move the needle to the degree it would with EK.

I just see no reason at all to retain on Rakell. He is more than worthy of his contract and with the cap exploding next season, no need to retain unless the offer is crazy.
Also, I believe we only have 1 retention spot available to use this year. I'd rather he be moved at the deadline as I think you would get a much better return from a GM wanting him for the playoffs. You lose that urgency in the off season. Use that retention spot on Karlsson at the deadline.

Yes, we only have one retention spot left, and it should most certainly go for EK. IF things fall the right way we could garner several good pieces for the future if we play this deadline right. MG most certainly will be gone, but if one of RR or EK is moved at a premium (as it is a sellers market) that would be a great way to go into the off season, well, the next few off seasons actually.

Best.. best.. best scenario..

Trade off Rakell for a haul. Trade Karlsson, get acquire a few nice pieces by retaining some; preferably guys that are 1-2 years from the NHL. Trade Grz and Beau for mid round picks. Don't resign Nieto and don't fill the roster with empty sweater veterans.

Fill out the roster with WBS players and look to part with even more vets (coughAcciaricough).

Draft well. It's not a crap shoot if you've got scouts that are worth their salt. Draft for high ceiling players, not players that will max out on fourth line duty.

Don't bother with UFAs, unless there's an absolute steal to be had. Flip late picks for a young player like Tomassino if the opportunity arises.

Out with the old, in with the new and stop buying old! Predicting sucking for half a dozen years before the team is back in the saddle.

I could not agree more! This is precisely the blue print by which the Pens should follow. We have to draft and develop well, thats' the ball game right there!

I agree with the overall blueprint but tend to disagree with one point and question another.

If your best.. best.. best scenario has the Pens sucking for a half a dozen years, I think your standards are a bit too low for KD and this organization. That's more of a mid-to-worst case scenario for me. My best.. best.. best case would be sucking again next year but starting to install a new system and bring the youth in. Using the projected cap space & acquired assets, load up on young talent and UFAs, and be competing for a playoff spot the following year (27/28). Wishful thinking, for sure, but even a year or two added to that is better than 6+ years.

As for the question, it's regarding the "Draft for high ceiling players". Not that I disagree necessarily, but it seems like we've often recently drafted players with a higher ceiling, but more chance for a bust (high risk, high reward). It would stand to reason that if you only have a few picks, might as well swing for the fences. So, with us having a large amount of picks the next few years (assuming we don't trade a bunch of them away), should we try to get a couple of "sure thing" (low risk, low reward) picks in there just to make sure we hit on a few? I don't know. One man's high-risk player could be another man's low risk, low reward player, I guess. It just made me think of that when I read that statement.

[FLPensFan]

Agree, but there's no reason to retain on Rakell when he will already be viewed as a fantastic value. For arguments sakes, sure, if they could turn a 1st + A-level prospect into 3 1sts + A-level prospect, sure go for the retention, but it's hard to imagine a scenario where the Penguins retaining would make sense for either side. I don't see a team throwing in a ton more value just because Pittsburgh retains 2.5M.

EXACTLY! You use that slot on EK as there'd undoubtedly be a bigger retention number than with Rakell, thus maximizing your return.

Retaining on RR wouldn't likely move the needle to the degree it would with EK.

I just see no reason at all to retain on Rakell. He is more than worthy of his contract and with the cap exploding next season, no need to retain unless the offer is crazy.
Also, I believe we only have 1 retention spot available to use this year. I'd rather he be moved at the deadline as I think you would get a much better return from a GM wanting him for the playoffs. You lose that urgency in the off season. Use that retention spot on Karlsson at the deadline.

Yes, we only have one retention spot left, and it should most certainly go for EK. IF things fall the right way we could garner several good pieces for the future if we play this deadline right. MG most certainly will be gone, but if one of RR or EK is moved at a premium (as it is a sellers market) that would be a great way to go into the off season, well, the next few off seasons actually.

Best.. best.. best scenario..

Trade off Rakell for a haul. Trade Karlsson, get acquire a few nice pieces by retaining some; preferably guys that are 1-2 years from the NHL. Trade Grz and Beau for mid round picks. Don't resign Nieto and don't fill the roster with empty sweater veterans.

Fill out the roster with WBS players and look to part with even more vets (coughAcciaricough).

Draft well. It's not a crap shoot if you've got scouts that are worth their salt. Draft for high ceiling players, not players that will max out on fourth line duty.

Don't bother with UFAs, unless there's an absolute steal to be had. Flip late picks for a young player like Tomassino if the opportunity arises.

Out with the old, in with the new and stop buying old! Predicting sucking for half a dozen years before the team is back in the saddle.

I agree with most of this.

I think a lot of things are going to be decided on what moves Dubas can make, which potentially open up the ability for him to make another move in the future. An example of this....if we were to trade Karlsson at the deadline, or even at the draft....who becomes a top 4 d-man on the right side for us next year? I'd love to say Brunicke, but that's a big leap of faith to bank on him not only coming into camp next fall looking like he did last year, but also to hand him a top 4 spot out of the gate. We're likely going to need to add a vet or two on defense via free agency.

This is why I think it is important to trade Rakell at the deadline, and pickup someone like Nemec or Clarke. If you make that type of trade with Rakell, it immediately opens up the ability to move Karlsson or Letang at the draft or early summer. Use the Karlsson/Letang trade to get a young NHL ready forward and a pick.

I'd also be looking to move some picks and a prospect to get a better player. For example, move one of our extra 1sts, a 3rd, and Ponomarev for a higher end, NHL ready forward. I have heard whispers that one of the reasons Dubas is acquiring picks is that he very well may want to try and offer sheet someone, so, he wants to be able to use say his 1st and 2nd on an offer sheet, but have another 1st and 2nd available that he acquired via trade, so he isn't left without any picks in a draft.

Ideally, go into next season with a top 6 spot, a 3rd line and a 4th line spot open for competition. Let guys like McGroarty and Koivunen battle for a 3rd line role, let Bemstrom, Ponomarev, Poulin types battle for a 4th line spot. Get some other young players to add in the mix.

The other thing with UFAs....you bring in a Beauvillier or Grzelcyk type just like we did this year...for the sole purpose of flipping them at the deadline for more assets.

The problem as I see it next year, is, WBS guys like McGroarty, Koivunen, Broz, Ponomarev....they would likely be best developed by getting solid 3rd line minutes next year. But we've got Glass, Tomasino, Hayes and Heinen that shouldn't be in the top 6 but aren't 4th liners. They are best suited for 3rd line work, and if you do that....you're blocking the WBS guys.

In regards to the draft, we need to stop drafting so many of the same players. Why draft a Poulin and Legare, who were poor skaters from the outset, to play in a Sullivan based system that is heavily dependent on above average skating and speed? When's the last time we drafted a decent prospect who had ANY type of physicality to his game and didn't top out as a 4th liner at best. Defensive defenseman who can skate? We need more variance in what we are drafting.

[KG]

Rakell 2 goals in his last 12 games. He was due for a regression with his higher shooting percentage this season. Sell high.

Rantanen domino needs to fall one way or another.

[FLPensFan]

Rakell 2 goals in his last 12 games. He was due for a regression with his higher shooting percentage this season. Sell high.

Rantanen domino needs to fall one way or another.

Yeah, I've thought about this too. Having a big cold spell right before the trade deadline isn't ideal.

[Michael74]

Rakell should be sat until the deadline for multiple reasons. 1ST, it gives the appearance he's potentially about to be traded, which IF he is to be traded could jack up the price as hopefully it entices more teams to get involved thus sweetening the pot. 2hd, it hinders the Pens ability to produce offense and win games.

If he keeps playing it could hurt his value further or he could get injured and completely destroy any trade possibilities. Please sit him!

[1967penguins]

I am generally a daily lurker on this board, and I have come to appreciate the views, insight, and effort the posters here put in when discussing the various topics.

With all of the trade and draft talk going on, there were several issues that keep cropping up in my mind about the way forward for the Penguins. If any of these could be addressed, I would be grateful for any and all thoughts. Thanks

1. Have the Pens done anything to address the scouting department? The past record of successes in the draft is quite bleak, and if nothing has changed in that area, what reasonable expectations are there for any improvements to be realized?

2. Have the Pens done anything to address player development? In reading all that is posted here, and watching the on ice product, it is clear that players that come in from the outside rarely match let alone go beyond their career numbers. I see an improvement in WBS, but that certainly is not translating to the big club and the coach's love affair with the over 30 crowd.

3. Is there any possible way for improvement as long as the head coach is behind the bench? There is no realistic way the club is making the playoffs, yet we do not see many youngsters called up to see what they can offer. He continues to sink with the grizzled vets, and at the same time there is not a viable way to tell of the talent (or lack thereof) that may be available internally.

[FLPensFan]

Rakell should be sat until the deadline for multiple reasons. 1ST, it gives the appearance he's potentially about to be traded, which IF he is to be traded could jack up the price as hopefully it entices more teams to get involved thus sweetening the pot. 2hd, it hinders the Pens ability to produce offense and win games.

If he keeps playing it could hurt his value further or he could get injured and completely destroy any trade possibilities. Please sit him!

IF they don't have an imminent deal on the table for him, they won't sit him. NHLPA wouldn't look to kindly on team scratching players simply because there is a chance they could be traded in a week.

[Michael74]

I am generally a daily lurker on this board, and I have come to appreciate the views, insight, and effort the posters here put in when discussing the various topics.

With all of the trade and draft talk going on, there were several issues that keep cropping up in my mind about the way forward for the Penguins. If any of these could be addressed, I would be grateful for any and all thoughts. Thanks

1. Have the Pens done anything to address the scouting department? The past record of successes in the draft is quite bleak, and if nothing has changed in that area, what reasonable expectations are there for any improvements to be realized?

2. Have the Pens done anything to address player development? In reading all that is posted here, and watching the on ice product, it is clear that players that come in from the outside rarely match let alone go beyond their career numbers. I see an improvement in WBS, but that certainly is not translating to the big club and the coach's love affair with the over 30 crowd.

3. Is there any possible way for improvement as long as the head coach is behind the bench? There is no realistic way the club is making the playoffs, yet we do not see many youngsters called up to see what they can offer. He continues to sink with the grizzled vets, and at the same time there is not a viable way to tell of the talent (or lack thereof) that may be available internally.

Pittsburgh hired Wes Clark as vice president of player personnel. I believe it was shortly after the draft as he was still under contract until then by the Leafs.

He comes with a good resume and they also added other personnel. https://www.pensburgh.com/2024/7/9/2419 ... ffers-pens


https://www.nhl.com/penguins/news/pengu ... promotions

[FLPensFan]

I am generally a daily lurker on this board, and I have come to appreciate the views, insight, and effort the posters here put in when discussing the various topics.

With all of the trade and draft talk going on, there were several issues that keep cropping up in my mind about the way forward for the Penguins. If any of these could be addressed, I would be grateful for any and all thoughts. Thanks

1. Have the Pens done anything to address the scouting department? The past record of successes in the draft is quite bleak, and if nothing has changed in that area, what reasonable expectations are there for any improvements to be realized?

2. Have the Pens done anything to address player development? In reading all that is posted here, and watching the on ice product, it is clear that players that come in from the outside rarely match let alone go beyond their career numbers. I see an improvement in WBS, but that certainly is not translating to the big club and the coach's love affair with the over 30 crowd.

3. Is there any possible way for improvement as long as the head coach is behind the bench? There is no realistic way the club is making the playoffs, yet we do not see many youngsters called up to see what they can offer. He continues to sink with the grizzled vets, and at the same time there is not a viable way to tell of the talent (or lack thereof) that may be available internally.

Welcome from out of the shadows. Some good questions. Below are my thoughts:

1. I'd like to see a little more in terms of drafting to make a full decision, but, what I am seeing is...Rutherford was not very good at drafting. In his last 5 drafts before he quit (2016-2020), he selected 2 players that played over 100 NHL games, Calen Addison (who's been a bust and a journeyman) and Filip Gustavsson. 2 players out of 26 picks. His only 1st round pick in that span was Sam Poulin...a bust. Out of 26 picks, only 8 have ever played an NHL game. After Addison and Gustavsson, Puustinen has 63 NHL games played, and Blomqvist is in that mix as well.

After Rutherford quit, Hextall had 2 drafts. It's too early for NHL games for those players yet, but Broz, Belliveau and Tankov look promising from 2021 draft, and Pickering and Murashov look promising from 2022 draft, with Pickering already playing some games.

Dubas also has had two drafts. In 2023 draft, he took Yager, Pieniniemi and Ilyin who all look promising, and in 2024, he got Brunicke, Howe and 7th rounder Finn Harding is lighting up the OHL as a d-man. So, overall, in a much smaller set and without many NHL games due to recency, both Hextall and Dubas seem to be much better at drafting than Rutherford. We'll need a few more years to see how this all pans out.

2. I think the biggest thing the Penguins have done here is brought in Kirk MacDonald as the WBS coach. I don't know how much he is responsible for directly, and how much is just our overall pool of prospects being much better, but in general, players seem to be improving under MacDonald. Broz, Koivunen and Ponomarev all seem to be doing well down there. In general though, Dubas seems to want to let players develop rather than trying to rush them to the NHL. I like things somewhere in between...give a player who's doing well, say Koivunen, a 5-10 game trial at the NHL. Even if it doesn't go great, the player gets a big taste of the size, pace, and skill of the game at the NHL level compared to the AHL. I think overall though, we seem to be trending in the right direction, with the exception of Sullivan actually playing some of the young guys over the Nieto's. Let's hope Nieto getting waived and sent to WBS was a warning shot for Sullivan to play guys.

3. Answered a little of this in #2, but, I'm hoping that the waiving of Nieto was the first shot of "Mike, this guys not bringing enough value. Stop playing him." I think the only way to see how Sullivan handles the young guys is by not giving him the old guys to use. Pull the Moneyball tactic on him "No, you're not playing Hayes or Acciari on the 4th line. They play for Detroit now." I think Sullivan is a good coach, but his system is stale even with adjustments, and I also don't think they have the right set of players to execute his system on a nightly basis. But, even with a poor team, the constant blown leads, the constant giving up the first goal, the constant giving up the first GOAL on the FIRST SHOT....those things shouldn't keep being overlooked. My hope is that MacDonald continues his trajectory in WBS, gets another good season in at WBS next year....that Sullivan is fired after the 2026 season and MacDonald takes over. MacDonald will have better knowledge of the guys coming up through WBS, and will have more trust in their abilities. Sullivan will only have 1 year left on his contract, so I think FSG should be okay with either paying him out for 1 year, or firing him early enough that someone else decided to snap him up.

[Michael74]

We need to not win games like last night. Dubas needs to wreck the line up ASAP. Every win causes anxiety because we slip further in the draft. And that helps nobody. Start trading key cogs. Take away Sullivans ability to compete. It's what's best for the long term.

[ahawk9]

I'm really pulling for the Rangers to bottom out so their 2026 pick comes to Pittsburgh with no lottery stipulations.

[TexasPenguins]

We need to not win games like last night. Dubas needs to wreck the line up ASAP. Every win causes anxiety because we slip further in the draft. And that helps nobody. Start trading key cogs. Take away Sullivans ability to compete. It's what's best for the long term.

Agree 100%

Dubas needs to make sure we finish in the bottom 4. Trade Rakell, and everyone else that we can get anything for.
We should be in a place within the next week that Nieto is playing in the top 9.

[Michael74]

We need to not win games like last night. Dubas needs to wreck the line up ASAP. Every win causes anxiety because we slip further in the draft. And that helps nobody. Start trading key cogs. Take away Sullivans ability to compete. It's what's best for the long term.

Agree 100%

Dubas needs to make sure we finish in the bottom 4. Trade Rakell, and everyone else that we can get anything for.
We should be in a place within the next week that Nieto is playing in the top 9.

I don't think we'll finish in the bottom four. Especially in a game that ended like last night, where they should have lost being down 3-0 half way through. Results like last night make that almost impossible. Hopefully we can be in the bottom six. That's more a realistic target.

Whatever Dubas can do to help facilitate that scenario he should! Like Sitting Rakell and EK until the deadline for the reasons I stated in a post earlier.

[Michael74]

I'm really pulling for the Rangers to bottom out so their 2026 pick comes to Pittsburgh with no lottery stipulations.

I am as well but I doubt that happens. Rooting for TOR tonight to beat em however. It'd be fantastic if they lost.

[lemieuxReturns]

I'm really pulling for the Rangers to bottom out so their 2026 pick comes to Pittsburgh with no lottery stipulations.

I am as well but I doubt that happens. Rooting for TOR tonight to beat em however. It'd be fantastic if they lost.

Good point. 2026 is going to be a great draft.

[BigMcK]

In all fairness to Rutherford and his draft record, it seems like he used draft picks as assets to throw in on trades rather than as a means to build for the future. Produce today --- to hell about tomorrow.

[Michael74]

I'm really pulling for the Rangers to bottom out so their 2026 pick comes to Pittsburgh with no lottery stipulations.

I am as well but I doubt that happens. Rooting for TOR tonight to beat em however. It'd be fantastic if they lost.

Good point. 2026 is going to be a great draft.

It's looking that way, but things can change. In any case I'm really hopin either Rakell or EK is moved and it starts with a '26 1st.

[FLPensFan]

In all fairness to Rutherford and his draft record, it seems like he used draft picks as assets to throw in on trades rather than as a means to build for the future. Produce today --- to hell about tomorrow.

For sure, but, it's not like he threw away his 1st, 2nd, and 3rd every year. Aside from the last few years, 2017 is the only Penguins draft class to not have a single NHL game played by ANYONE in the class. Zach Lauzon in the 2nd, Clayton Phillips in the 3rd, Jan Drozg and Linus Olund in the 5th, Palojarvi in the 6th, Will Reilly in the 7th. None of them played an NHL game.

And the year before, 2016 wasn't much better. He took Gustavsson in the 2nd, who was traded. He also took Bjorkqvist in the 2nd, and he played 6 whole NHL games. Like Lauzon, 2016 3rd round pick Connor Hall was injured early and never made it pro, going from OHL to Australian leagues to playing 9 games at the ECHL level. Ryan Jones in the 4th, Niclas Almari in the 5th, and Joe Masonius in the 6th....no NHL games.

And in 2018, only 4 picks, but 2 of them were 2nd rounders....Addison and Hallander. 5th rounder Justin Almeida, and 6th rounder Liam Gorman.

That 3 year period killed us. No firsts, but 5 2nd rounds only amounted to Addison, Hallander, Gustavsson, Lauzon and Bjorkqvist. Gustavsson is the only non-miss, and Addison gets a little bit of credit for being used in the Zucker trade. 16 picks resulted in 2 players playing over 140 games (Gustavsson and Addison), one playing 6 games (Bjorkqvist) and one playing 3 games (HallandeR). Abysmal.

[Michael74]

We've had different regimes control our draft capital, so anything that occurred in previous years doesn't really matter. The new brass hasn't even presided over a draft yet. I have faith in them, time will tell if it's warranted. Let's just hope they're afforded a top 5-6 pick and that we don't have more three goal comebacks.

[Daniel]

I am generally a daily lurker on this board, and I have come to appreciate the views, insight, and effort the posters here put in when discussing the various topics.

With all of the trade and draft talk going on, there were several issues that keep cropping up in my mind about the way forward for the Penguins. If any of these could be addressed, I would be grateful for any and all thoughts. Thanks

1. Have the Pens done anything to address the scouting department? The past record of successes in the draft is quite bleak, and if nothing has changed in that area, what reasonable expectations are there for any improvements to be realized?

2. Have the Pens done anything to address player development? In reading all that is posted here, and watching the on ice product, it is clear that players that come in from the outside rarely match let alone go beyond their career numbers. I see an improvement in WBS, but that certainly is not translating to the big club and the coach's love affair with the over 30 crowd.

3. Is there any possible way for improvement as long as the head coach is behind the bench? There is no realistic way the club is making the playoffs, yet we do not see many youngsters called up to see what they can offer. He continues to sink with the grizzled vets, and at the same time there is not a viable way to tell of the talent (or lack thereof) that may be available internally.

I think the number one way to make the scouts look good is to actually develop players. Kirk MacDonald at WBS seems to be doing a very good job so far. They're a young team and I think 4 points out of 1st place with 1 or 2 games in hand.

[Daniel]

I am generally a daily lurker on this board, and I have come to appreciate the views, insight, and effort the posters here put in when discussing the various topics.

With all of the trade and draft talk going on, there were several issues that keep cropping up in my mind about the way forward for the Penguins. If any of these could be addressed, I would be grateful for any and all thoughts. Thanks

1. Have the Pens done anything to address the scouting department? The past record of successes in the draft is quite bleak, and if nothing has changed in that area, what reasonable expectations are there for any improvements to be realized?

2. Have the Pens done anything to address player development? In reading all that is posted here, and watching the on ice product, it is clear that players that come in from the outside rarely match let alone go beyond their career numbers. I see an improvement in WBS, but that certainly is not translating to the big club and the coach's love affair with the over 30 crowd.

3. Is there any possible way for improvement as long as the head coach is behind the bench? There is no realistic way the club is making the playoffs, yet we do not see many youngsters called up to see what they can offer. He continues to sink with the grizzled vets, and at the same time there is not a viable way to tell of the talent (or lack thereof) that may be available internally.

Welcome from out of the shadows. Some good questions. Below are my thoughts:

1. I'd like to see a little more in terms of drafting to make a full decision, but, what I am seeing is...Rutherford was not very good at drafting. In his last 5 drafts before he quit (2016-2020), he selected 2 players that played over 100 NHL games, Calen Addison (who's been a bust and a journeyman) and Filip Gustavsson. 2 players out of 26 picks. His only 1st round pick in that span was Sam Poulin...a bust. Out of 26 picks, only 8 have ever played an NHL game. After Addison and Gustavsson, Puustinen has 63 NHL games played, and Blomqvist is in that mix as well.

After Rutherford quit, Hextall had 2 drafts. It's too early for NHL games for those players yet, but Broz, Belliveau and Tankov look promising from 2021 draft, and Pickering and Murashov look promising from 2022 draft, with Pickering already playing some games.

Dubas also has had two drafts. In 2023 draft, he took Yager, Pieniniemi and Ilyin who all look promising, and in 2024, he got Brunicke, Howe and 7th rounder Finn Harding is lighting up the OHL as a d-man. So, overall, in a much smaller set and without many NHL games due to recency, both Hextall and Dubas seem to be much better at drafting than Rutherford. We'll need a few more years to see how this all pans out.

2. I think the biggest thing the Penguins have done here is brought in Kirk MacDonald as the WBS coach. I don't know how much he is responsible for directly, and how much is just our overall pool of prospects being much better, but in general, players seem to be improving under MacDonald. Broz, Koivunen and Ponomarev all seem to be doing well down there. In general though, Dubas seems to want to let players develop rather than trying to rush them to the NHL. I like things somewhere in between...give a player who's doing well, say Koivunen, a 5-10 game trial at the NHL. Even if it doesn't go great, the player gets a big taste of the size, pace, and skill of the game at the NHL level compared to the AHL. I think overall though, we seem to be trending in the right direction, with the exception of Sullivan actually playing some of the young guys over the Nieto's. Let's hope Nieto getting waived and sent to WBS was a warning shot for Sullivan to play guys.

3. Answered a little of this in #2, but, I'm hoping that the waiving of Nieto was the first shot of "Mike, this guys not bringing enough value. Stop playing him." I think the only way to see how Sullivan handles the young guys is by not giving him the old guys to use. Pull the Moneyball tactic on him "No, you're not playing Hayes or Acciari on the 4th line. They play for Detroit now." I think Sullivan is a good coach, but his system is stale even with adjustments, and I also don't think they have the right set of players to execute his system on a nightly basis. But, even with a poor team, the constant blown leads, the constant giving up the first goal, the constant giving up the first GOAL on the FIRST SHOT....those things shouldn't keep being overlooked. My hope is that MacDonald continues his trajectory in WBS, gets another good season in at WBS next year....that Sullivan is fired after the 2026 season and MacDonald takes over. MacDonald will have better knowledge of the guys coming up through WBS, and will have more trust in their abilities. Sullivan will only have 1 year left on his contract, so I think FSG should be okay with either paying him out for 1 year, or firing him early enough that someone else decided to snap him up.

The first thing that impressed me about MacDonald was his approach with McGroarty early in the season. He gave him 100% of what was expected from day one, let him work it for a few weeks, then pulled him back to slowly get to that level. What an awesome method and while a player will seemingly start off slow, he'll eventually get to where he needs to be. I also like how he's handled Pickering, who scored more in his first few NHL games than AHL. It looks like he's playing defense and developing that aspect of his game rather than trying to score and WBS was one of the top defensive teams until Jarry got there.

[BigMcK]

In all fairness to Rutherford and his draft record, it seems like he used draft picks as assets to throw in on trades rather than as a means to build for the future. Produce today --- to hell about tomorrow.

For sure, but, it's not like he threw away his 1st, 2nd, and 3rd every year. Aside from the last few years, 2017 is the only Penguins draft class to not have a single NHL game played by ANYONE in the class. Zach Lauzon in the 2nd, Clayton Phillips in the 3rd, Jan Drozg and Linus Olund in the 5th, Palojarvi in the 6th, Will Reilly in the 7th. None of them played an NHL game.

And the year before, 2016 wasn't much better. He took Gustavsson in the 2nd, who was traded. He also took Bjorkqvist in the 2nd, and he played 6 whole NHL games. Like Lauzon, 2016 3rd round pick Connor Hall was injured early and never made it pro, going from OHL to Australian leagues to playing 9 games at the ECHL level. Ryan Jones in the 4th, Niclas Almari in the 5th, and Joe Masonius in the 6th....no NHL games.

And in 2018, only 4 picks, but 2 of them were 2nd rounders....Addison and Hallander. 5th rounder Justin Almeida, and 6th rounder Liam Gorman.

That 3 year period killed us. No firsts, but 5 2nd rounds only amounted to Addison, Hallander, Gustavsson, Lauzon and Bjorkqvist. Gustavsson is the only non-miss, and Addison gets a little bit of credit for being used in the Zucker trade. 16 picks resulted in 2 players playing over 140 games (Gustavsson and Addison), one playing 6 games (Bjorkqvist) and one playing 3 games (HallandeR). Abysmal.

How he did as the head of the Whalers / Hurricanes might be interesting to examine (not suggesting anyone spend time doing so) in terms of draft results, but if asked what he thought his top five responsibilities were as GM of the Penguins, I would imagine building a Stanley Cup roster is #1, followed by trading assets to maintain the roster, followed by three other items. Sixth would probably have been trading lesser assets that included the other team to stock the vending machines with soda, and finally the player draft. I give him a pass based on team success. Drafting, maybe not his strong point.

[Michael74]

Rakell should be sat until the deadline for multiple reasons. 1ST, it gives the appearance he's potentially about to be traded, which IF he is to be traded could jack up the price as hopefully it entices more teams to get involved thus sweetening the pot. 2hd, it hinders the Pens ability to produce offense and win games.

If he keeps playing it could hurt his value further or he could get injured and completely destroy any trade possibilities. Please sit him!

IF they don't have an imminent deal on the table for him, they won't sit him. NHLPA wouldn't look to kindly on team scratching players simply because there is a chance they could be traded in a week.

With a week to go (now less) that'd be hard to prove. No way could anyone gripe about it at this point where it could stand scrutiny. Every NHL team is taking calls on different players. I can understand a couple weeks out but not this close. They can sit him and talk to other teams just fine. And if nothing comes about they can say a deal fell through.