Grub's Canucks & NHL News, Rumours, and & Fantasy GM | Trade Breezes

[Jerry the great]

NJ has played the most amount of games in the league and have had trouble winning games against playoff teams.

Kovacevic was playing top 4 minutes briefly until Pesce came back. Since then he plays about 18-19 mins, roughly sharing the same amount of minutes as Dillon and Hughes , with Hamilton, Pesce, and Sieganthaler playing much more minutes.

And no they would not “ask” for Willander.

If we're the desperate party calling them, why wouldn't they ask for Willander? It would be re+arded for them not to. What on earth do they lose for asking? If Alvin isn't asking for the would be acquiring teams best prospects in that situation.....he isn't doing his job.

The game before last, the Kovacevic Siegenthaler pair played top ES minutes in a come from behind win over the Islanders where the Devils didn't have to kill any penalties. They are still leaning hard on this pair at ES because they've been reliable as hell; NJ has outscored their opposition 11-3 with this pair on the ice over the last 10 games.

 

[rypper]

2025 1st could be available but only in the absolute right circumstance.

Pretty sure that 25' 1st is all but spent already.

 

[arttk]

Not a single goal against.

save % at infinity right now, best goalie in the league

 

[Just A Bit Outside]

Pretty sure that 25' 1st is all but spent already.

I don’t disagree but it needs to be for someone who will be with the team for atleast this season and next.

Trading it away purely for a rental again is a complete waste.

 

[David71]

i could see carson soucy being dealt for better upgrade. even though he has an NTC. but mgmnt wont have a problem with that i guess. soucy myers havent been good this year at all.

 

[credulous]

I don’t disagree but it needs to be for someone who will be with the team for atleast this season and next.

Trading it away purely for a rental again is a complete waste.

one of the big things vegas does to stay as strong as they are year over year is time their big deadline acquisitions with expiring contracts. they replaced marchessault with hertl, martinez with hanifin and reilly with barbashev. this lets them spend significant assets but in a way that turns into long term value

 

[SelltheTeamFrancesco]

Pretty sure that 25' 1st is all but spent already.

Well recoup it when we trade Pettersson in the offseason lol.

 

[oceanchild]

I wonder if a Hoglander for Frederic deal makes sense. 26y upcoming UFA, 6’3 220lbs, can play center or wing, 18g/40p all even strength, has PK utility, size, speed, and physicality.

Debrusk-Miller-Boeser
Joshua-Pettersson-Garland
Heinen-Frederic-Sherwood
Suter-Blueger-Bains

Personally I love center/wing hybrids.

Hoglander if traded will be used to upgrade the defence me thinks. I like that lineup however.

 

[ManVanFan]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1855709279426322723

4th line arguably better than the 1st line.

Yet everyone in here seems to be talking about adding to the bottom 6 instead of the top 6.

 

[Nuckles]

Nils Hoglander, welcome to Pittsburgh

https://x.com/i/web/status/1856219061102719212

The Penguins won't go full-rebuild until Crosby retires. He's earned that. But this can't continue. And that sentiment, from what I'm hearing, runs to the top of the team's hockey structure.

A league source told me earlier this week that Kyle Dubas has made it known to other teams that "everyone is available, except 87." And while Dubas has done well to replenish the pool with picks and prospects over the past year or so, the objective of any near-future moves wouldn't be to add more futures. Rather, it'd be to acquire actual players back, since this isn't a "tear-it-down-to-the-studs rebuild" yet, as Dubas likes to say. He remains committed to trying to win with at least Crosby. Ownership made that promise to Crosby over the summer, that the Penguins would be better this season.

For example, their most prominent pending free agent next summer is Pettersson, who wants to remain in Pittsburgh. But, as I wrote in Friday Insider last month, the Penguins have stayed no-contact with Pettersson's side, without even preliminary talks. That's because Dubas is looking to "protect all of our options" -- and one of those options remains moving on from bigger assets as they retool the team quickly.

 

[Rowlet]

Welcome to the Canucks, Evgeni Malkin and Pettersson #3

 

[bossram]

I wonder if you can pry Kovacevic out of NJ like right now. They’ve got similar dman like Pesce, Dillon, and Sieganthaler (who’s been kinda trash) and probably would like Casey up there considering he’s basically just toying with competition down in the AHL while not looking out of place at all while up with NJ earlier.

@bossram ik you follow NJ, would NJ move him if a team offers say a 2nd + 3rd? His $0.776K contract probably makes him extremely valuable.

I also have no issues moving a prospect like Raty for a top 4 dman FWIW.

I see pretty much zero incentive for them to trade Kovacevic. He's playing a hard minutes role for them effectively, at league minimum. They're fine to leave Nemec in the AHL. And with what happened to their blueline injury-wise last season, I think the org likes to have the depth.

Kovacevic should have been a no-brainer target previously.

 

[valkynax]

Nils Hoglander, welcome to Pittsburgh

https://x.com/i/web/status/1856219061102719212

The Penguins won't go full-rebuild until Crosby retires. He's earned that. But this can't continue. And that sentiment, from what I'm hearing, runs to the top of the team's hockey structure.

A league source told me earlier this week that Kyle Dubas has made it known to other teams that "everyone is available, except 87." And while Dubas has done well to replenish the pool with picks and prospects over the past year or so, the objective of any near-future moves wouldn't be to add more futures. Rather, it'd be to acquire actual players back, since this isn't a "tear-it-down-to-the-studs rebuild" yet, as Dubas likes to say. He remains committed to trying to win with at least Crosby. Ownership made that promise to Crosby over the summer, that the Penguins would be better this season.

For example, their most prominent pending free agent next summer is Pettersson, who wants to remain in Pittsburgh. But, as I wrote in Friday Insider last month, the Penguins have stayed no-contact with Pettersson's side, without even preliminary talks. That's because Dubas is looking to "protect all of our options" -- and one of those options remains moving on from bigger assets as they retool the team quickly.

Honestly I'm not sure what they can do without a full rebuild.

I totally understand their consideration for Crosby, but is Crosby himself OK with being stuck in the quagmire of mediocrity?

 

[Vector]

Honestly I'm not sure what they can do without a full rebuild.

I totally understand their consideration for Crosby, but is Crosby himself OK with being stuck in the quagmire of mediocrity?

No but he also doesn't want to leave and wants ownership & management to keep the promise they made to him.

 

[wonton15]

Hoglander and Pettersson as a base for a swap?

 

[Peen]

Hoglander and Pettersson as a base for a swap?

They'd probably want to move Forbort's salary in a Pettersson deal, and he's injured so I don't think they can trade him?

 

[Nuckles]

Also worth noting the Pens only have one salary retention spot left, with their Petry+Smith retentions ending this season.

The obvious use of it would be for Pettersson since he's an upcoming UFA, but they could save it for a potential Malkin trade if it brings in a huge haul. Or Karlsson I guess but he's signed for 2 more years @ 10M cap hit after the Sharks retention.

edit: credulous beat me to it while I was editing

 

[credulous]

Also worth noting the Pens only have one salary retention spot left, with their Petry+Smith retentions ending this season.

The obvious use of it would be for Pettersson since he's an upcoming UFA, but they could save it for a potential Malkin trade if it brings in a huge haul.

i expect they might want to save it for letang/karlsson if they decide to move off them. pettersson is probably a hot enough commodity that they can move him without retention especially if they wait until closer to the deadline

 

[credulous]

the pens missing is good news for canucks fans who think pettersson is the answer to the blue line problems but bad news in that i don't see why they'd move him early. it's not a zadorov situation where he's gotta be moved because he's a problem in the room

 

[valkynax]

No but he also doesn't want to leave and wants ownership & management to keep the promise they made to him.

Well, quagmire it is, I guess.

 

[Nuckles]

the pens missing is good news for canucks fans who think pettersson is the answer to the blue line problems but bad news in that i don't see why they'd move him early. it's not a zadorov situation where he's gotta be moved because he's a problem in the room

Maybe, but they'd presumably be getting NHL or NHL-ready player(s) in return. And selling off might help nudge some of their NTC/NMC players to be open to moving later on.

I don't see any big-ish moves happening for at least another month though. Especially for the Canucks while they wait for Joshua, Demko, and now Boeser to get healthy.

 

[Quinning]

We're just collecting all of the Petterssons like Infinity Stones.

 

[Vector]

Only players out of Pittsburgh I'd have interest in would be Marcus Pettersson, Lars Eller, and Drew O'Connor. All three fit various needs of the team (although Eller and O'Connor are not really physical), are rentals, and have caphits you could find creative ways to fit in.

 

[theguardianII]

the pens missing is good news for canucks fans who think pettersson is the answer to the blue line problems but bad news in that i don't see why they'd move him early. it's not a zadorov situation where he's gotta be moved because he's a problem in the room

The Canucks are one injury on defence from having whomever they trade for being a top two guy.
An injury to either Hronek or Hughes already has Myers or Soucy in the top pairing.
In the real season, playoffs, Zadorov showed he could play both sides and as a top two dman, it might be a real stretch for Pettersson but he wold be an upgrade on most of the bottom 4 dmen.
Graves might be a better idea is the team really believes they are a playoff team, still not a top pairing player but the Canucks are not likely to trade for one and won't have the cap space for anything other than a rental unless they make a trade that is salary out equals salary in.
Jirieck might be available too if a player like Boeser is included of course CB would be adding in a deal like that, Sillinger/? and Jirieck maybe.
Buffalo might be willing to move a dman for offence, Garland for ?
In order to get another top dman, quality for quality.

I waiver wire pickup won't do it unless just as a temporary bandaid.

 

[bandwagonesque]

Honestly I'm not sure what they can do without a full rebuild.

I totally understand their consideration for Crosby, but is Crosby himself OK with being stuck in the quagmire of mediocrity?

I think it's all up to Crosby at this point. He'd be traded if he asked and can stay as long as he wants. I'm sure he knows it unlikely he'll have another chance at a cup with Pittsburgh. They are right up against the cap, have no prospects or good young players and they have the oldest core in the league.