Ranking trade block options for the Penguins on fit, realism

Who could or should the Penguins be looking at?

Happy Game 7, everyone. The NHL’s 2023-24 season will reach its thrilling conclusion tonight when the Oilers look to complete a comeback for the ages. Then, the real fun will start as teams shift into gears for the busy part of the off-season coming up in a hurry with the draft and free agency on the horizon.

Let’s take a few swings at ranking some players potentially on the trade block that the Penguins could consider looking at acquiring. Some ideas sound better than others, for various reasons some are pretty far-fetched. But what is more fun with hockey in late June beyond exploring the possibilities of what could be? The likelihood of trades will be low, but let’s face it, all trade rumors and scenarios one could think up have a low probability of actually playing out.

##Patrik Laine

It’s been well-documented as of lately that Laine wants out of Columbus and to get a(nother) fresh start. He’s a complicated player with tons of conflicting points in positive and negative directions.

Laine is 6’5”, still only 26 and was in the point-per-game range with Columbus in 2021-22 and 2022-23.

However, he’s also missed significant time and currently isn’t eligible to be traded (though that reportedly might change soon) due to being in the NHL/NHLPA’s player assistance program. And he carries an $8.7 million cap hit for the next two seasons. That’s a big number for a player who scored nine points in 18 games last season — despite the fact he does easily possess 40+ goal potential if the cards come together the right way.

Add in stylistic concerns (Laine doesn’t forecheck or work along the walls very well, floats and takes shifts and/or games off) and he doesn’t look like a Penguin candidate for the type of winger that usually does well under Mike Sullivan. There’s always the Phil Kessel parallel, but a big divergence is Kessel answered the bell and played every game. Laine hasn’t played 70+ games since 2018-19 for one reason or another.

Fit: 2 out of 5. Laine reeks of “buyer beware” for a team like where the Pens are at right now. It’s fun to imagine a big right shot on the left side can instantly solve all power play woes, but despite being a fun thought, it can’t overcome the contract, style issues and off ice questions that Laine brings to the table.

Likelihood: 1.5 out of 5. If Columbus would take Reilly Smith straight up like our buddy Adam Gretz suggested, maybe? I wouldn’t be seeing this as a transaction that is going to really go down, though. He doesn’t fit the molds for the Pens in about all the important ways.

##Rutger McGroarty

After some miscommunication and apparent differences of opinion on where the player thought he was in term of NHL readiness and what they team wanted to do, 2022 first round pick Rutger McGroarty is drifting away from Winnipeg.

McGroarty is a player that Pittsburgh and 31 other NHL teams will be interested in. He’s the prototype for what hockey teams love, a hard-working player, a leader off the ice, a talent that maximizes his ability and acts as a force multiplier with his intangibles.

Maybe the Jets can do better, but it would be fitting if Manitoban born Owen Pickering went back to Winnipeg. Both McGroarty and Pickering were 2022 first round picks.

Fit: 5/5. The likelihood scale is a lot lower, but the interest should be high from the Pens. Kyle Dubas has talked about wanting to acquire solid young players to take up the mantle for Pittsburgh in the future. McGroarty would fit that mold, though actually being able to acquire him is much easier dreamed up than done.

Likelihood: 1.25/5: Winnipeg is going to have a lot of options on this one. The Pens don’t really have a lot of comparable young players to offer

##Frank Vatrano

An oft-heard name over the years in rumor land, Vatrano is back in trade speculation this summer. He only has one more season left on his contract, and he’s a bargain at a $3.6 million cap hit considering the 37 goals he scored last season.

Fit: 4.5/5. A fast, right hand shot who doesn’t break the bank and has a history of actually finishing? Vatrano is the type of player the Penguins have badly needed for a while as a natural goal scorer.

Likelihood 1.25/5: Just how they might convince Anaheim into sending Vatrano over figures to be a tougher play. He’s worth more in future assets than Pittsburgh either has or should be trading for a 30-year old that has one season to go on his contract.

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At the end of the day, it’s going to be an uphill battle this summer for Kyle Dubas to make a big swing for a trade to drastically improve the team on paper. That doesn’t mean it will be impossible but it will take a lot of legwork and creativity to find a meaningful move this summer.