Inside the Igloo: The Slightly Late Off-season Analysis

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The Pittsburgh Penguins, as per usual, have not been quiet this offseason. A number of signings were immediately taken care of by GM Jim Rutherford. Not much exciting news, however, just 2 weeks before the 2019 draft, the first Penguins trade occurred. The Pens traded defensemen Olli Maatta to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for forward Dominik Kahun and a 5th-round pick.

• Pens Get: Dominik Kahun (23) - A well-skating, offensively-capable, Czeck forward that boasts reliable 2-way play as well as a strong shot and good hands. To top it off, he plays well into the speed game but isn't afraid to get into the dirty areas. This helps the Penguins' youth movement. GMJR also received a 5th-round pick (151st) - which would (in GMJR fashion) be involved in a trade on draft day.
• Pens Lose: Olli Maatta (24) - Having been drafted by the Penguins and winning 2 championships, this surely was a bittersweet moment. He'll have a good chance of gaining more ice time with Chicago's young defensive core but leaving where he's spent his whole career. Us Pens fans know what they get with Maatta; a slower-skating, offensively-talented defenseman, that can have questionable decision making at times. Maatta never hit his true potential, which was shown to be near-elite, but after multiple injuries + a battle with cancer, Maatta seemed to just have lost a step in his skating and overall play. 

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Many Penguins fans, including myself, will miss Olli Maatta while others are ecstatic he's gone. I do know all of his health ailments have prevented him from hitting his peak thus far but he still was a consistently reliable player to have on the team. However, I really like this trade; we gain a player that had 37 points last season (rookie) that will produce more on the very offensively-gifted Penguins. He's also young and cheap. Shedding Olli's salary and getting a draft pick to boot. I consider this a win. 

On Day 2 of the NHL Draft (6/22), the Penguins traded the 94th, 151st, and 207th picks to Arizona for their 3rd-round pick (74). I personally have a bias towards hoarding all draft picks you can, even if later rounds have slim chances of playing in the NFL. This trade is an exception as the 2019 draft class was very deep and there was still a great talent available - Nathan Legare (Draft review coming soon).

The last trade by far was the most impact. On June 29th, Phil Kessel, along with Dane Birks, and a 2021 4th-round draft pick to the Arizona Coyotes for Alex Galchenyuk and Pierre-Oliver Joseph.

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• Pens Get: Alex Galchenyuk (25): A very talented forward with great offensive instincts and a powerful shot. I am thrilled to get Galchenyuk. He may carry some similar baggage to Kessel (disappearing at times, and not great defensively) however I feel that a change to a winning culture with a world-class talent with motivation to fix his shortcomings. He has never come close to getting Kessel-like numbers but still puts up a lot of points and might surge playing in the Penguins system. Also, the Pens gain prospect Pierre-Oliver Joseph (20), who wasdrafted 23rd overall in 2017. This defenseman has top-pairing potential, and helps replenish the prospect cupboard.
• Pens Lose: Phil Kessel (31): Pittsburgh knew and grew to love Phil as an icon, meme, and hot dog enthusiast. He brought a heavy offensive presence but some lackluster defense and effort, at times. I really don't need to go into more detail. Time will tell if Galchenyuk can effectively replace him. We also lose Dane Birks (23), whom the Pens drafted in the 6th round in 2013. Having played his final season at Michigan Tech, the prospect saw 1 AHL game and 65 ECHL games, posting respectable but incredibly average numbers. He'll probably never see the NHL. Lastly, GMJR gave up a 2021 4th-round pick...Whatever, no big deal.

I am thankful to have been able to witness the Kessel years in Pittsburgh, however I'm very pleased with this move. I'm hopeful that Galchenyuk will post a career year and prove to be an improvement over Phil. We shed his salary and will lose next to nothing while gaining another great player and very very promising defensive prospect. I consider this a win.

The only other significant move was the signing of free agent Brandon Tanev (27) to a deal of 6 years at $3.5 million AAV. Not a huge fan of the move, as it's a bit pricey and too long of a deal for a bottom-six forward that won't post many points. However, he's a skilled 2-way player and a strong skater that brings grit. Bittersweet for me. There is one interesting stat though; Tanev had a higher goals/60 than Kessel, beating him 0.76 to 0.75. Is there any validity to hope that if Tanev sees more ice time, we'll see a jump in goal production? We shall see.

- Shawn, TGYK