After the Pittsburgh Penguins got swept by the New York Islanders in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, people are expecting big changes. Here’s a look at five moves they must make this offseason.
The Pittsburgh Penguins don’t take kindly to losing. After losing to the New York Islanders in four games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, general manager Jim Rutherford suggested there could be big changes coming to Pittsburgh.
Now, big changes can either be good or bad. A good example would be back in 2015, the Penguins traded for Phil Kessel after losing to the New York Rangers in the first round of the postseason. They didn’t blow up their core. In fact, the Penguins added to it.
A bad example would be a lot of what Rutherford has done since then. Here are some of the highlights (or lowlights, I guess).
- Traded Oscar Sundqvist and a first-round pick for Ryan Reaves and a second-round pick.
- Acquired Jamie Oleksiak from the Dallas Stars in 2017 (actually a decent move) only to trade him back about 14 months later just before injuries hit their blueline.
- Traded Carl Hagelin for Tanner Pearson.
- Moved Pearson for Erik Gudbranson.
- Signed Jack Johnson.
The Penguins still have an open Stanley Cup window. It’s going to stay open as long as Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, Evgeni Malkin, and Phil Kessel are around and still productive. However, Rutherford’s going to have to do more moves similar to the ones he did from 2015 to 2017 to help them win back to back Stanley Cups than he has done since winning the second straight title.
Without question, the Penguins are going to be an interesting team to watch this summer. They’ve got to make some moves and Rutherford’s got to make the right ones. If he doesn’t, the Penguins Stanley Cup window could slam shut
Let’s take a look at three moves the Pens must make this summer to get back in the title picture.