Penguins: 2 Best Trade Targets In 2023 NHL Offseason

There are many who believe the Pittsburgh Penguins have little left in the tank, and the team that has won three Stanley Cups during superstar Sidney Crosby’s tenure are no longer capable of competing with the best teams in the league.

The Penguins failed to make the playoffs last season, and their collapse at the end of the regular season kept them on the outside and paved the way for the Florida Panthers to make the playoffs and go on a substantial run.

The Penguins lost a crucial home game in the final week of the season to the lowly Chicago Blackhawks and that was crucial to their failure and opened the door for the Panthers.

The team’s failure was not tolerated by ownership, and president of hockey operations Brian Burke,  general manager Ron Hextall and assistant general manager Chris Pryor were all fired shortly after the regular season came to an end.

The Penguins had made the playoffs for 16 seasons in a a row, and that had been the longest active streak in North American professional sports.

Kyle Dubas joins the fold

While that management team failed, the Penguins have brought in Kyle Dubas as the team’s new President of Operations.

Dubas was fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs, but he came to the Penguins with the idea that he would not only help the team contend for the time being, but also build for the future.

“The work will also begin at delivering a long-term hockey organization that can be the class of the NHL and to reduce any gap in time from the end of those great players’ careers to the next era of great hockey for the Pittsburgh Penguins,” Dubas said.

Dubas has started his two-pronged assignment. The Penguins acquired forward Reilly Smith from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for a third-round choice in the 2024 NHL Draft. The Penguins also selected center Brayden Yager from Moose Jaw of the Western Hockey League with the No. 14 pick in the 2023 Draft.

There are more moves to make to help improve the Penguins current and future position. Here’s a look at 2 players the Penguins should pursue in trades during the offseason.

Right wing Brock Boeser, Vancouver Canucks

The Penguins know that Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang can still be a formidable trio capable of taking over games and providing key victories for the Penguins. However, that group is clearly running out of time, and the 2023-24 season could be their last together.

Perhaps they can last two more years together, but sooner or later a new generation of Penguin stars must take over if the team is going to regain its position as one of the pre-eminent franchises in the NHL. Executing a trade with the Vancouver Canucks to acquire forward Brock Boeser would help the team in that regard.

Boeser, 26, has the size and strength to serve as a dynamic scorer and playmaker. During his first seven years in the NHL, he has scored 23 goals or more four times. Boeser registered a career high 29 goals in 2017-18 and he followed that up with 26 goals and 30 assists in the following season.

The 6-1 and 208-pound right wing scored 18 goals and had 37 assists last year for the Canucks. Placed in a new and positive environment, Boeser should be able to score at least 30 goals for a new team.

That would suit the Penguins well. Boeser has two years left on his contract and he is scheduled to earn $6.65 million in each of those years.

Goalie John Gibson, Anaheim Ducks

The Penguins struggled badly in the goaltending department last season. If they want to return to prominence and demonstrate that they are capable of winning consistently, they have to improve their defense, in general, and their goaltending, in particular.

The Penguins gave up an average of 3.21 goals per game, ranking 19th of the NHL’s 32 teams. Neither Tristan Jarry nor Casey DeSmith were able to demonstrate consistency, and that played a key role in Pittsburgh’s defensive issues last year.

Gibson has been a solid goaltender throughout his career, but the last two seasons with the floundering Ducks have been a struggle.

If the Ducks were to trade Gibson to his hometown team, it could serve as a trigger to jumpstart his career.

Gibson has a 2.83 goals-against average throughout his 10 years in the NHL, and he has a save percentage of .912. The 30-year-old goaltender still has plenty left in the tank and would be an excellent fit for the Penguins.

Gibson is scheduled to earn $6.4 million in the 2023-24 season.