One Timers: Karlsson Trade Talk and Parallel; the Race for Sid

Kyle Dubas wants to rebuild the Pittsburgh Penguins in time for Sidney Crosby to enjoy the upswing.

The Penguins’ general manager is racing against time and perhaps reality, but that has not stopped the effort. In addition to 13 picks in the 2025 NHL Draft, the team will have a league-leading 17 picks in the first three rounds over the next three drafts, and that does not count the potential haul from trading one of several veterans known to be available on the NHL trade market.

Erik Karlsson, Rickard Rakell, and the “sky-high” price for Bryan Rust are the storylines with no pending conclusions other than the public expectation of inevitability.

The Fenway Sports Group ownership passed down the mode of being impatient from the owners’ offices to the Penguins management. The Penguins’ prospect group has deepened faster than the city pools before Memorial Day. Even as far back as No. 15 on the PHN top 25 list, there is some expectation that the prospects will get a sniff of the NHL.

However, the “when” of their arrival is of equal importance as the value of their impact, at least in the context of giving Crosby another springtime adventure.

While it seems the first arrivals of skaters this season will be Rutger McGroarty, Ville Koivunen, and Owen Pickering, there will be a gap between this first wave and the next wave. After all, the Erik Karlsson trade deprived the Penguins of their 2024 first-rounder, and McGroarty essentially counts as their 2023 first-round pick, as the team traded ’23 first pick Brayden Yager for him.

Tristan Broz is waiting in the wings as a middle-six forward and possibly center. Avery Hayes is lurking and has exceeded expectations thus far. Perhaps making some impact at the top level will be the next unexpected success.

However, the next wave will be the players drafted in 2025, most of whom don’t figure to be ready until 2027, if not 2028 or later, such as second-rounder Peyton Kettles, who is only 17 and is probably four years away from the NHL.

Perhaps 2025 first-rounders Bill Zonnon or Will Horcoff will leap forward for next season. It is quite possible because both are big bodies with good hands, but such leaps cannot be expected.

It would seem the only sure way to add more young players ready for 2026-2027 would be via trade.

It’s the race for Sid.

Where Are the Trades?

This summer is beginning to resemble the warmest months of 2023. There was intense trade chatter surrounding the Penguins and Erik Karlsson, though in 2023, it was a matter of acquiring Karlsson.

After the early July horse race cooled, the trade talks seemed to be DOA … and then the trade closed quickly, leading to the Aug. 6 deal.

After plenty of trade talk and the Penguins’ available veterans leading trade boards for the last six weeks, it all seems to have cooled. In very much the same way as 2023, the wondering if Dubas will enter the season with all three of his publicized trade chips despite the advantages of trading away one or two has become real.

The lack of a Karlsson trade is especially pressing as the Penguins have six right-side defensemen capable of NHL ice, also including would-be rookie Harrison Brunicke, 25-year-old Jack St. Ivany, Connor Clifton, Matt Dumba, and of course, Kris Letang.

Hard Talk with Karlsson

Perhaps this writer was especially unvarnished late last week on the Kevin Karius radio show in Edmonton, as they asked the pertinent question–when will Karlsson be traded?

The quote that escaped my lips was maybe a little harsh, though the station clipped my compliments from the quote: “Outside of a six or eight week stretch where he was brilliant, and the Four Nations tournament, he wasn’t an asset to the Penguins.”

I wish the station’s social media folks had not trimmed the quote to exclude the compliment, but the sentiment is the same.

Despite analytics expert JFresh’s recent social media posts extolling the overall statistical positives, it’s hard for the eye test people to agree. Actually, it’s quite impossible, except for the aforementioned stretch and tournament.

It’s disappointing for all involved that the Penguins and Karlsson didn’t click in that fizzy, exciting sort of way that would have gotten the best from each side. A playoff berth was quite possible in 2023-24 as the bottom half of the Eastern Conference was a trash heap from which the Florida Panthers dynasty unexpectedly rose.

Just imagine if Karlsson and the team had jelled.

Now, we know of one lengthy conversation between Dubas and Karlsson that occurred the day following the end of last season. Dubas described it as an hour-long talk, and there were likely a lot of issues raised. For the briefest moment, Dubas flashed a little exasperation when recalling the conversation in his press conference several days later.

It’s probably time for another talk with Karlsson that is short and sweet. “Here are your options: Team X or Y. If you want to win a Stanley Cup, those are your ONLY options. Even if we trade you for nothing, those are your options.”

Dubas might have to leave the logical argument at the door and become a salesman. Truly, the Penguins’ and Karlsson’s tracks are heading in exactly opposite directions. It would be disappointing for Karlsson not to get a real shot and disappointing for the Penguins to have young defensemen held back one more year.

Most Important Coach?

Suddenly, the most important assistant coach on head coach Dan Muse’s staff might be goalie coach Andy Chiodo, who will have a few projects on his hands.

First, he’ll need to help Tristan Jarry find consistency. Remember the PHN exclusive with Jarry after he returned later in the season, and the mental work he put in after being waived. Jarry needs to do the work to solidify whatever worked late in the season and erase whatever didn’t.

Perhaps more importantly, Chiodo will have to work with Artus Silovs, who seemed to be anointed by Dubas as one of the two goalies on the NHL roster (though it’s possible to carry three netminders). The chasm between Silovs in big games vs. his performance in regular season games was stark. Perhaps we’ll get a better look at Silovs and discover if it’s a technical flaw or a mental construct that he needs to rework.

Fortunately for Chiodo, the mental side of the game is his strong suit.

And lest anyone forget 23-year-old Joel Blomqvist, who the team expected to seize the opportunity following Jarry’s demotion last January. However, in one of those little incongruencies between former coach Mike Sullivan, who was trying to win games, and Dubas, who was putting in place blocks for the future, Blomqvist started only three games from Jan. 18 through Feb. 8.

Blomqvist has technical and mental work to do to improve upon last season.

Perhaps no position or group of players needs more important work.

The post One Timers: Karlsson Trade Talk and Parallel; the Race for Sid appeared first on Pittsburgh Hockey Now.

One Timers: Karlsson Trade Talk and Parallel; the Race for Sid

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