With the draft quickly approaching and free agency coming soon, I felt that it would be worth my while to look at a handful of low profile trade options that could pay big dividends. The trades I'm about to propose may range from lopsided against us, fair, or lopsided in our favor.
Trade #1:
Penguins Receive: Negotiating rates for RFA James Sheppard (current deal: $830,000)
Sharks Receive: 2014 3rd Round Pick
After Ray Shero turned Tyler Kennedy's rights into a 2nd round pick last year, now may be the time to make a similar deal. Doug Wilson and the San Jose Sharks are in a similar position of postseason panic, but unlike us, the player's heads are primarily rolling. Now may be a great time to bring in a guy in Sheppard who looked great this season after fighting off a heavy dose of adversity early on. His stock is only going to rise, and it would be smart of us to invest in him now.
Trade #2:
Penguins Receive: Raffi Torres ($2M, 2 more years) and Negotiating rights for Tommy Wingels ($775,000)
Sharks Receive: Negotiating rights for UFA Brian Gibbons ($550,000), RFA Simon Despres ($840,000), 2015 5th Round Pick
Did I mention that no player is safe in San Jose? This deal would largely hinge on getting Gibbons to agree to sign with San Jose, assuming that Wilson would consider shipping off Wingels. My gut tells me that San Jose wouldn't agree to this deal, but I wouldn't have thought that they'd give up a 2nd for TK either. Torres satisfies our jargon brings "grit and character at an affordable rate while also bringing an offensive touch that Glass never could. Wingels can successfully play a strong bottom 6 game consistently, and step up into a top 6 role when needed and be productive. Having Wingels around this season would have meant more depth when we were healthy and better production from the top line after Duper went down.
Trade #3:
Penguins Receive: Tyler Toffoli ($716,667, 1 year remaining (RFA))
Kings Receive: Beau Bennett ($900,000, 1 year remaining (RFA))
This one pains me a bit, as I hold Beau in high regard and feel that he can be a 60+ point player in a couple of years if he can keep his health under control. Beau is great at creating scoring chances but less proficient at finishing them, making him a strong 3rd liner when healthy. Although Toffoli isn't as good of a playmaker, he is a better finisher than Beau, which would make him a good fit on a line where Sid or Geno carry the puck.
Trade #4:
Penguins Receive: Negotiating rights to RFA Brandon Pirri ($870,000)
Panthers Receive: Scott Harrington ($589,167, 2 years left (RFA)), Negotiating Rights to RFA Jayson Megna ($925,000)
From our standpoint, we'd be giving up a strong defensive prospect who looks to be below Maata, Dumolin, Despres, Pouliot, and Samuelsson in the depth chart and a somewhat pricey top line AHLer with great speed and unrecognized potential. If we feel that Megna has a reasonably high ceiling, this is a bad deal for us. If not, this could be a good opportunity for us to pick up solid depth scoring with an affordable cap hit. The fact that Dale Tallon holds Pirri in high regard forces us to give up a little more than we would like.