Pittsburgh Penguins
With Brian Burke and Ron Hextall now manning the front office, the Red Wings could definitely inquire as the Pens are nearing the end of a dominant decade. With the contender window closing, could Yzerman get a few assets since the Penguins are low on draft picks?
Potential Prospects
The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler has the Penguins pegged at 29th in terms of prospects, hardly shocking for a team that has been all in and has three Cups to show for it. For the right price, who could the Red Wings possibly pluck away? Pittsburgh, according to Cap Friendly, has just north of $1M deadline cap room.
Samuel Poulin clocks in as the top prospect in the system, and Wheeler has him pegged as third liner, with potential to be more. Would getting a veteran presence to go deep in the playoffs along with maybe a sweetener do it? Poulin has 24 points (7-17) in 17 games in his fifth year with Val d’Or Foreurs in the Q. How will his transition to a “men’s” league work out? That remains to be seen. Maybe that opens the door for a potential deal for a team looking to add more hardware as their core ages.
One other option: 19-year-old goalie Joel Blomqvist. The Red Wings are thin in goaltending depth and while he was Pittsburgh’s second round pick last season, he could be another option along with Keith Petruzzelli. Goalies are a different beast when it comes to development, and knowing that neither Burke or Hextall drafted him, an argument could be made for the outside chance to snag him.
One other option a bit further down on Wheeler’s list: Josh Maniscalco. A right hand shot who Wheeler essentially described as a jack of all trades. He stands 6’2 and according to Wheeler has a heavy shot. Yzerman is known for stacking his blue line with bigger frames and hard shooters. Detroit could let him develop a bit in Grand Rapids as well.
Regardless of what they do, the Red Wings won’t be void of a number of options. It’ll be finding that right match, in a slew of sellers, for them to add more weapons to one of the deepest prospect pools in hockey.