Should the Pens trade for Hall?

nohero

Registered User
Aug 27, 2014
62
40
My guess is that this trade will require a goalie going to New Jersey. Whether the Devils prefer Murray, Jarry or DeSmith and by how much... one of them would almost certainly need to be part of it. That's something the Penguins could responsibly let go. It's not ideal but you gotta give to get.

I would imagine something along the lines of a 1st rounder, one of the goalies mentioned above & Galchenyuk as a starter... other secondary pieces would move from either side I'm sure, especially depending which goalie is part of the ask. Maybe Pens could move JJ in this mix as well?

For those that feel Rutherford needs to "stop giving away 1st rounders" then I guess I'd wonder why you think that's the priority? He gave up plenty of 1st rounders on the way to back to back Stanley Cups, so it's really hard to dismiss that as a valid strategy. He's traded a single 1st round pick since then and I agree it was one of his worst trades as GM but why does that dismiss the value in acquiring Kessel or Perron (who was then traded for Hagelin). Both of those players were instrumental in our championships. I do understand that every move should factor in the long term success of the franchise as well as the short term in some cases, but every decision is prioritizing one of those things and that priority for me should be the short term still. I feel the Pens are still in the window where a championship is possible and being conservative now just reduces those odds.

Look, it's naive to think a team at the top can stay at the top indefinitely. It's literally never happened in over a century of NHL history. If you're prioritizing not being the worst team in hockey in 5 years, then you're only setting yourself up for mediocrity now as well as in 5 years. When you have a strong core that you know for a fact can win, then win now at all costs and if you can find some gems like Guentzel in the 2nd round and beyond, you might be able to get really lucky and move into a new era of success but it's always a longshot. This is the dominant mindset of any GM in the position of having a strong core that could challenge for a cup and there's good reason for that.

Pens are likely a playoff team. If they don't make it due to injuries and a crazy strong division then they still aren't a team looking at a top draft pick this coming offseason so their 1st round pick is 99.9% likely to not be a franchise difference-maker. In fact, someone of Galchenyuk's productivity would be a successful late 1st-rounder by all accounts. I'm not sure what you're hoping that 20-30th overall pick is going to be that's it's not worth acquiring an all-star for another hopeful playoff run.

Pens lost Kessel this year (for good reasons that I agree with) but having the chance to replace that hole from an offensive dynamism perspective, is probably a valuable investment considering Kessel's role in the last 2 cups not so long ago.

Hall would be a rental, no question. Most ideas to keep him long term would probably do more harm than good.

I'd still be supporting a trade of prospects and picks to land any player of Hall's impact for half a year... at least while Crosby & Malkin still have gas left in the tank for a proper run. It's risky but if we're all being real, let us agree that making or holding off on moves in the hope of being competitive in 5 years is even more risky.
 

Turin

Registered User
Feb 27, 2018
21,890
25,281
Him, Eberle and Sid were good in the WCs in 2015, but that was also big ice.
 

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