Pittsburgh Penguins GM Kyle Dubas is looking to continue his streak of turning low-cost acquisitions into effective players.
The Pittsburgh Penguins pulled off a trade of note Monday afternoon, acquiring right winger Yegor Chinakhov from the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Pittsburgh sent Columbus a second-round and third-round draft pick, as well as fringe forward Danton Heinen.
The Penguins under GM Kyle Dubas are continuing their pattern of buying low on players in hopes of getting bargains who can either help the team in the long run or be sold high in the two months leading up to the NHL trade deadline.
Already this season, the Pens have done very well in getting breakout or bounce-back performances out of the additions Dubas has made.
Right winger Anthony Mantha had only four goals and seven points in 13 games with the Calgary Flames last season, but he has 12 goals and 25 points in 37 games with Pittsburgh this year.
Similarly, right winger Justin Brazeau had 11 goals and 22 points in 76 games split between the Boston Bruins and Minnesota Wild last season, but this year, Brazeau has 11 goals and 18 points in 23 games.
And center Tommy Novak had 13 goals and 22 points in 54 games last season, but he now has six goals and 18 points in 37 games with the Pens this season.
In all of those cases, Dubas picked up veteran players for a low price, and they've taken advantage of the opportunities given to them by Dubas and coach Dan Muse. And now, as the Penguins slide in the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference standings, Dubas has the option of moving any or all of them to a Stanley Cup contender, or keeping them in the fold and using their experience to help Pittsburgh's younger players develop into legitimate NHLers.
The beautiful thing about Novak, Brazeau and Mantha – and now, you can add Chinakhov to this list – is that none of them have any no-trade or no-move clauses in their contracts. So Dubas is under no obligation to go to any of them and ask their permission to be moved.
Novak is the most expensive option at $3.5 million per season for this year and next season, but Mantha is on the books for this season only at $2.5 million, and Brazeau is the cheapest option at $1.5 million this year and next season. They could all be great depth pickups, and there's minimal financial commitment with each.
Meanwhile, Chinakhov is signed for this year at $2.1 million, and he will be an RFA next summer, so he's under full team control.
Blue Jackets Trade Yegor Chinakhov To Penguins Months After Trade Request
The Pittsburgh Penguins reportedly acquired right winger Yegor Chinakhov from the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday.
Chinakhov has only three goals and six points in 29 games with the Blue Jackets this season, but he's averaging just 10:18 of ice time – his lowest average in four-and-a-half NHL seasons. This is not a player you can stick on the fourth line and expect production. Chinakhov has to be active with the puck, and Muse will give him the chance to do so.
In Pittsburgh, Chinakhov will be viewed as the player who scored 16 goals in 53 games in 2023-24, and if he can produce at that pace as a Penguin, Dubas will happily extend his contract and make him a regular, a role he clearly wasn't in Columbus.
Chinahkov could join Novak, Mantha and Brazeau as low-risk, decent-reward assets – and that would be a big win for Dubas as he tries to set this Pens team up for the long haul.
Chinakhov isn't on his last legs as an NHLer. At 24, he's still young enough for teams to be interested in him if things don't work out in Pittsburgh. But Dubas was the one who stepped up and said Chinakhov might have a future with the Penguins. And time will tell whether the trade was a savvy piece of work from Dubas, or whether he took a chance on a player who ultimately couldn't follow through on one good year in hockey's top league.
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