Pittsburgh Penguins' general manager Kyle Dubas traded for Colorado Avalanche defenseman Sam Girard on Tuesday, which was the latest in a string of moves that show why he's one of the best in the business
The NHL Olympic trade freeze was lifted on Monday at 12:00 a.m. ET, and - with only 10 days until the trade deadline on Mar. 6 - it was only a matter of time before NHL general managers kickstarted the activity.
And who else to kickstart it other than the man who has been the most active GM so far this season?
On Tuesday, Pittsburgh Penguins' GM and POHO Kyle Dubas knocked down the first domino when he sent pending-unrestricted free agent defenseman Brett Kulak to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for defenseman Samuel Girard and a 2028 second-round pick. It was the first trade post-break, and it certainly doesn't figure to be the last.
And who knows: Dubas might not be done yet. In fact, there is a good chance he probably won't be done, as the Penguins are both in the midst of a strong playoff push and of continuing to collect as many assets as possible to help move their rebuild along. The move to get Girard also netted them a second-round pick, giving the Penguins 20 picks in the first three rounds of the next four NHL Drafts - which is the highest mark in the NHL.
It's unclear how Dubas will approach this trade deadline. It appears likely that it may have something to do with the health of captain Sidney Crosby, who sustained a lower-body injury during the Olympics and is out four weeks, but there are a lot of different ways it could go.
But one thing is for certain: Dubas sure knows how to get maximum value out of his trades, and that's exactly what happened when he traded for Girard on Tuesday.
Looking at this trade tree, it started on Dec. 12 when Dubas sent goaltender Tristan Jarry and forward Sam Poulin to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for goaltender Stuart Skinner, defenseman Brett Kulak, and a 2029 second-round pick. With the Kulak trade, the Penguins essentially dealt Jarry, Poulin, and Kulak for Skinner, Girard, and two second-round picks.
Considering that Jarry and Skinner are essentially equals, minus the fact that Skinner is on an expiring contract and Jarry has three more years at $5.125 million, and that Kulak and Girard are essentially equals - minus the fact that Girard is five years younger, has a higher offensive ceiling, and has term with one more year at $5 million - it seems as though Dubas, essentially, conjured those second-round picks out of mid-air. It's not as if you can argue that Poulin is even worth one second-round pick on his own.
This trade is just the latest example of Dubas being able to turn nothing - or, at least, much lower value - into something on the trade market combined with free agency. When he traded Marcus Pettersson and Drew O'Connor to the Vancouver Canucks last January, he netted a first-round pick that turned into two in Will Horcoff and Bill Zonnon - two higher-ceiling forward prospects - and effectively replaced Pettersson with Parker Wotherspoon and O'Connor with Justin Brazeau in free agency, both of whom have, arguably, been upgrades.
He also turned Michael Bunting - a product of the Jake Guentzel trade that is still playing out - and Luke Schenn plus a fourth-round pick into Tommy Novak, a second-round pick, and a fourth-round pick. And a fifth-round pick for Connor Dewar and Conor Timmins, who was flipped along with a middling defensive prospect in Isaac Belliveau for Connor Clifton and a second.
And another one that is still playing out? Egor Chinakhov, who the Penguins got from the Columbus Blue Jackets just before the turn of the new year for a second- and third-round pick. Since then, Chinakhov has eight goals and 12 points in 18 games.
Somehow, some way, Dubas always seems to maximize return, especially in his business dealings since the Guentzel trade. The full scale of that trade, as mentioned before, has yet to play out, as prospects Harrison Brunicke, Ville Koivunen, Cruz Lucius, and Vasily Ponomarev - in addition to the Bunting piece of it - are still developing and trying to push their way into the NHL.
Dubas is a smart businessman, and he's shown that he is one of the best in the business. His dealings have not only added to an already-overflowing draft cupboard, but they have also helped propel his team to second in the Metropolitan Division in a season that was - by many accounts - supposed to be another lost one.
Things are looking up for the Pittsburgh Penguins. And it starts with the man in the big chair.
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