Checking In on Recently Departed Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins haven't gotten a lot out of their new arrivals, but how have the recently departed players looked since leaving?

The 2023 NHL trade deadline brought a few changes to the Pittsburgh Penguins; while the additions haven’t panned out, the faces that left might have new life in their careers.

Over the course of Ron Hextall’s wheeling and dealing, three underperforming players left the Penguins organization.

How have they faired since departing Pittsburgh?

Hextall was given a huge break when the St. Louis Blues decided to claim Kasperi Kapanen and his entire contract.

The Blues, however, have gotten a solid performance from Kapanen since his arrival.

In 14 games since being claimed off of waivers, Kapanen has scored seven goals and three assists for 10 points, including two multi-point nights.

Kapanen hasn’t scored at a pace like that since his first year back with the Penguins organization when he put up 30 points (11G-19A) in 40 games.

The Blues don’t have much left to play for this season, but have an opportunity this summer to rebuild a winning team, and Kapanen can be a key piece to the depth.

This move may have been a tough pill to swallow, but Teddy Blueger was vastly underperforming this year and his departure was necessary for Hextall to make the moves he did.

Since being dealt to the Vegas Golden Knights, Blueger has seen a minor increase in offensive production while maintaining his role as a depth forward.

As the Golden Knights’ fourth-line center, Blueger has recorded five points (2G-3A) in 10 games, giving him a total of 15 points on the season.

Offense isn’t the focal point of Blueger’s game, but getting any kind of depth scoring will help, especially for a team like the Golden Knights who are fighting to be the top team in the Western Conference.

The last player for Hextall to send to a new team, Brock McGinn struggled on his way out of the door, then found himself on an Anaheim Ducks team in full rebuild mode.

The Ducks don’t need scoring as they are shooting for the best possible chance at the first overall pick in the upcoming draft.

At one point, McGinn was one the Ducks’ first line with Trevor Zegras; while McGinn has since been moved back down, there hasn’t been a jump in scoring.

In 11 games with the Ducks, McGinn has picked up just a goal and an assist for two points.

Considering the pace he was one before leaving Pittsburgh, you could say that’s an improvement.

Are the Penguins a better team without these three in the lineup? Most likely, but that’s not taking into account the players Hextall decided to fill the voids with.

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