Which players should be on the Pittsburgh Penguins radar with only a few days remaining before the Trade Deadline?
The NHL trade market has picked up significantly over the past 72 hours, striking multiple names off the list of potential trade targets for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
With three days until the Trade Deadline, which players should general manager Ron Hextall have his sights set on?
Tyler Bertuzzi (LW/RW - Detroit Red Wings)
Tyler Bertuzzi missed a significant portion of the season due to an upper-body injury but has scored 14 points (4G / 10A) in the 28 games he has played for the Red Wings. Bertuzzi would bring more than an offensive punch to the Penguins bottom six. His antagonistic antics would bring more life to the Penguins third line.
Once thought to be removed from the trade block, Bertuzzi is back in trade rumors thanks to the return received by Nashville for Tanner Jeannot. According to TSN's Darren Dreger, the reported asking price is a first-round pick and more. That price may be too steep for the pending unrestricted free agent.
Max Domi (C/LW - Chicago Blackhawks)
Max Domi is enjoying a resurgent season with the Blackhawks and is on pace to score 68 points this season, four points shy of his career-best from 2018-19. Despite reports of Domi wanting to stay with Chicago for the rest of the season, Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson still plans to listen to offers on the 27-year-old centerman.
Domi's offensive output may look inflated because of his deployment on Chicago's top power-play unit, 18 of his 68 points are on the power-play, but his speed on the forecheck and abilities in the faceoff circle (54.2% on the year) make him an instant upgrade to the Penguins third line.
The Penguins currently have $1.9 Million in cap space, so fitting Domi's $3 Million contract shouldn't be much of an issue. He will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
Jakob Chychrun (LHD - Arizona Coyotes)
Welcome to the main event. Jakob Chychrun is one of the few players to be linked as a potential target for the Penguins this season. According to Rob Rossi of The Athletic, Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan is interested in the defenseman. Hextall is hesitant due to the Coyotes asking price of two first-round picks.
Chychrun, a 24-year-old left-shot defenseman, is signed for two more seasons at $4.6 Million and would slot in next to Kris Letang on the Penguins top pair. He gives them another offensive threat from the blue line while fitting the mold of a big-bodied defender (6'2", 220 lbs.) that Hextall and Brian Burke have been coveting.
The price is steep, but Chychrun would become a fixture in the Penguins lineup for years.
The NHL Trade Deadline is Friday at 3:00 p.m.
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