Penguins/NHL
PENGUINS PERSONNEL SHIFT HAS BEGUN
PIT Receives: Nick Bjugstad, Jared McCann
FLA Receives: Derick Brassard, Riley Sheahan, 2019 2nd RD Pick, 2019 4th RD Pick (PIT), 2019 4th RD Pick (MIN)
There was growing momentum in league circles when Derick Brassard was scratched Wednesday night that he had played his last game as a Penguin.
Indeed that became the case when Jim Rutherford today shipped Brassard, Riley Sheahan along with three draft picks to the Florida Panthers for Nick Bjugstad and Jared McCann. This is a deal the Penguins internally are thrilled about.
As discussions over the summer began of an organizational shift in acquiring players with more size, effectiveness along the wall, Nick Bjugstad became a top target even prior to the 2018 draft. Pittsburgh thinks so highly of Bjugstad that the Penguins even approached Florida about a deal centered around Phil [hide] Kessel for Bjugstad. There would have been other concepts involved, Florida took a look but passed with the $10 million in signing bonuses Kessel is due in the final two years of his contract being a sticking point from the Panthers end.
Pittsburgh was always going to keep poking around on Bjugstad but with how reluctant Dale Taillon had always been on moving Bjugstad and the season Bjugstad had in 17/18, the Penguins a few months ago never imagined being able to put a deal together for Bjugstad where they could flip two pending UFA’s + picks for him.
Excitement in the organization is that the perfect storm played out in being able to make this deal in that Bjugstad is having a down season and Florida just saw it as an opportunity to open cap space for next season where the likes of Sergei Bobrovsky, Artemi Panarin have living in Fort Lauderdale high on their list.
In Bjugstad, he checks a lot of boxes of what they’re trying to in slightly changing the style of play. Bjugstad gives the Penguins more size and length down the middle or on the wing. He isn’t an aggressive player by any means for how big he is, but he’s smart in knowing how to use his size in protecting the puck down low, keeping possessions ability , an area that has driven Penguin coaches nuts with some of their forwards.
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— Is Bjugstad the Penguins long-term third line center?
It’s where he’ll start but not even the Penguins are certain of that.
Scouts and coaches like him on the wing better (from getting the most production out of him standpoint), where a high-end center can bring out Bjugstad’s skillset much more so than Bjugstad can himself in being the 1A or 1B option as the third line center. There’s some good offensive tools that come out best when he’s paired up with higher-end players and his strengths of creating scoring chances off the wall are more equipped when he’s at the wing. There’s just some little things where his game flashes more as a winger.
That’s not to say Bjugstad’s isn’t a capable third line center. He certainly is but if you’re looking for a reincarnation of Nick Bonino or Jordan Staal, he’s not that type of player. Bjugstad does not kill penalties nor show a willingness to put his body on the line for a blocked shot like Bonino would, nor is he a shutdown physically powering type To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!
On the surface, it stands out as a smart philosophy for this management group with this core now in their 30’s. But are they betting on the right players?
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