Penguins Augment their Bottom-Six and Add Depth on D at the Deadline

Ron Hextall said Penguins management, scouts and coaches were all on the same page when it came to improving the team ahead of the trade deadline.
"We've had big group meetings together to talk about the possible options out there. In terms of the players, when everybody's aligned, then you feel good about things that you're doing," Hextall said. "I think we all felt like we could add some depth on D and augment our bottom-six, and that's what we did."

Here are the biggest moves the Penguins made over the last week, before the NHL trade deadline hit at 3 PM on Friday:
- Placing winger Kasperi Kapanen on waivers (he was then picked up by St. Louis)
- Trading center Teddy Blueger to Vegas for a third-round draft pick and a prospect
- Acquiring forward Mikael Granlund from Nashville for a second-round draft pick
- Acquiring forward Nick Bonino from San Jose as part of a three-team trade
- Acquiring defenseman Dmitry Kulikov from Anaheim for winger Brock McGinn (after originally placing him and Mark Friedman on waivers) and a third-round draft pick
Let's start with the forward group.
The Penguins have felt terrific about their top-six all season, and rightfully so. Mike Sullivan has always liked building his lines around tandems, with Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel forming one and Evgeni Malkin and Jason Zucker making up the other. Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust have been able to swap with each other depending on the situation. Overall, the chemistry has been great.
The bottom-six, however, has been a different story. For whatever reason, the Penguins haven't been able to find combinations that could contribute consistently, which led to changes. The Penguins all think highly of Kapanen, McGinn and Blueger, but it wasn't working with those players this year.
So they went out and got Mikael Granlund, someone Hextall tried to get a couple of years ago at this time - and he's not the only one. "I talked to four GMs today that said they've tried to get him in the last couple of years," Hextall said. "So he was, I think, a coveted player because of his versatility. He's the type of guy that can play in the middle or play on the wings."
In addition to that, Hextall said they hope Granlund's skill smarts can help spark the bottom-six. "When you look at lines, you look for guys who connect dots and make intelligent plays." That's also something Nick Bonino brings, with Mike Sullivan always calling the two-time Stanley Cup Champion with Pittsburgh in 2016 and '17 "cerebral" player.
When it comes to who will play in the middle on the third and fourth lines, Hextall feels it's important that Sullivan has options. Jeff Carter and Drew O'Connor filled those roles last game, with Hextall speaking very highly of the latter, who will be available for Saturday's matchup with Florida after being re-assigned to WBS today for logistical reasons surrounding the deadline.
"I think Drew's played extremely well for us," Hextall said. "You guys probably saw the goal last night, but I think he's played as good of hockey as he's played recently for us. We're excited about Drew."
Granlund and Bonino will also be candidates, with Hextall saying that it's Sullivan's decision.
"I think in the end, Mikael Granlund, where does he play, the middle or the wing - that's obviously up to Sully," Hextall said. "There's a feeling out process and getting to know process with the coaches with new players. Nick's a different story, obviously, because they know him. But I like the options with the coaches have now."
As for the defense…
The Penguins entered the season with nine NHL-caliber defensemen. Now, with the addition of Kulikov, they have 10. Hextall explained that with Ty Smith sidelined due to a facial fracture and Xavier Ouellet also out down in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, the Penguins wanted to enhance their depth versus going the other way.
They also wanted someone who could play on both sides, as the Penguins currently have three left-handed shots: Brian Dumoulin, P.O Joseph, and Marcus Pettersson. "We felt like if we lose one guy with Ouellet being out for the year, we could have been in trouble," Hextall said. "Frieds can play over there, but we don't have another left shot. We felt like that was a need.
"Dmitry is a heavy player, he's got a good defensive presence, he can kill penalties. So we're excited about that."
And with No. 1 netminder Tristan Jarry back healthy, and appearing to round back into top form, Hextall said he likes the look of the Penguins - who have won four games in a row and moved into the top Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference with their 5-4 overtime win against Tampa Bay on Thursday.
"I think that we made our team better today," Hextall said. "I think there's a lot of teams that are capable of winning the Cup, and yes, I'd say we're one of them. I think that the number of teams who are capable is a lot greater than it used to be with the salary cap and the way teams are constructed nowadays. I think a lot of teams loaded up, and it'll be interesting to see how those teams do. There's some good teams out there, for sure.
"We've got a proven group, we've got a hungry group, and we got a group of guys that we all think of as winners. So, you got to make the playoffs first, and right now that's our objective. Then we'll see where we go from there, but I feel good about this team."