Hakansson scored 31 goals in three seasons after this trade, and then his NHL career was over. This one always goes overlooked, but it shouldn’t. Penguins acquire Kevin Stevens from Los Angeles in exchange for Anders Hakansson on Sept. Mario Lemieux pushed for it, Shero responded, and it was the right call by a mile.Ħ. But really, that’s all the Penguins lost in that deal. Armstrong was a nice role player and Christiansen a shootout specialist.
So, even though he departed that summer, his presence was huge for the Penguins’ growth.Īnd then there was Dupuis, a Stanley Cup champion and among the bigger folk heroes in franchise history. Perhaps they don’t escape the East without Hossa that spring. To play that team on that stage was a big deal for the young Penguins. I firmly believe the 2009 Penguins wouldn’t have defeated the mighty Red Wings in the Stanley Cup final had they not faced them the previous season. Penguins acquire Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis from Atlanta in exchange for Colby Armstrong, Erik Christiansen, Angelo Esposito and a 2008 first round pick on Feb. Tangradi never developed into the power forward many were anticipating, but it doesn’t matter.ħ. Kunitz became a fixture on Sidney Crosby’s left wing, helped the Penguins win the Stanley Cup three times and scored arguably the most important goal in franchise history, which happened to be the final goal he scored with the Penguins. Whitney had a couple of really good seasons but was never the same player after sustaining a foot injury. Penguins acquire Chris Kunitz and Eric Tangradi from Anaheim in exchange for Ryan Whitney on Feb. Giving up Mikael Samuelsson to move up in the draft for Fleury? Yeah, that’ll do.Ĩ. Fleury took a couple years to develop, as goaltenders always do. But giving him up was mere peanuts for a future Hall of Fame goaltender was an incredible steal and was probably Patrick’s last great trade. Penguins acquire the 2003 first overall pick and a 2003 third round pick from Florida in exchange for Mikael Samuelsson, the 2003 third overall pick and a 2003 second round pick on June 21, 2003 This was one of Shero’s greatest moves.ĩ. Rutherford also later turned Neal into Patric Hornqvist, a key contributor on two Stanley Cup teams.īetween Shero, Patrick and Rutherford, who is the best trader of the GMs? You could make powerful arguments for all three. But they also got Neal, who scored 89 goals in 199 games with the Penguins. Thus, the Penguins could have merely traded Niskanen for Goligoski and likely would have won the trade. Goligoski has enjoyed a nice NHL career, but Niskanen is a better player. Still, this trade needs to be recognized. This is the only trade on our list that includes players who didn’t get a Stanley Cup ring in Pittsburgh, though Niskanen would later get one in Washington. Penguins acquire James Neal and Matt Niskanen from Dallas in exchange for Alex Goligoski on Feb. Guerin not only helped the Penguins win the Stanley Cup, but also became a key member of the front office for nearly a decade.ġ0. In 2009, Shero acquired Billy Guerin for what amounted to a third-round pick from the Islanders.Schultz is now a top-four defensemen with two Stanley Cup rings. Rutherford saved Justin Schultz from Edmonton and only parted with a third-round pick in 2016.
A huge heist for Patrick during his extraordinary run in the early 1990s. Taglianetti, Dalquist and Johnson all were solid players. The Penguins acquired Larry Murphy and Peter Taglianetti from Minnesota in exchange for Chris Dahlquist and Jim Johnson.Let’s first start with the honorable mentions: Rutherford will have company as the two previous GMs - Craig Patrick and Ray Shero - were no stranger to making franchise-altering moves. So, let’s take a look at the 10 greatest trades in Penguins’ history. But he’s at his single best while he’s making trades. He has a particularly gentle way behind the scenes, a true strength when it comes to building a team.
#THE GREATEST PENGUIN HEIST OF ALL TIME KEY FREE#
Like any general manager, Rutherford has enjoyed hits and endured misses in free agency. It sounds like a video game on the surface, but there is a method to Rutherford’s madness. Make a bad trade? Right a wrong and trade the guy you got for someone better. After all, trades represent a massive portion of his legacy. However, to properly pay tribute to GMJR, we need to talk trades. He deserves all of the accolades he is receiving, both as a general manager and as a man. Jim Rutherford was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday.
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