2022
Rickard Rakell Trade
Calle Clang
2022 2nd Round Pick (Tristan Luneau)
The Pittsburgh Penguins made splash at the 2022 trade deadline, acquiring talented forward Rickard Rakell for Zach Aston-Reese, Dominik Simon and and goaltending prospect Calle Clang and a 2022 second round pick. Clang regressed a bit in 2022-23 on a considerably weaker Rogle BK team in the SHL with a 12-10-0 record, 2.69 goals against average and a .901 save percentage. Anaheim took blueliner Tristan Luneau of the Gatineau Olympiques–a teammate of current Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Isaac Belliveau–with the 53rd overall pick. Luneau currently leads all QMJHL blueliners with 76 points in 61 games and a 1.25 point per game average and ranks third in the league with a plus 47 plus/minus rating.
*Additionally, Pittsburgh pledged a conditional 2022 seventh round pick to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for Nathan Beaulieu, but with the conditions not met, the Penguins sent the pick to Florida for a 2023 seventh round pick. Florida took Liam Arnsby, and the 214th overall pick ranks 10th on Oshawa Generals with 30 points in 52 games.
2021
Jeff Carter Trade
2022 3rd Round Pick (Lucas Edmonds)
2023 3rd Round PIck
The Penguins sent a 2022 third round pick and conditional 2023 fourth round pick to the Los Angeles Kings for Jeff Carter in 2021. The Kings flipped the pick to Tampa Bay, and the Lightning took overager Lucas Edmonds–currently eighth on the Syracuse Crunch in the AHL with 11 goals as a rookie in AHL. The Kings still hold the Penguins 2023 third round pick–upgraded from a fourth after Carter played in at least 50 games during the 2021-22 regular season.
2020
Jason Zucker Trade
Calen Addison
2021 1st Round Pick (Carson Lambos)
Though a bit undersized, Calen Addison emerged as a legitimate offensive defenseman in at the NHL level in 2022-23 and ranks second among blueliners on the Minnesota Wild with 28 points in 58 games. The Wild used the 26th overall pick to take WHL defenseman Carson Lambos. Lambos appears to be a legitimate two-way prospect so far and ranks second among blueliners on the Winnipeg Ice with 47 points in 56 games and fourth in the entire league with a plus 59 plus/minus rating.
Patrick Marleau Trade
2020 3rd Round Pick (Luca Munzberger)
Pittsburgh sent a third round pick to the San Jose Sharks for Patrick Marleau in 2020 with the possibility of the pick upgrading to a second round selection if the Penguins won the Stanley Cup, but the pick remained a third rounder with the Penguins failing to advance past the first round. San Jose took Luca Munzberger with the 90th overall selection.. So far the German blueliner remains a bit of a project after producing only five assists in 60 games over two seasons at the University of Vermont.
2019
Nick Bjugstad/Jared McCann Trade
2019 2nd Round Pick (Vladislav Kolyachonok)
2019 4th Round PIck (Dmitri Voronkov)
2019 4th Round Pick (Eric Hjorth)
Trying to move on after the Derick Brassard trade failed to live up to expectations, Pittsburgh sent Brassard and Riley Sheahan to the Florida Panthers for Nick Bjugstad and Jared McCann and added on a 2019 second round picks and two 2019 fourth round picks. The Panthers took Vladislav Kolyachonok with the 52nd overall pick in the second round. Kolyachonok currently plays for the Tuscon Roadrunners in the AHL, ranking third among blueliners on the team with 16 points in 59 games. The Panthers sent the 104th and 114th overall picks to Columbus, and the Blue Jackets took Eric Hjorth and Dmitri Voronkov, respectively, Hjorth plays in the second tier of professional hockey in Sweden, while Vornkov enjoyed a bit of a breakout season in the KHL with 18 goals and 31 points in 54 games.
2018
Derrick Brassard Trade
Filip Gustavsson
2018 1st Round Pick (K’Andre Miller)
2019 3rd Round Pick (Antonni Honka)
Arguably the worst trade for the franchise in recent history, Brassard seemed like a good fit on paper as the third line center for the Penguins looking to three-peat. While the trade failed, to add insult to injury, the Penguins gave up Ryan Reaves, a goaltending prospect now on the cusp of becoming a legitimate NHL starter, and two draft picks with one already a established and the NHL level and the other showing promise in the AHL.
Playing in Sweden at the time, Gustavsson joined the Belleville Senators in the AHL the next season and debuted in the NHL in 2020-21, playing in nine games. In 2021-22, Gustavsson split time in the AHL and NHL and posted underwhelming numbers with a 3.55 goals against average and a .892 save percentage in 18 appearances albeit on a rebuilding Ottawa team. After joining the Minnesota Wild via trade in the offseason, Gustavsson looks to be on the verge of becoming a starting NHL goaltender with a 2.01 goals against average and .931 save percentage in 31 NHL appearances.
The Senators sent the 2018 first rounder to the New York Rangers, and the Blueshirts nabbed K’Andre Miller with the pick. Miller joined the NHL ranks as a regular in 2021-22 and broke out in 2022-23 with 32 points in 65 games so far.
Meanwhile, Honka looks promising with 25 points in 55 games from the blueline with the Chicago Wolves in the AHL in 2022-23.
2017
Ron Hainsey Trade
2017 2nd Round Pick (Jake Leschyshyn)
Pittsburgh brought in Ron Hainsey to help anchor the blueline in 2017 and gave up a 2017 second round pick. The Hurricanes flipped the pick to Vegas, and the Golden Knights took forward Jake Leschyshyn. So far, Leschyshyn lacks consistency to be a regular at the NHL level and recently joined the Rangers organization after being claimed off waivers and joined the Hartford Wolfpack in the AHL.
Mark Streit Trade
2018 4th Round Pick (Paul Cotter)
Along with Hainsey, Pittsburgh brought in Mark Streit for defensive depth in exchange for a 2018 fourth round pick. The Lightning sent the pick to Vegas, and the Golden Knights took Paul Cotter, who recently emerged as a good depth option at the NHL level, boasting 12 goals and 17 points in 2022-23.
*Additionally, Pittsburgh cleared cap space by sending Eric Fehr and a 2017 fourth round pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Frank Corrado. The Maple Leafs took Vladislav Kara. Kara remains unsigned by the Leafs, but led Vityaz Moscow Region in the KHL with 20 goals in 67 games in 2022-23.