Pens Must Prioritize Changes to Help Stars

Story by Yinzer Crazy Contributor Kuljit Parmar

While the Pittsburgh Penguins were winning most of their respective games in early December, the team ended the new year on a losing note, entering 2023 with another handful of losses.

From these losses, the fans and the media are calling for the front office to change the current roster, as it fails to meet the need to be a top-notch contender. With all the trade rumors and the trade chips available, I will take you through a rundown of who and what players would fit into the roster that could propel the Pens come playoff time.

As you may have known by now, there are a couple of players with “No-Movement-Clauses" that have the right to stay on their team. But there are plenty of options for GM Ron Hextall and his colleagues to explore through the league and inquire about available players for the Penguins roster. We will be in for a treat to see the moves made and what players are actually acquired to fit in.

So, who would I pursue if I were at the helm?

For starters, the best available candidate to improve the offense is obviously the most coveted forward in the league at the moment, which would be Bo Horvat, one of the best to ever lace them up for the Canucks.

Horvat would secure the second or third line quite well, where he can be utilized anywhere you put him, and as the talented forward he is, production on-ice would go up drastically. He is a versatile forward that would be happy to play on a Penguins roster and compete day in and day out to win games, especially looking to contribute to a strong playoff run. Most importantly, he would be able to take pressure off of the star forwards and be that depth piece that contributes at a consistent pace during that stretch.

Next on the list, I would certainly include a defenseman or two. One being somewhat elite and the other one an interesting depth piece that would have a good skating ability, a consistent producer in the plus/minus section.

The first players that come to mind would be Matt Dumba of the Minnesota Wild and/or Jacob Chychren of the Arizona Coyotes.

Matt Dumba is arguably the best defenseman on the trade mill and could potentially be the game-changer of whatever team he is dealt to.

Jacob Chychren is a talented depth-playing defenseman who can contribute to the offensive front and make character plays that would complement the forwards on the Penguins' roster.

Whereas there are still plenty of other players the Penguins’ management can turn to and be productive without going all crazy on the spending, but would definitely improve the roster with these additions, to say the least.

All in all, with the adjustments made in accordance with the need for a new roster, yinzers could once again have faith that this Penguins team can make another postseason run.