With the NHL trade deadline getting closer and closer (March 8), there could be some big trades for teams to make that can help set their organizations up for success in the present and future. Every team has made trades throughout the years, but for the Pittsburgh Penguins, what trades have made the most impact since 2000?
Draft Day Trade to Get Fleury
In 2003, the Penguins and Florida Panthers pulled off a draft-day trade that saw the Penguins acquire the number one overall pick along with a third-round pick from the Panthers. In return, the Panthers received the number three overall pick, forward Mikael Samuelsson, and a second-round pick from the Penguins. This trade and selecting Marc-Andre Fleury helped the Penguins begin building their foundation that would help them eventually win three Stanley Cups (2008-09, 2015-16, and 2016-17).
Fleury was considered the top goalie in the 2003 draft class after a strong season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) and was expected to become a franchise goalie for whatever team took him. He did just that for the Penguins while building himself a career worthy of being a Hall of Famer. While it took some time, Sidney Crosby (2005 first overall), Evgeni Malkin (2004 second overall) and Fleury helped build a dynasty of sorts while bringing the Steel City three Stanley Cups.
Related: Marc-Andre Fleury’s Case as a Hall of Famer
Fleury played 13 seasons with the Penguins from the 2003-04 season until he was picked by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017 expansion draft. In those 13 seasons, he totaled a record of 375-216-68 in the regular season while being one of the NHL’s best playoff netminders, totaling an NHL-high 62 wins. He also tied for first with the New York Rangers Henrik Lundqvist with 10 playoff shutouts as well. While the ending to his time in Pittsburgh did not conclude as fans had hoped it would, with him spending his entire career with the Penguins, Fleury surely was one of the key players for the team for over a decade. As of Jan. 29, he sits second all-time in regular season wins with 552 and is known as one of the best of all-time.
The other piece that the Penguins acquired in the trade ended up being Daniel Carcillo, who never played for the team but was a pain in the team’s side, as he spent time with their rival, the Philadelphia Flyers.
The pieces that the Penguins sent to Florida ended up being Samuelsson, Nathan Horton, and Stefan Meyer. Samuelsson only stuck with the Panthers for two seasons before ending up with the Detroit Red Wings and being part of the two-year rivalry in the Stanley Cup Final with the Red Wings. Horton had a solid career that spanned from 2003 to 2013, but he never truly amounted to the number four-ranked North American skater he had earned heading into the 2003 draft. Meyer never ended up making a huge impact in his career, playing in only 20 games and totaling two assists.
Chris Kunitz
While trying to win the Stanley Cup, the Penguins went out and traded for Chris Kunitz on Feb. 26, 2009, from the Anaheim Ducks. Kunitz was a veteran player that the Penguins added in hopes of being some added help for the team. In exchange, the team sent 2002 fifth-overall pick Ryan Whitney to the Ducks.
While Whitney was a solid defenseman and player for the Penguins during his time with the organization, the team wanted to bring in someone with a little more offensive game to help get them to the promised land. Kunitz came to the team after registering 192 points in 313 games for the Ducks. The move ended up working out in favor of the Penguins more than it did Anaheim, with Kunitz helping lead the Penguins to three Stanley Cups, including later on in the 2008-09 season when they got revenge on the Red Wings. He also played a vital role on the power play for the Penguins in the nine seasons he played with the team, tallying 51 power-play goals and 56 power-play assists. His veteran leadership also helped in the locker room and paved the way for players like Crosby and Malkin.
Whitney would go on to play parts of two seasons in Anaheim before heading to the Edmonton Oilers in 2010 for four seasons. He only recorded 109 points in 221 games between the two teams.
Phil the Thrill Comes to Pittsburgh
In July of 2015, the Penguins went big game hunting and traded for veteran forward Phil Kessel from the Toronto Maple Leafs. While Kessel came at a hefty price and was a player who was on the outs with the Maple Leaf organization, the move paid massive dividends for Pittsburgh. In the deal, the Penguins sent Kasperi Kapanen, Scott Harrington, Nick Spaling, and two 2016 draft picks (a conditional first-rounder and a third-rounder) to the Maple Leafs for Kessel, Tim Erixson, Tyler Biggs, and a conditional 2016 second-round pick.
Kessel came to Pittsburgh after having a strong stint with Toronto, playing six seasons with the team and totaling 394 points while being one of the league’s most reliable players, thanks to not missing many games. That play and consistency made its way to Pittsburgh, as in the four seasons (2015-16 to 2018-19) that Kessel played in a Penguins jersey, he never missed a regular season game.
Much like Kunitz, Kessel became one of the team’s most reliable players on the power play, tallying 36 power-play goals and 89 power-play assists while coming up big in clutch moments throughout his time with the organization (led the NHL in game-winning goals in 2018-19 with 10).
Kessel’s strong play continued into the playoffs as well, helping lead the Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cups (2015-16 and 2016-17). Between the two Stanley Cup-winning seasons, he played in 49 games for the team and recorded 45 points. Kessel’s time with the team came to an end in June 2019 when the team shipped him to the Arizona Coyotes.
Of the remaining five other players that were included in the trade, only Kapanen has made a mark in the league, having spent five seasons with the Maple Leafs before ending up back in Pittsburgh thanks to a trade in August 2020. He is currently with the St. Louis Blues.
Honorable Mention
The 2014 trade that the Penguins pulled off with the Nashville Predators for Patric Hornqvist saw them send James Neal to the Predators ended up working out quite well for the Penguins as Hornqvist also helped in the back-to-back Stanley Cups and played a rugged and edgy game that the team and fans both adored in his time with the organization.
Trades Help Build the Dynasty
These trades, along with hitting on a few draft picks, helped build the “dynasty” that the Penguins had throughout the late 2000s and into the 2010s. And a few other moves made in recent seasons could eventually make this list if things go as the organization hopes they will.
