Narrowing the search for a trade

Focus is on big, physical forward

NEWARK, N.J. — A big, physical forward for the right price.

Publicly, Ron Hextall has made it clear that’s what he’ll be targeting as 3 p.m. trade deadline Monday approaches. Unlike years past, the club is reluctant to give up future assets and Hextall said this week, he doesn’t envision a hockey trade that fundamentally shakes up the identity of theteam.

While many signs point to a quieter deadline day, here are a few names to know that fit the mold of a big, physical

forward.

An obvious target: Sam Bennett, Calgary, center/ winger, $2.55 million, RFA after this year

Bennett would make a lot of sense for a Penguins team that doesn’t have a lot of assets and is looking for help in the bottom-six. He has positional flexibility to play center or both wings. He brings some edge to his game, as he’s more than willing to take his 6-foot-1, 195pound frame into the corners to make plays. And he’s not afraid to drop the gloves. As recently as 2018, he fought six times in a single season.

While some of those physical attributes will interest the newfront-office decision-makers, Bennett also has decent wheels and offensive instincts to fit into Mike Sullivan’s system. As a former fourth-overall draft pick, he has an 18goal, 36-point season on his resume. But he’s still trying to find his niche in the NHL. Through 37 games this year, he has four goals and six assists.

He’s a restricted free agent at season’s end, so that gives the Penguins some options and possibly more value as someone who could be more than just a rental. To make this trade work, both sides would have to look at Bennett for what he is (a bottom-six forward) and not what he was (atop-five draft pick).

The big splash: Nick Foligno, Columbus winger, $5.5 million, UFA after this year

The Columbus Blue Jackets captain will be one of the more-coveted trade chips over the next couple days. So while this move would be difficult to pull off, he also checks almost every box for the Penguins.

He’s currently playing a top-six role and has the versatility to play both wings. His physicality jumps out right away, as he’s one of a handful of forwards to rack up more than 100 hits. He’s also dropped the gloves often, with more than 30 fights on his NHL fight card.

This season, the 6-foot, 208pound forward has tallied seven goals and nine assists in 42 games. His $5.5 million cap hit might be hard to fit. But as we’ve seen this trade season, sellers seem more than willing to retain salary. The bigger challenge will be putting together a package of assets to edge out other teams, because Foligno will certainly be sought-after as deadline day approaches.

The unlikely reunion with a rival: Scott Laughton, center/winger, Philadelphia, $2.3 million, UFA after this year

Arethe Flyers willing to admit they’re out of the race? And are they ready to sell parts to help their biggest rival? Those questions make this a challenging trade. But, hey, Hextall is the Penguins general manager now, so may be anything is possible.

Adding Laughton could help the Penguins in many tangible and intangible ways. Again, he’s another versatile forward who can play the center or wing. He could play up and down the lineup with different styles of players, which would help the Penguins if they run into another injurymarred stretch. He’s also played on both special teams units over the past two seasons.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound forward posted a solid 17 points (seven goals, 10 assists) and is another player not afraid to throw a check with nearly 100 hits on the season. Hextall clearly likes Laughton, as he protected the forward during the 2017 expansion draft. Maybe he can reel him in again and find a way to keep himin Pittsburgh longer term withan extension.

The old, tough guy for very cheap: David Backes, center/ RW, Anaheim, $4.5 million cap hit, UFA after this year

At6-3, 215 pounds, Backes is certainly big and physical. He’ll also turn 37 this week and is on the final year of a five-year, $30 million ($6 million AAV) contract he signed with the Bruins back in the day. The Bruins are still retaining $1.5 million of that. If the Penguins were interested, the Anaheim Ducks would needto do the same.

While he has a huge salary cap hit ($4.5 million), the Anaheim Ducks might be willing to give him up for cheap and retain a significant portion of the salary. He’s been floating between the taxi squad and the active roster. As a hired gun who is in the lineup against certain teams when a series gets ugly, this could be a low-cost option. It all depends how much salary Anaheim is willing to hang onto and if he can still skate well enough for Sullivan.

The cap-friendly center option: Erik Haula, Nashville, center/winger, $1.75 million, UFA after this year

The way the Penguins look at their center options may have changed recently with the emergence of Frederick Gaudreau. Jared McCann also has made a case that if he’s not playing on Evgeni Malkin’s left wing, maybe he should get his own bottom-six line. But if the Penguins are still looking for a fourth-line center time, Haula could fit the bill and, more importantly, the budget.

His $1.75 million cap hit shouldn’t be hard to fit under the cap with a little tweaking, especially if Nashville retains some of it. The 6-foot, 190pound forward has a 29-goal season on his resume in 201718 as one of the driving forces leading the expansion Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup final. He’s dealt with injuries this year and his production has tailed off. He’s posted just four goals and nine assists in 37 games. He’s not going to be the catalyst the way he was for other Cup contenders. But he could be an experienced player worth alow-cost move.