McCann traded to Maple Leafs
Forward big target in expansion draft
As the Penguins put the finishing touches on their expansion draft protection list, one of the toughest decisions revolved around forward Jared McCann.
At times, McCann looked everybit like a top-six forward who deserved his promotion to the top power-play unit. Other times? He was streaky to the point that he was a healthyscratch in the Toronto bubblein the 2020 postseason.
A source told the Post-Gazette that, ultimately, the Penguins were planning to leave McCann unprotected, which would have made him one of the most likely candidates to be lost for nothing to the SeattleKraken.
Instead, general manager Ron Hextall orchestrated a trade.
The Penguins dealt McCann to the Toronto Maple Leafs Saturday in exchange for forward prospect Filip Hallander (who was a 2018 Penguins second-round pick) and a seventh-round
“We are excited to add Filip back to the organization. He is a well-rounded player with good size who plays the game the right way,” Hextall said in a statement. “We are grateful to Jared for his contributions to the team and wishhim the best.”
McCann, 25, arrived in Pittsburgh in the middle of the 2018-19 season. Last year, he netted 14 goals and dished 18 assists in 43 games. He provided options at center and wing during his stint in Pittsburgh and also became a lethal power-play threat duringEvgeni Malkin’s absence.
The young forward also blossomed into an analytics darling last year. The Penguins generated 54.54% of the expected goals when McCann was on the ice last season during 5-on-5 play. That was best among Penguins who appeared in at least20 games. Now, he heads to his fourth NHL team in sevenseasons.
Yes, trading McCann now means the Penguins will lose two players instead of one this week. But the trade will free up nearly $3 million in salary cap space that might be used to sign one of the Penguins’ free agents (like, possibly, Cody Ceci) or create roster flexibility to make more changes to the team identity. The trade will also limit Seattle’s options as it peruses the Penguinsroster, where it will find a number of questionable contracts.
The trade also addresses a prospect pool that many analysts see as the thinnest in the entire league. Hallander, 21, was traded from Pittsburgh to Toronto last offseason as a part of the Kasperi Kapanen deal. Now the 6-foot-1, 190pound power forward has boomeranged back to Pittsburgh.
Hallanderspent the 2020-21 season with Lulea HF of the Swedish Hockey League, recording 13 goals, 11 assists and 24 points in 51 games. He’s signed through the 202223 season on a contract that carries an average annual value of $764,167 at the NHL level.
Now, the attention shifts to the expansion draft. Each team can protect seven forwards, three defenseman and one goalie. The Penguins are playing their cards close to the vest, as to not give Seattle any extra time to consider its options. But the fact that the Penguins just traded one center option in McCann makes it seem a bit more likely they’ll protect another center —Teddy Blueger.
The Penguins were required to submit their finalized protection list by 5 p.m. Saturday. The NHL plans to release those names publicly onSunday.