It’s time to talk about Marcus Pettersson.
Not because he scored a pretty goal for the Pittsburgh Penguins in an overtime win over the Florida Panthers at PPG Paints Arena last night. That goal was a beauty, though. Take a look:
PETEY
In the words of Kevin Stevens, “That was a power- forward move!” pic.twitter.com/gRMBc6KTyC
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) December 4, 2024
A year ago this time, the Penguins and Pettersson seemed set on renewing their vows in the summer. He was eligible to sign a contract extension on July 1. He was inarguably the Penguins’ steadiest defenseman, a 27-year-old late-bloomer who had all the makings of a letter-wearing veteran as part of a rebuild.
But negotiations between Pettersson’s camp and president of hockey operations/general manager Kyle Dubas never went anywhere. Pettersson told me on the first day of training camp that he “wasn’t worried” about his contract situation, and I didn’t get the impression it was because he envisioned things working out in Pittsburgh.
I don’t think they will. Or should, for that matter.
It’s been theorized on the hot-stove circuit that Pettersson would net the Penguins a significant return if dealt before the NHL trade deadline. That theory seems somewhat dubious because first-round picks are increasingly not part of packages Stanley Cup contenders exchange for rental players. Also, Pettersson has had one of his poorest seasons since joining the Penguins in 2018.
That last part might not be entirely his fault. Only rookie Owen Pickering has excelled among Penguins defensemen this season.
There is no shortage of reasons for the collective woe on the back end. Still, in Pettersson’s case, it’s at least possibly the combination of him no longer expecting to stay in Pittsburgh and playing with either Erik Karlsson or Kris Letang — both of whom have struggled — that has dragged him down.
Dubas would likely be selling low if he traded Pettersson anytime soon. Yet Pettersson’s value is not guaranteed to spike between now and early March, so getting something for him sooner rather than later might be wise.
Moving on from Pettersson sometime over the next month could have its advantages. It would create a top-four opportunity for Pickering, who so far has shown he is more NHL-ready than projected. Removing Pettersson from the trade equation well before the deadline would also allow Dubas to focus on moving other veterans — something that feels inevitable, despite the Penguins’ slight uptick in results over the past week.
How should Dubas proceed with Pettersson? Let me know in the comments section, please and thank you.
Another hockey ops hire
Dubas’ hockey operations makeover continued yesterday. The Penguins announced Wells Oliver as director of hockey systems, a new role within the department.
Oliver’s duties will include “the build-out of the team’s data architecture and web application solutions to meet the needs of the Penguins’ hockey operations department.” There is no basic way to describe his job, but it’s safe to say it’s one that data-obsessed John Henry, founder of Penguins owners Fenway Sports Group, would want for his conglomerate’s NHL franchise. Henry was disappointed with the Penguins’ data operation when FSG purchased the Penguins during the 2021-22 season.
FSG didn’t invent the use of advanced metrics in Major League Baseball, but its Boston Red Sox was the first organization to prove a metrics-based model could deliver championships.
FSG has spared no expense in allowing Dubas to modernize hockey operations, which had deteriorated to the point of being what ownership assessed was at least a decade behind the times. That type of investment is not sexy, and it certainly doesn’t yield immediate dividends.
But for the mid-to-lower-revenue Penguins to become Cup contenders anytime soon, FSG is committed to giving Dubas the tools he needs to build a deep and progressive hockey department.
Oliver arrives after a 15-year run with MLB’s San Diego Padres. One of his big supporters in that sport was Theo Epstein, whose ties to FSG are the stuff of legend. Oliver’s previous hockey experience was as a Calgary Flames consultant from 2015-2020.
Management homecoming
The USA Hockey Hall of Fame ceremony is in Pittsburgh today, and it is serving as a sort of homecoming for former Penguins GM Ray Shero’s staff.
Shero, now senior adviser to GM Bill Guerin with the Minnesota Wild, is in town with his former assistants Tom Fitzgerald and Jason Botterill — now GM with the New Jersey Devils and assistant GM with the Seattle Kraken, respectively. Guerin was on Shero’s staff in Pittsburgh, as was current Devils assistant GM Dan MacKinnon, who also attended the Penguins game last night.
The Shero-era hockey operations personnel is here to support Kevin Stevens, a star Penguins player from the 1990s who scouted for the team under Shero. Stevens will be inducted into the USA Hockey Hall of Fame tonight.
Matt Cullen, who, like Stevens, won the Cup twice with the Penguins and later joined the franchise in an off-ice role, is also going into the Hall. Cullen and Steven being inducted together has brought former GM Jim Rutherford back to Pittsburgh in a hockey capacity for the first time since he resigned from his role in early 2021.
Shero, Rutherford and Craig Patrick all being at the ceremony means the three managers who built the Penguins’ five title teams will be in the same room — the first convergence of the franchise’s previous Stanley Cup GMs in Pittsburgh.
Few franchises have had a better management run than those three men oversaw from 1989 to 2021. In addition to the titles, the Penguins made the playoffs 25 times over that span. Those GMs’ combined success over those 30-plus seasons cast a large shadow.
Speaking of large shadows: Mario Lemieux is attending the USA Hockey ceremony to support Stevens, one of his closest former teammates.
Don’t miss
• Josh Yohe wrote this recap of the Penguins’ fourth consecutive victory. He also penned this excellent column on Stevens, a larger-than-life figure for the Penguins. Peak Stevens was one of the league’s most imposing offensive players during his first run with the club. Fans who came along during the Sidney Crosby era were surprised it wasn’t close when The Athletic’s panel picked Stevens as the second-greatest winger in team history. And it shouldn’t be close. With due respect to Jake Guentzel, Stevens was a special breed of size, speed and skill — and he was the soul of those back-to-back Cup clubs in the early 1990s.
• A migraine sidelined me yesterday. Wasn’t the first time, won’t be the last. Had there been a Penguins Today, it would have directed readers to this analysis from James Mirtle on the current cap situation facing NHL teams. It’s an insightful read, if not necessarily an encouraging one for Penguins fans.
• Team USA’s 4 Nations roster will be released tonight, and Bryan Rust is unlikely to be part of the mix — a mild surprise given Mike Sullivan is the coach and Guerin is the GM. Mike Russo has this story looking at how the final decisions for the roster were made.
(Photo of Marcus Pettersson: Mike Mulholland / Getty Images)
