Mark Madden: Penguins, Rangers could look different after trade deadline

The Penguins have won two in a row after losing three straight. They won four in a row prior to that but lost four consecutive before that. They won six straight before that.

Roller-coaster of love … say what?

Saturday’s 1-0 home victory vs. the New York Rangers seemed big. Tristan Jarry bested Igor Shesterkin in a torrid goaltending duel. But the Rangers were clearly faster.

Most of the Penguins’ success under coach Mike Sullivan has been predicated on being fastest, or close to it. But the Penguins are aging out and slowing down. (The Penguins’ average age is the NHL’s fourth oldest at 28.69 years.)

Optimism is flowing. But that was also the case last season when the Penguins won their division but lost in the first round of the playoffs.

The Penguins and Rangers could well meet in this year’s first round. That would be a tight series, as things look now.

But things might look a lot different by the time the playoffs begin.

According to CapFriendly.com, the Rangers have $20 million in salary cap space. They could add $31 million to their cap on trade deadline day (March 21) and remain compliant. If they want to part with prospects and/or draft picks, they could significantly upgrade.

Imagine the Rangers with Philadelphia’s Claude Giroux or San Jose’s Tomas Hertl further strengthening them up front. What if they add a legit defenseman like Seattle’s Mark Giordano or Montreal’s Ben Chiarot?

The Penguins, meanwhile, have just $3 million available.

The Penguins look stale. They might benefit from the proverbial “hockey trade.” Swap two regulars for two regulars from another team. Shake things up.

That’s easier said than done because of the cap and because they have a fragile dressing room that loathes change. It nearly wept as one when winger Carl Hagelin got traded in 2018.

Hagelin was a legit contributor to Stanley Cup wins in 2016 and ’17, but he’s played for five teams. He’s a journeyman. Guys like Hagelin move all the time. (He has.)

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GM Ron Hextall has made barely any changes since taking the job over a year ago.

The Penguins were predicted to get bigger and tougher under Hextall and Brian Burke, the president of hockey operations. That hasn’t happened.

Sullivan has the organization’s real power. Hextall won’t give Sullivan what he doesn’t want. Sullivan staked out turf when then-GM Jim Rutherford got battleship winger Ryan Reaves in 2017. Sullivan used Reaves minimally. Reaves didn’t even last a full season in Pittsburgh.

That’s no indictment of Sullivan. It’s how he coaches. But, as noted, the Penguins aren’t the fastest team anymore.

So the Penguins won’t get bigger and tougher, and that specifically applies to defense. There’s a clamor to get someone to clear the crease.

But the Penguins got 6-foot-5, 222-pound Erik Gudbranson in 2019 and he didn’t fit. The Penguins want their defensemen to move the puck efficiently. It’s the primary duty. Gudbranson couldn’t.

There isn’t a ton of jousting near the blue paint in today’s NHL. The objective is to win puck battles and keep the puck from getting to the net. You often see one defenseman supporting the other behind the net, with the slot left to the first forward back.

In the Penguins’ method, Chad Ruhwedel (5-11, 188) is more valuable than Gudbranson.

Radical change isn’t imminent. But it looms come the offseason when Kris Letang, Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust become free agents. That’s when transition will finally occur.

Is this season the Penguins’ last best chance?

Probably. But it’s easy to vacillate on how good that chance is. The Penguins look good but perhaps no different than in each of the last three seasons.