It's a terrific trade from the Pittsburgh perspective: The Penguins move Phil Kessel, a problem, within the constraints of a limited no-trade clause, another problem, and free up some cap space, yet another problem, to the Coyotes for 25-year-old sharpshooter Alex Galchenyuk and a legit defense prospect.
That's a lot of problems out, a lot of potential solutions in.
I mean, what's not to like?
Jim Rutherford for mayor ... for governor ... for grand emperor!
And hey, I promise I'll delve deeply into why I appreciate this move in a bit. First, though, before any assessments extend too far toward what this might mean toward the franchise's future, I've got a concern to express: Phil was a problem, but he wasn't the problem.
That can't be underscored boldly enough.
Because the cold-water fact in this equation is that, on the list of Penguins' problems all through the 2018-19 season, a supremely skilled forward with a championship pedigree, an 82-point output, an 82-game presence, and an above-the-pack playoff performance can't rank very high, can they?
As Rutherford worded it with class, "He was a key component to our success in winning back-to-back Stanley Cups. We couldn’t have done it without him."
Nope.
But now, they have to do it without him. And they're better off doing it without him. Provided a few other major issues also get addressed, and I'll offer these in order of priority:
5. Get younger, fresher, faster.
Galchenyuk's six years younger than Kessel, but that doesn't necessarily do it. When Phil's flying, he's flying past the kiddies.
More Jared McCann is needed on this roster. That's how the Bruins supplemented their core -- one that's markedly older than the Penguins' -- and that's the path Rutherford needs to take. It won't happen through free agency, as there still isn't enough cap space to be a player there, but it can happen internally, if Mike Sullivan opens up to trusting Teddy Blueger, Adam Johnson and anyone else who's young and can provide a spark.
Yes, even if that comes with a risk. The NHL's a young player's league, and that needs to be what weighs most in such decisions.
4. Get nastier.
Some of this culture change Rutherford and Sullivan hope to instill was already being infused in the past week at the development camp. Prospects were being told, above all, to be hard to play against. To fight for pucks. To make life miserable for opponents by managing those pucks properly. To push, push, push.
Fillip Hallander, one of those prospects told me, "It's all they've talked about. And I like that. That's my game."
The subtraction of Kessel is obviously addition here. But it isn't enough. On far too many nights, Sidney Crosby, of all people, stood alone in this regard. And the people who witnessed that without learning from it are no less culpable than Kessel. They either need to change or be changed.
3. Trade Jack Johnson.
I present this with zero glee. No one's been more unfairly bashed in their first year with the Penguins since Sergei Gonchar a lifetime ago, and he wound up sticking it to all the cynics. Once Johnson was shifted to his left, natural side this past season, a lot of the complaints already started dying down. So this isn't really about him or even his onerous five-year, $14.5 million contract.
Rather, it's about the younger, fresher, faster thing cited above for the forwards. Rutherford and others in the front office have told me they'd love to see an elevated role for Marcus Pettersson next season. Meaning a top-four role. Pettersson won't take Olympic gold in speed-skating, but he displayed far more offensive worth than Johnson while also managing his own end with outstanding range.
Well, Pettersson can't crack the top four unless he's paired with Justin Schultz. And Johnson can't be paired with Erik Gudbranson because it would be way too much of the same player getting too easily pinned back. Juuso Riikola deserves a chance, too.
Don't think Johnson can be traded?
Hey, neither do I. But I also doubted that Rutherford could move Rob Scuderi, Tanner Pearson, Derick Brassard and now Kessel, all for different reasons, and all were moved for good value.
2. Extend the coach.
Like, today.
Sullivan's been awfully hard to find lately. I did say hello to him at the Steelers' complex a couple weeks ago, and we all saw him on the NHL Draft floor in Vancouver. But multiple interview requests by our site, and even a couple of coordinated group interview sessions, have fallen through in recent days.
Now, maybe, it's evident why. Because Rutherford did drop the big hint in Vancouver that he expected any major moves to transpire before the July 1 opening of free agency. And because, in turn, Sullivan had to know we'd all pepper him with endless Kessel questions ... even as he knew quite well Kessel was about to be gone.
Wonderful. So that's done. Now get an extension done.
Sullivan's entering his lame-duck year, and that'd be a disaster in the context of hoping to address culture. Players aren't stupid. They know when a coach is hanging by a thread, and they know they've got the upper hand. With Kessel gone, Sullivan can lay down the law and have it respected across the board, not selectively. But he's got to have that authority.
1. Fix Geno.
No need to go over all this again. Evgeni Malkin will turn 33 a month from today. He can't continue to perform the way he has. His game needs to mature.
Nothing, nothing, nothing matters more to the Penguins this summer.
Believe it or not, Kessel's exit will facilitate that. It didn't take Scotty Bowman's hockey acumen to spot that Malkin was a more carefree, less responsible player when sharing the rink with Kessel. That's not blaming Kessel for it, as Malkin should have been able to rise above that. Now's the time. Now's the chance to craft a truly 200-foot game and, from that, rebuild his offensive consistency at five-on-five, as well.
Nothing, nothing, nothing matters more.
As for the trade and all else ...
• Galchenyuk fell out of favor in both Montreal and Glendale, and he hasn't been the most effective defensive player, but I've never heard from anyone in either place that personality was an issue. The Canadiens bounced him all over creation -- he wanted to play center, and he'd just get slid wherever based on need -- and Rick Tocchet, despite offering Galchenyuk two-plus months at center, wound up doing the same. Galchenyuk wasn't pleased about it, but he also didn't pout, best evidenced by 13 of his 19 goals coming after the calendar flipped. No one's spoken ill of him.
• One thing the dude can do is finish. He's not Kessel, but he's averaged 21.3 goals per 82 games over his seven NHL seasons, and that's fueled by a career 12.3 shooting percentage. For comparison purposes, Kessel's a career 12.6, Crosby's a 14.6, Malkin's a 13.6, and Jake Guentzel's a ... wow, 16.3.
• If anything, Galchenyuk has under-produced related to that finish. Gets a little too fancy at times. He'd rather miss the net in trying to pick a corner.
• Oh, and regarding Galchenyuk's preference for center: He can forget about it here. At least per what Rutherford told our site tonight: “I probably see him as a right winger. He’d be playing on his off-wing, but he’s played there before. It’s a place he’s had success." Yep. Also, Rutherford added that he's a possibility for the top two lines. Which means he'll flank either Crosby or Malkin, obviously. That's not exactly getting buried, but his history suggests it's worth monitoring how he responds.
• And being that Dominik Kahun, another left shot who prefers the right side, also is in that mix, I can't help but point out that Patric Hornqvist would be getting paid $6 million annually to be on a third or even fourth line.
• Haven't even mentioned the defense prospect by name yet: He's Pierre-Olivier Joseph, and he's apparently not some throw-in.
• Not to be lost in this, by any means: Galchenyuk's an unrestricted free agent after the coming season. His pay is $4.9 million this winter and $0 after that. Kessel costs $6.8 million against the cap each of the next three seasons, after which he'll turn 34. Be sure it wasn't lost on Rutherford that Galchenyuk will have to prove himself: "We'll see how it goes, whether we re-sign him or use that cap space. That’s something we wouldn’t have been able to do if we still had Phil.”
• The Kessel/Tocchet relationship was always overblown. Fact is, Kessel had two richly productive seasons after Tocchet's departure, and at times never appeared more motivated. So take it with a full bag of salt that Kessel after the trade remarked several times about his friendship with Tocchet, especially the line, "I want to help him succeed." I've no doubt that's real. But Tocchet's absence wasn't what brought him down here. He did that himself.
• Best way to grasp what a mess Kessel would constantly make for himself is to hear -- finally, on the record -- Rutherford acknowledge this: "He asked to be traded a few times over the course of time. Of course, then, a little time went by, and he wasn't quite sure if he wanted traded. There were times when he felt that going somewhere else would be in everybody's best interest." He spoke this casually. As one only could about Kessel.
• Predictably, Kessel denied this: "I’m not sure that’s exactly what happened. Jim came to me one time and said … I’ll never be a Penguin again. So, I think he’s mistaken a little bit there. But I don’t want to get involved in that. I’m not here to tell what really happened and the real truth, but ... whatever Jim wants to say.” He denied the same accusations from the Maple Leafs upon exiting Toronto.
• No player has ever driven Sullivan crazy like Kessel. No player has ever driven Tocchet crazy like Kessel. Both things can be true. And are. Trust me on that.
• That said, I can't speak an ill syllable of the man at a one-on-one level. He was always cordial, professional and all else with me, and it was appreciated.
• Infinitely more important, he meant quite a lot to this city's hockey fans. He could have been the Conn Smythe winner in 2016, he was no less explosive in 2017, and he connected with Pittsburgh in a way few athletes have. Among the most powerful memories for me will be the crowd roaring support for him late this past season, when the scoreboard video showed him on the bench, despite -- or because -- he was slumping and needed a pick-me-up. Phil was everyman here. He was the dude at the end of the bar most likely to close the place by buying the final round.
• He also was a two-time Stanley Cup champion, or so I've heard.
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Phil Kessel -- MATT SUNDAY / DKPS