TAMPA, Fla. -- Ron Hextall had a busy Wednesday evening ahead of the NHL's March 3 trade deadline, trading Teddy Blueger to the Golden Knights and acquiring forward Mikael Granlund from the Predators.
The Penguins sent Blueger to the Vegas in exchange for a 2024 third-round draft pick and defense prospect Peter DiLiberatore. Liberatore, 22, was the Golden Knights' sixth-round pick in 2018. He has split this season between Vegas' AHL and ECHL affiliates.
Blueger, 28, was the Penguins' second-round pick in 2012. He had two goals and eight assists in 45 games this season, primarily in a fourth-line center role. He was in the final year of his contract and was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
"We are grateful for everything that Teddy has done for this team and the organization over the past 10 years," Hextall said after the trade. "He was one of our most reliable penalty killers and a consummate professional. We wish him nothing but the best going forward."
The Penguins then sent a 2023 second-round pick to the Predators to acquire 31-year-old forward Mikael Granlund, who carries a $5 million cap hit through 2024-25. The Predators retained no salary in the deal.
Granlund, a left-handed shot, is 5-foot-10, 185 pounds, and was originally a No. 9 overall pick by the Wild in 2010. He was an alternate captain for Nashville in his fifth season with the team. He has nine goals and 27 assists in 58 games this year.
"Mikael is a versatile forward, able to play either wing or center, and contribute offensively," Hextall said after the trade. "He has experience on both the power play and penalty kill and can add options to our lineup."
The Penguins cleared the necessary cap space for Granlund by officially re-assigning Brock McGinn and Mark Friedman to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, shedding $1.125 million of McGinn's $2.75 million cap hit and Friedman's entire $775,000 cap hit.
After trading Blueger, acquiring Granlund and sending McGinn and Friedman to Wilkes-Barre, the Penguins are left with $1.1 million in cap space.
The two trades and assignments left the Penguins with 12 forwards on the roster, including Ryan Poehling, who is rehabbing an injury and may not be 100% yet. A source confirmed to me on Wednesday evening that Drake Caggiula is being recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Caggiula was recalled after the cutoff for salary cap calculations for Wednesday, so he's not yet factored into the $1.1 million in cap space. Caggiula, 28, is Wilkes-Barre's top forward who is capable of playing center this season. He has 12 goals and 25 assists in 47 games.
