Who would have thought that Drew O’Connor would become one of the most important people of the Pittsburgh Penguins offseason?
Thanks to O’Connor filing for arbitration, the Penguins were given a second buyout window and it would be wise for president of hockey operations and newly appointed general manager Kyle Dubas to take advantage of this opportunity.
Dubas has a lot on his plate still, even over a month following free agency, but buying out Mikael Granlund would help the team in just about every aspect.
If a buyout of Granlund does occur, the Penguins would save $4,166,667 during the 2023-24 season by dropping his cap hit from $5 million to just $833,333.
The following three seasons, the Penguins would be on the hook for $1,833,333 but those savings right away and in years where the cap is set to see a big increase should make it all worth it.
The Penguins currently sit a little over $3 million over the cap limit and just a Granlund buyout would pull them under without making any subsequent moves.
Other moves are more than likely, however, as Dubas has his eyes on a pretty big fish; almost ‘Shark’ size, if you will.
The Penguins have been hot on the trail of San Jose Sharks’ defenseman Erik Karlsson all summer and things might be coming to a climax very soon.
This new buyout window for the Penguins could give them the exact cap flexibility they need to pull off a deal for Karlsson who makes $11.5 million in average annual value.
Surely, the Sharks would retain some of the cost and a third team might be involved, but getting the Penguins as far under the cap as possible before the deal only makes it easier on them.
Even if the Penguins can’t pull off a trade for Karlsson, it would still do the lineup a deal of help to buyout Granlund.
Dubas put a ton of work in free agency to revamp the bottom-six forward group, and there are only so many roster spots to go around.
If Granlund stays with the team, he likely plays on the third line and takes a lineup position from a guy like Alex Nyalnder or Andreas Johnsson.
Both Nylander and Johnsson are hungry to prove what they can still do at the NHL level, and there are too many people ahead of them in line to get that chance.
No matter what way you look at it, the savings and roster implications are too great to pass up when it comes to taking full advantage of this second buyout window.
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