Just prior to the Mar. 7 NHL trade deadline, the Pittsburgh Penguins completed a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs, sending a 2025 fifth-round pick to acquire forward Connor Dewar and defenseman Conor Timmins.
And – as it happens – both players are pending restricted free agents.
After a pretty disappointing season with the Leafs, Dewar, 25, made a good impression during a short stint in Pittsburgh. He registered four goals and seven points in 17 games despite only putting up three points in 31 games with Toronto.
Timmins, 26, recorded a goal and seven points in 17 games to go along with a plus-9 rating in his time with Pittsburgh. He registered just eight points in 51 games with the Leafs.
Yes, both players were serviceable for the Penguins, and – while post-trade adrenaline is a thing – it’s easy to argue that there could be more to their games in Pittsburgh’s system. In most circumstances, it would be a pretty easy decision to try to extend both players.
However, not in this circumstance.
The fact of the matter is that the Penguins are in a stage of their rebuild effort where youth and development is the priority. They need to put giving opportunities to their young talent at the forefront.
And Dewar and Timmins are exactly the types of players who would block that youth from the roster.
The Penguins have some top-six talent with the veterans on their roster, and – although, in theory, top forward prospects like Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen can slot in the top-six – there are still other players they’ll probably want to have a look at. Tristan Broz, Avery Hayes, Filip Hallander, and Vasily Ponomarev come to mind.
And given some of their bottom-six players still under contract – Tommy Novak, Noel Acciari, Kevin Hayes, Danton Heinen, and Blake Lizotte, as well as Philip Tomasino, who is also a pending-RFA – keepig Dewar around limits the space on the Penguins’ roster for some of those younger players.
The same goes for Timmins, although there is less “blockage” at the left defense position. Matt Grzelcyk is a pending unrestricted free agent, and the Penguins have Ryan Graves, Vladislav Kolyachonok, and Ryan Shea under contract for next season.
However, Penguins’ POHO and GM Kyle Dubas has suggested that he will look outside the organization to bolster the left side defense this offseason, highlighting the position as a problem area. If the Penguins do add a legitimate young left defenseman, having Timmins around will only complicate things for prospect Owen Pickering, who – after a longer stint at the NHL level last season – is primed to take the next step in his development, which includes a more permanent stay in the NHL.
So, while Dewar and Timmins have been decent players for the Penguins, their presence will only compilcate things for young players and prospects who are ready to have a look at the highest level. Of course, if the Penguins offload other contracts prior to free agency, perhaps that could open up the room for Dewar and Timmins to stick around.
However, as their roster stands now, it’s probably best for the Penguins to move on.
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