Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

[Phil-Cornwall]

Excellent work with the team and AMAZING presser!! Matt D. Syracuse birthed the 'presser' way back in ought 11' and it's good to see it still being used.

[Lance-Pittsburgh]

ARE HORNETS LIVING ON A PRAYER?
Pittsburgh clings to wildcard spot halfway through season

PITTSBURGH - Winless in their last three games and claiming only a single win in their last nine contests, the Hornets maintain a six-point cushion in the race for the two wildcard spots in the Prince of Wales Conference. A far cry from the team that was hoping to contend for second place in their division.

“We knew it wasn’t realistic,” said winger Andrew Ladd. “That doesn’t mean we’re not disappointed in how we’ve dropped in the standings.”

Their position in the standings isn’t the only area in which the Hornets are falling. Their powerplay remains weak, while their penalty kill has also recently taken a turn for the worse.

“We still have one of the league’s best penalty kills,” general manager Lance Lavelle noted. “We just need to fine tune some areas. Losing some of our strength on the back end hasn’t helped.”

Extended injuries to blueliners Victor Mete, Marc Methot, and Roman Polak have hampered the Pittsburgh defense, which has surrendered 17 goals in their last two games. Marc-Andre Fleury, who is staking a claim for the team’s MVP award, was in net for two of those contests.

“I could be better,” the goaltender stated. He then smiled: “But, c’mon, it was Halifax. Anyone would give up seven to those guys.”

Despite their recent string of poor play, the Hornets continue to maintain pace for one of the franchise’s best seasons. But winning this season does not appear to be management’s overriding concern this season.

“Winning this season is good,” Lavelle said. “But winning and excelling in season’s to come is the goal. We’re hoping to pick up a few more draft picks in this summer’s draft. The guys know this.”

While management would not confirm, persistent rumors indicate that pending free agents Brian Gibbons, Derek Dorsett, and Mike Fisher could be moved for draft picks. Andrew Ladd has also been discussed in trade rumors, according to sources.

“We’re building a franchise that can unquestionably compete. That involves some short-term sacrifice.”

[Lance-Pittsburgh]

HORNETS MAKE MOVES AT TRADE DEADLINE
Management opts to make short-term sacrifices for long-term gains

PITTSBURGH - With the Hornets clinging to a playoff spot in the Prince of Wales Conference, the consensus around the league was that general manager Lance Lavelle would relish the opportunity to clinch the team’s first playoff berth of his tenure and make moves accordingly. Indeed, rumor out of Pittsburgh’s front office confirmed that a handful of teams tried to ply their wares and tempt the Hornets into a trade.

“We’re in an awkward yet incredibly important transition,” Lavelle told the gathered press. “We could make moves, earn a playoff spot, a first round defeat, and a handful of Franchise Points. Or we could remain competitive but move rosterable assets for futures. Obviously, the latter has more long-term value. And that’s what we elected to do.”

Over the course of three deals this month, Pittsburgh has made three deals involving a combination of players and draft picks. Here’s our breakdown of those moves:

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February 7
Seattle acquires Brian Gibbons (F) and PIT 5 2019
Pittsburgh acquires SEA 3 2019
Hot Take: Pittsburgh gets a decent return on a forward that they had planned on losing to free agency. Gibbons ranks 12th in points in Pittsburgh franchise history, giving you a pretty solid indication of how terrible the franchise has needed forwards over the years.

“Brian was a longtime member of the franchise,” said general manager Lance Lavelle. “We wish him well and hope that he can help Seattle in their quest for a long playoff run.”

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February 19
Suffolk acquires Rinat Valiev (D)
Pittsburgh acquires Scott Hartnell (LW), Justin Williams (RW), ADR 5 2019
Hot Take: Pittsburgh had been high on Valiev’s potential when they acquired him as part of a deal in the summer of 2017 that sent Ryan Ellis to New Jersey. Times have changed, however, and Valiev doesn’t have a whole lot of value these days. Pittsburgh loaded up on free-agent-to-be talent in the form of Hartnell and Williams.

“Those guys had one of two purposes: deal for picks or help secure a playoff spot,” Lavelle said.

Oddly enough, Hartnell’s injury likely does both for the Hornets, as it keeps him in the black and yellow while Williams was later dealt at the deadline.

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February 25
Halifax acquires Justin Williams (RW) and Maxime Lagace (G)
Pittsburgh acquires Jake Allen (G), ADR 4 2019, and MON 5 2019
Hot Take: Pittsburgh continues to stockpile draft picks for this summer’s draft, while also acquiring a familiar face: Jake Allen.

“Jake is happy to be back,” Lavelle grinned. “He’ll get some playing time this season, but having him signed for a while also means that he can give us some security between the pipes.”

Rumor has it the franchise does not plan to keep Allen for the length of his contract, hoping that his play will eventually rebound and add some value as tradeable asset.

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February 25
Hamilton acquires Matt Hunwick (D)
Pittsburgh acquires Dmitrij Jaskin (LW/RW) and HAM 4 2019
Hot Take: The Hornets add yet another draft pick, while acquiring serviceable depth. Moving Hunwick (along with Williams in an earlier deal) could realistically cost Pittsburgh a shot at the playoffs, but none of that seems to bother management.

“We have eleven picks at this point,” Lavelle said. “We have some guys coming up from junior and the minors who will play a role for us next season. We anticipate having just over $29 million in cap space to flesh out our roster. I know it’s not a popular move for us, but we’re going to be stronger for it.”

[Lance-Pittsburgh]

HORNETS TAKE FIRST TWO GAMES IN SEATTLE
Despite losing starting goaltender Fleury, Pittsburgh sweeps away set

SEATTLE - “How the hell did we do that?”

That’s the sentiment expressed by captain Andrew Ladd after Pittsburgh won both Games One and Two in Seattle in their quarterfinal series against the Metropolitans.

Ladd is not the only Hornet surprised by the result, but the team is happy to return home in a strong position against their opponent. Forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare thinks the Hornets fans are ready for some playoff hockey.

“Derek [Dorsett], Chris [Wagner], and I were the only ones around during our [2016] run to the Final,” he said. “The fans were rowdy then. Imagine what it’ll be like after two seasons on the outside looking in. We’re going to try to give them something magical.”

Magic may not have anything to do with the Hornets’ success so far in this series. Pittsburgh has limited the Mets to an average of 22 shots in each of the first two games, and the goaltending duo of Marc-Andre Fleury and Jake Allen has only allowed three goals.

“I didn’t expect to play at all,” Jake Allen chuckled. “I may as well make the most of it.”

That care-free attitude permeates the Hornets’ locker room, and general Lance Lavelle said that was meticulously cultivated.

“We’ve been clear from Day One that the playoffs are a bonus,” Lavelle stated. “If we got in, we were going to have some fun. Well, we got in -- so let’s have some fun. Not many folks think we’ll get out of this series, and we’re just fine with that.”

Having a lot of fun appears to be Kasperi Kapanen, who has recorded four points in the series.

“I’ve been lucky,” Kapanen said. “Maybe I’m taking all of the luck from Pierre-Luc and Jesper.”

Pierre-Luc Dubois and Jesper Bratt have combined for 13 shots, but only one goal -- Dubois’ Game One marker.

If the Hornets do manage to win two more games in the series, it is hoped the Marc-Andre Fleury would be ready to return around the middle of their next series.

[Phil-Cornwall]

I think I had Chris Wagner for the magical Pittsburgh season...

[Lance-Pittsburgh]

Apr 13, 2019 11:55:44 GMT -5 Phil-Cornwall said:

I think I had Chris Wagner for the magical Pittsburgh season...

You are correct!  Edited.

[Lance-Pittsburgh]

HORNETS TRADE OUT OF FIRST ROUND
Pittsburgh leaves some observers scratching their heads

PITTSBURGH - Did you hear that collective sigh from downtown Pittsburgh? That was the Hornets’ fanbase lamented the opportunity to draft blueliner Erik Brännström with their team’s first round selection in the 2019 GHL Entry Draft.

“Yes,” confirmed general manager Lance Lavelle, “Brännström was our target.”

Another sigh.

Lavelle continued: “He would have looked great in black and gold serving up pucks for [Pierre-Luc] Dubois and [Kasperi] Kapanen for years to come.”

Again. Another sigh.

Still Lavelle: “But when Moncton came to us and offered their first round selection next season, I had to take it. Even if there’s a slight chance that we could draft someone like Jack Hughes or Kaapo Kakko, we’ll take it.”

Slight inhalation of breath.

“There are other possibilities beyond those two that we like even better than Brännström,” finished Lavelle. “So we’re quite happy with the trade.”

Deeper inhalation.

So what about the remainder of the draft? Pittsburgh has acquired a plethora of late picks, include three second-round selections (pending league approval of the trade that sent Connor Murphy to Detroit) and three third-round selections.

While no one from the front office would comment on the record, it is believed that Pittsburgh intends to draft the best player available at each position. There does exist a preferred list of players put together by the Hornets’ scouting department, but there is no organizational focus toward one area of need.

But will moves be made to acquire any of these preferred players?

“Management is definitely keen on a couple players at each tier. It’s quite conceivable that picks could be moved to draft them.”

[Lance-Pittsburgh]

PITTSBURGH TAKES BIG RISK
Hornets draft boom-or-bust blueliner Merkley

PITTSBURGH - The Hornets opted to pass on Erik Brännström, instead moving the draft pick they intended to use to claim his rights for a selection in the first round of next year’s draft. Pittsburgh management circled back to another offensive-minded defender when their time came, drafting incredibly gifted -- but extremely risky -- defenseman Ryan Merkley.

“We’re well aware of his well-documented flaws and criticisms,” general manager Lance Lavelle stated after making the selection. “But we felt like we could take the risk at this point in the draft. We left some good players on the board, but none of them will be what Ryan could be.”

And therein lies the risk. Pittsburgh could have drafted premier two-way center German Rubtsov with the selection. Or, if they wanted to stay with blueline help, puck-moving defenders Josh Mahura and Calen Addison were available.

Said Lavelle: “Ryan has huge upside. He’ll spend another year down in Peterborough, working on this defensive play and decision-making. But we’ll see him soon enough here in Pittsburgh.”

Fortunately for the Hornets, Addison was still available when the team made another second round selection at fifty-ninth overall.

“Calen looks to be a powerplay weapon,” a scout within the organization said. “He’ll need some seasoning on the farm, but we might have something special in a handful of seasons.”

Pittsburgh closed out the second round at sixty-third overall with a selection that caused some heated debate within the Pittsburgh front office. According to anonymous sources, Pittsburgh was close to acquiring some established depth on the blueline by trading the pick. Others within the organization say management was leaning toward selecting their third defensemen of the draft. Ultimately, Pittsburgh selected small and speedy center Alex Barré-Boulet, who can play wing and has the skills to develop into a legitimate top-six option.

“Even if he remains a middle-six option,” Lavelle mused, “we’d be happy with this selection. There are other players we want, but we think a number of them will still be available when we get to pick again in the third round.”

[Lance-Pittsburgh]

HORNETS HAVE “EPIC” THIRD ROUND IN DRAFT
Pittsburgh continues to restock the cupboards

PITTSBURGH - “Epic,” according to one league general manager.

Pittsburgh ended the third round of the draft with four straight draft selections. And selections with promising upside to boot. The Hornets ended the third round of the GHL Entry Draft by selecting goaltenders Josef Korenar and Colton Point, as well as wingers Nick Henry and Tyler Steenbergen. An earlier selection -- Pittsburgh’s fifth of the third round -- saw the Hornets select center Antti Suomela.

“Management is incredibly high on all five of them,” claimed a source that wished to remain anonymous. “When the draft board was originally created by the scouting department back in May, these were five players that were targeted for the third round.”

The Hornets have four more selections in this draft -- two in the fourth round and two in the fifth -- and have eyes on players in each of those rounds.

“We feel like we can now afford to take some bigger risks developmentally,” said general manager Lance Lavelle. “We like our prospect depth -- the most we’ve liked it since I was hired. Now we’d like to find some diamonds in the rough and maybe take a chance on a player or two that we wouldn’t have considered drafting last year.”

[Phil-Cornwall]

Excellent pressor and great draft! I wanted that Korenar kid too.

[Joe-Adirondack]

I tried to trade and get Jo-Ko the entire 3rd round

[Lance-Pittsburgh]

PITTSBURGH MAKES SPLASH IN FREE AGENCY
Malkin inks contract with Hornets

PITTSBURGH - Hornets general manager Lance Lavelle could be seen with a wide grin Saturday evening as he walked around the offices of Civic Arena. He knew that with one signature on a contract, he had changed the face of his franchise.

“Center Evgeni Malkin has agreed to terms to join the Pittsburgh Hornets,” Lavelle announced at a press conference Saturday night.

Malkin, coming off a 75-point season with Adirondack, figures to slot into the number one center position ahead of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

Over the course of his 11 seasons in the GHL, Malkin has tallied 368 goals and 689 points in 809 games. The Hornets hope he’ll add significantly to those totals wearing the black-and-yellow.

“There’s something about that city. I feel like I was meant to play there,” Malkin said, by phone.

With some obvious gaps in the depth chart, including a clear starting goaltender, there are questions about the need for such a signing.

“We view Evgeni’s deal as a long-term investment,” Lavelle said. “We think that we’ve got the younger pieces in the organization already to make an impact on the ice within a season or two -- especially along the blueline Calen [Addison], Adam [Boqvist], P-O [Joseph]. Not to mention we already have a strong presence with Cam [Fowler ]and Jamie [Oleksiak].”

Lavelle continued: “Our top- and middle-forward depth is also enviable both now and in the future, with guys like Ryan [Nugent-Hopkins], Kasperi [Kapanen], Jack [Hughes], Jesper [Bratt], P-L [Dubois], Owen [Tippett], and Alex [Radulov] currently suiting up and the likes of Arthur [Kaliyev], Alex [Newhook], and Connor [Zary] waiting in the wings.”

“But,” Lavelle added, “we know that we need a goaltender to put together a complete team. If we can’t sign or trade for a guy this off-season, we’re content starting our season with Josef [Korenar] and Garret [Sparks]. With Evgeni signing with us, we’re in for the long haul.”

Terms of the Malkin deal have not yet been announced, but the player hinted at the long-term nature of the signing.

“I know that building a strong team here will take time. I want to be part of that. I want to end [my] career in Pittsburgh,” Malkin said.

[Lance-Pittsburgh]

HORNETS SIGN VETERAN GOALTENDER
Tuukka Rask to serve as starting netminder this season

PITTSBURGH - It would seem that Hornets general manager Lance Lavelle’s contentedness to rely on his stable of inexperienced goaltenders waned rather quickly.

Just days ago, Lavelle expressed that the Hornets were “content starting our season with Josef [Korenar] and Garret [Sparks].” But on Tuesday evening, Pittsburgh announced the signing of veteran goaltender Tuukka Rask. Rask owns a 221-258-89 in the GHL with a total of 50 shutouts. It is expected that the aging Rask will receive the majority of the starting duties, and that either Korenar or Sparks would take on the role of back-up.

“Tuukka gives us the certainty between the pipes that we need this season,” Lavelle said in a late-night press conference. “We know that Josef and Garret could have admirably taken on the role this season, but ultimately we wanted to go with a guy that could deliver some more wins.”

The terms of the deal have not yet been announced.

With this signing and the recent deal with Evgeni Malkin, the Hornets are looking more like a team that could contend for a wild card spot in the Prince of Wales Conference.

“It’s a long season and there are a lot of good teams in the conference,” stated Lavelle. “But we like our chances more today than we did last week.”

[Lance-Pittsburgh]

HORNETS BOLSTER BLUELINE
Veteran defenseman Marc Staal signs with Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh Hornets surrendered a league-high 366 goals last season. They gave up 353 goals the previous season -- good for second-worst behind Moncton. It’s possible that this coming season the Hornets will be a little more difficult to score against.

While the signing of veteran goaltender Tuukka Rask two days ago will certainly help stop the hemorrhaging of goals, yesterday’s signing of experienced blueliner Marc Staal also helps. Staal brings the experience of 745 regular season games to the defense corps -- nearly double the total games played by four of the presumed GHLers currently signed by Pittsburgh.

“With Adam and P-O projecting to make the squad out of camp, we wanted to make sure we had some additional experience and depth,” general manager Lance Lavelle said. “Marc can play second and third pairing roles, and signing him gives us the opportunity to potentially throw the youngsters together to play a more offensively minded game.”

“There’s a lot of flexibility in this signing.” Lavelle continued: “And I really like the way the roster is filling out. We could probably use some additional depth at forward, so we might try to snag one more player through free agency.”

[Lance-Pittsburgh]

PITTSBURGH ACQUIRES TWO GOALTENDERS
Bolster forward depth with two acquisitions as well

PITTSBURGH - For too many seasons, games against the Pittsburgh Hornets have been an easy two points in the standings for most teams in the league. It’s possible that has come to an end.

“Years of patience, drafting, and prospect development is finally paying off,” general manager Lance Lavelle said this morning before heading to a meeting with his scouting department in anticipation of the annual Amateur Entry Draft. “There are still some moves that we could make to improve our squad, but I’ve got the most confidence I’ve ever had at this point in an off-season.”

The Hornets have made four trades in the span of four days, the first involving the franchise’s second-highest scorer, winger Alexander Radulov. Pittsburgh moved Radulov along with their second round pick in this summer’s draft to Oregon for Jordan Staal. The Mighty Ducks also sent Hamilton’s fifth round selection in this year’s draft.

“Jordan gives us a great 1-2-3 punch down the middle,” said Lavelle. “With Geno [Malkin] and PL [Dubois] anchoring the top two lines, Jordan provides strong secondary support to those two.”

The move also unites Jordan with his brother Marc, who patrols the Hornets’ blueline.

In the week’s second move, Pittsburgh sent their first round pick in this summer’s draft – ninth overall – to Moncton for young winger Elias Pettersson.

“Pettersson can play anywhere on the top two lines for us,” Lavelle noted. “We see him primarily playing alongside PL and Ryan [Nugent-Hopkins], but we’ll see what develops as the season progresses.”

With the Hornets forward depth seemingly set, Lavelle turned his attention to a glaring weakness – the crease. He addressed that situation by sending a third round pick and promising young forward Alex Barre-Boulet to St. Paul for Jonathan Quick.

“We know he’s got quite a cap hit,” said Lavelle, “but it’s a one-year hit. He gives us a chance to win every night.”

Many observers thought Lavelle would end his quest for a goaltender with the acquisition of Quick. Instead of confirming Quick as a starter with an aging Tuukka Rask or an unproven Josef Korenar as a back-up, the Hornets general manager traded next year’s first round selection for another starting-caliber goaltender, Ville Husso.

“I know it’s early in the off-season, but we wanted to address our presence in net early,” Lavelle said. “We would have been fine with waiting until free agency, but these deals presented themselves and we like the outcomes.”

There are some free agents, both restricted and unrestricted, that could return to the team, most notably unrestricted free agent defender Jamie Oleksiak and the newly acquired restricted free agent Elias Pettersson. Contact talks are expected to progress easily with Pettersson, while management is exploring their options on the blueline.

Internally, Pittsburgh sources believe they can contest for a playoff spot with the roster they currently have under contract. As the draft progresses and free agency unfolds, we’ll see if the Hornets’ brass maintains that attitude.