On June 1st, last year, the Pittsburgh Penguins hired Kyle Dubas as President of Hockey Operations and General Manager. After missing the playoffs for the first time in 16 years, his job was to try and find a way to make the Penguins contenders once again with an aging core. A few months later, Dubas would make the biggest splash of the summer, making reigning Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson a Penguin.

The anticipation and excitement were real in Pittsburgh, as fans were excited to see one more Stanley Cup run with the big three and now Erik Karlsson. The season would turn into an utter disappointment, and the Penguins missed the playoffs for the second year in a row. However, this trade was not the sole reason the Pens missed the playoffs. Expectations were high for Karlsson after coming off a 101-point season, but to expect another 100-point year out of Karlsson was not realistic. He finished his first year in Pittsburgh with 11 goals, 45 assists, and 56 points, playing in all 82 regular-season games. It’s fair to say that Karlsson could have been better, but to say he was a big reason why the Penguins failed is a bold statement. 

The problem was the powerplay for the Penguins, of which Karlsson played a factor. The Penguins finished 30th in the league with a 15.3% powerplay unit. Karlsson was off and on the first powerplay unit, as nothing seemed to work on the powerplay for the Penguins. Everyone was to blame for the embarrassing powerplay unit that was put on display in Pittsburgh.

Heading into this year, the Penguins have a different approach. Building for the future while staying competitive during the final years of Sidney Crosby’s career. Expect a much-improved powerplay and a more exceptional version of Erik Karlsson. It’s not all that easy to move into a new city late into the summer, as Karlsson did, and expect everything to go right. It was a challenging year for everybody in Pittsburgh, and it can only go up from year to year. The Penguins brought in David Quinn as an assistant coach, who was previously the coach of the Sharks when Karlsson was there. Karlsson is a tricky player to figure out how to use, as he has a unique skill set that no one else in the league has Quinn knows how to get the most out of Karlsson. Quinn is going to help the powerplay, which will elevate everyone's game in Pittsburgh. 

Looking at the San Jose side of the deal, it was perfected to a tee. The Sharks finished as the worst team in the league and would go on to win the NHL lottery and land the first overall pick. They drafted Macklin Celebrini, uplifting and speeding up the rebuild. 

One year later, both teams would have still made this trade. Dubas took a risk and went for it. Ended up not working out, but having Karlsson be a Penguin for three more years is an honor in itself. Who knows, maybe the Penguins can turn it around this year. As for the Sharks, they have a young kid who can be the face of the franchise in Celebrini. The future is bright in San Jose. This deal was a win-win situation.