It was only a matter of time before Pittsburgh Penguins President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas tipped the first domino in the days leading up to the Mar. 7 NHL trade deadline.
And he did that Wednesday night.
The Penguins announced that they traded forward Michael Bunting and a 2026 fourth-round pick to the Nashville Predators in exchange for defenseman Luke Schenn and forward Tommy Novak.
In addition, the Penguins dealt recently acquired defenseman Vincent Desharnais to the San Jose Sharks for a 2028 fifth-round pick.
Dubas explained that, while the decision to trade Bunting was not an easy one, Novak is someone the organization has been eyeing for a while.
“We looked at the two trades in totality – Desharnais, Bunting, and a pick for Novak, Schenn, and a pick,” Dubas said via email. “The motivation being that Tommy was younger, under team control for an additional season over [Bunting], carried a lower cap charge, and is primarily a center. We felt that carried a large amount of value as we move ahead here with our plans.”
He added: “We like Tommy’s ability to control play, generate scoring chances for himself and others, and produce at even strength. Nashville did a great job with his development over the years, and he blossomed into a very solid player for them. He has been on our priority list for a few years now here, and we feel his mobility, playmaking, and production as a center provides us a great option in the years ahead.”
Novak, 27, has 13 goals and 22 points in 52 games this season, and he has registered 49 goals and 117 points in 201 career games for Nashville, who drafted him in the third round (85th overall) of the 2015 NHL draft.
He will be a solid third-line center option for the Penguins, and there is definitely some upside in Novak – as well as some skill. He is currently in the first year of the three-year contract that pays him $3.5 million annually.
As for Schenn – a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Tampa Bay Lightning in their back-to-back championships in 2020 and 2021 – Dubas likes the intangibles he brings to the group as well as the 35-year-old veteran’s toughness and shutdown ability on the blue line.
“We feel that having Luke’s defensive play, character, leadership, toughness, and spirit is something we need here to help push our program through this phase and preserve our culture and standards as we work to return to contention,” Dubas said. “We believe the way he plays and the way he carries himself each day will be very well-received by Penguins fans and the city of Pittsburgh.”
Schenn carries a cap hit of $2.75 million through the end of the 2025-26 season and has a goal and five points in 61 games. He was originally drafted fifth overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2008, and he has 44 goals and 203 points in 1,057 NHL games.
These two trades will be just the beginning for Dubas, as there are several other players – such as pending-unrestricted free agents Matt Grzelcyk and Anthony Beauvillier, and even top winger Rickard Rakell – who may be on the move within the next 48 hours.
The market is a heavy seller’s market, which bodes well for the Penguins. And Dubas is confident the Penguins can make some impactful moves for the team moving forward.
“This is one of the more unique markets that I’ve encountered leading up to the trade deadline,” Dubas said. There’s a lot of parity and different strategies that contending teams have deployed, combined with teams that are out of the race being very clear that with the salary cap going up in 2025-26 and the two years beyond, that they plan to be aggressive with their acquisitions come July.
“Overall, I think we are positioned well over the next few days – but especially heading into the summer and beyond – to continue to execute our plan as we have been for the last 12 months and continue to work to return the Penguins back into contention as soon as possible.”
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