Brian Burke has never been afraid to make a big splash. In a lot of ways, he actually prides himself on it.
“My modus operandi has always been to do something big at the end of my first year in a job,” Burke wrote in his best-selling book “Burke’s Law.” “I like to get to know the team for a full season and then make a dramatic move.”
In 1993, with the Hartford Whalers, Burke dealt three picks and a player to move up and select Chris Pronger. In 2009 with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Burke spent two first-round picks and a second-round pick to acquire Phil Kessel.
Most famously, he wheeled and dealed to acquire the second and third picks in the 1999 draft, which he then spent on twins Daniel and Henrik Sedin. The blockbuster move is considered by many to be one of the NHL’s greatest displays of deal making. With so many moving pieces, it took an entire chapter in Burke’s book to tell the entire, behind-the-scenes story.
Today, as Burke closes in on his first full season as Penguins president of hockey operations and the March 21 trade deadline approaches, could it be time for that dramatic move?
Don’t count on it.
“We're probably not going to be able to do much,” Burke told the Post-Gazette on Sunday. “We're capped out. I can't imagine we're going to do something big or noisy at the deadline.”
Burke and general manager Ron Hextall like the team as assembled, thinking it has the right mix of star power, role players on affordable deals and versatile depth. And why wouldn’t they? As of Sunday afternoon, the Penguins had the Eastern Conference’s fourth-best record, with 77 points in 57 games.
While the team’s performance is significant, the bigger consideration is the salary cap. The Penguins are pressed right up against the $81.5 million upper limit. Burke said they anticipate just about $127,000 in room. That’s basically nothing.
“The issue is we're capped out,” Burke said. “You say to yourself, ‘Well, cash out; cash in. We could move a player and create cap space.’ But we like our team. We like our players. We're not in a hurry to move anyone. So we may well have a very quiet deadline. I wouldn't be surprised.”
If the Penguins make a tweak to the roster, it will need to be cap-conscious. Should the Penguins take on a contract, they’d need to shed a salary of about equal value.
However, trying to find that player who could be moved on the Penguins payroll isn’t easy.
Unprompted, Burke brought up defenseman Mike Matheson. Some have speculated that his $4.875 million salary on the third pair could make him a possible cap casualty, as Mark Friedman has proved to be a solid (not to mention, entertaining) low-cost fill-in during Matheson’s injury absence.
“Some would say, well, we could move Mike Matheson,” Burke said. “We have no intention of moving Mike Matheson. We like him as a player. We like him as a person. We haven't even talked about Mike Matheson because we love the guy.”
While we’re on the subject of high-priced players, Jason Zucker’s $5.5 million cap hit is hefty. He’s expected back soon, so forget about the idea they could stash him on long-term injured reserve to circumvent the cap. And Marcus Pettersson is yet another left-shot blue liner making upwards of $4 million a season.
“And we love both those guys,” Burke said.
“Jason Zucker has been a really important player on our team,” Burke continued. “His production [six goals in 31 games] is not as high as his money. People might point at that and say, 'Well, given his production, he's expensive.' But he's a quality person. He's an important teammate on our team. He works his ass off.”
Burke also looks at the Penguins and doesn’t see many pressing needs. The defensive pairs are complementary. Behind the six regulars, Friedman provides some depth and Pierre-Olivier Joseph could be used in a pinch. The forward corps is, in the front office’s eyes, deep and versatile.
The other big question has been goaltending. While Casey DeSmith struggled out of the gate, he’s put together a number of solid games. In his past six outings, the backup has posted a stellar .933 save percentage and a 2.18 goals-against average.
The Penguins are clearly going to ride Tristan Jarry in the postseason, as they’ve done all regular season. If he falters or gets injured, does Burke have confidence in DeSmith?
“Absolutely,” Burke said, repeating the word for emphasis.
Burke’s philosophy is that there should be only a few untouchables on any team. Sidney Crosby is the only one on the Penguins. So if someone comes calling, the Penguins will at least pick up the phone to hear the offer, no matter which player is mentioned.
But if you want to hear about a big move on March 21, Burke’s book might be the place to find it.
“We’re going to listen,” Burke said. “The fact of the matter is, your job as a GM or president of hockey operations is to listen and see what's there, but we like our group.”
Mike DeFabo: mdefabo@post-gazette.com and Twitter @MikeDeFabo.
First Published: March 7, 2022, 12:00 p.m.
Updated: March 7, 2022, 12:19 p.m.