Faster Penguins: Could Josh Anderson interest Kyle Dubas?

Kyle Dubas has his work cut out for him this summer in his first off-season with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Even so, he’ll have to move quickly to provide Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kristopher Letang with a competitive team that could help the trio win another Stanley Cup.

Dan Kingerski (Pittsburgh Hockey Now) reported in an article this morning on a few names that might interest Dubas in his quest to make the Pens a faster team.

Jeff Carter (1x $3.125M) and Mikael Granlund (2x $5M) could be traded to free up money for the team’s new president to shape the club in his image.

Noel Acciari, Jesper Fast, Colin White, Mattias Janmark, Zach Aston-Reese and Sam Steel are players mentioned who fit into the quick and dirty idea.

What about the Montreal Canadiens? Does Kent Hughes have what it takes to dance with the Penguins?

Fast AND affordable, maybe not. Fast AND tempting, for a team with big title aspirations, maybe.

Josh Anderson is a player who has often attracted the attention of other NHL teams since his arrival with the Canadiens. A 6-foot-3, 220-pound warhorse who skates the way he does is a rare find – and Kyle Dubas saw it up close during the Montreal-Toronto first-round series in 2021.

The problem is, despite the flashes, Anderson hasn’t been able to produce at a rate equivalent to one point per two games since joining the Habs – the consistency hasn’t been there. Could that change if he were paired with Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin, who have historically been able to get their linemates to produce? Would he be an interesting finisher ?

If Dubas were to be interested, it’s a safe bet that the Habs would have to take Granlund or Carter in return, for payroll reasons.

But it’s all speculative. Anderson will earn $5.5 million over the next four years, and has not been spared from injury in recent seasons.

Still, the question is worth asking. It’s been a long time since the Penguins had a complementary powerforward like Anderson, and he might be interested in joining an aspiring team.

In a gust

– To be patient, he was.

– Life sometimes.

– Paul Maurice, with a clear head.