How ESPN Graded Penguins Trade With Maple Leafs

Now that the dust has settled from an extremely busy NHL trade deadline on Friday, ESPN gave out its grades for each move made across the league.

Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas mainly stockpiled draft picks for the franchise’s future. However, he did make one significant move with his old team — the Toronto Maple Leafs.

After acquiring defenseman Brandon Carlo from the Boston Bruins, the Leafs shipped forward Connor Dewar and defenseman Conor Timmins to the Penguins for future considerations to clear roster space.

ESPN graded the trade and gave the Penguins an “A-minus” for their work. The write up reads as follows:

It wouldn’t be a trade season without Penguins GM Kyle Dubas adding at least one former Sault Ste. Marie Greyhound to his team’s mix — in this case, Timmins.

The Penguins were a third-party facilitator here so the Leafs could dump enough salary to bring Carlo into the fold. Naturally, the Leafs’ former general manager was happy to pick up a couple of his own draftees in Timmins and Dewar.

But still, it’s a trade that benefits the Penguins. Pittsburgh, like Boston, is barreling toward a retool, and it’ll move along quicker with somewhat established skaters such as Timmins and Dewar as part of the process. There’s a familiarity with their strengths and weaknesses, and the twosome should slide into more significant roles with the Penguins than they have in Toronto.

Timmins and Dewar have yet to make their Pittsburgh debut. The 26-year-old blue liner registered eight points across 51 games with the Leafs, while Dewar, 25, has just three assists in 31 games for Toronto.

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