The Penguins' lack of center depth was a glaring weakness to begin the 2017-18 season, a possible impediment to their three-peat prospects disguised by two of the world's best players at the top of the lineup.
On Saturday, the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions made an attempt to address that concern, acquiring center Riley Sheahan from the Red Wings in exchange for forward Scott Wilson and a third-round draft pick in 2018, the teams announced. Pittsburgh also will receive a fifth-round pick from Detroit in 2018.
Sheahan, 25, was once a promising piece to the Red Wings' core. Drafted 21st overall in 2010, he made his NHL debut at 22 and had 85 points in 202 games from 2013-16. But his development fell off a cliff in 2016-17, when he infamously didn't score a goal until netting two in the Red Wings' final game of the season, his 80th.
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Sheahan has yet to register a point in eight games so far in 2017-18.
For the Penguins, his addition is a low-risk gamble he can rediscover that first-round pedigree and take over as their everyday third-line center, a role that remained vacant after Nick Bonino's departure via free agency this summer. Greg McKegg won the roster spot out of training camp, and has performed respectably as a stopgap. But Sheahan represents more offensive upside if the change of scenery helps to rehabilitate his scoring confidence, a knack Pittsburgh has proven in case studies like Bonino.
"He really should be just coming into his prime. He should be able to do it," Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford said of Sheahan turning his career around, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "He’s going to play with good players here.
"He dropped off a little bit last year in his production, but there’s no reason why he can’t get that back."
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Detroit's interests hinged entirely on clearing salary cap space for Andreas Athanasiou, who ended his summerlong contract holdout Friday. Operating at the cap ceiling, Red Wings GM Ken Holland's hands were tied by a glut of overpriced veteran deals and he had to move someone off the roster to fit Athanasiou's $1.3875 million salary.
Sheahan, a restricted free agent next summer, carries a $2.075 million cap hit the rest of 2017-18, now off the Red Wings' books.
Wilson is on the final year of his entry-level contract and had appeared in three of the Penguins' first eight games.
In a separate deal Saturday involving minor-league players, the Red Wings acquired forward Matt Puempel from the Rangers in return for defenseman Ryan Sproul.
