GLENDALE, Ariz. -- In hockey, the “Pittsburgh Model” has referred to the Penguins' organizational philosophy of placing themselves in a position to draft generational talents over the years, players such as Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. But obviously, there's more to roster construction than merely that.
It also means identifying and developing younger, cheaper, complementary players to surround those generational talents with, players such as Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust.
It also means sprinkling in a few veterans either through trade or free agency and giving them perhaps their best chance at winning a Stanley Cup. Derick Brassard certainly fits that bill. And it did with Nick Bonino, among others, before that.
The difference is that Bonino won Cups with Pittsburgh.
Despite what Jim Rutherford was telling me Thursday in the wake of the Derek Grant for Joe Blandisi trade, it remains very much in doubt whether Brassard will be with the Penguins past the Feb. 25 trade deadline.
As one team source put it, using Bonino as an example, Bonino used the Penguins and the Penguins used him. Both sides got what they wanted. The Penguins won with Bonino, who was rewarded with a hefty, four-year, $16.4-million contract from the Predators just two weeks after the Penguins beat Nashville to defend their title in 2017.
Did Bonino get overpaid? Probably, but that's the Predators' problem, not the Penguins'. See how that works? Or at least that's how it's supposed to work.
That's the thing that's been so maddening, according to the source. Brassard, who carved his niche as "Big Game Brass," is in a contract year. You'd expect him to have a few million reasons to play at his absolute best.
Maybe the effort has been there -- he has appeared his most motivated when playing left wing -- but clearly the production hasn't been there as a third-line center. By all accounts, Brassard is healthy both from the shoulder injury that required surgery in the summer of 2017 and from the two groin injuries he suffered after coming to Pittsburgh at last February's trade deadline. Yet all he has to show for it is 14 points (eight goals, six assists) this season, including a garbage-time goal against the Sharks Tuesday. His 14 points are four fewer than Dominik Simon and the same as defenseman Brian Dumoulin. In the last 18 games, Brassard has had three or more shots in a game just once.
That's just no way for Brassard to earn a pay raise over the $5 million he's earning this season, albeit with the Golden Knights picking up 40 percent of it. He's neither helping himself, the Penguins nor his trade value, the source said.
Judging by the line rushes used in practice Thursday, Brassard won't have Phil Kessel on his line tonight against the Coyotes but he will still have Tanner Pearson and Simon with whom to work. That's still a pretty good supporting cast.
Perhaps Rutherford is still assessing his team as he says, but with Malkin having his own struggles finding consistency, the Penguins can't be a legit Cup contender as a one-line team that leans on its power play for offense.
MORE PENGUINS
• One of the many, many reasons the Penguins like Garrett Wilson, in addition to his physical play and work on the penalty kill, is the sense of urgency with which he plays. He plays every game like it could be his last because, well, that's been his past experience in the NHL. He played in 29 games with the Panthers two seasons ago after appearing in three in 2013-14 and two in 2014-15. Wilson, who makes $650,000 at the NHL level but substantially less in the AHL, will be an unrestricted free agent at season's end. Never underestimate the power of the paycheck. -- Bradford
• Some Penguins fans might not want to hear this but every team would absolutely love to have Tom Wilson. That's why every NHL team is looking for something similar and that helps explain why Carolina's Micheal Ferland might be the most sought-after pending UFA at the deadline. Ferland comes with a very cap-friendly $1.8 million AAV, but he's not Wilson, who can one-punch a behemoth such as Jamie Oleksiak and drive teams to distraction as a top-notch agitator. Joe Blandisi isn't Wilson either, but the Penguins love that he has, as one team source put it, the "a-hole gene." -- Bradford
• With Casey DeSmith under contract through 2021-22, Tristan Jarry's path to the NHL is blocked with the Penguins. That means Jarry has become an expendable asset whom I'm told is likely to be moved at the deadline. As mentioned last week, Jarry's contract is a one-way deal for next season so there's no way the Penguins will pay him $675,000 to play in the AHL. -- Bradford
• OK, so it looks like the Penguins' goaltending situation is set for a few years but next on Rutherford's to-do list -- way, way after the trade deadline, of course -- is working out a long-term extension with his starting goalie. Matt Murray will enter next season in the final year of his three-year, $11.25 million bridge deal he signed in October of 2016. Man, time flies. But Murray will be in line for a significant pay raise over the $3.25 million he's currently making. It'll probably be close to double that. -- Bradford
STEELERS
• Art Rooney II didn't want to talk about a potential contract extension for Mike Tomlin, who has two years remaining on his current deal, saying, "Those are things we get to do sort of later in the offseason, so we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it." But the Steelers have traditionally extended their head coaches with two years remaining. And they don't typically talk about it before doing it. It just happens sometime in June or July once the rest of the team's offseason business is attended to. So, before everyone starts with the Tomlin vitriol and how this just shows the Steelers aren't committed to winning, realize Bill Cowher was given an extension before the 2001 season, coming off three consecutive seasons in which he failed to make the playoffs. Two of those seasons, the Steelers finished with losing records. If we get to training camp and Tomlin hasn't been extended, then Rooney will be sending a message. -- Dale Lolley at Rooney Complex
• As I reported recently, the Steelers aren't likely to pay Bud Dupree the $9.2 million he is scheduled to make in 2019. Dupree was locked in at that rate when the Steelers picked up his fifth-year option last spring, but the team only did that to cover itself in case Dupree had a breakout season in 2018. That didn't happen. "I thought Bud had some good games and some other games that were probably not what you would want," Rooney said earlier this week. "I think there was some progress there. We’re looking for progress from him again next year." It sounds like the Steelers intend on having Dupree on the roster. But that will only happen if he's willing to take a pretty big pay cut on an extension. Dupree is a league-average starter at this point and should expect a league-average contract offer from the Steelers. To make that work, the deal would look something like four years at $20-$24 million with $9 million of that in guarantees. If that modest contract offer -- and that is modest -- doesn't work for Dupree, the Steelers can release him and spend that money on another edge rusher, though there isn't much available on the free agent market. Any such move with Dupree would have to come before March 13. After that, his contract becomes fully guaranteed. -- Lolley
• The Steelers are very much in play for an international game in 2019, thanks to their second-place finish. Had the Steelers won the AFC North, they would have avoided a road game at Los Angeles against the Chargers. But because both teams finished second in their respective divisions, that game is now part of the 2019 schedule. And the Chargers are one of five teams the league already announced will be home teams for international games next season. The Chargers are the only one of those teams the Steelers visit, and you can bet the league won't mind putting the Steelers in the 87,000-seat Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, for example, as opposed to the 27,000-seat Dignity Health Sports Park. In fact, I'm told the Steelers fully expect that to happen. And if not Mexico City, they'll be headed back to London, where they played the Vikings in 2013. The Steelers can't host an international regular season game because of their stadium lease, which guarantees the team plays all of its regular season home games at Heinz Field.-- Lolley
PIRATES
• The news had barely broken when the social media conspiracy theorists were certain the Pirates were pushing Steve Blass out of the broadcast booth. However, that is not the case. The 76-year-old is going out on his own terms, and there was absolutely no pressure applied by the Pirates for Blass to transition into a club ambassador role in 2020 after he marks his last season as a broadcaster in 2019. As Greg Brown told DKPittsburghSports.com, “Steve hasn’t slipped a bit, and anyone who watches or listens to the broadcast knows that.” -- John Perrotto
• John Wehner will most likely move into an extended broadcasting role in 2020. He has been doing color on road games since 2005. Blass handles home games. If the Pirates do decide to add a third color commentator, the most likely candidates are former players Mike LaValliere and Andy Van Slyke, along with former scouting director and former Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik, who's been doing pre- and post-game shows for the Pirates. -- Perrotto
• An interesting pitcher to watch in spring training will be right-handed reliever Jesus Liranzo, who was claimed off waivers from the Dodgers last year. The 23-year-old had a combined 3.95 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 58 games with Triple-A Indianapolis and Double-A Altoona in 2018 and his fastball topped out at 100 mph. -- Perrotto